As various conversations exploded  in the blog-world, it created and national and international network. Blogging became a key tool and a legitimate community builder. As we pushed the envelope of theology, church, missional thinking and culture, many of us forogt that their was still an old world lurking, reading and disagreeing. I’ve had friends lose their jobs because of theological information they discussed on their blog, blogging was no longer safe. 

Bloggers had to grow up and think about the content they posted. If you wanted to blog you knew you would be held accountable. So blogging became more official and our thoughts had to be more detailed and succinct. Christian bloggers had to learn how to write, discuss, debate and still have a sense of humility in the process. 

Now the blog world is older, more mature and for the most part normal in Christian circles. When I meet someone for the first time I would much rather have their blog URL then their cell number. Its not like we’re going to call each other. We really do life online through Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Blogs. 

But there is a downside to blogging; it can become an addiction. I hear bloggers all the time communicate how they need a break from blogging but they are scared they will lose readers. Many bloggers are fascinated with their technorati rank. It’s frustrating to see bloggers who write lame one-sentence posts to create comments and stats. How do we continue to blog but not lose authenticity in the process? 

Many bloggers put a lot of time and effort into their blog. They blog with a sense of purpose. They want their bog to do well and to be read by many. I do care about my readership, I don’t want to waste time blogging if no one is going to read my posts. Also, I do know Simply Missional has created a space for friendship, collaboration, networking and mission. I feel like this blog has been an encouragement for the most part.  

Like all things we just have to be careful as we blog. We can’t allow our blogs to control us, we can’t allow blogging to create a culture that is not healthy, we can’t become so fixiated with our popularity that we lose a sense of health and balance. 

So blog and blog well…But please keep it authentic and balanced.

Whenever you see the icon above, all you have to do is click-it and the URL feed will pop-up in the addreess bar. (example below)

Once you add my feed, every time I update my blog it will automatically be sent to your newsreaders. Its simple, fast and easy. So what are you waiting for.

I found a free wordpress theme and my friend John, from the Strange Idea Labs did all the coding and whatever web guru’s do. If you need some design work give him a call. He will hook you up.

I love the design, its simple but still has a creative spark. I’m excited to also be able to add all the various plugins that I could not add with wordpress.com.

I still want to do some tweaks and I also have a few ideas I’m working on.

Happy blogging!!!

Charles Lee is a pastor, teaches at Life Bible College and also runs a non-profit. But for some reason I don’t think he’s all that busy. I’m going to be chatting with Charles next week on the phone. Looking forward to that.

Brandon Hatmaker is a local Austin pastor and also leads a non-profit. Brandon just planted his church in the past year and they are doing some really good work here in Austin.

Nick Asolas has become a great virtual friend. Here is what I love about Nick, he takes on challenging topics like politics and he’s not afraid to share his thoughts. Nick is a youth pastor in AZ and their church does a ton of social justice work.

Todd Hiestand is a pastor in the Philly Suburbs. Todd is a voice for the organic church in suburbia. His writing is reflective and thoughtful.

Aaron Ivey is one of the worship pastors at the Austin Stone. His blog is creative and his passion for the Kingdom is contagious. He’s also a musician and has adopted some kids from Haiti.

Jonathan Dodson is also a church planter here in Austin. I know I’ve put Jonathan on my “new bloggers” list before. But I truly think his blogs (he has three) are refreshing, practical and insightful.

John Chandler is a friend that I met through the blogging world a few years ago. He just moved from Seattle to Austin to plant a new faith community. The only downside to John is the fact that he’s an avid Denver Bronco’s fan. This is not easy for Raiders fans like me.

What bloggers are you following…Leave the URL in the comments.

Somehow this little ol’ blog made the Alltop – Top Christian Blogs list-which is a web endeavor of Guy Kawasaki. Pretty exciting to say the least. Lot’s of blogstars are on this list and I gotta tell you I think they made a mistake when the added me

Now it’s time to write a book. SIKE!!! 

Hope you’ve had a good week. Thanks for reading Simply Missional. BTW-This weeks posts are going to be great.

In the meantime I can’t thank-you enough for those who have made this blog a place of community. And no I won’t have Mr. Linky show up soon.

Aaron Ivey: You may know Aaron from the band Spur 58. I saw Spur play in Houston with Ashdown and I loved their show. Not sure how I found Aaron blog but it’s a good one. Check it out.

Jonathan Dodson: Jonathan is a legit theologian who is planting a church here in Austin. Great dude who thinks missional and hangs out at the cool kids coffee shops on a daily basis which causes bitterness in my soul…But I love this dude and I know God is going to use him in big ways. Plus when I have questions on theology I have someone to call

Missional Heart: Erick Bauman in involved with the Origins Community in NYC. Again this dude has a great heart and it shows through his blog. Love following his journey in NYC. Can’t wait to see what God is going to do through Erick. I think he may be starting a new church in NYC? 

Creativityist is a blog by John Chandler. It’s all about productivity. Good read that can be very practical for all things ministry and life. John will be moving to Austin to plant a church this summer. That being said it was a bit painful to add him to this list. Why? Because he is a DENVER BRONCOS fan. Go Raiders. 

Spence Smith is a Nashville blogger who works with Compassion. I love Spence’s authenticity and heart for kids in poverty. Also this blog has a lot of balance. Personal, ministry, tech, travel and culture. Check it out.

Texas in Africa is a local Austin blogger who works in Education as a Prof. I love her humor, very witty writer who crosses many boundaries including travel, politics, church, local Austin vibe and of course Africa. She even gave me some helpful advice before I took my first trip to Africa last year. 

Eric is an executive pastor in SoCal. Plus I had to get West Coast representatives on this here blog. Love Eric’s blog. He has a different perspective then most blogs. Very beneficial to the missional conversation as a pastor who serves God in the so-called second-seat. Which is a vital position in the church world. 

Pete Wilson is another Nashville blogger. Pete is the Lead Pastor of a local church in Nashville that is running close to 2000 folks. (according to his bio) That being said…You would not know that Pete is a mega-church pastor from reading his blog. I love that. He does not seem to be some “guru” of all things church. Plus his blog spans many boundaries and Pete seems to have built a nice community on his blog. I know Pete is humble because he posted a video of his wife kicking his butt in a “hold your breath” contest.

Stuck in Customs is a photography blog based here in Austin. Some amazing pics. Dude travels the world and I think he runs a video game company here in Austin. Great blog with some amazing pictures. 

Lot’s of bloggers from the Southeast. What’s up with that? Anyhow…These blogs will encourage you and help you gather some wisdom on this journey called life. 

Now I need you to help us out…What blogs have you been reading lately?  

“How do you know the gospel is the center of your life?”

Any thoughts?

I break all the blogging rules. I’m random, my grammar stinks and I’m not a “mega” anything.  I consider this blog a snippet into my life. A normal dude who pastors a normal church and has somewhat a normal life.

I say all that to say this…Last month I hit the 50,000 page views in the past year. (trust me, this is not a lot) and this week I will hit the 1000 comments milestone. So for all of you who hang out, leave comments and share life here at Simply Missional, I wanted to say thanks. Thanks for the encouragement, friendships, dreams, dis-agreements and more importantly, thanks for striving to love God and serve this generation.

Cheers.