April 5 marks my third year of blogging, so I want to reflect on what has happened because of this blog. Well, lots \u2026 and nothing like we expected.
\nI began blogging because a friend, an editor (Bob Smietana), over coffee, said, \u201cScot, you ought to blog. I think you\u2019d like it.\u201d I didn\u2019t even know what a blog was, but evidently I would like it. Indeed. For three years we\u2019ve been posting away nearly every day.
\nThe first thing I learned about blogging: County Blogdom is a radical democracy. One needs no credentials, no educational marks, no invitations \u2026 just a computer, a post, and a comment box. Anyone can say anything \u2014 well, within limits on this blog.
\nWe had no idea that Jesus Creed blog would become the Jesus Creed Blog Community, but it has. In fact, it has become for Kris and me a sacred blog community \u2026 we treat this blog like communication with friends, and we are protective of it. We have our bias, but we do work hard to keep this space civil and we also think many of us have learned about civility from the way our conversations have developed.
\nPerhaps our most satisfying dimension has been the development of this blog into a form of pastoral ministry. Some letters end up on this blog for others to discuss and give input. And then we get plenty of other private e-mails from hurting folk and we try to help as best we can. I am honored by these confidences and we have grown from it all.
\nDo you know the number of books we have talked about, the range of discussions, the interesting connections each of us have made from one comment to another to another blog and on and on? It\u2019s become a web of friendships and connections.
\nOne surprise for me is how closely so many of you read this blog. I can\u2019t tell you the number of folks who, in personal conversation, will say something about us or another person who writes in on this blog. We have developed \u201cvirtual\u201d awareness of one another.
\nAnd we\u2019ve met so many of you, and every time it draws smiles from us. At churches and conferences we\u2019ve met hundreds of readers of this blog and the encouragement just makes it all that much more worthwhile.
\nI\u2019m asked all the time if it is \u201chard\u201d or \u201chow we do it\u201d and the simple answer is \u201cno\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s easy.\u201d In other words, I don\u2019t sit around at night wondering what I will write about for the next morning. Books form the basis for much of our conversations \u2014 and I find it makes it less personally defensive and more of a classroom.
\nIt takes some a little while to get used to the fact that I don\u2019t answer each person\u2019s question. The Jesus Creed blog is \u201cours\u201d and not \u201cmine.\u201d Put differently, every question is a public question unless I think I\u2019m the one who ought to answer the question. So, if you ask a question and no one answers it \u2026 tap your coffee cup on the table again and someone will answer it. Believe me, we\u2019ve got plenty of readers out there.
\nRemember this, most of us envision this blog as a big table with bundles of folks sitting here drinking coffee \u2014 and the emergents drinking beer and the Episcopals sipping wine and the Southern Baptists (now) drinking cokes and the folks from San Diego drinking from water bottles \u2014 and we are talking together about something. Somedays we do real well; other days one or two of us get a bit steamed and raises her or his voice a tad, and as a virtual community we have learned that it is OK \u2014 as long as it is not a habit.
\nSo, from Kris and me to you: you\u2019re the best, we\u2019re proud of this little table in the corner of the big internet, and let\u2019s do it another year!
\nGrazie.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
April 5 marks my third year of blogging, so I want to reflect on what has happened because of this blog. Well, lots \u2026 and nothing like we expected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n