me

Too Much Information

Frank

You don’t hear that too much anymore, do you? TMI- too much information. Maybe it’s due to the rise of social media, where we can read in an instant about what our friends had for breakfast or see the latest picture of their cat.

Blogging has become like that too. Everybody has one. A couple of weeks ago I was hanging out with a friend who is a literary agent. He said, “Five years ago, if you had a blog that was considered a big deal- a built-in platform with a following. Now, you’re expected to have a blog- so you need to work that much harder to stand out.”

That’s certainly one problem. But another relates to what I wrote about last time– too many blogs means too many websites to visit to read.

The long weekend afforded me time to go through my blog subscriptions. (And the fact that Google Reader is going away added extra motivation.) I deleted many that haven’t been updated in a year, and deleted others that I just don’t get around to reading. Even then, when all was said and done, I am still subscribed to 88 blogs. I don’t have a traditional “blog roll” on this site because it would just be too long. (And yes, of those 88 there are probably only a dozen that I visit regularly; but still.)

Another problem with this, besides being a complete time-suck and distraction, is that I recognize I cannot cover every subject, nor do I know everything (shocker, I know) so I read a lot with the intention of sharing a lot with my readers. That’s why I have my Facebook page (/shameless plug), to share not just my posts, but what others are writing about on subjects near and dear to my heart and my convictions.

But I often wonder, with hundreds of blogs out there covering the same ground as I am, if I’m just another voice in the din? On the other hand, as I was going through my blog subscriptions I was surprised how many blogs folded up shop or only submitted a couple of posts before running out of steam. This is hard and time-consuming and it’s hard to believe I’ve been doing this for nearly seven years. So why do I do it? Because I don’t believe there is such a thing as too much information. Sure, there may be not enough time or not enough resources, but when it comes to an infinite God it is impossible to write too much. As a wrote in a post a couple of years ago:

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole [Internet] would not have room for the [blogs] that would be written.” (John 21:25)

Tiny Voices

Frank

Those voices in your head- you know them, you hear them frequently. No, you don’t necessarily see an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, but the voices are still there. We’ve come up with a nice way of describing these voices- “self-talk”

I’ve heard that up to 75% of our self-talk is negative. “You can’t do that.” “You look ugly in that shirt.” “That person over there is better, smarter and more attractive than you.” And on, and on.

 

Do these words sound familiar? Of course this negative self-talk are all lies. Satan is so-named because he is the “deceiver” and “accuser“. When Jesus was tempted in the desert, Satan wasn’t there throwing rocks at him, he was trying to get Jesus to doubt who he was. “If you are the son of God…” When Jesus told Peter to, “Get behind me Satan!” The devil himself wasn’t standing in Peter’s place, but he was influencing Peter’s self-talk.

While a lot of our self-talk is normal, even the negative- we are our own worst critics after all- some of it is explicitly evil meant to drive a wedge between you and God and rob you of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, namely joy, peace, patience and self-control.

In counseling it is sometimes helpful to give these voices names. “Bubba” the bully who puts you down. “Suzie” the little girl who is scared of who might come into the bedroom at night. Sometimes trauma can be so bad that these voices, these personalities, can create fissures in the subconscious leading to disassociation. Other times, they are there just to bring you down. Once identified, it can be helpful to have conversations with these voices- to let them know you are in charge and that you don’t have to listen to them anymore. (But not always- it is very important to do this under the guidance of a professional, especially in cases of disassociation or when there has been significant trauma.)

But no matter how serious or real they seem to be, they are all lies.

A friend of mine recently went on a business trip for a high-profile meeting. One of his voices was telling him that he was going to do something to screw it up and that he didn’t deserve the platform he had. But he effectively told this voice to shut up. He told his voice, “Look, you’re not going to have a good time on this trip and I’m not going to have a good time if you go on this trip. So save us both the trouble and stay here.” He took a cue from Jesus and told him “you do not have in mind the things of God” And it hit him, this voice was Satan. It always was and it always will be. And it didn’t have to control him anymore.

I remember once reading the book of Job and being struck with the realization that Satan had to ask permission from God to torment him. I recalled Jesus saying to Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you.” (Luke 22:31-32a, NASB) And of course there is the promise found throughout the New Testament of being set free from the slavery of sin.

This self-talk, you don’t have to listen to it. While some voices are stronger, some trauma too real to just “pray away”, many of the voices in our head are nothing more than Satan trying to deceive us and those voices can be overcome with prayer. Recalling Job and Jesus’ words, I’ve found this prayer, or ones like it, helpful:

“Lord God, you are all-knowing and all-powerful. Nothing happens outside of your will. You are faithful and promise that you will not allow us to be tempted more than we can bear. [1 Corinthians 10:13]. Please, Lord, do not give permission to Satan to tempt or deceive me with his lies. Close my ears to his accusations and give me hope and confidence in the blood of your son, Jesus to overcome all my doubts and fears. In the authority of His Name I pray, Amen.”

What are some of the negative voices you hear? Have you given those voices a name?

Social Media for the Socially Awkward

Frank

I’ve had a few people ask me about my social media habits- how do I follow so many blogs, what social media apps do I use, how do I find the time, and so on. I’m certainly no expert. And this isn’t a “how to” type of post- there are plenty of those out there already. This is more a “this is how I roll” post. And if I was really an expert in building community, generating traffic, and maximizing Search Engine Optimization (see what I did there?) I’d be getting more then the few dozen hits I typically get.

A disclaimer up front, one of the reasons I’m posting this is to confess that I am disconnected from the Internet most of the day (and I can’t count on the connection I do have at work because of firewalls and, well, it’s work). Because of this, I have limited windows to read, post, and follow up with my online community- a disadvantage to someone trying to build an audience. But I hope this background is helpful to the social media novice or those who just don’t have a ton of time to devote to being online.

Blogging

I use Blogger to host my blog. Yes, I know I can get better layouts and probably more traffic using WordPress, but I haven’t bothered to secure a host and put forth the effort. Consider Blogger as the host platform for dummies. (Insert shameless plug for my buddy Peter’s upcoming book, Web Hosting for Dummies.) I did update my layout a couple of years ago however, and I like what I have even though it is always in need of some tweaking. If you see a layout problem (or notice that two of my “buttons” lost their hotlinked graphics, which I’m aware of and have been meaning to fix) please let me know.

I try and post three times a week. I can mail-it in with a “Music Monday” post (a song that hits me at the time, or I find a song to match a theme I’m discussing), a book group Wednesday and a “Flashback Friday” (digging up old posts) for minimal effort but I try and have more original content than that. If that’s all you see, or if you see just one or two posts in a week that only means that life is getting the best of me and I need to focus my attention elsewhere.

I link my blog up with Network Blogs on Facebook so that posts automatically update on my Facebook page (used to be my FB timeline- more on that later). I also “connect” with other bloggers through the automatic networking blogger allows. (But I hate to admit I haven’t followed up on that  in a while.)

For posting my blog on Twitter, I generally use StumbleUpon to shorten my link and schedule posts. Plus, su.pr queues my posts in their system for stumbling. Doing so allows me to track how many views my posts get stumbling through their site, though that isn’t a very accurate measure of reads. One drawback is that su.pr has been pretty buggy lately and the scheduling feature isn’t 100% reliable.

Twitter

I tweet using the handle @fathafrank (a play on an old nickname from my campus ministry days). I liberally follow-back with a few exceptions: if it looks like you’re selling something, if you’re overly political (unless you’re explicitly political in which case I’ll probably only follow back if you’re a legitimate news source), or if you’re overly Charismatic (for example, if I follow you and pray a certain prayer then somehow some additional blessing will come into my life. Sorry, I don’t come from that religious background so that’s an automatic turnoff for me). So if you follow me, chances are I’ll follow you back. If I find your blog and like it, I’ll follow you. Also I randomly follow other Christians posting on specific topics (#MultiplyMovement for example).

I do tweet some personal stuff so you’ll see that occasionally mixed in. I follow space topics (exploration and astronomy) as well as sports, so you’ll see tweets related to those periodically. (Especially on game days. It’s a challenge to keep my Christian witness when I’m online complaining about the refs!)

I categorize my follows to better keep track of tweets. If you’re a blogger and I read you regularly, I’ll elevate you to make sure I see your tweets more frequently. Otherwise, I just skim my Twitter stream and click what looks interesting. If I retweet you, that’s my way of communicating I like your post in lieu of leaving a comment. Because…

I typically only check my Twitter stream in the morning on my way to work and I’m doing so on my phone (don’t worry, I vanpool so I’m not tweeting and driving!). I try and leave comments when I can, but between thumbing a message on my phone and sporadic cell coverage, it’s easier just to RT.

I should add that I use Tweetdeck on my phone because I like how I can navigate between lists, hashtags, and searches. However, I’m not sure I’d recommend that app because it crashes a lot and the way it filters tweets isn’t very reliable. I also use Hoot Suite on my iPad at home (I don’t have a mobile data plan) because it’s just better all around, but I don’t like the phone interface.

Facebook

I used to link my Twitter account to Facebook, but all my RTs drove everyone crazy. Now I keep my personal Facebook account separate from my blogging. If you send me a friend request I’ll only accept if I know you (virtually speaking) and we have an established social media connection. But be warned, most of my posts will be complaints about the weather, pictures of cats, or silly things my kids are doing. Otherwise, I encourage you to like my Facebook page…

Which isn’t just to promote my blog. One of my friends asks me all the time how I find time to read so many blogs. With my page, I make it easy for you: I use that platform to post links to articles that catch my attention that I think you should read (consistent with the theme of the blog of course). These articles come from my daily news-reading, my Google reader, Facebook feeds, or my quick-skim of Twitter. If you don’t have time to follow a hundred blogs, but are interested in what my blog is about, then my Facebook page is perfect for you. Occasionally, I’ll throw out a discussion topic, but I don’t have enough followers (and Facebook has messed around with how updates are “promoted” anyway) to make that work too well at this point. It is also the unofficial page of my small group, so you’ll sometimes see announcements or prayer requests.

Google Reader and RSS Feeds

If I’ve read your blog more than once and I like what you write I will add you to my RSS feed on Google Reader. Also if you leave a comment on my blog or share on Twitter or Facebook, I’ll make it a point to check out your site. Again, if I like what I read I’ll add you to my feed.

I manage what I read using the Flipboard and Pulse apps. I used to use ReadItLater, but Pulse blew that app out of the water. Both store updates so I can read when I’m not connected, which works perfectly for me since that is most of the time. Pulse has the advantage of storing post histories from the sites I follow, so I can easily go back if I missed something. And I love Flipboard’s graphic interface. It actually makes managing my Google Reader fun.

With those means, I don’t really keep a blog roll. If I did, it would be huge. I do need to update my favorites (which show up in the top left corner of the page) but otherwise you won’t find a traditional blog roll on this site.

Other Sites

I don’t do Instragram or Pintrest… yet. I’m occasionally logged in at FaithVillage or Ransomed Heart. Otherwise, here and my Facebook page are the best places to find me.

***

So this is how I do what I do. Is it perfect or fool-proof? Of course not. And I’m open to other suggestions, tips and advice.

What are your social media habits?

An Altar to Me

Frank

When Jesus died, the curtain separating the people from the Presence of God was torn, symbolizing that by the blood of Christ we could now enter into God’s presence without the need for intercessors or any further sacrifice. The blood-debt of our sins has been paid in full; the final sacrifice has been made. Yet A.W. Tozer writes that despite that “God wills that we should push into His Presence and live our whole life there,” (pg 26) we are content to remain outside the veil. Tozer asks, “why do we consent to abide all our days just outside the Holy of Holies and never enter at all to look upon God?” (pg 31) He concludes that there must be a veil inside of our own hearts that separates us from the divine presence of God.

So what is that veil? Is it things, or a lack of knowledge of God? I could go on and on and speculate, but something hit me as I was praying yesterday. In the Temple, before the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was an altar on which incense was burned as an act of perpetual worship. What hit me as I was praying was that it is this altar that is keeping me from entering in to God’s presence.

Perpetual worship is keeping me from intimacy with God. That doesn’t sound right, does it? The problem isn’t the worship, but to whom I am worshipping. I realized that I worship myself. This isn’t really any new revelation, but the perpetual nature of incense burning before the veil is what convicted me. It is not just that I worship myself- we all do at times- but that this worship is perpetual and all-consuming.

To whom do I turn when things are hard? Me. Who do I talk to during those quiet and still times in my mind? Myself. Who do I seek to satisfy? I. Me, myself, and I. My own holy trinity. I pay God lip service in prayer and I do lift up my voice in praise on Sunday mornings. I reflect on his word daily, but most of the time only to the extent of how I would teach about a particular passage. (I am even guilty of this on Sundays; listening to a sermon I think of the point I would make instead of the actual point being made) My worship is centered around me: what I want, what I think, what I like. And so I perpetually burn incense to myself.

In order to enter in to where God longs for me to be, I need to snuff out the incense and stop worshipping myself. With respect to our own veils that keep us from God Tozer writes, “In human experience that veil is made of living spiritual tissue… To tear it away is to injure us, to hurt us and make us bleed.” (pg 32)

I need to tear down the altar I have build to myself. I need to tear away my own veil that keeps me from God. This is going to hurt. I cannot do this alone. Praise be to God who sent his only Son to go ahead of me, shedding his blood for my sake. “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:14)

This blog is part of a book club reading The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. Please join the discussion here and at our hosts, Jason Stasyszen and Sarah Salter. Need a copy of the book? You can get it for free on Kindle.

R12: How to come to grips with the real you

Frank

Coming to grips with the real you is the theme of the next relationship: sober in self assessment. Ironically this was the theme of a men’s retreat I attended this weekend. There, the example was given of Jacob, wrestling with God and being given a new name. To get to that point however, Jacob had to reap the consequences of his character- the deceiver had to be deceived to be humble enough to see who he really was. Only then could he be ready wrestle with God. During the struggle, he was permanently wounded, but he was rewarded for it.

God has a new name for us too (Revelation 2:17). But we often aren’t willing to humbly admit who we are. We want the blessing without the pain necessary to prepare ourselves for it. But God doesn’t work that way. He cannot reveal who he wants us to be if we can’t see who we are. And that only comes by painfully digging to the very roots of our character. But instead we hide. We bury who we are under the front we present to the rest of the world. We do this for so long we forget who we really are so far underneath.

A week ago I posted a little introduction to myself and my blog. While that gives a simple “who am I” it doesn’t reveal anything about the depth of my character. It does not describe who I am on the road to becoming who God wants me to be. At the time, it wasn’t meant to deliberately hide my character or intentionally not be vulnerable. There are times and places for that. Well, this is that time.

I appreciate the openness Chip Ingram has shown as he shares about his past, his faith, and his struggles to get to where he is now. For myself, I’ve been through many of the same battles. Like him, I am insecure, though it shows itself in different ways. As I “wrestled with God” this weekend, my insecurities were ever before me. This isn’t new. It was revealed during my recovery and I face it every day at my job and in my home. But I bury it. I don’t deal with it. And it finds new ways to cripple me. I don’t intend to put on a false front. And I try to not let my insecurities paralyze me in fear. But I still hold myself back. I’m not as close in my relationships as I need to be. To be blunt, I don’t let anyone in. And that has prevented me from being all that God wants me to be. So I’m going to battle through this. Wrestle with God. And not let go until I receive his blessing. This chapter comes at the perfect time. Join me in this battle. Wrestle with me.

Think: What went through your mind as you read this?
Reflect: What parts of my story [or Chip’s in the book] could you identify with? What aspects of your story are different?
Understand: When was the last time you thought seriously about the question, “Who am I?” What part of answering this question makes you uncomfortable? Excited? Afraid?
Surrender: Ask God to help you see yourself the way He sees you.
Take Action: Write down the top three people and events that you think have most shaped how you view yourself today.
Motivation: Watch the thirteen-minute video on R12 online titled “How to Come to Grips With the Real You” by clicking the R12 button to the right and going to the “Self Assessment” tab.
Encourage Someone: Think of someone who has a low or untrue view of themselves and share two positive character qualities you see in their life. Tell them it’s an assignment for a spiritual formation project you’re working on so they don’t feel awkward.

Today continues our “virtual small group” covering the book Living On The Edge. For how this group is going to work, read this entry. For an introduction with disclaimers, click here. For some numbers from Barna to motivate you to continue reading, go here. For the R12 videos, click the R12 button on the sidebar to the right. Finally, as we move forward through the book you can always catch up by clicking the R12 label at the end of each post.

R12: How to come to grips with the real you

Frank

Coming to grips with the real you is the theme of the next relationship: sober in self assessment. Ironically this was the theme of a men’s retreat I attended this weekend. There, the example was given of Jacob, wrestling with God and being given a new name. To get to that point however, Jacob had to reap the consequences of his character- the deceiver had to be deceived to be humble enough to see who he really was. Only then could he be ready wrestle with God. During the struggle, he was permanently wounded, but he was rewarded for it.

God has a new name for us too (Revelation 2:17). But we often aren’t willing to humbly admit who we are. We want the blessing without the pain necessary to prepare ourselves for it. But God doesn’t work that way. He cannot reveal who he wants us to be if we can’t see who we are. And that only comes by painfully digging to the very roots of our character. But instead we hide. We bury who we are under the front we present to the rest of the world. We do this for so long we forget who we really are so far underneath.

A week ago I posted a little introduction to myself and my blog. While that gives a simple “who am I” it doesn’t reveal anything about the depth of my character. It does not describe who I am on the road to becoming who God wants me to be. At the time, it wasn’t meant to deliberately hide my character or intentionally not be vulnerable. There are times and places for that. Well, this is that time.

I appreciate the openness Chip Ingram has shown as he shares about his past, his faith, and his struggles to get to where he is now. For myself, I’ve been through many of the same battles. Like him, I am insecure, though it shows itself in different ways. As I “wrestled with God” this weekend, my insecurities were ever before me. This isn’t new. It was revealed during my recovery and I face it every day at my job and in my home. But I bury it. I don’t deal with it. And it finds new ways to cripple me. I don’t intend to put on a false front. And I try to not let my insecurities paralyze me in fear. But I still hold myself back. I’m not as close in my relationships as I need to be. To be blunt, I don’t let anyone in. And that has prevented me from being all that God wants me to be. So I’m going to battle through this. Wrestle with God. And not let go until I receive his blessing. This chapter comes at the perfect time. Join me in this battle. Wrestle with me.

Think: What went through your mind as you read this?
Reflect: What parts of my story [or Chip’s in the book] could you identify with? What aspects of your story are different?
Understand: When was the last time you thought seriously about the question, “Who am I?” What part of answering this question makes you uncomfortable? Excited? Afraid?
Surrender: Ask God to help you see yourself the way He sees you.
Take Action: Write down the top three people and events that you think have most shaped how you view yourself today.
Motivation: Watch the thirteen-minute video on R12 online titled “How to Come to Grips With the Real You” by clicking the R12 button to the right and going to the “Self Assessment” tab.
Encourage Someone: Think of someone who has a low or untrue view of themselves and share two positive character qualities you see in their life. Tell them it’s an assignment for a spiritual formation project you’re working on so they don’t feel awkward.

Today continues our “virtual small group” covering the book Living On The Edge. For how this group is going to work, read this entry. For an introduction with disclaimers, click here. For some numbers from Barna to motivate you to continue reading, go here. For the R12 videos, click the R12 button on the sidebar to the right. Finally, as we move forward through the book you can always catch up by clicking the R12 label at the end of each post.

Just who do you think you are?

Frank

While waiting to get back on schedule with the R12 lessons, I figured now was a good time to introduce myself to those of you who have stumbled onto this study.

About me: I’ve been a disciple of Jesus for ten years, having been converted in a campus ministry. I grew up religious and dedicated, but lacking in direction and at crucial times, conviction. I have a young family- married almost seven years with two young children (2 and 5). I try and balance my personal ministry, reflected somewhat in this blog, with my professional and family life. So you’ll see times like last week where business travel or family struggles derail my best intentions on this blog. My personal ministry is putting my faith into practice in every aspect of my life- public and private. Often we consider religion to be a private affair, but I have the strong conviction that the “culture war” is fought publicly and we are not to put our light under a bowl. Hence, the title of this blog. I struggle with application at times though. I want to be philanthropic, but often fail to follow through. My ministry consistently includes Bible study by leading a small group, mentoring a teen, and volunteering to teach 3rd and 4th grade Sunday School. I also help lead a ministry for recovering addicts. In the past ten years, I’ve also led Singles and Teen ministries and have had the joy of leading many to Christ and the sorrow of watching many leave.

About this blog: It’s been a few years since I started here and I’d like to think I’ve matured and learned a little along the way. While this started with a more political bent, I think there are other, more effective, means of demonstrating our faith publicly. The title of this blog, Public Christianity, is dual-layered. On one hand it is living your faith in every part of your life, including the “public” part. Here I intend to provide tools for you to think through doing that like I’m doing now with R12. On the other hand I talk about the interplay between current events, media and ideas — public things — and Christianity. (many thanks to my sister who put this more eloquently than I ever could) While I’m grinding through a specific study now, if you browse my archives you’ll see that I cover everything. I go from writing about things heavy on my heart to headlines that catch my attention. The ultimate goal through all of this is to help all of us to develop a comprehensive Biblical Worldview, where we view all things through the eyes of Christ. Oh yeah, this is also a proving ground for my desire to write a book or two (or three or four…).

About my links: You’ll notice if you’ve been around a while, I recently removed the “resources” links and have added a ton of other bloggers. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Peter Pollock who introduced me to Bridget Chumbley and their blog carnival. There, I’ve “met” several gifted bloggers who all approach their faith uniquely (as they should!) and therefore add their own perspectives to their relationships with God. You’ll find all of these blogs linked under “Blog Carnies”. “B.I.C. Blogs” are for “brothers in Christ blogs”. This isn’t meant to be exclusionary, but instead reflect either other bloggers from the same family of churches as myself or that I’ve met or corresponded enough with that I feel comfortable calling them “brother” (or sister as the case will ultimately be). So “brother” is both doctrinal and affectionate. There are a few carnies that I need to “promote” but I haven’t gotten to that yet. There’s a couple other sets of blog links that I haven’t had time to compile yet, but that will only add to the clutter. I removed “resources” to clean my links up and have made a bigger mess with my blog roll. Oh well.

Anyway, I thank you for stopping by. I hope we can grow together as I continue with R12 next week. And I hope you find enough here worthwhile to come back often.

Just who do you think you are?

Frank

While waiting to get back on schedule with the R12 lessons, I figured now was a good time to introduce myself to those of you who have stumbled onto this study.

About me: I’ve been a disciple of Jesus for ten years, having been converted in a campus ministry. I grew up religious and dedicated, but lacking in direction and at crucial times, conviction. I have a young family- married almost seven years with two young children (2 and 5). I try and balance my personal ministry, reflected somewhat in this blog, with my professional and family life. So you’ll see times like last week where business travel or family struggles derail my best intentions on this blog. My personal ministry is putting my faith into practice in every aspect of my life- public and private. Often we consider religion to be a private affair, but I have the strong conviction that the “culture war” is fought publicly and we are not to put our light under a bowl. Hence, the title of this blog. I struggle with application at times though. I want to be philanthropic, but often fail to follow through. My ministry consistently includes Bible study by leading a small group, mentoring a teen, and volunteering to teach 3rd and 4th grade Sunday School. I also help lead a ministry for recovering addicts. In the past ten years, I’ve also led Singles and Teen ministries and have had the joy of leading many to Christ and the sorrow of watching many leave.

About this blog: It’s been a few years since I started here and I’d like to think I’ve matured and learned a little along the way. While this started with a more political bent, I think there are other, more effective, means of demonstrating our faith publicly. The title of this blog, Public Christianity, is dual-layered. On one hand it is living your faith in every part of your life, including the “public” part. Here I intend to provide tools for you to think through doing that like I’m doing now with R12. On the other hand I talk about the interplay between current events, media and ideas — public things — and Christianity. (many thanks to my sister who put this more eloquently than I ever could) While I’m grinding through a specific study now, if you browse my archives you’ll see that I cover everything. I go from writing about things heavy on my heart to headlines that catch my attention. The ultimate goal through all of this is to help all of us to develop a comprehensive Biblical Worldview, where we view all things through the eyes of Christ. Oh yeah, this is also a proving ground for my desire to write a book or two (or three or four…).

About my links: You’ll notice if you’ve been around a while, I recently removed the “resources” links and have added a ton of other bloggers. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Peter Pollock who introduced me to Bridget Chumbley and their blog carnival. There, I’ve “met” several gifted bloggers who all approach their faith uniquely (as they should!) and therefore add their own perspectives to their relationships with God. You’ll find all of these blogs linked under “Blog Carnies”. “B.I.C. Blogs” are for “brothers in Christ blogs”. This isn’t meant to be exclusionary, but instead reflect either other bloggers from the same family of churches as myself or that I’ve met or corresponded enough with that I feel comfortable calling them “brother” (or sister as the case will ultimately be). So “brother” is both doctrinal and affectionate. There are a few carnies that I need to “promote” but I haven’t gotten to that yet. There’s a couple other sets of blog links that I haven’t had time to compile yet, but that will only add to the clutter. I removed “resources” to clean my links up and have made a bigger mess with my blog roll. Oh well.

Anyway, I thank you for stopping by. I hope we can grow together as I continue with R12 next week. And I hope you find enough here worthwhile to come back often.