New View For 2011

Ok, so I made many of the changes in 2010, but I wanted to introduce you to a few of em.  One of my goals this year is to post entries 3-5 times per week.  This can get challenging when traveling and I can almost guarantee that this will happen less often when I’m on my honeymoon later this Spring.

So first, you might notice the fact that my blog looks different.  I may make additional tweaks as the year goes on, but a few friends encouraged me to lose the lighthouse theme, and go with something a little more contemporary.

In an effort to make the posts more “share friendly, each post has buttons at the top that allow you to share posts that you like with friends on facebook, twitter, google buzz, your own blog, or even through email.  And, for those of you who don’t like to leave comments,  you can check a box for “funny” “Interesting” or “cool” and give me feedback with a click.  You can also “follow” posts from my blog if you have a gmail account, and tell others (and me) that you like reading my posts.  It is always encouraging to get feedback from folks and following my blog is a simple way to do it.  

I’ve attempted to “clean up” my links to other blogs and websites a bit.  Many of my blogging friends who were listed there have either stopped blogging or moved their blogs to more private settings, so I have thinned out the links.  If yours was one of the links removed, I’ll put you back if you let me know you started blogging again.

I’ve tried to make the blog my one stop place to read my micro-blog on twitter as well as keep up with other things going on in my life.  I also added a badge for Nuru International’s fan page (If you are on facebook, you should join it!).  You can also see which blogs have most recently been commented on as well.

One idea I’ve been playing around with is creating themes around different days of the week. I was thinking that at least one day per week would be dedicated to a review of a book, music, movie, or some other media.  Another day would be dedicated to social justice, advocacy, and sharing opportunities.  I thought one day might be good for stories and reflections, and yet another might be snippets from travels. Are there any particular subjects you would like to see me write about?  Please let me know.

If you have any suggestions on how to further improve this blog, I’m all ears.  I hope you enjoy the changes, and I look forward to continuing to share thoughts, reflections, news, reviews, dreams, and more in 2011.

Shavers Fork 2010

I just realized the other day that it's been about a month since I
last blogged. The last year of transitions has posed some fair
obstacles as I have attempted to adjust. Recently I recalled that I
can mobile blog thanks to the gift of an iPhone from my best friend in
the whole world, Willie.
So, as I traveled down 92 toward elkins w Jamie & my dad for a day
away at our cabin, I figured I would try this mobile blogging thing
out. The last month has seen me travel a lot with minimal convenient
Internet, but with the help of AT&T the Internet is much more
convenient than I initially thought.
So this is the view of the river in front of our cabin. It's kind of
nice to get away & spend some time here. It's also interesting to see
the flood line where the water came near our cabin.
The stream was just stocked on Tuesday, but it's highly likely that
locals have fished out most of that stocking. I may give it a try
though.
Regardless, this little stream is a pleasant place to get away to
enjoy the early spring. Hope you are able to get out and enjoy some
unseasonably warm weather today too!

Fee and Hillsong London

Tonight at Crc I attended a concert with Jerry Haynes and Jamie
Reaser. Concerts at Crc are pretty busy days for the staff but often
it ends up being a mini reunion as well. I've run into old roommates,
friends from my undergrad days at WVU, and people from the community
whom I haven't seen for a long time.
There's something cool about music that brings people together.
There's something cool about reuniting with old friends who share a
common tie. What's cooler than that is to share big dreams together.
Are you dreaming big with friends and with your Creator?
Dream big. Change the world. Love others. Love God.

an experiment

So I wanted to try this out. It's a little experiment. The garden is
an experiment too but I'm talking about this post. I'm trying my hand
at mobile blogging. This could mean more stuff being written and more
photos being taken.
You see, my best friend in the whole world gave me his iPhone. What a
gift right? Wrong. What a friend! Willie is way cooler than an iPhone.
Back to the experiment. I just took a photo of my garden and now I'm
emailing that photo and these words to my blog. Hopefully you are
reading this with no problem.
But hey, it's an experiment. I hope it works. Might just increase my
blogging frequency again.
Experiments are really a step of faith though. Most of us aren't real
comfortable with that. Comfort is, well, comfortable. But when we
experiment sometimes we end up reaping a major blessing. When we step
away from comfort sometimes we even begin to know God better. Isn't it
part of the gospel story that Jesus stepped out of the the comfort of
heaven to walk this earth and suffer? Pretty cool to think about.
And you. Is there an area in which you may need to experiment and step
out of comfort? May it go well with you and transform your life and
the lives of others for the better.