Category Archives: blogging
Rock’n and Blog’n
Honored
It was such an honor to take part in the Third Periodic Blogger Convention held in Chattanooga, TN!
Actually, what really happened was that once again I got to meet up with fellow Christian bloggers and spend some time getting to know each other in the non-digital world. It was a total blast to talk face-to-face with these guys!
Wally Fry (Truth in Palmyra) and his family left Arkansas and drove into Chattanooga Saturday night. He and I met for coffee before church on Sunday morning, then later attended church together. To my surprise, James Neff (Men of One Accord) and his wife also showed up for church! James visited a couple of times before, but this was the first time he and Wally had met.
I was also honored that they would sacrifice their time to sit through my preaching. Believe me, it’s always humbling to have people you admire in the audience saying “Amen!”
After Church
When the morning service was over, we did what any typical church-goer might do down here in the South – we went to Cracker Barrel. There we shared plates of biscuits, downed plenty of coffee, and shared more stories than a serial Facebooker.
Wally Fry thought that we should get a picture together before all parted ways. Therefore, like proper husbands, we heeded the suggestion of our wives and sat down in the rocking chairs out front. And you know, even that seemed too fortuitous to be coincidence (but that’s another story).
Real People
What I hope all of you take away from this story is that behind that computer screen, writing those blogs, are real people. Each one is part of a larger community where genuine friendships can develop. And when you actually get to see these people in person, it’s totally awesome!
But here’s a thought that just came to mind. What do you think it will be like, after all those years of reading his letters…after all those years of communicating across vast distances…to see Jesus face-to-face? He’s real too, you know. Even more real than Wally, James, or myself.
You might oughta be making plans to meet Him for dinner.
Filed under blogging, Christian Unity, Church, Relationships and Family
Almost to 100K
Dear friends, subscribers, and followers…
In just a few short days – Lord willing – this blog will reach a memorable milestone. By the time you read this The Recovering Legalist may have already received its 100,000th view!!
It’s only taken 6 years, give or take.
Now, some blogs receive 100K views a year, if not a month or less. I’m just thankful anybody visits here more than once! All of you are a blessing – even the ones who may end up getting blocked 😉
This year my goal it to reach 40,000 views. That’s practically double what I’ve been getting. If you could help by sharing the posts you really like on Facebook or Twitter (or whatever’s popular), that would be great!
One thing is for sure, I don’t take any of this for granted. Behind every screen of a computer, tablet, or smartphone is a human, somewhere. Every click, every view, is one more opportunity to share the good news of the eternity-changing, life-rearranging Grace of God.
I don’t say it enough, but THANK YOU!
Anthony
iPost (Better than a Cigarette)
Smokers have long depended on those short breaks during which they light up and take a few puffs. Employers, if not smokers themselves, allow these little pauses in productivity for the purpose of worker morale, if nothing else.
“Smoke breaks” are the envy of the non-smoking, pink-lunged, over-worked world. Who else gets assigned special sections to indulge in expensive, unhealthy habits? Who else gets to arbitrarily select a time in which everything will come to a halt while one gets to relax and calm one’s nerves?
Well, I need a “writing break.” The only problem is that I’m not at home by my computer; I’m sitting on an empty school bus waiting for my next load of crumb crunchers to be released from their government mandated confinement. What to do?
I will write a post on my iPhone! I will write an iPost!
As a matter of fact, I think I’m going to start something new…I’m going to start posting short, non-graphically-enhanced, simply-fonted “iPosts.” When I can’t sit down to a computer, and when the thought is not so profound that it needs a lot of explanation or bullet points, I will simply “iPost.”
This is the first one.
Because I needed to write.
And too much about politics has been written already.
And it’s better than a cigarette.
I Love You Guys!
Let me just say that I am honored to have you folk as readers and followers. You are valued friends for whom I am eternally grateful.
Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement during my wife’s recent illness (click here to see UPDATE). She is doing better, but we still have many unanswered questions.
I have had the priviledge to meet many of you in person, so I know that on the other side of this screen there are real people who truly care. I frequently thank God for this blogging community which makes the world seem so much smaller.
Please know that I think of you guys as real people, not web addresses. I think of you and pray for often, just not often enough. But after this episode with my wife, your support has reminded me of how much I need to intercede for you. God has brought us together as friends, so let’s make use of the gift He has given.
God bless you all!
Filed under blogging
6 Ways to Encourage Your Pastor When He’s Preaching
Other Guys
I know I’m not the only blogger in the world. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of great blogs out there, some of which I read on a regular basis – and others I avoid.
Two very popular blogs in Christian circles are those of Thom S. Rainer and Chuck Lawless. Both are famous for lists like “Eight Characteristics of the New Bivocational Pastor” and “Things I’ve Learned about Corporate Worship.”
This Guy
Well, I’m not the “other guys.” My blog is not as professional; I’m not a seminary professor or a contributor to denominational publications; and I don’t do enough research to come up with new lists every day.
However, this guy is in “list” mode, today! Fresh from a weekend of preaching, this pastor/preacher/blogger is going to hit you with a list from which ALL of us can benefit. Are you ready?
6 Ways You Can Encourage Your Pastor When He’s Preaching
- Feedback. Don’t just sit there like a knot on a log when your pastor is preaching; give him some feedback! Say, “Amen!” Wave your hand. Throw a hymnal at the pulpit. DO SOMETHING! How is he supposed to know he’s getting through to you if you just sit there silently with a blank look on your face? At least nod your head in agreement once in a while.
- Sit closer to the front. Look, if you were going to a concert where someone was singing that you wanted to hear, where would you sit – if you could afford it? The front row! What does it convey to the minister when you sit all the way in the back? Especially when you’ve already admitted you’re hard of hearing?
- Actually show up to church! Let me tell you, it really does encourage a pastor to have his congregation actually show up on Sunday morning. Sunday evening is even better!
- Get Your Sleep – At Home. Please, make sure that you go to bed on Saturday night at least by midnight. When a pastor sees you nodding off all he can think is, “I’m boring the snot out of that person,” and that is NOT encouraging.
- Pray. Try not to do it with your eyes closed (see the previous point), but pray for your pastor when he’s preaching. Let him know beforehand and afterward that you lift him up before God while he’s slugging away from the pulpit. Courage builds when one knows someone’s got his back.
- Put a $100 bill in his hand when you shake it. OK, that’s a stretch, I know. But hey, I won’t stop you if you feel the urge 😉
OH! Do you know what would REALLY be encouraging? Leave a comment below! What would you add to this list?
The Sun Parade
A Dream
Last night (or this morning, rather) I was awoken from my sleep by a crazy dream. It’s not that dreams are usually sane, it’s just that this dream was a little more strange than normal.
First of all, I was back in college, which wouldn’t be completely unthinkable, but in a dorm room…I never stayed in a dorm….trying to decide what kind of sheets to put on the upper bunk where I was to sleep. If the first strange thing was that I was in a dorm, the second strange thing would be that without my wife I was fretting over thread counts and patterns.
The third and final strange thing about this dream was that a man walked into my room, presumably a professor, did something to the heater on the wall (adjusted the temperature, I suppose), and spoke to me as I was putting sheet on the bunk. Well, now that I think about it, every bit of that last sentence was strange. But anyway, he looked up at me and said:
“Anthony, I read your blog, but I need to let you know that there are a lot of people protesting your post on the sun parade.”
What? They are protesting? What post? I don’t remember ever writing a post about a parade, especially one celebrating the sun. So, I woke up, rolled over in bed, grabbed my phone, clicked on my WordPress app, and searched my post history. …Nothing.
Time to Google
What do I do if I can’t find something I need? Something that is supposed to be tucked away in my memory or stored in the files of some app? I Google it.
Come to find out, there are no sun parades, at least none that I can find. The only thing that came up on a Google search was a band out of Northampton, Massachusetts called The Sun Parade.
I guess it’s time to write about them. Time to start a protest.
“My Heart’s Out”
Why did I have a dream about a sun parade? Maybe it was because I needed to. Maybe it was because I need to expose this group for something horrible, like violent, bloody videos depicting a crazy vixen eating a guy’s heart. Who knows?
Well, when I Googled the parade and found the band, I logged onto their webpage and watched an interesting, well-produced music video. Would you believe it’s full of heart-cutting, heart-chasing, heart-eating drama? Yep, it does.
Seriously, The Sun Parade is a pretty cool sounding secular band with folk-rock sound and Beatle-esque harmonies. Let’s put it this way: their sound doesn’t hurt my hears. And being a pastor and all that, that alone might be protest-worthy, you think?
Here’s the thing, people will rip out your heart, step on it, cut it, break it, throw it away, and even – perish the thought – bite it…eeewww! People can be that way. But I’d rather have a heart that’s breakable than a cold heart, or no heart at all.
For the record, I gave my heart to Christ, and His life has made me new. It sure makes it easier to love those who take advantage of us when our “heart’s out.”
The Recovering Legalist 
Blog Roll or Blog Slice?
I have a question for all of you about blog rolls.
For several years I have had the same list of blogs on my “blog roll.” Yesterday I took them all down – all of them.
Why? Because I wanted to start over with a fresh list, one that more accurately and fairly listed blogs which I either visit or endorse.
However, how do I do that? What is fair? And for that matter, how many to I post a link to?
To be honest, I don’t read as many blogs as I’d like, simply because I don’t have that much time. Every once in a while I will go on a binge and do a lot of clicking, reading, scanning, and “liking.” I may even leave a few profound comments. There’s just so many blogs out there, and I can’t read them all.
So, how should I do this? Should I list every single blog I ever visit more than once? Should I list a long blog roll of 50+ websites, many of which I may rarely visit more than once a month, or less?
Or, should I just give you a “slice” of what’s out there? Like, what if I listed the blogs of people I really like, along with some popular ones everybody else likes?
Or, what if a “slice” of blogs consisted of those whose owners commented here? I could, let’s say, keep a “top 10” slice; the ones who commented the most (“likes” count half) would be at the top of the list, all others further down.
Interesting.
You see, I just don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, you know? I mean, if you own a blog and only post once a year, should I put you in the “roll,” much less the “slice”?
What do you think? Leave a comment, please (It may help your score 😉 ).
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