1000 Posts

Posted by DJL on Feb 20, 2014 in Communication | 5 comments

This took me, quite frankly, by surprise.

Whenever you go to the “Dashboard” of the WordPress template I use to operate this blog, it displays the number of posts, comments, and all the rest. I rarely look at the numbers, as I’m usually in a hurry to set up a new post, find an image, and get going on all the other work that awaits. But I happened to glance at it as I was preparing to post this morning’s Daily Bread and it read “999 Posts.” Which meant that this particular Daily Bread would be post 1000.

Two years ago,  I started “…in the Meantime” as a way to offer Lenten Devotions and occasionally practice connecting faith and daily life. I think that if I’d set myself the goal of reaching 1000 posts I would have been overwhelmed and found it difficult even to get started. But here we are, putting one foot after another, at that marker.

I don’t know for sure, but I’d estimate that the usual post is 500-600 words or so, which means that in the last two years I’ve committed half a million words to this site. (Yes, I know, I know – think what better ways I could have spent the time! 🙂 ). And I have to say I’ve enjoyed it far more than I’d imagined – enjoyed the discipline of reading and reflecting on the Bible regularly, enjoyed finding fun or inspirational things to share, enjoyed the practice of looking at life (parenting, money, film, books, and more) through the lens of faith, and enjoyed – more than anything else – the number of lives I’ve been privileged to intersect through the numerous (as in well into the thousands) of emails and comments these posts have occasioned. Thank you. It’s been great, great fun. Even more, thank God for you.

Okay, any more and I’d feel guilty of serious over-indulgence in self-speculation or, worse, self-congratulation. So instead I’ll simply mark this milestone of post 1001 by sharing a few (7 seems like a nice biblical number) of my favorite posts over the last two years. In no particular order….

What Are You Counting? – One of the very first posts, I still believe that what we count says a great deal about what we value, and that we are, quite frankly, valuing the wrong things in the church right now. Butts in the pew or dollars in the offering plate seem a poor substitute for lives transformed. What are we waiting for?

The Problem With Popular – With the advent of social media and the consequent total lack of refuge for our kids from being on display 24/7, I’m not sure there’s ever been a more difficult time to grow up. The Christian faith offers an alternative to the popularity-driven culture where you are valued not for who and what you are – God’s beloved child – but only by how you are judged by others. We need to offer our kids an alternative, for their sake and ours.

10 Things the Church Can Learn From the Apple Store – Perhaps the most read of all my posts, and written in a hurry before addressing one of our Synods at their Assembly. 🙂 I think there are a ton of great models of creative and innovative ways to move into this challenging and exciting world that God loves. And while Apple has its share of problems, it’s definitely a model of thinking differently.

Billy Collins – Okay, so I’m cheating here, as I have a half dozen or more poems up by Billy Collins, but truthfully I never get tired of his insight, wit, and wisdom. If I had to choose one…I couldn’t, so if time presses you, consider Litany, which turns the convention of the love poem squarely on its head and cracks me up every time I read it; To My Favorite 17-Year-Old High School Girl, which only gets more enjoyable as my kids approach that marker; and Introduction to Poetry, which offers such sage advice to anyone reading and interpreting the Bible as well as poetry.

5 Reasons Denominations Are Passé – Seems more true every day. When will our leaders transcend the self-perpetuating and self-serving nature of bureaucracy and do something daring? Or, maybe better, when will we stop waiting for a leader to do this and do it ourselves?

Moneyball and the Future of the Church – Again, allow a little cheating, as the four Moneyball posts are perhaps my all-time favorites. But if you have only a little time, watch the first one (and especially the clip) as it reminds me of more church council meetings, faculty meeting, and Board meetings than I care to admit. It’s time to think differently.

Grace Isn’t Pretty – A year or two ago, I mentioned Brené Brown’s work while meeting with some students and my friend and colleague Rolf Jacobson. When one of the students asked, “Who’s Brené Brown?” Rolf answered, “Dave’s research crush.” Grateful for a rare moment of presence of mind, I responded, “Research??” 🙂 Brené’s the best, and I’d highly recommend anything by her, especially her fantastic TED Talks on the power of vulnerability and the importance of listening to shame. But I thought this particular brief interview gets to the heart of the still-scandalous gospel pretty quick.

Okay, enough…probably more than enough. Thanks for sharing the ride thus far.
D