I’ve been busy.

I know.  Life’s busy and if you’re going to be hosting your own site, then you owe it to the good folks who have come to depend on the sage advice, probing questions and stupid videos that you post to actually dispense these things.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Sorry.

I actually faced a bit of a dilemma with the whole situation.  I’ve been so busy with pastoring and then my personal life (had you heard I’ve taken up cycling?) and then my family’s personal lives (I’m now the chauffeur for … never mind.  If you know, you know and if you don’t, I don’t think I’m allowed to elaborate on the blog) that I have been too exhausted to write in the evenings when I typically craft my blog posts.

I considered shutting it down.

Some of you have heard that I have agreed to be an editor/contributor to a group blog called MissioScapes with some of the usual suspects.  In fact, my initial article dropped there last week.

I thought that my occasional post there my tide over my writing jones. Scratch the itch. But then, no. I don’t think it will.

Then, I thought I might start an entirely new blog.  An anonymous cycling blog from the eyes of a newbie cyclist.  So much uncovered territory.  So many obvious and yet unassaulted targets in the cycling community.  You have no idea.  I’m not even talking about the Lycra, either.

Still might do that, but then, maybe not.

If I’m too tired to write about the established aspects of my life, what makes me think an anonymous and yet unread cycling blog would drive me to shake off the web of slumber and expose the spandex clad, two wheeled, helmeted, free wheeling crowd to an audience that doesn’t even exist?

No.

The writing’s the thing.  It’s not the subject of the blog.  Do I want to write, and if so, will I set aside time to do it?

Yes.

I have decided that this is worth that and, frankly, it is you who have shown me that I should.

You’ve not said a word.  No notes. No comments.  No email.

But you’ve come back.  Daily for over a month with barely a word from me beyond unfulfilled promises of posts to come, you still drop in and read what I have not written.

Thanks.

And since you’ve apparently cared what I have to not say, I think you’ll be immenantly more interested in the things that I hope to say, so…

I’ve decided to be a blogger.

By that I mean not just the random thought or question but something interesting – or at least something I think is interesting – more than once a week.

There you have it.

Sorry, for the impromptu time off.  Thanks for sticking around.  See you soon.

Comments

• August 24, 2009, Gary Snowden writes: Art, Glad to hear that you've decided to stick with blogging. I'm not a very faithful writer at times either. There are long lapses of time that pass without a post, but then I'll get inspired and write 2 or 3 in quick succession. It's nice to have a venue for expressing one's thoughts, even if they are sporadic and periodic. By the way, I had a meeting with Rodney Hammer this past Thursday at the associational office and he described his initial meeting with you in Tulsa after having read your blog for some time. I suspect you have a lot of faithful readers. Blessings.
• August 24, 2009, art rogers writes: Gary, Fascinatingly, this brings up another issue. My comment email system wasn't working and I would not be notified of comments when they were left. I wasn't participating well in discussion, which hurt discussion and also hurt my own interest. Miraculously, it has fixed itself and your comment just appeared in my inbox. Amazing.
• August 24, 2009, Bob Cleveland writes: Art, It's axiomatic that the things we dream up to serve us, we eventually become enslaved to. I've felt the same thing about blogging, my ownself, but I finally decided I blog because of me. I enjoy the writing. And I don't write unless the bug, germ, spirit, whatever, bites me. I quit the choir for the same (admittedly twisted) reason. I'd been teaching 2 Sunday Schools for some months and when I finally made it to worship, they were doing a number they'd prepared for the Christmas Cantata, and I sat out that Sunday and loved being in the congregation out there in a pew. The little voice said "you can't quit .. you've been there longer than anybody but the pianist .. what will people think ..". God then convicted me that was precisely the wrong reason, and I've loved being "out there" ever since. If you want to write, write. When you don't feel like it, don't. It needn't be any more complicated than that. Besides, might a lot of those visits be from RSS readers, like mine? That's the only way I ever go to a blog any more since someone (you, as I recall...) mentioned them. (If it was you, a big thanks.) And oh, yes, I do enjoy your writing, or maybe I just enjoy hearing from a friend. Both, actually.
• August 24, 2009, Bart writes: Bumbling blogging bicyclist is becoming better at battling bumper to bumper bottlenecks and bringing boy to bashes.
• August 24, 2009, art rogers writes: Bob, I always enjoy your writing also, and good friends are like good medicine. Glad you're mine. Also, you are welcome for the rss feed reader, but no they don't show up in stats. Those are actual visits. Technology is fascinating, eh? Bart, Huh? ;)
• August 25, 2009, Vicki writes: I got it. I actually have an RSS feed to my work email. I'm not sure if we can do an RSS feed to our personal email (that I don't like). I wish I was as clever as Bart!!!

Related posts:

• A Picture of Marty Duren
• Have you ever seen this?
• Pastoral Blogging 5a
• 2007 Christian Blogger Survey
• Another bashing…

For those of you still checking in faithfully over the last, what? Three weeks? You deserve to know what’s been going on.

I’ve been busy.

I know.  Life’s busy and if you’re going to be hosting your own site, then you owe it to the good folks who have come to depend on the sage advice, probing questions and stupid videos that you post to actually dispense these things.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Sorry.

I actually faced a bit of a dilemma with the whole situation.  I’ve been so busy with pastoring and then my personal life (had you heard I’ve taken up cycling?) and then my family’s personal lives (I’m now the chauffeur for … never mind.  If you know, you know and if you don’t, I don’t think I’m allowed to elaborate on the blog) that I have been too exhausted to write in the evenings when I typically craft my blog posts.

I considered shutting it down.

Some of you have heard that I have agreed to be an editor/contributor to a group blog called MissioScapes with some of the usual suspects.  In fact, my initial article dropped there last week.

I thought that my occasional post there my tide over my writing jones. Scratch the itch. But then, no. I don’t think it will.

Then, I thought I might start an entirely new blog.  An anonymous cycling blog from the eyes of a newbie cyclist.  So much uncovered territory.  So many obvious and yet unassaulted targets in the cycling community.  You have no idea.  I’m not even talking about the Lycra, either.

Still might do that, but then, maybe not.

If I’m too tired to write about the established aspects of my life, what makes me think an anonymous and yet unread cycling blog would drive me to shake off the web of slumber and expose the spandex clad, two wheeled, helmeted, free wheeling crowd to an audience that doesn’t even exist?

No.

The writing’s the thing.  It’s not the subject of the blog.  Do I want to write, and if so, will I set aside time to do it?

Yes.

I have decided that this is worth that and, frankly, it is you who have shown me that I should.

You’ve not said a word.  No notes. No comments.  No email.

But you’ve come back.  Daily for over a month with barely a word from me beyond unfulfilled promises of posts to come, you still drop in and read what I have not written.

Thanks.

And since you’ve apparently cared what I have to not say, I think you’ll be immenantly more interested in the things that I hope to say, so…

I’ve decided to be a blogger.

By that I mean not just the random thought or question but something interesting – or at least something I think is interesting – more than once a week.

There you have it.

Sorry, for the impromptu time off.  Thanks for sticking around.  See you soon.

Comments

• August 24, 2009, Gary Snowden writes: Art, Glad to hear that you've decided to stick with blogging. I'm not a very faithful writer at times either. There are long lapses of time that pass without a post, but then I'll get inspired and write 2 or 3 in quick succession. It's nice to have a venue for expressing one's thoughts, even if they are sporadic and periodic. By the way, I had a meeting with Rodney Hammer this past Thursday at the associational office and he described his initial meeting with you in Tulsa after having read your blog for some time. I suspect you have a lot of faithful readers. Blessings.
• August 24, 2009, art rogers writes: Gary, Fascinatingly, this brings up another issue. My comment email system wasn't working and I would not be notified of comments when they were left. I wasn't participating well in discussion, which hurt discussion and also hurt my own interest. Miraculously, it has fixed itself and your comment just appeared in my inbox. Amazing.
• August 24, 2009, Bob Cleveland writes: Art, It's axiomatic that the things we dream up to serve us, we eventually become enslaved to. I've felt the same thing about blogging, my ownself, but I finally decided I blog because of me. I enjoy the writing. And I don't write unless the bug, germ, spirit, whatever, bites me. I quit the choir for the same (admittedly twisted) reason. I'd been teaching 2 Sunday Schools for some months and when I finally made it to worship, they were doing a number they'd prepared for the Christmas Cantata, and I sat out that Sunday and loved being in the congregation out there in a pew. The little voice said "you can't quit .. you've been there longer than anybody but the pianist .. what will people think ..". God then convicted me that was precisely the wrong reason, and I've loved being "out there" ever since. If you want to write, write. When you don't feel like it, don't. It needn't be any more complicated than that. Besides, might a lot of those visits be from RSS readers, like mine? That's the only way I ever go to a blog any more since someone (you, as I recall...) mentioned them. (If it was you, a big thanks.) And oh, yes, I do enjoy your writing, or maybe I just enjoy hearing from a friend. Both, actually.
• August 24, 2009, Bart writes: Bumbling blogging bicyclist is becoming better at battling bumper to bumper bottlenecks and bringing boy to bashes.
• August 24, 2009, art rogers writes: Bob, I always enjoy your writing also, and good friends are like good medicine. Glad you're mine. Also, you are welcome for the rss feed reader, but no they don't show up in stats. Those are actual visits. Technology is fascinating, eh? Bart, Huh? ;)
• August 25, 2009, Vicki writes: I got it. I actually have an RSS feed to my work email. I'm not sure if we can do an RSS feed to our personal email (that I don't like). I wish I was as clever as Bart!!!

Related posts:

• A Picture of Marty Duren
• Have you ever seen this?
• Pastoral Blogging 5a
• 2007 Christian Blogger Survey
• Another bashing…

Oh, and please remember that the MissioScapes blog is ideological, not political, and not focused on the SBC.  Rather, since the SBC has made the move to further its ability to fulfill the Missio Dei, it seems that we are focused on the same things at the moment.  No, I don’t think we are always focused on the same things as the SBC, if that question crossed your mind.

Not to ignore my postings here at 12 Witnesses, I’ll be dropping an article this week about Christians intentionally partnering with the unholy.

I hope to pique your interest by saying that I think we should do it.  Alot.

Comments

• August 5, 2009, Marty Duren writes: You piqued my interest by having me guessing whether the GCR or MissioScapes fell into the category of "unholy."

Related posts:

• GCR Task Force Listening Luncheon Today
• A word to the wise concerning the SBC
• Ed Stetzer and the Future of Denominations
• Transitions: Deconstruction… Yes
• GCR Task Force Listening Luncheon Videos

Right now, over at MissioScapes, you can read an article from Marty Duren that is the beginning of a series entitled, “If we were the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force.” It’s Marty being Marty on the SBC and I know some of you have missed that stuff. My article will be there in a few weeks.  There are a few scheduled to drop between now and then, but all will be worth your while, I think.

Oh, and please remember that the MissioScapes blog is ideological, not political, and not focused on the SBC.  Rather, since the SBC has made the move to further its ability to fulfill the Missio Dei, it seems that we are focused on the same things at the moment.  No, I don’t think we are always focused on the same things as the SBC, if that question crossed your mind.

Not to ignore my postings here at 12 Witnesses, I’ll be dropping an article this week about Christians intentionally partnering with the unholy.

I hope to pique your interest by saying that I think we should do it.  Alot.

Comments

• August 5, 2009, Marty Duren writes: You piqued my interest by having me guessing whether the GCR or MissioScapes fell into the category of "unholy."

Related posts:

• GCR Task Force Listening Luncheon Today
• A word to the wise concerning the SBC
• Ed Stetzer and the Future of Denominations
• Transitions: Deconstruction… Yes
• GCR Task Force Listening Luncheon Videos

Why now?

Because I just had a brilliant piece of writing eaten by the exact same code on another blog.  Something that have neither the time nor inclination to attempt to duplicate…

And it caused me to think that others who might like to comment on this blog might have had the same thing happen to them.

And since I want discussion on this blog, things that might inhibit discussion should go.

So it has, at least for now.  We’ll see how it works.

I hope this will encourage more opinions in the future.

——————————————————————–

Update

Ok.  Less that 24 hours and three spam messages.

Security code is back in.  Sorry.

For those who have had comments swallowed by a message that says you have an invalid security code, only to hit the back button and have your comment gone forever…

The only way around this that I have found is to make sure you highlight and copy your comment before submitting it.  I know it is a hoop through which to jump and one easily forgotten, but I fear I have no other suggestions.

Sorry.

Comments

• June 10, 2009, art rogers writes: I've already been hit by one spam bot. I have a feeling the security code is going to go back up.
• June 11, 2009, Quinn Hooks writes: I had to do the same, Art. For some reason, I am getting spam from Russia and I can't read Russian! Quinn Hookss last blog post..Camp McCall making a difference in South Carolina

Related posts:

• Pastoral Blogging 5a
• The Poll Thing
• The New Place
• Moral Failings in Ministry
• Pastoral Blogging: Easily Embed You Tube

I’ve had the comment security code in my comment field for a loooong time.  At one point it served to keep spam generating programs from commenting on my posts.  I think I can let other programs work behind the scenes to accomplish that now.

Why now?

Because I just had a brilliant piece of writing eaten by the exact same code on another blog.  Something that have neither the time nor inclination to attempt to duplicate…

And it caused me to think that others who might like to comment on this blog might have had the same thing happen to them.

And since I want discussion on this blog, things that might inhibit discussion should go.

So it has, at least for now.  We’ll see how it works.

I hope this will encourage more opinions in the future.

——————————————————————–

Update

Ok.  Less that 24 hours and three spam messages.

Security code is back in.  Sorry.

For those who have had comments swallowed by a message that says you have an invalid security code, only to hit the back button and have your comment gone forever…

The only way around this that I have found is to make sure you highlight and copy your comment before submitting it.  I know it is a hoop through which to jump and one easily forgotten, but I fear I have no other suggestions.

Sorry.

Comments

• June 10, 2009, art rogers writes: I've already been hit by one spam bot. I have a feeling the security code is going to go back up.
• June 11, 2009, Quinn Hooks writes: I had to do the same, Art. For some reason, I am getting spam from Russia and I can't read Russian! Quinn Hookss last blog post..Camp McCall making a difference in South Carolina

Related posts:

• Pastoral Blogging 5a
• The Poll Thing
• The New Place
• Moral Failings in Ministry
• Pastoral Blogging: Easily Embed You Tube

If you don’t know what a live bookmark is, your browser has an option when you click the rss feed chicklet:

(umm… if you don’t know what an rss feed is, you should probably read my previous posts on this subject, but I’ll give you a reprieve and offer this cool link: video – rss explained in plain english [ht: Desiring God Blog]

Most of the time, I use bloglines, but for those select few blogs, I opt for a live bookmark which is a drop down menu that shows the latest posts. It updates mui pronto and I don’t have to log into bloglines and sort through all of the other feeds that I don’t want to read at the moment.

Which brings me back to my original purpose. Sometimes you have to weed out feeds you aren’t reading. A lot of times, when you decide to subscribe to a feed, you feel sort of obligated to hang in there. Listen, there are plenty of times I have read an incredibly thoughtful post from someone and thought, “Hey, there’s gonna be more of this good stuff.” Generally there is, but too often, it is a long time coming. Sorting through their other posts waiting for the really good stuff is why I got a feed reader, so I could skim.

When I got back from camp, though, and found 300+ feeds waiting on me, I had had enough. I spent a couple of hours on my couch just sifting. By the time I finished, it was midnight and I was supremely irritated from the process. I’m glad everyone was asleep, or I would have been likely to have snapped at my family just for being alive at the moment. When something puts you in that frame of mind, it is time for a change.

Also, I am dumping almost all of my SBC politics feeds. I used to keep track of what everyone was saying because I had to be current. Truth be known, I had pretty much quit reading most of them months ago unless someone linked to them. I was skimming, but my heart has been out of it for a while.

At this point, I have a hard time keeping up with just the stuff coming from SBC Outpost, and I’m a contributor.

There have been a few, more thoughtful blogs, to which I am subscribing, and I thought you might like to know who they are.

Tops of my new interest is Emily Hunter McGowin. That girl knows her stuff and is deep like big water.

Lu has caught my interest and secured a feed in bloglines. She is a former missionary and current Nashvillian. She likes her blogging so much, she is willing to pay to do it (she uses typepad). Who am I to talk? I own my own domain.

Joe Ball is the Student Ministry guy for the Kentucky Baptist Convention and a long time friend. He keeps me hooked up with thoughts on Youth Ministry at Despising None Blog and Podcast.

Finally, I recommend to you an old blogging ally and someone who has made a huge leap from SBC politics to serious cultural engagement and thoughtful cultural commentary/conversation, Kevin Bussey.

Along with these changes, and more, expect my blogroll to change. Almost every SBC politics is going to come off of it. Please don’t get your feelings hurt you are there and get dropped. All things must grow and change and 12 Witnesses is doing that, as well.

[edit]

What the heck!!! I forgot to commend to you the fine blog of Timmy Brister, Provocations and Pantings. Timmy rocks with some massive depth, but also will give you phenominal knowledge on photography, family and life. I guess I forgot him because I have been reading him for a while, but in editing my blogroll, I realized I had never added him. My bad, TB.

Comments

• July 26, 2007, Lu writes: Aw, how cool! Work is slow today so I'm (supposed to be) working on my marketing paper. As is typical, I'm avoiding. ;) So I thought I'd drop in on you. You always have something new and profound for me to think about. But instead, I find my name, on your list. I's so excited! Now I have seven actual real live readers. :) Seriously, thanks. I am blessed. Yeah, I'm gonna have to clear out bloglines too. I added a bunch of new feeds recently, but I just can't keep up with all of them and still be a good student. Or have a life.
• July 26, 2007, Kevin Bussey writes: I'm glad I made the cut!
• July 26, 2007, Timmy Brister writes: Thanks Art for the nice recommendation. I really appreciate it. This series has been really helpful to pastors and lay people who are new to the blogosphere and all the technical features that accompany it. Thanks again, Timmy
• July 26, 2007, Dorcas Hawker writes: Art - I know I'm on your Firefox 5 feeds you read more than once daily ... right? Ha! Seriously, with your busy life I doubt you have time to read my introductory paragraphs, much less an entire epic post. Keep it real, and follow the advice Alan and Bryan are always giving me -- when it comes to blogging, just do what you want ... it is supposed to be fun, interesting, positive, etc. etc. Dorcas
• July 26, 2007, Joe Ball writes: Thanks for the kind words. It is good not to get voted off.
• July 27, 2007, Ben writes: Art, the blogging world is not unlike the traditional world of message sending and receiving. There are millions of messages being sent every second from different sources. The hard part is to tune in only to those that are meaningful, substantive, and overall contribute to your passion. If you don't, you risk being crippled by the immense options available. A great book on this principle is The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz. His premise is that we think we want more choices and that more choices will make us happier. Yet the opposite it true. Thanks for the reminder to be careful where we spend our time--even in the blog world. Blessings, Ben.
• July 27, 2007, Bob Cleveland writes: Thanks much, Art. I just went and set up Google Reader and added all the blogs I read. Took about 10 minutes and will be a big help to me. Particularly next year when I retire. You done good.
• July 27, 2007, Dorcas Hawker writes: Art - I'm not one to complain you know. I suppose you have "done good" to make this decision to cull your time commitments. But I'll admit to being a little bummed I'm off your blogroll now. You were one of the major blogs to have me on the list and several people came to my blog from here. Of course I'll defend your right to make choices and put whomever you wish on your blogroll, but at the same time it is kind of like "hey, I don't want to be deleted." You know. Blog town can be a tough gig sometimes. Dorcas
• July 27, 2007, Art Rogers writes: Dorcas, Don't get your feelings hurt. It's not against you. I'm trimming everything. Besides, you are in really good company. Did you note all the names that got removed from the overly bloated blogroll? Anyway, I have tried to switch themes, even in my blogroll. And to everyone I've removed- feel free to take me off of your blogroll if you want. It won't offend me I assure you.
• July 27, 2007, Dorcas Hawker writes: Art - I don't suppose my feelings are overly hurt or anything. You just kicked off a crisis of blog identity I suppose. I am often motivated by my need to excel at whatever I do. So I find myself wondering what I can do to make my blog more "something" that keeps up with Emily and Lu and Kiki as writers who manage to stay on the "not SBC emphasis" blog roll. I suppose it is a female thing because I enjoy all their writing too and wouldn't suppose myself to be a better writer or more intelligent than any of them by any means. In fact, I just added Emily and Lu on my blogroll too because I thought ... hey these ladies really have something to say! Nevertheless, I find myself wondering if I to have something to say ... am I just writing into the wind. Oh, I know I have readers who enjoy my writing too. Blog town is big enough for all of us. It just hit me as weird to see my name no longer on the list (and yes I did note others were gone too). Sort of like "oh no, am I the ditz among all these brainy women? Do I need to reinvent my blog once again!?" And so forth. So I don't plan on deleting you from my blogroll as "payback" or anything so high school as that. I'm really not offended, just wondering what I want out of my blog. Do I want to strive to keep the pastor readership? Or am I okay with having been involved with the SBC discussion for a while, and am now glad to let people go on their way and continue writing about more personal stuff and let those who wish to read it to do so. So, I'll probably TP your house the next time I'm in Tulsa or something, but other than that ... we're cool. :) Dorcas
• July 28, 2007, Emily Hunter McGowin writes: Hey Art, Thanks for the recommendation and the honor of being among your new interests. That's a great encouragement. I hope your trimmed down blogging lifestyle works out well for you. :) Have a blessed Lord's day, Emily

Related posts:

• Pastoral Authority
• Pastoral Blogging
• Art’s blogging (Pastoral Blogging 8 – this time it’s personal)
• Pastoral Blogging, Pt 5
• Pastoral Blogging, pt 6

I am cleaning out my feed reader. After a while, you just have to start pulling some of the things you don’t read all the time. Honestly, I track those blogs I really like in a folder of “live bookmarks” on the bookmark toolbar in Firefox. There are five there and I check them a couple of times a day.

If you don’t know what a live bookmark is, your browser has an option when you click the rss feed chicklet:

(umm… if you don’t know what an rss feed is, you should probably read my previous posts on this subject, but I’ll give you a reprieve and offer this cool link: video – rss explained in plain english [ht: Desiring God Blog]

Most of the time, I use bloglines, but for those select few blogs, I opt for a live bookmark which is a drop down menu that shows the latest posts. It updates mui pronto and I don’t have to log into bloglines and sort through all of the other feeds that I don’t want to read at the moment.

Which brings me back to my original purpose. Sometimes you have to weed out feeds you aren’t reading. A lot of times, when you decide to subscribe to a feed, you feel sort of obligated to hang in there. Listen, there are plenty of times I have read an incredibly thoughtful post from someone and thought, “Hey, there’s gonna be more of this good stuff.” Generally there is, but too often, it is a long time coming. Sorting through their other posts waiting for the really good stuff is why I got a feed reader, so I could skim.

When I got back from camp, though, and found 300+ feeds waiting on me, I had had enough. I spent a couple of hours on my couch just sifting. By the time I finished, it was midnight and I was supremely irritated from the process. I’m glad everyone was asleep, or I would have been likely to have snapped at my family just for being alive at the moment. When something puts you in that frame of mind, it is time for a change.

Also, I am dumping almost all of my SBC politics feeds. I used to keep track of what everyone was saying because I had to be current. Truth be known, I had pretty much quit reading most of them months ago unless someone linked to them. I was skimming, but my heart has been out of it for a while.

At this point, I have a hard time keeping up with just the stuff coming from SBC Outpost, and I’m a contributor.

There have been a few, more thoughtful blogs, to which I am subscribing, and I thought you might like to know who they are.

Tops of my new interest is Emily Hunter McGowin. That girl knows her stuff and is deep like big water.

Lu has caught my interest and secured a feed in bloglines. She is a former missionary and current Nashvillian. She likes her blogging so much, she is willing to pay to do it (she uses typepad). Who am I to talk? I own my own domain.

Joe Ball is the Student Ministry guy for the Kentucky Baptist Convention and a long time friend. He keeps me hooked up with thoughts on Youth Ministry at Despising None Blog and Podcast.

Finally, I recommend to you an old blogging ally and someone who has made a huge leap from SBC politics to serious cultural engagement and thoughtful cultural commentary/conversation, Kevin Bussey.

Along with these changes, and more, expect my blogroll to change. Almost every SBC politics is going to come off of it. Please don’t get your feelings hurt you are there and get dropped. All things must grow and change and 12 Witnesses is doing that, as well.

[edit]

What the heck!!! I forgot to commend to you the fine blog of Timmy Brister, Provocations and Pantings. Timmy rocks with some massive depth, but also will give you phenominal knowledge on photography, family and life. I guess I forgot him because I have been reading him for a while, but in editing my blogroll, I realized I had never added him. My bad, TB.

Comments

• July 26, 2007, Lu writes: Aw, how cool! Work is slow today so I'm (supposed to be) working on my marketing paper. As is typical, I'm avoiding. ;) So I thought I'd drop in on you. You always have something new and profound for me to think about. But instead, I find my name, on your list. I's so excited! Now I have seven actual real live readers. :) Seriously, thanks. I am blessed. Yeah, I'm gonna have to clear out bloglines too. I added a bunch of new feeds recently, but I just can't keep up with all of them and still be a good student. Or have a life.
• July 26, 2007, Kevin Bussey writes: I'm glad I made the cut!
• July 26, 2007, Timmy Brister writes: Thanks Art for the nice recommendation. I really appreciate it. This series has been really helpful to pastors and lay people who are new to the blogosphere and all the technical features that accompany it. Thanks again, Timmy
• July 26, 2007, Dorcas Hawker writes: Art - I know I'm on your Firefox 5 feeds you read more than once daily ... right? Ha! Seriously, with your busy life I doubt you have time to read my introductory paragraphs, much less an entire epic post. Keep it real, and follow the advice Alan and Bryan are always giving me -- when it comes to blogging, just do what you want ... it is supposed to be fun, interesting, positive, etc. etc. Dorcas
• July 26, 2007, Joe Ball writes: Thanks for the kind words. It is good not to get voted off.
• July 27, 2007, Ben writes: Art, the blogging world is not unlike the traditional world of message sending and receiving. There are millions of messages being sent every second from different sources. The hard part is to tune in only to those that are meaningful, substantive, and overall contribute to your passion. If you don't, you risk being crippled by the immense options available. A great book on this principle is The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz. His premise is that we think we want more choices and that more choices will make us happier. Yet the opposite it true. Thanks for the reminder to be careful where we spend our time--even in the blog world. Blessings, Ben.
• July 27, 2007, Bob Cleveland writes: Thanks much, Art. I just went and set up Google Reader and added all the blogs I read. Took about 10 minutes and will be a big help to me. Particularly next year when I retire. You done good.
• July 27, 2007, Dorcas Hawker writes: Art - I'm not one to complain you know. I suppose you have "done good" to make this decision to cull your time commitments. But I'll admit to being a little bummed I'm off your blogroll now. You were one of the major blogs to have me on the list and several people came to my blog from here. Of course I'll defend your right to make choices and put whomever you wish on your blogroll, but at the same time it is kind of like "hey, I don't want to be deleted." You know. Blog town can be a tough gig sometimes. Dorcas
• July 27, 2007, Art Rogers writes: Dorcas, Don't get your feelings hurt. It's not against you. I'm trimming everything. Besides, you are in really good company. Did you note all the names that got removed from the overly bloated blogroll? Anyway, I have tried to switch themes, even in my blogroll. And to everyone I've removed- feel free to take me off of your blogroll if you want. It won't offend me I assure you.
• July 27, 2007, Dorcas Hawker writes: Art - I don't suppose my feelings are overly hurt or anything. You just kicked off a crisis of blog identity I suppose. I am often motivated by my need to excel at whatever I do. So I find myself wondering what I can do to make my blog more "something" that keeps up with Emily and Lu and Kiki as writers who manage to stay on the "not SBC emphasis" blog roll. I suppose it is a female thing because I enjoy all their writing too and wouldn't suppose myself to be a better writer or more intelligent than any of them by any means. In fact, I just added Emily and Lu on my blogroll too because I thought ... hey these ladies really have something to say! Nevertheless, I find myself wondering if I to have something to say ... am I just writing into the wind. Oh, I know I have readers who enjoy my writing too. Blog town is big enough for all of us. It just hit me as weird to see my name no longer on the list (and yes I did note others were gone too). Sort of like "oh no, am I the ditz among all these brainy women? Do I need to reinvent my blog once again!?" And so forth. So I don't plan on deleting you from my blogroll as "payback" or anything so high school as that. I'm really not offended, just wondering what I want out of my blog. Do I want to strive to keep the pastor readership? Or am I okay with having been involved with the SBC discussion for a while, and am now glad to let people go on their way and continue writing about more personal stuff and let those who wish to read it to do so. So, I'll probably TP your house the next time I'm in Tulsa or something, but other than that ... we're cool. :) Dorcas
• July 28, 2007, Emily Hunter McGowin writes: Hey Art, Thanks for the recommendation and the honor of being among your new interests. That's a great encouragement. I hope your trimmed down blogging lifestyle works out well for you. :) Have a blessed Lord's day, Emily

Related posts:

• Pastoral Authority
• Pastoral Blogging
• Art’s blogging (Pastoral Blogging 8 – this time it’s personal)
• Pastoral Blogging, Pt 5
• Pastoral Blogging, pt 6