The Blog is Back!!!

My 2 faithful readers will be delighted to know that my blog is back after a longer than expected holiday hiatus. I knew that travel plans and family gatherings would keep me from posting a lot over the holidays, but I thought I would be up and running again long before now. So I apologize if the two of you have felt neglected or ignored. You will be happy to know that big plans are in the works for 2007. Here's a little preview:

• Bob's Beat - a cutting edge, insightful, sometimes inspirational, usually informational and always entertaining look at the places were church and culture collide (at least where they should collide when the faithful follow the radical concepts of Jesus).
• Truth is Stranger than Fiction - a look at the bazaar, zany, sinful and some times just plan stupid things that some folks do in the name of God.
• What's Happening! (my favorite expression back in the good old hippie days) - What's Hot... What's Not... I'll try to offer a look at the cool things God's people are doing all over the world; including books, music, videos, projects and happenings from near by and far away.
• Love Shack (this name is still under prayerful review, though I personally would prefer House of Hope or the Village People) - our first house church has emerged, with several more on their way. At our last house church gathering one of our number, let's call him Michael for the sake of anonymity, suggested that we call our house church "The Love Shack." The idea (I think) being that we want to create a community that exudes God's love. We had a good laugh, and then imaged what it would be like to actually be part of such a community. I got to thinking, it would be cool to regularly post what's going on as our house churches grow and evolve. That might be helpful to others who are just starting out on this journey of faith.
• Homeless Anonymous - even though my boat is docked in an area where most of the people are pretty well off, there are nevertheless a lot of homeless people in the area. I'm trying to get to know these neighbors and hear their stories. As I get to know them and hear their stories, I want to create a side-bar with their pictures and stories so they will no longer be nameless and anonymous. I will do this only with their permission, of course.

That's a glimpse of what I want do this year. My goal is to double the number of hits on this blog. Who knows, maybe the 5 of us could share a quart of eggnog next Christmas. -- Bob