I've decided to create a second blog, Leaves from the Blog of a Tamed Cynic, to use as place to record my thoughts and reflections on the Community of Christ. It will have a different focus and tone that this site.
The question sometimes is asked is anyone actually reading my blog (or most blogs in general). The answer is clearly yes. I traveled to Alabama several months ago for my church and met a young man who had found my blog page and been reading it. However, I'm not going to say that I have a huge audience. (I've never spent much time with website statistic/hits programs). Yet there are also sorts of reasons to blog. Leaves is, in the end, not for anyone else, but rather a chance for me to express some of the thoughts and ideas I have about my church.
I'm still debating on how much self-disclosure to post on the blog. For a wonderful blog, from an outstanding person who is willing to share, many, many things about herself, visit Janet's Blog. Janet is my sister-in-law and her blog chronicles her struggle with breast cancer. I think many people could be helped by reading Janet's blog. I also have learned so much more about her by reading the blog. But in the end, I don't know how much of writing the blog is simply about Janet needing a place to express herself.
We all need to be heard and blogs provide a new way for that to happen. When in seminary, I read an essay by Robert Putnam called "Bowling Alone." Putnam looked at the decline in civic culture and community institutions. I believe there is the possibility for blogs and other types of social networking software to help rebuild our social networks (by no means are they the answer alone).
If you are so inclined, please visit Leaves from the Blog of a Tamed Cynic (the title is a reference from a book written by Reinhold Niebuhr--see Leaves for more info) and e-mail me on what you think.
2 comments:
Todd,
It sounds like you are going through a very tough time. From listen to Bott Radio and Calvary your church and the LDS are really getting hammered hard over the last 3-4 years. I was wondering what kind of toll that was taking on church membership and recruiting.
You are frequently in my thoughts and if there is something specific I can pray for let me know.
Todd,
Indeed, I use my blog to help me make sense of things, but also as a way of letting people I care about know things about myself which I have trouble expressing in other ways.
Even if a blog has an audience of one, it's a very worthwhile enterprise because somebody is learning from it.
Of course, keeping up is easier when blogs offer RSS feeds... ;)
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