Improving your Christian blog
Adrian Warnock had the opportunity to attend Tim Challies‘ blog seminar recently, and he kindly posted some of the notes from that conference for our benefit. Here are some highlights:
- Evangelism — the nature of blogs results in people gravitating to like interests — Christians tend to read Christian blogs, etc. If we are to make a mark on evangelism in this medium, we need to do what has always been done in society in general – filter outward; shine a light there. Christian bloggers may need to write about other things that interest them, while still maintaining their identity.
- Filtering — there’s been a dramatic rise in the amount of information available to us — too much of it can be a liability. We need to use discernment to filter out the garbage from what is valuable, and also not to give undue time to blogs at the expense of other things, like reading Scripture, praying, reading good books, and other things. Don’t become too narrow.
- Control — just because you CAN say it doesn’t mean that you SHOULD. What you write may be available on the Internet for a VERY long time!
- Replacement — don’t find your sense of community online rather than in a local setting — don’t neglect the church and family.
- Controversy — Nothing generates traffic like controversy, but it isn’t helpful — it’s only malicious. Avoid becoming specialists in discouragement and gossip.
You can listen to the seminar here by scrolling down and looking for “Tim Challies – Blogging Your Ministry.”
Possibly Related Posts:
iPhone coming soon!
It’s almost here. Read what one industry insider is saying about how the iPhone is already beating estimates!
Possibly Related Posts:
Dads know everything…
Overheard on Justin Blanton’s blog:
 I wonder how long it’s going to take my future kid to figure out that I don’t know everything, and that every time I say, “we’ll talk about it later,†I’m actually just buying time to Google the question. I predict not long.
Exactly. Has Google become our online brain?
Possibly Related Posts:
Ode to Jerry Falwell
Tall Skinny Kiwi says that Falwell will be remembered for “TV ministry, money issues (did he really receive 3.5 million from the Moonies), fundamentalism, politics, Moral Majority, Religious Right, Liberty University, welcoming Catholics, lawsuits with Penthouse and Hustler, overplaying his cards at 911, strong views against homosexuality and abortion . . and tele-tubbies.” He also has some interesting insights into Falwell’s legacy in the post.
Get Religion blog also has a post on Falwell that is a good read.
What do you think of when you think of Jerry Falwell?
Possibly Related Posts:
More reasons why MySpace stinks…
Many of you know that I hate My Space. It’s not a social site; it’s a parasite. There are just too many reasons to count why. I’d invite you to share your #1 reason why you hate MySpace. While you’re at it, here are 10 reasons why “MySpace can ruin your life…” Thanks to KT for sending me the link!
Possibly Related Posts:
Identity crisis
Will the real Jeff Noble please stand up?
OK, I know there are more Jeff Noble’s out there. I’ve looked on Google. I know all of you have “Googled” yourself before too. What’s strange is that there are several designers and photographers out there with my name…
There are also Jeff Noble pastors out there too! Crazy. I got a nice email from one of them the other day that provoked this post.
- Pastor Jeff Noble at Golden Grove Baptist Church in Australia
- Senior Pastor Jeff Noble at New Life Evangelical Free Church in Aurora, CO
- Pastor Jeff Noble at Main Street Baptist Church in Detroit, MI
No profound conclusions, just fascinated. Are there anymore me’s out there?
Possibly Related Posts:
Homeschooling… a unique calling
Jim over at Church Tech Matters offers a sensitive counterview to Tim’s post about homeschooling that I had linked earlier. It’s a great read.
Possibly Related Posts:
Next time you’re in DC on a Sunday…
As many of you know, Caro and I were recently able to go to D.C. with some leaders from our area to petition our Congressfolks for various economic growth items. While there, we enjoyed our visit to Capitol Hill Baptist Church where Mark Dever is pastor. Great expository teacher! However, I recently stumbled across a link to the National Community Church, and I must say, it looks inviting and intriguing. Next time I’m in D.C., I would love to connect with the leaders there.
Possibly Related Posts:
My Space giving ground to Facebook
Check out this interesting article over at the Compete blog comparing My Space to Facebook. The image below shows “Facebook saturation.”
Possibly Related Posts:
The 5K Fun Walk
You know, I never saw it coming.
A few weeks ago, Adelyn commented to Carolyn that she would like to “run.” She didn’t mean run away, simply run. Carolyn helpfully suggested that she enter the Rough & Ready 5K Run/Walk, and so she began training. Her training also became my training. You see, Carolyn wanted someone to run with Adelyn around the block. I started doing it reluctantly at first, but then actually enjoyed it. I found I could run without stopping for great lengths – that is, the length between two mailboxes.
We ran/walked together for about two weeks. This past weekend was our town’s annual festival. As small-town festivals go, it was good this year – much better than last year. Sometime Friday night, I thought to ask Carolyn exactly when the 5K Run/Walk was the next day. 6:45 a.m! The next morning, we all headed up to the city park for the extravaganza. We, of course, entered the 5K “Walk” portion, and at around 7:15, the gun fired and away we… well, walked.
I saw immediately I had a problem. Adelyn left me in the dust to walk with three gals who had obviously “power-walked” before. I hung back to visit until I realized that Adelyn was about 100 yards ahead of me, and I thought, “What if she gets tired and wants to slow down? She’ll be by herself…” So I jogged up ahead to close the gap to about 50 yards.
As I tried to keep the distance between us consistent, I noticed something odd. When one is power-walking, you cannot control your butt. It gyrates side-to-side in amazing fashion. I thought it was just an ailment of Adelyn and the women she was walking with, but I soon realized that mine was doing the same thing. My arms were also wildly swinging. Humiliating. No one had warned me that you cannot look cool and power-walk at the same time.
About 2 miles into this 5K, I realized that I was not closing the gap, but actually losing ground. That’s when I began swinging and stepping with a purpose. I finally was able to get about 20 yards behind Adelyn and the other leaders (yes, Adelyn was keeping up with the older gals). She was quite the sight. She seemed to be interested in talking, looking at flowers and frolicking along like “a puppy” (as one of the ladies later told me) than power-walking. Me, I was pooped.
It was with less than a quarter of a mile left when Adelyn noticed how close I was, and after a brief pause, stopped to wait for me. Sniff. She sacrificed her place for me. Sniff. We finished the rest of the way holding hands.
When we crossed the finish line, everyone yelled as if we had just beat the Russians in Hockey in the Olympic games. I was kind of surprised by this. No one ever cheers for me when we leave the mall, and I think I do more walking there. However, I was a little chagrined to realize that by keeping up with Adelyn, I had won first place for the male walkers. I think there had been three of us total. Great. I did get a nice little trophy, which I gave to Adelyn, because she really deserved it, and Adelyn came away with her own trophy – a diamond ring she found while walking!
Possibly Related Posts:
About
Notes from the Trail
The Personal Blog of Jeff Noble
Info: From the misty hills of Virginia, "Notes from the Trail" seeks to encourage you on your journey. Written by a graphic designer-pastor, this blog is a blend of humor, insight, and faith discovery.
Recent Posts
Life Shots
Feeling sweet?
Copy this number: 6058013378446529, and then reload my Starbucks card here!Lifestream
-
RT @TheFactsBook: The ancient Greeks believed that redheads would turn into vampires after they died. Eeek. Be nice to @libby_bish. [journeyguy]
-
I just became the mayor of Blacksburg Middle School on @foursquare! http://t.co/EDjfDQ81 [journeyguy]
-
Cool. http://t.co/3kqbSwYa [journeyguy]
-
RT @jackieflake: @vthoneybee, Melissa u lived as Christ, your death is gain. God thank u for sharing our sister w/us. Living well yields ... [journeyguy]
-
Praying for the@bcmvt and Cheliras families upon learning of Melissa's death from cancer today. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 [journeyguy]
Most Commented in Past Year
Social Media
