the gift that keeps on giving

I was tagged by Halfmom, AKA, Susan.

Rules of this tag:

1. Name the person with link who tagged you.

2. Complete the questionnaire without changing the questions.

3. Tag 6 or more people.

Q1. Are you happy/ satisfied with your blog, with its content and look? Happy would be stretching it as I think others have better looking blogs, but I'm not computer savvy enough to worry too much about it. It has been fun to begin to add pictures and I would like to improve on this, though it doesn't particularly worry me.

As to the content, I really would like to improve on that. I type an awful lot out of what I'm experiencing as well as a bit from what I'm thinking about. I figure what I'm working on in my own life and theology (the two go hand in hand) could be blessed by the Lord to others in their own lives. I particularly like interactivity with others, and I see my blogging as just a simple, humble, down-to-earth attempt to share with others, and just as much if not more, think through hard issues for myself. So I like it when people comment saying anything that might come to mind including a greeting. I learn from others and I enjoy interacting with others.

Q2. Does your family know about your blog? Yes. Our daughter Tiffany doesn't check it out, as far as I know, and my wife Deb has a little. She is starting to get on computer more, lately, so she may look at it more. My sister Cheryl has read it and made some comments, and my other sister Maxine has read it fairly regularly at times.

Q3. Do you feel embarrassed to let your friends know about your blog or you just consider it as a private thing? I don't feel embarrassed and people at my workplace and on my team have read it, and a little interest towards it seems to be picking up lately. This is not the place to record private matters since it's accessible to all on our planet.

Q4. Did blogs cause positive changes in your thoughts? I owe alot to Scot McKnight and his blog, now considered media, Jesus Creed. Scot has been so kind to me, and his blogging has served an excellent model for me on how to blog on controversial matters in a "Jesus Creed" kind of way. Of course the answer is in the affirmative beginning with Scot's blog. But I appreciate all the blogs I have listed on my blog, and others besides, even if I don't always agree with the content (I won't agree with all I type either sooner or later). Blogs and bloggers (you don't have to have a blog to be a blogger) certainly stimulate and challenge my thinking.

Q5. Do you only open the blogs of those who comment on your blog or you love to go and discover more by yourself? Usually just the ones I link on my blog, and that by itself isn't easy as you can see from the growing list. But yes, I definitely try to make it a point to get to other's blogs who comment on my own. Or with whom I have what I think is some engaging conversation over at their blog.

Q6. What does visitors counter mean to you? Do you care about putting it in your blog? I was intrigued by Susan's answer which is a good one. As for myself, I really didn't want to be counting hits, since gregarious creature that I am, surely half of them would be my own, anyhow. If I can have a "ministry" to one person I should be happy with that. I really don't want to think in terms of large or even dream of comparing my blog and its number of visitors with others' blogs. So I decided awhile back after scratching my head on this one, not to have a site meter. Maybe down the road I'll change my mind.

Q7. Did you try to imagine your fellow bloggers and give them real pictures? I'm not sure I do that though I confess I do wonder what people look like at times. My photo is one I took of myself early this summer with shaven head, now grown back quite a bit (of what is still left!). I have other photos of family, etc. Though on most of my posts I don't have pictures like some of my blogger friends do, and do so well.

Q8. Do you think there is a real benefit for blogging? I've touched on that already, but certainly! I've met people and made friends on it, and I've gained alot from the insights of others. And I enjoy human fellowship and some fun thrown in. Really in a sense this is like a game to me. In another sense of course it's very serious. But yes, it is fun and kind of an outlet of who I am. And I do it daily just because I find that most important things we do should be done daily, though I do break at least on Sundays, just leaving a prayer for the week from the Book of Common Prayer.

Q9. Do you think that bloggers’ society is isolated from real world or interacts with events? We can be, but if we're conversing or sharing about anything that matters at all it should be about the real world in which we live, and in which all people live. For me this is only Christian.

I do tire of getting into politics, because I think this is overblown and that something is wrong with the picture on both the religious right and the religious left in the United States. Politics has its place, and I will continue to blog on it here and there, and I do believe God's kingdom come in Jesus is meant to touch and impact all of life on this planet- but the conversation within it I think is often amiss, as well as the confidence placed in it.

Q10. Does criticism annoy you or do you feel it’s a normal thing? I don't know what it is, but I hardly have received any criticism when blogging. Of course it might be annoying if I think we're not hearing each other out and really trying to understand each other. Then afterwards being willing to appreciate the good in their thought and seek to continue to be open while having sometimes to simply agree to disagree. We're all works in project and that certainly includes our thoughts. Blogging is not publishing. Therefore, while I don't want to blog something that is not according to Scripture, I want to be open to knowing how to say things better, and to the possibility that I might be off on some things.

Q11. Do you fear some political blogs and avoid them? If they're anything like talk radio, then I would, with all due respect, want to avoid them. It is easy for me to pick up the spirit that we hear on much of that, berating others and insisting that they alone have it right. That's a bit of an exaggeration, but nevertheless that spirit comes through loud and clear too often, I'm afraid. Thoughtful blogs like Red Blue Christian are helpful, and I do tape This Week With George Stephanopoulos and Meet the Press (Tim Russert) weekly. But I spend hardly any time at all on political blogs. I'm sure there's some good, thoughtful ones out there, but I have to draw the line due to time.

Q12. Did you get shocked by the arrest of some bloggers? No, I'm in the dark on that one.

Q13. Did you think about what will happen to your blog after you die? Not really. I hope my life in the Lord leaves a good legacy. As to the blog, I'm not sure it will matter to anyone then, unless to an interested relative.

Q14. What do you like to hear? What’s the song you might like to put a link to, in your blog? I hardly ever have music on when I'm blogging. I prefer silence because music, especially with words will keep me from being fully engaged in the task or matter at hand. As for a song to get others to link to if they might like, I don't know. There are so many good ones.

Now it's my turn to tag some others: L.L. Barkat, Nancy, Every Square Inch, Joe, Kim Aliczi, KM, Llama Momma, Mark Goodyear, Monica Tutak. Hope you enjoy it and I look forward to your thoughts on this. I tried to tag bloggers I thought would be interested or open to doing it, and they are all, of course, good bloggers.