As I approach the anniversary of my first year of blogging, I took some time to reflect on the experience and how it has shaped me. Blogging has been a tremendous source of life for me. In addition to helping me improve my writing skills, blogging has expanded my insight into the greater missional/emerging church conversation. Blogging has also connected me to some intriguing and wonderful people that God has used significantly in my spiritual growth. Here are a few that I am grateful to know, read, and admire. In no particular order:
JR Woodward – this guy is onto something unique and prophetic in both his writing and missional context. JR, thanks for always being an encouragement to me in your writing. Check out his site if you haven’t already and make it a regular read. There is much to be gleaned.
Erika Haub – Erika is one who ‘earths’ her theology. She finds God at work in the everyday and skillfully writes her stories for us to enjoy. Erika and her husband are embedded in a missional context that is both challenging and (from what I hear in her writing) rewarding. Theirs is the front line of the mission that reconciles this world to God. A must read.
Bill Kinnon – Bill’s writing is inspiring and thoughtful. He has a penetrating eye that can see through to the heart of the conversation and is never hesitant to speak his mind. Signs of a prophet perhaps. I met Bill in person back when I started blogging and his words of encouragement were immediately a blessing. Thanks for your help, Bill. Please link to Bill.
Brant Hansen – Brant is busy blogger because, well….he’s just sooo popular. His writing and whit are unmatched in the blogosphere, as his his theological insight and reasoning. Much can be learned from Brant and reading his stuff is pure fun. Humor was handed to him twice when he was created and he has a knack for communicating important things about the Kingdom. This leading feeder of leading leaders and his conferences are sure to spur many on to love and good deeds. Please link to him, he plays the accordion.
[UPDATE]
Rick Meigs – How could I have forgotten? In the wee hours of the night when I types this post, I forgot to include Rick. Rick over at the Blind Beggar has been an informative read over the last year. He’s the founder of ‘Friend of Missional‘; a website anyone who is interested in the missional church conversation should read. From what I read at Rick’s site, he seems to have an uncanny and prophetic way of living out what he writes about. Please link to him.[UPDATE]
These are but a few of the people that have made this blogging thing a substantial blessing for me. Thanks to you and to the others who are linked in my blogroll. You are all part of a significant journey and I am thrilled to peek in and learn from time to time.
As a way to remember this past year at Toward Hope, here is a list of what I feel were my top posts in the last year…not by comments or hits, just the ones I liked writing the most. Consider them the “Best of Toward Hope”
Eschatology & Missional Spirituality
Spirituality, work, and integration…
Thoughts about Vision
Questions about “Mega Church” ecclesiology…
What’s in a word?
Sacred Reading and Creative Word
Billy Graham Special & some observations about the Gospel on TV and in our culture…
Living in the Story – Narrative and the Kingdom
Church as Public Companion…
I was reading the latest Christian Bookstore flyer and…
While waiting for my prescription…
Writer’s Block and the Bachelor…
Artistic imagination as subversive prophetic engagement
Community, Discernment, Compassion, and Justice
Thoughts about charity and justice…
Listening into Action…
The day the Lord spoke…
A scholar and a gentleman…(some humor)
The Royal Consciousness…
An interesting neighbourhood…and an invitation to pray
Reality and Values Collide….
10 Tips for Living the Incarnation…[Plus One]
The Bishop weighs in on the topic of ecclesiology…
The People Formerly Known as Passive (or TPFKAP)
The Loss of Lament: The Devil Pulled a Fast one…
The 3 Maladies of Facebook relationships
The Church Moves into the Neighbourhood – Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3
3 Perspectives on Congregational Life
3 Perspectives on Pastoral Ministry
Technorati Tags: Bill Kinnon, Bishop Larry Newineskin, Blogging, Brant Hansen, Christianity, community, Compassion, Conversion, Creative word, Culture, Discernment, ecclesiology, emerging church, Facebook, Gospel, JR Woodward, Justice, Kingdom of God, Ministry, Missional, Narrative, Piety Practice, Spiritual Formation, The Margins, Writing