I've had 31 Days for several months and have wanted to do it with a group. So I'm willing to give it a go. But, I'm moving across the country in the middle of the 31 days. I'll try my best to keep up. I know I will learn something from the experience.

1. I have two active blogs and am building a third
2. Been waiting for something likes this.
3. I definitely like the forum idea.
4. Maybe a side group for those of us who might not make the 31 Days, but are trying to push forward.

Great idea, Paul

I'm posting at the last minute because this contest has caused me to carefully think about my blogging goals.

I have three blogs right now: two of which I'm already self-hosting. (www.family-4-family.com, www.blogsofbooks.com, www.firethebums.wordpress.com)

I did set some goals for this year:

1) Increase writing income.
To accomplish this one, I need to write. I also need to showcase my writing. I do have a website that is in need of updating and repair. A more personal blog would allow me to have have more free flowing conversations and serve as an online clips portfolio.
2) Regular blog posting.
I originally thought this would be once a week, but that's too much right now. I've changed that to twice a month. To further accomplish this goal, I need to have a blog postings ready to go, rather than waiting until blog day and trying to hammer something out.
3. Finish ebook.
This is probably the weakest of my goals since I'm not sure which one to finish first. A personal blog that is not subject specific would allow me to see what direction I want to go, and what readers are really interested in.
4. Continue WIP.
One of my blogs focuses on my major work in progress by building a platform and allowing me to see more view points on the subject.

Thank you for the opportunity to enter the contest, and to work through my goals and how to accomplish them.

Three things intrigue me.

1. A combination of Chesterton, Lewis, Joyce? Who could not be curious with that combination of writing, philosophy, and story-telling?

2. Wilson mentions the "wonder" of God. I don't run to the bookstore for every new book on apologetics. I rarely take the ones I have from my shelf. Too often they are dry. N. D Wilson talks of exploring the wonder of God. I don't think we can look at the facts and knowledge of God without that wonder.

3. Wilson doesn't say if my book changes lives I'll be happy. Instead, he says if people are passionate, love or hate it, then I've done my job. He wants to engage people. Sounds like Wilson is going to let God do the changing.

I also think there's more to the group (church) living as communities of faith. Whether the group is a formal church or informal as this blog group, it is the individuals that make the group.

This group project would not have been of any value if we had each decided to go our own way, read or post chapters when and where we felt, or even read a different book. I think the same is true of the church. It's each individual following Christ, serving the world as described in the Bible, and living the message that holds the whole thing together. A church is a motley band of individuals that have the one thing of Christ in common. (I speak of the church as the body of Christ - not the separate buildings in which we meet.)

These final chapters have many chunks that I need to chew on.

Hold on a minute. I didn't sign up for this. Being God's message wasn't part of the deal. I became a Christian for peace, love, joy, happiness. God wrote the Bible to deliver His message.

Isn't this the way so many of us cruise through our lives as Christians? We don't think about God's message as anything other than the preacher's Sunday sermon. If we're not called to preach, we don't have to worry about the message. God has given someone else that gift to spoon-feed us.

Like being a parent, this is an overwhelming responsibility. At the same time, it is an enormous privilege. Few, including me, are brave enough to teach others that part of our religion.

I think also that Justin hit on an important distinction that is seldom made -- we are not the messengers, we are the message.

How often have you heard parents say My kid knows more about computers (or texting, IMing, etc) than I do?

Have not parents given over the "power" to their children? When I speak to parents about technology, I tell them there is no reason for the children to know more than they do.

I agree with John that we need to share the power.

Sometimes I think online community is a catalyst for conflict. Conflict could have easily happened due email this week.

The organization I work is down to the wire for our biggest annual event. Staff is tired, over-worked, and stressed. Two different circumstances, where errors were made, brought opposing emails. One email had a harsh tone of conflict; the other pointing out the error and along with a possible solution.

My natural instinct was to fire back to the first one. I didn't. Not because I'm such a wise and good person; but because I didn't have time to engage in a virtual argument. The problems were fixed. I still have a sour taste about the person who wrote the less than gracious emails.

Had the person writing the harsh email been forced to call or confront face-to-face, I think the tone would have been less confrontational. It is all to easy to fire off an email or send a quick DM without much thought about the consequences of our words.

I do like the Anabaptist "Agreeing and Disagreeing in Love." I plan to study it further. However, Hipp follows that with the comment "the most effective method of conflict resolution always establishes clear rules and boundaries on process long before the content of the dispute is ever discussed." A lofty goal.

I don't see how this can be applied to online conflict when it fires at us (and away from us) so quickly. I have my own set of rules for responding to angry emails or unkind FB comments. But, that doesn't me the other person will abide by my rules. In the midst of a conflict, is not always the best time to lay ground rules.

Hmmmm ... I just notice my comment didn't show up.

This chapter gave me pause to ponder. Am I neglecting face-to-face relationships? I can't answer that right now -- requires more meditating.

I do believe that Christians tend to not use some methods because of the evil that makes the headlines. Frances Schaffer talked about Christians giving over politics, entertainment, and law to the secular world by not taking part. I think he would say the same thing about the Internet. It's that dance between being in the world, but not of the world.

We can reach some people who would never cast a shadow on church door. But, like anything, we can only present to them when we are willing to invest in each person. We're back the key - realtionships.

Hey, dewde. Great stuff you were doing on your website. You're so right some teens need a safe place to be honest with themselves and others.

Back to pondering my own question.

Having built a foundation, Hipps is now building on that foundation with some thought-provoking words.

I paused to wonder about these distant "friendships." How many folks consider a celebrity a friend because of a Twitter follow or Facebook connection? On the other hand, how many friendships have been revived because of the new ability to connect across space and time?

I don't follow many celebrities. Those that I do follow have interesting things to say (or maybe their paid "friends" have interesting things to say). Because I live where many "stars" hide away, I've seen the worts so prefer the person over the star. I don't consider any of them my friend, and I doubt I would attend a party if invited over Twitter.

On the other hand, I recently connected with my best friend from high school through email. Interestingly, due to illness she doesn't remember much of high school, so our friendship is renewing in the now rather the then. We would not have this connection without the new technology.

The expanded tribal experience is so many other societal changes -- good and bad can be expected. I appreciate certain tribal experiences, like this one. Others I withdraw from, preferring to closer personal experience.

The only reason we in California will be without such services is because we're going to be punished for not voting for the budget bills they wanted. Those clowns in SAcramento aren't giving up their $60,000 a year per diem (that's on top of their $110,000 a year salaries and speaking fees, etc.) Nor, is there going to be any cut in their $250,000 office expense budget. Oh yeah, let's not forgot the taxpayer provider car each one of them gets.

We don't need tax increases. We need to make those knuckleheads get real jobs.