Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts

Friday, September 06, 2024

Back to College: Grateful Memories, Wishful Thinking

This morning I was drinking my coffee, staring out the window. It had been a cool night. The days are hot and the nights are cool. And while I was staring out, all of a sudden I had an inner heart reaction to the time of year and I thought to myself I should be getting ready for college right now.

I went to school up at Peace River Bible Institute up in northern Alberta and I was there for four years. And each autumn of those four years felt just like it felt this morning. Getting ready for school, getting ready to be away from home, getting ready for seeing old friends and making some new ones, and getting ready to study the Bible again and learn and grow in my relationship with God.

Those were amazing years for me. And as I drank my coffee staring out the window, I found myself saying, if I could go back there this year, I would. I would go back and register to be a student and to take a class or two or five and to focus again on the ordered discipline of study and prayer and the word of God.

Those years meant a lot to me and they shaped me into the man I have become and the pastor I have become. And so I'm grateful for those years and those good memories. And I think if it was up to me here today, I would do it all again. 

One more year at school please. Thank you very much.







Thursday, November 02, 2023

Update

I know it's been a while since I posted anything on this blog. You might be wondering what I've been up to, or maybe you don't care at all. Either way, I feel like I owe you an explanation for my silence. I don't feel like I want to be done here and there are still things to say.

The struggle with depression really has diminished a good deal for me and I am grateful for that. I feel more myself and there is a lightness for me and I am starting to feel like my old old self. Yay.

The summer was good for me. I've been going through a deeper spiritual shifting as I have been looking at turning 60. So, much of the summer was spent in conversations with God. And they were conversations more than just monologues. There was hope there and faith as the Spirit and I conversed.  So things are shifting. Inside of me and in our lives as well. They are shifting at God's direction, so we will see how autumn unfolds. I am excited.

Hillary and her three guys are coming for Christmas, which is exciting too. I am already looking froward to that. Those twins are growing up so quickly. 

Oh and I am doing the Daily Prayers again and enjoying that too. It energizes me to spend some time in study and then in prayer with people who are out there. The numbers are humble, anywhere from 5 to 20s viewers a day. But that activity is good for me too. It was one of the things God and I talked about this summer, and so I have a strong sense that its his thing and the numbers are his worry. So I am learning things still about service. You can see it at thefieldpastor.com.

Maybe as the snow tries to fall and settle on these cold fields, here's a good poem to end with.


Winter Fields

I love old winter fields-they seem to hold

A sort of kinship to the wind and cold—

The frozen furrows clogged with sodden leaves,

The stubble with a few thin scattered sheaves,

A plow up-tilted . . with a broken share

(They just unhitched and left it sitting there).


A few old twisted trees that sort of lean

Down the steep edges of a small ravine,

A few thin cattle waiting to be fed,

Humped in the shelter of a broken shed;

A rim of frost along the water's edge,

Old nests revealed behind a tangled hedge.


There is a strange affinity between

Our homesick souls and fields of budding green;

Something within us answers to the sound

Of new life bursting through the quiet ground.

And yet a frozen field where Winter dwells

Sings in my heart like muted temple-bells.



Night.







   

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Living Life

The medical system has come to be a big part of my life these years. The meds I take allow me to eat and allow me to pee. They diminish the size of stones my kidneys make and they diminish the amount of acid my body produces so that gout pain doesn’t come around as often. 

Then there are pills to help with my diminished enzyme amounts which was what my dad struggled with until he passed away. His lungs and liver stopped working.

Then over all these things or maybe as a result of these chronic things, there are some meds I take to help with my mental health.

Without the medical system I’d expect to be dead already a couple of times over. 

The quality of life that is mine because of these interventions is remarkable. Miraculous even. At least I count them so.

It’s easy for me to act like everything is good most of the time. But when there are hickups and I end up at the Doctors office, I remember how good my life is. 

Thanks to modern science and a God who loves me.  

😊






Monday, December 05, 2022

A Poem, by Artificial Intelligence (AI)

"I" just created a poem by telling artificial intelligence to write me a poem about a cold winter, overcast, skies, and falling snow. Here’s what we got.


The world is hushed, the sky is gray

As snowflakes gently fall

A winter wonderland is on display

A blanket of white covers it all


The trees stand bare, their branches stark

Against the dull and dreary sky

But soon they'll be adorned with a new mark

As snowflakes continue to fly


The air is crisp, the ground is cold

As the snow falls all around

It's a beautiful sight, to behold

A winter scene, without a sound


The world is transformed, so pure and white

As the snow continues to fall

A winter day, so tranquil and bright

A moment to cherish, and stand tall.


This means of course, that no longer can you trust what a writer writes unless you learn to hear their way of writing. This is going to be to writing what those fake videos are. 

Could be amazing, could be terrifying.

I’ll see how I can use this power for good.  … maybe more good dad jokes…


Monday, September 05, 2022

Prelude to Autumn

The thunder was rumbling early this Labor Day Monday morning, and the rain was sparse. Not enough to soak anything which I think is a good thing for now given that the guys are in the fields trying to get the crop off.

Last week the heat was in the 30s and that’s rare for us here. But today when I got up it was raining a bit, the thunder was rumbling and it was overcast. Certainly the weather was cooler than it’s been for days, +12 C.

So I came to sit in my sitting place here in the sunroom with the windows open looking out over the fields and trees and it dawned on me that really this is a prelude to autumn. The nights are giving it away most because they are cooling off now like they didn’t do in July and August. That cooling off is helping us cool off the house so that the days are not so hot when it reaches into the 30s.

But it is nice to sit here with the overcast skies and the occasional short rain shower. There’s a cool breeze that wafts in from the outside and I can smell Lauralea’s jasmine plant next to my chair.

Yes autumn is on the way and now we’re into September. Things are starting up again, kids are going off to school, the farmers are in the fields harvesting, and church is continuing to move forward.

I am generally very encouraged by the congregation these days. God is moving in our midst and there is room for him to touch hearts. Yesterday was such a lovely day of worship and God was so present. Many peoples hearts were touched and encouraged and challenged and what more could we ask for.

I feel as though we are moving well along the path we chose for this year. The path of healing and reflection and moving deeper into relationship with one another and with God.

All the fellowship times have been well received, and I see people caring for one another. So it feels to me like we as a congregation are getting lighter.

There are some individual stories that are heartbreaking and tragic and too close for comfort. It has been a very difficult few years in the areas of mental health. You never really know what’s happening in the hearts of people who gather on Sunday mornings to worship God.

I should say that I continue to do well. God is blessing with every provision for every day. He is teaching me new ways to live and new ways to pastor. Ways I have longed for for many years.  My prayer these days is that God would continue to renew my heart and my actions. That he would give me his heart in all these things.

So when I see the edge of autumn starting to move across the land like today, I am not overwhelmed or fearful. I feel ready for it. I feel hopeful for the first time in a long time and I am looking forward to what the future has for us here in this field. … As long is winter is not in a rush to arrive.





Friday, March 11, 2022

Friday Update

This week was kind of one of those miracle weeks where there was much to be done and not enough time to do it all in. I am pleased to report that I am more and more comfortable with this given that God continues to take the wheel and does the miracles needed to see the day/week come to a close, completed.

Yay.

Tomorrow we the church leadership are out to the camp for the day to talk and plan and pray for the days ahead. Of course it's suppose to snow, again. Hopefully the roads won't be too bad.

And I think everything is ready for Sunday as well. (Again, see above miracle.)

If you want to come and join us here at Malmo in the Field, find the map at malmochurch.ca 

You can also find the link there for the livestream, starting at 10:30 mountain time. Oh and that's right, there is a time change this Saturday night. Spring, is it spring ahead? I think so. Anyway Google says we lose an hour of sleep. Great.

Have a good weekend you all.


Last weekend was the Saskatchewan Telemiracle still going strong. They raised 8 million for the people of Sask. Way to go Saskatchewan.



Friday, August 28, 2020

New Theme / Old Theme

I think this is where I am landing for a bit, theme wise.

It actually reminds me a good deal of my very first blog theme. Info panel on the left, blues in colour, lots of white. Fairly simple.

Its sort of fun and embarrassing to go back and read the posts from 18 years ago. I was such a different person. The heavies of the internet were still not out there as much. Trolls were rare. Dark commenting was not happing a lot.

As an old-timer would say, they were the good old days.

Well thanks to Toni, I was able to access an older template and tweak to my hearts content. You may occasionally still see a wee bit of his handiwork in this template that I left in, sort of as homage to his good self.

Funny how some websites and blogs are oddly comforting to visit. Like old friends, their colours and voices are safe places to end up.

Anyway, what's old is new again.


Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Old Fart Alert

Ug, I dislike the new blogger backend.

Can't find the things I need to find.

They have kept it the same for probably 10-20 years, much to my frustration. Then when I am moving along with what they allow, they change the rules.

All that to say, I can't find a template that does what I need it to do. :(

So if there are changes here for the next bit, it's just me looking for the right switch to pull.

Bear with...


Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Like Eggs With That?

This morning I had to take the car in for servicing and across the street is a diner that makes a good breakfast. I often meet people there for work, but today it was just for me.

I’m trying to live into my short vacation as fully as I can, as quickly as I can. And breakfast was a part of that.

I’m doing some things that give me energy again. Some writing, a bit of drawing, nothing great really. But creative things that energize me. I might even take a short online art class. Crazy I know.

These months have been amazing, I should be an utter basket case already. The weekly pressures of trying to maintain ministry and care for a community has brought with it unexpected pressures. But the strength God gives has been greater. That’s the only answer I have.

I know some churches won’t make it through this time and some pastors won’t make it through either without big changes. But perhaps that’s one good thing to happen through this time.

How are pastors and churches doing what they do? What needs to change? What should remain? Oh there are interesting days ahead indeed.

Anyway for now, straight ahead into seven needed days off.

Monday, April 13, 2020

These Are Challenging Times




In once sense these past four weeks have gone quickly, yet in other ways, boy they have been dragging on.

I'm surprised at how the work hours have increased, but that seems to be the standard fare hearing from other pastors. Trying to learn quickly how to care for their people from a distance. Trying to learn new ways to engage the people with teaching, let alone the new ways to worship.  Then there are those who are expected to live-stream a service from the empty church with no support or aid.  I'm trying to keep it simple and I'm still putting in many more hours.

It's been such an interesting time. Thinking through what worship, and gathering around the scriptures really means. What is community, really. Can you have that community by Zoom or YouTube. I'm not sure.

These could be days when the whole direction and processes of the church are renewed. Preaching, teaching, worshipping, communing. Less and less can I see us just returning to the same old same old sort of worship. The crowds will be different, the expectations different.


Anyway, I sure do miss the people. I realize these days how much they are in my heart.

And most of my online work is going into other efforts for the time being.


scatteredbutgathered.com is the regularly updated blog of news and updates from the church. And www.malmochurch.ca/scattered-but-worshiping-together/ is the page with links to our worship gatherings and activities.

These days have not surprised God or caught him unaware. That gives me comfort.
I am curious to see how He makes good come from days such as these. As He will.







 



Wednesday, September 05, 2018

Maybe focus on real life for a while

Today I need to heed some of my own advice.

People become overwhelmed by the demands and stresses of social media and they, or we feel that we need to be somewhat aware of the stories being written on any given day. That it is good that we know that our neighbours are facing challenges or they are experiencing a good holiday with good food in Spain.

Or that its somehow good that we know the state of the world and someone's recent version of what our state leaders are doing and we are free to comment on them and the general state of the world.

But just because we can doesn't mean we should.

I don't often treat social media as a must read, and often the only reasons I check them is perhaps to see a delightful photo of the granddaughters or what the kids are doing, or maybe to be aware of whats going on in the lives of those I care for, as in the people of this community. So I don't feel really tied to them.

But today after a particularly stressful people day in real skin, I happened upon a post by a good man I normally respect, that just went sideways in me. His expectation of his readers was more demand on me than I could handle today.

The other day a lady I follow said something that seemed quite counter to her character and I was surprised and disappointed. Did I have a right to feel that way? I'm not sure, but I did. I don't have enough of a relationship to mention it to her, and I am not sure I have any right at all to expect better from her. But as I say, I did.

That doesn't even include some of the crazy wild tinfoil hat declarations you see on any given day.
Or the false sense of reality some people try to create of their lives, to give the impression that life is great and we've succeeded to create something of meaning with our (online) lives anyway.

If its true that you become more like those you hang out with, I need to stop hanging out in these sorts of places. It may be time to start walking away.

And we had such hopes for web 2.0.


Friday, June 15, 2018

What I looked like with a 1200 baud modem.



This, boys and girls, was what the internet used to look like, when you were waiting for a page to load over a 1200-baud modem.

Hit enter. Go for a drink. Hit enter. Go take a bathroom break.

Yes we've come a very long way now, and High Speed is mostly that.  That’s why we could never envision the day when we'd buy software over the internet, or even, madness, watch video over the online connection.

But high speed internet connections are here now, and that means you'll get no more pictures like this of me, back in the day.


...I kinda miss the first days of the public internet. They were heady times.


Thursday, June 14, 2018

A Fresh Set of Clothes - Thoughts on Blogging


It would seem that over the past sixteen years this place has seen its share of new clothes.
(I do enjoy a good looking suit of clothes.)

So here we are again, with a newer look, a little fresher, maybe a more stylish look. Should work in all browsers and mobiles, of all sizes, shapes, etc.

Never had to worry about mobile browsers back in the day.
(Next I'll be standing on the porch with my stick yelling at the kids to "Stay off my lawn!")


I know that the heyday of Weblogs are long long behind us. I remember when we were trying to do Web 2.0 things with them before Web 2.0 even existed. Before facebook and instagram. Before Twitter and Pinterest.

But here we are today and my daily web traffic is down from three digits to single digits a day. In a way I am ok with that as it takes a good amount of pressure off.  And maybe that allows me to say some things that I wouldn't want to say with so many people around.

I've never felt comfortable with facebook etc. because those places are contained silos if you will. Cut off from the rest of the internet so that you could only see in with membership. (Back in the day.)  It was always like renting a space, while here you would own your space. Do what you like without an overlord deciding who of your friends would see what of your posts.

I am fiercely loyal to this mode of communication. It was a good place for me to discover writing and to learn the craft even better. (There was some amazing writing here back in the 2000's)  But it was also the place I felt like I lost my writing voice. I don't know what happened with it, where did it go and why?  But I live in hope that it will return one day, and surprise me.

Those are some of the reasons I stick around here. Even when things get a bit sparse, post wise.  I'm not done with this space, I have unfinished business here.

But for today, the new threads.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

First Sunday back

Tomorrow is my first Sunday back at work since February 11th. That's been a while. I'm nervous.

I always get nervous after being out for a while, and tomorrow won't be a normal day. I'll do some sharing and we'll celebrate Palm Sunday together. It'll be more of a simple day, I hope.

It's taking time to rebuild my strength and my weakness surprises me sometimes. I reach unknowingly for a wall to steady me. Especially if I've been driving a while. The sitting seems to do it, then I get up and get a bit, weak.

I'm grateful for how well I do feel, all things considered. I've added a couple of pounds to the 20 or so that I lost. Not that I want to do that, but I guess it happens.

Anyway, my first five days back at it and things are humming along. Its been a full week and I've been able to keep up, with my late afternoon naps in place.

So, we're back.


Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Farmers and the Internet

The story of having internet in a field is a complex thing, full of heartache and surprise.

In a recent conversation at a christmas party, one of the local farmers was asking about our internet provider and I told him that we had pretty much been without for at least a month, and before that it was only good for checking email, if you had 20 minutes. He told us of his equal frustration with their provider (a company we are considering if ours is unable to improve.)

He told us that it worked well in the mornings when no one else was on it, but by 3 pm and the weekends, it was pretty much unusable. Harrumph. Unusable.

Then a third farmer chimed in with his company, (our second choice for internet if ours is gone). More of the same frustrations. Pay through the nose with very little to show for it. Useless.

Our conclusion was that in a day and age when they could get a car on the moon for driving around in, and yes, I know we dated ourselves there, why can't we get a decent internet here?

Oh and our city friends and family regale us with speeds in excess of 10 and 20 Mbps, but us country bumpkins are living in the wild west of the internet when any yahoo with an internet connection will set up a local company to sell a connection to.

And so it is the trade off. Live in the country and enjoy the peace and quiet.

My work does require a fairly regular video link up, and people from here and there send me links to youtube to check this out or "What do I think of this or that video" sorts of things. I just apologize now and say that we don't presently have internet, but I say "Presently" because I don't want them to think we live that far back in time.

I think Lauralea and I have adapted reasonably well, given there are no more real Skype calls with the kids and grandkids. And things like that. Our provider is in the process of moving their tower so we might see an improvement which would be wonderful. But we are being patient, or trying to be anyways.

Right now when we need to get our email or do a post like this, we hook up the cell phone and use it as a hotspot. It's a bit of work, but we don't use it for video or those sorts of things. For that you pay by the Gigabyte.  The other thing that we do is to get to an occasional internet cafe and do our hard up and downloading there. That helps with big things like uploading photos etc.

But I notice I've not read a few blogs or the like in months. It feels like a distance has opened up between us and internet friends, people out there in the real world. My world gets smaller, my understanding is shifting, it's an interesting phenomenon but kind of discouraging.


But it is life in a field.
There are other workers out there in more difficult places, doing work. Sometimes discouraged by the daily challenges they face. It is what it is.

For now we delay video meetings, skype, videos, streaming radio, movies, and like that.

As I said, it is a complex thing, and at least for now I can easily relate to those farmers who have the same problems.

Course, one of the farmers told me about a small box that John Deer was adding to it's tractors which would create a wifi hotspot all around the tractor. He was thinking how he could just put that baby into his living room.

Ah where there's a will there is a way.





Friday, August 02, 2013

Internet update

Well, it's been three weeks since the Internet has gone away, and though it was all gone during the first two weeks, it's started to dribble back a wee bit, somewhere at the speed and consistency of an 80 year old man with prostate cancer going to the toilet...

Sorry for that image, but the description does fit nicely.

It means we've been reorganizing our Internet work and cancelling subscriptions we have online so that we are not wasting money each month. I do miss Netflix and Rdio but it's part of life in the great rural world. More I miss not having face to face time with the granddaughter, but then I suppose I can't miss her as much either.

The guy in charge is trying his best to fix the problem but he's thinking we need a higher antenna now, to clear the neighbours new tree growth. That's not a quick fix in any part of the world, let alone this one.

So for now we'll take what God gives us.

Oh you say, you didn't know God does IT work?

Well I didn't either, but I do know that he gives to us according to our faith.
Last Saturday night after two weeks of pretty much no internet, then a dribble when we tweaked it, I was frustrated to the point of talking with him seriously about it. We had a good conversation about these things and I felt better nonetheless.

What was interesting to me is that since then, the speed of the internet here has been just about what it used to be. Oh it still can be fickle and it still loses pings, which weakens the signal, but there has been a marked improvement since Saturday night. So in my book anyway, God does the internet.

We'll see how things go now. Might be here, might be gone. We'll take what we get with grateful hearts. And Lauralea can keep beating you all at scrabble.


Thursday, May 17, 2012

Ten years old today and I still don't know where to stick my apostrophes.

Yes, this blog is ten years old today.
That's like, forever when you're ten year old.
Which I suppose it is.
Forever I mean.

And on this tenth anniversary, I'm in the office working on preparations for Sunday, and nursing my youth night hangover from last night. :)

I have Classic FM playing on the radio.
My Administrative Assistant is in the next room preparing the information sheet for Sunday.
Herself is in town for a medical consult.
Micah has driven to class today because he has setup for the final Jazz Choir concert tonight, which we'll be at.

And I am thinking of heading into Edmonton where we have an elderly church member who has been admitted to hospital.

So it's a regular day in paradise.

----------------------------------------

I know that blogging is so, yesterday. I know that.
People don't and shouldn't have to go to a website nowadays.
It should be in their stream of information they have coming at them, social networking wise.
I agree with that.

The thing is that I've invested ten years of the good, bad, and the ugly, in writing in this space. So I'm not soon to abandon it for Tumblr or Google+ or, heaven help us, Facebook.

No this isn't the good old days of blogging when it was cool and Radio Stations might quote you or newspapers interview you.  But I've got this pile of collected works here, some of which is drivel and some of which is fun, and some of it is even thoughtful, and it's sort of become my contribution to the Internet. So even though there are no longer six hundreds of you here each day, there are still one or two hundred of you here on any given day and if I were writing for you dear reader, that would be enough to keep me writing.

But I'm not sure I write for you.

These days I can see it as maybe a place where my children's children's children may go to see a version of who I am.  Mind you, it is a version of myself and I won't often make myself look bad, even though I can be at times.

I use it as a record too, especially when herself and I will be in the midst of one of those arguments about when we got the new vacuum nozzle, was it when the small potted rosebush died of a lack of water or when the cactus died from undue care and attention. I can easily pull up my version of reality and correct herself.

Mostly though its always been just a version of a life. My life. With its successes and failures and assorted attitudes. Hopefully a thoughtful life, with my sense of humour built in. Hopefully.

So you see, these "Blobs" have many different values.


I think the State of the Blog piece I wrote two years ago when I was eight, still holds up pretty well. You can see my thinking there, if you're interested.

There has been a lot of water underneath this blogging bridge. Many many rich and wonderful relationships have grown up around it, and I'm still reaping the joys of blogging as an old reader and blogger in his own right comes to join me in the work here in the next months.

I know that there are seasons to this blogging stuff and the season I'm in right now is not always a season I appreciate. However there are things to learn and it actually pokes at my insides sometimes when I think that I'd like to blog about this but not that aspect of life. In those times I am challenged and I grow.


So as for the future of my writing here and recording life as I see it, I can't see an end in sight, for now anyway. I think it will continue to ebb and flow as I hit my fifties in a few short years.

But for now, for today, let us eat cake and celebrate.

Or because it's lunch now, perhaps a tuna sandwich.










Saturday, April 02, 2011

Want to have some fun with the old blog?

Then type this into your url address box up there:

http://randallfriesen.blogspot.com/view/

Seems blogger is adding Dynamic Views for readers. Just add /view/ after the address and off you go.

More info here, now go give it a try.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

"I am wondering if you have any scholarly insight into such (blogging) matters"

K. Blackwood writes:

Well, hello there. I'm going to be writing a paper for my class "The Digital Word" about blogging. I'm thinking of exploring the blog as a sort of modern confessional, and I am wondering if you have any scholarly insight into such matters (being both an academic and a blogger). I'm told that you are quite the celebrity in the blogosphere. Thoughts?


Hello Ms. Blackwood

Oh yes I have thoughts. For one, don't believe everything you've been told. (It was only one video and it's only gone farm viral. Celebrity? Non.)


Really the reason I started blogging was as a way to redeem a corner of the Internet with real stories of a real life lived out. In my opinion there were too many Christians out there using their blogs to preach at the digital void, and I wanted my life and choices and struggles and successes to do the preaching.

So I worked hard to be honest with where I was at and what I was encountering on any given day. Inside my heart and outside. Yes a bit dangerous and a bit exhibitionistic I imagine, but I felt like if it was going to be worth anything, then it had to be honest, and if it couldn’t be honest, then it should at least be quiet.

The surprising mail I received was encouraging enough that this was a good direction. Surprising in who was reading it. Broad age ranges, belief systems, non belief systems, etc. I was really surprised at who was reading and occasionally leaving comments.

Yes it was a vulnerable thing to do but I felt like the risk of being vulnerable for another person to be able to connect with a story or a feeling was worth it.

Sometimes that would push back on me and I’d get nasty comments or emails, which would usually ruin my day.

Still, more and more readers would drop by and see what life was like in my corner on any given day.

I broadened my writing as I found my voice and included thoughts on church life and where the Church needed to go. I talked about community issues and would include occasional inspirational material as I came across it online.

Those were probably the heady days for this blog as local radio stations around Saskatchewan would occasionally mention the blog or quote a story from it. Once in a while I’d get a call to be interviewed for a news story or about blogging in general.

But one day my address changed as I moved to The Field here in right of center, rural Alberta. I think that post on my resignation from my old place in Saskatchewan had the highest hits of any post in the past.

What I learned as I moved to rural life is that it is a fishbowl where everyone knows everyone else, and that there are limited opportunities for friendships and work and even places to live. There is no room for anonymity out here, and that’s just how it is.

So pretty soon you learn to live your very known life, in private ways. That’s so you can have a private life at all.

If you add to that fishbowl the discipline of every day telling the world and your local community, what you think of it or what you think of your wife or your job or whatever, then it ends up being that there are no secrets in your life.

So the blog has taken a turn and been silent much more than it’s been honest.

I find myself again looking for my voice in this context where I live. It’s tough, but I continue to look.

As most blogs go, when they stop being personally honest or become too silent, they stop inspiring.


I like the image of modern confessional in a way. It’s been in those moments of utter honesty and clarity that my words have assisted a few to be encouraged or to find their way through a very dark patch. It’s given the world permission to examine my life and to even contact me if they wish, to share relationship. They have done that and relationships continue through this day, that are a deep blessing to me, and have caused me to say it was all worth it.

I think in a way my early goal “...to redeem a corner of the Internet with real stories of a real life lived out” has been accomplished. The good blogs are not about what you ate for lunch, although there are many who like a good picture of your lunch before you eat it, as much as they are about your struggles and successes and failures as you go at life, one day after another. Honestly.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Whoa

What was that about…

How did my blog go missing? And where is it?

BLOGGER???