Organic Ministry

I have been wrestling with the topic of "ministry" for a while. I understand the need for church classes, training, courses, conferences and that sort of thing, but I feel like I am getting to the point where I am tired of being "equipped" and I just want to go be Jesus to people and "do" ministry.

Too often we take something simple and make it confusing and difficult. I have concern that if the church doesn't begin providing more opportunities for hands-on ministry where people can get into the world and give their lives away, then people will look elsewhere to serve. In fact, I think this is already happening. If I want to give money that I believe will impact people, I give to Kiva, not to the church. If I want to get involved in an organization that is really helping people, I work with To Write Love on Her Arms, not the church. What a shame. The church should be the greatest force of good in the world, but has instead become a club or a training center that equips but never sends.

I am greatly encouraged by a recent example of someone who decided to "do" ministry.

Jon Acuff started the popular blog, Stuff Christians Like and he now has one of the largest followings of any Christian website. A few months ago he decided to use his large readership to try and raise enough money to build a kindergarten in Vietnam and he ended up raising enough to build 2. After the success of that he decided to try and raise 10K in 24 hours that would go toward malaria nets in Uganda. He ended up raising $32,250. Because he wasn't satisfied with ordinary there are thousands of lives in Vietnam and Uganda that are being impacted. It's that simple. There was no training, no meetings, no ministry plan. Just someone who decided to use what he had to impact the world.

I am being greatly challenged with this in my own life. How can I do more? Who can I help? How can ministry become more organic and natural and less planned and processed?

Can You Relate?

This is a song from the "secular" band Never Shout Never. Can you relate to the lyrics? I know that I can.

I love the honesty and truthfulness in this song and I think that many people outside the church would agree with this.

Watch a video with the song lyrics: HERE

"Must Read" post of the month...maybe the year

Tim Schraeder is the Director of Communications at Park Community Church in Chicago. In my opinion, he is probably the best voice in the modern church communications world. I enjoy his posts, but none as much as what he released today.

Have you ever read something, and as you read it something inside of you just cries out knowing that it is true? This was one of those moments for me. Every thought and feeling that I have had but was unable to put into words or blog posts, he said.

I have a passion for the local church and believe that no movement has the potential to impact our world like the church does. That being said, I see that changes need to be made in order for that to happen. We have an opportunity with today's generation to change "church as usual" and get back to what it's all about.

Read Tim's Post here: No One Cares About Your Church

An Unexpected Bonus

I am over 2 weeks into the new job as Communications Director at ChangePoint and I am working on a longer post about my experiences so far, however I wanted to put this thought up now.

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One thing that I didn't expect about working at a church is the awesomeness of the "Staff Kitchen."

It seems like most days there is some type of food that is brought in for the staff. So far we have had brownies, cookies (several times), soup, chips & dip and lots of other stuff. As a church member I never thought about making delicious treats for the staff, however I am SO happy that there are people out there who are wired that way.

If you are a church staff goodie bringer, Thank You! Your delicious snacks are greatly appreciated.

These people "get it"

Here is another great article about a group of people in Kentucky that are representing Jesus well.

My favorite quote from this article is

"The reason that so many people who are deep in sin don’t believe that God loves them is because God’s people (Christians) don’t love them.”

What a good reminder to all of us!

Read the article: HERE


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Ch...Ch...Changes

In 8 hours I will make a phone call that will usher in some VERY big changes in my life.

In the morning I will call, and accept, the Communications Director position at my church, ChangePoint.

Weird.

So, how did this happen?

First, I have worked in the hotel / tourism industry for around 12 years (I'm only 30 years old). This is an industry that I love. It has provided well for my wife and I, and it has given me the opportunity to grow professionally, travel, and get amazing experience. However for some time I haven't felt much satisfaction in my job. All of the pieces were there, my hotels were doing amazing, business was flowing in and I was booking HUGE groups, but for some reason I wasn't happy there anymore. However, I had been in this industry for so long that a change just didn't seem realistic. It was almost too comfortable to leave where I was.

About a year ago I became heavily involved volunteering on the communications team at ChangePoint. I was handling Social Media projects and helping however I could and I loved it! I really enjoyed trying new ways of communicating and seeing people get connected! The past year we set up a hugely successful Facebook page (now over 1,300 strong), launched a weekly announcement video, and set up a presence on other Social Media sites like Twitter, YouTube & Vimeo. It was, and is, exciting to see the church try new things in the area of communications.

A few weeks ago I was made aware that the Communications Director position would be coming open because our current (AMAZING!) Director was moving on to a position with a para-church organization.

My initial reaction to the position was "no" - I think that it was mostly due to the uncomfortableness of change and the fact that the position seemed so BIG to me, plus, it was at a CHURCH!?

I tried to dismiss the position and figured that I would just keep volunteering with whoever the new Communications Director was. However this position kept coming back around. It seemed like every time we were at church for about a 2 week period someone would come and ask me about the position. It became so frequent that I finally realized that I needed to at least pray and consider this position. I began discussing this with my wife and friends and the more I thought about it the more excited I got.

Somewhere along the way I went from "thinking" to "dreaming" - I began dreaming of what it could look like. What if a church could really, effectively communicate with people. Not just "church people" but all people. What if a church could communicate in such a way that no matter where in the world you are, you can stay connected with your church. The more I began to dream, the more excited I got. I quickly realized that these dreams could actually become realities in this position.

Our church is large and very mobile. On any given weekend around 1/3 of our "church family" is not there. In the summer they are fishing, hiking and camping and in the winter they are skiing, vacationing and snowmachining, not to mention our family members who work 1/2 the year in the North Slope oil fields and the large military demo that we have can often be deployed overseas. Because of the transient nature of our church we have an opportunity to do something very unique. We can build our communications in such a way that anyone, anywhere can stay connected with us. How awesome is that? It can be so much more than just creating and printing bulletins, it can be using technology in creative ways to connect and communicate with people.

That gets me excited.

So, I decided to apply.

The interview went great and I felt pretty good about the position, I heard back quickly and this morning they made me an offer.

After talking it over with my wife one final time we have decided that I should accept the position.

Starting soon I will be stepping into a totally new role with totally new challenges and I am totally excited about it.

Along the way I got a lot of feedback from people. One quote really sticks out - "The worst part of working for a church, is working for a church" - I have no pipe dreams that it will be prayer, puppies and praise all of the time. I am aware of the challenges that come along with it, however, isn't the upside far greater?

Worst case scenario is that I get burned and used by the church, it turns out terribly and I lose my job.

Best case scenario is that people get communicated with, connected to, and transformed by God.

Isn't the risk worth it? Despite all of my faults and screw-ups God never gave up on me and I don't want to give up on the church because of theirs.

So, I'm moving forward with this, trusting God that He is big enough to handle anything that happens. I am excited to use my gifts and talents in a new way, and perhaps I am most looking forward to watching dreams become reality.

Thanks for reading.

- Adam

"Cancer is the best thing that happened to me"

Here is the video of Zac Smith's story. Zac passed away on May 16, 2010, but his story will live on.

While watching this video I was challenged by this thought: Here is a man that battled cancer, yet was able to find the strength and the faith to remain positive. Why is it that I let much smaller things derail me? It is so easy to let small, insignificant things get us frustrated and off track.

I hope that the next time my light and momentary troubles are getting me down, I can remember Zac and know that there is a God who is far bigger than anything I am dealing with.

Love The Sinner

"LOVE THE SINNER, HATE THE SIN"

The above saying is so common in Christian circles that you almost expect to see the chapter and verse listed behind it. However, you won't. Why? Because "Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin" is not found in the bible. It is similar to "God helps those who help themselves." It sounds good and is used so often that we accept it as truth, when in reality it is a lie.

This quote has been used as a beating stick by Christians for a long time. It has been used against anyone who lives a life that the "christian culture" deems inappropriate and wrong.

There are a couple main things wrong with this saying.

First, I have NEVER met anyone that this saying has been used for who ever feels "loved" by the person saying it. The reason is that we focus on the "Hating the Sin" more than the "Loving the Sinner." Next time there is a controversial issue being discussed in your area and this saying is used, look at the people saying it. What part of the saying are their actions displaying, the loving, or the hating? The vast majority of the time it will be the latter.

Second, and most important. This quote goes against what Jesus himself said. When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus DID NOT say "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, strength & mind AND Love your neighbor as yourself and hate his sins." Jesus stopped at love, so why don't we?

So, why is it so hard for us to "get it?"

I think it's because it doesn't seem fair. Here we are, good Christians that read our Bibles, pray, go to church, volunteer, give our money and are active in our faith, and along come these "sinners" and God views them with the same love He views us? That doesn't seem fair. We are the ones that are doing the work, we are the ones trying. Why should they get the same love as us? Our selfish hearts are too easily displayed.

God is BIG enough to reach into the darkest places and the darkest lives. He can handle all of the "dirty work." He doesn't need us running around acting like His little Judges in the world pointing out sin. He wants us to be radically transformed by Him and authentically loving people. Period.

So, join me in burying this quote and moving onto a more healthy way. We were all created in the Image of God, the Imago Dei is stamped on every person you will come in contact with today. If we start seeing the Imago Dei in people and not the sin, we will become a people who are defined by our love. What an awesome thing to be known for!

Blessings on all of you sinners as you go and love one another.

A Different Kind of Demonstration

Tim Schraeder has an awesome post over on his site about a group of Christians who demonstrated at this years Gay Pride Parade in Chicago. This is a great article and I SO appreciate this group, they represent Christ well!!

Read the whole article: HERE

The Voice - New Testament - Book Review

Recently ThomasNelson sent me a copy of The Voice to review. The Voice is from the Ecclesia Bible Society and I wasn't sure if this would be an actual translation (NIV, ESV) or a Paraphrase (Message) and honestly, I still am not sure, I think it falls somewhere between.

I was somewhat skeptical at the beginning as some of the contributors are people who I don't always agree with theologically, however I felt that as a whole this project really came together nicely!

I appreciated the "arts" feel to it. They had contributions from songwriters, poets and story tellers and that really comes across.

It is easy to read and I think would be a great New Testament for many people. I don't think I would use it as my regular "Study Bible", but when I just want to sit down and read The Word, I think it could be perfect!

Overall I felt like it came across as very readable and very poetic. It does take some getting used to as some of the phrases have been changed, for example: "Messiah" is "Liberating King" - Nothing I disagree with but it can be a bit of a change.

I would say that if someone is looking for a fresh, readable New Testament, The Voice would be a good option.

You can find out more about The Voice at their website: www.hearthevoice.com

The Catholic Church gets on board with the iPad

Here is an article that was released today about how the Catholic Church is starting to use technology in their services.

I find this pretty interesting because most people would look at the Catholic Church and say that much of what they do isn't relevant to a modern world and this is an interesting approach to try and "update" the way that some things are done.

Here is a link to the article: iPad coming to church alters with daily missal app

How would it make you feel if your pastor got on stage with an iPad instead of with his paper notebook and printed bible?

Mobile Web & Social Media

A study came out today that showed 22% of the time people are on the web they are interacting with Social Media (Facebook, YouTube, Foursquare, Twitter.) Also, 1/3rd of people accessed the web via a mobile device in 2009. With these stats, why do so many businesses, organizations, non-profits and churches do such a poor job using these tools? Just "having a website" may not be enough anymore. You need to communicate with people the way that they are communicating.

Obviously mobile websites and social media campaigns aren't a good fit for everyone, however I think that overall they are an under-utilized form of communication.

Most businesses would say that having a website is very important, however 1/3rd of all web access is being done from mobile devices, yet VERY few businesses have a mobile website. Why is that?

Here is a great example of a mobile website: LifeChurch Mobile - It is simple, easy to use and mobile friendly. Accessing complex website from mobile devices can be a pain, and these basic mobile sites make it FAR easier for your audience to interact with you. You can also view their normal website here: LifeChurch

What about Social Media? Successfully using Social Media is more than just starting a Facebook page. That can be a great start, but it is just the tip of the iceberg.

Currently Facebook, YouTube, Blogger, Twitter and Wordpress are all among the Top 20 most accessed websites. It is obvious that this is one of the main ways that people are communicating.

Do you know of a business, organization, church or non-profit that is doing a good job using Social Media or Mobile Web to interact with their audience? Do you think that these are important tools? How would you like to see them used?

Page or Pixel

Around 1440 the printing press was invented and it revolutionized the way that people communicated and shared information. For the last 570 years we have relied primarily on the printed word for information. Newspapers, magazines and books have been our primary source of information. However the times have changed, people no longer go to the USA Today for their news, they now go to www.usatoday.com and other news websites. Printed books at Barnes & Noble are being replaced by eBooks on the Kindle, Nook or iPad.

The pixel has replaced the page.

People are now turning to less traditional venues for information, if you want to know the latest breaking news story you should probably sign in to Twitter, not turn on the TV. During the Iran uprising of 2009 the US Government worked with Twitter to delay their scheduled site maintenance because Twitter was the primary venue that people in Iran were using to get the real story out. They weren't waiting for the evening news or the morning newspaper, they were posting what they saw in real time for the world to see.

Gone are the days of heavy, book-filled backpacks, because many College students can now get their textbooks via Kindle and iPad. I imagine that the day is near when the traditional textbook is obsolete in most American colleges. And why wouldn't these devices replace the textbook? I have a hard time finding reasons for not switching to this new technology.

In my own life this is true. I consider myself a news junky and last year I did something that, a few years ago seemed ridiculous for a news junky to do, I cancelled my newspaper subscription. I found that by the time the morning paper got here I had already heard most of the stories. It has also changed Church for me. I now use my iPhone as my Bible in church. I always have it with me, I have access to dozens of translations, commentaries and tons of notes, so why wouldn't I use it? Is the Word of God any less Holy if it is read via Pixel rather that Page? I don't think so.

The Internet is here to stay, mobile devices and web browsing are how people communicate and stay connected. The choice is ours if we want to change with the culture or not. Does that mean that we all need to rush out and buy a new iPad just so that we can stay at the forefront of technology?

Well...Yes. ;o) Kidding.

Sort of.
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How has technology changed the way that you communicate or get information? Do you think that technology has improved our communication or do you think that it has made communication shallow and less personal?

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

This is a post from Deviant by Justin Wise. Check out www.bedeviant.com for more from him. It is one of my favorite sites and I think that you will enjoy his postings!
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I had a refreshing conversation with a friend recently. So wonderfully refreshing.

We were talking about how Christians in this culture have come to be known as the people who hate abortion and homosexuals. Forget the life-giving relationship with our Creator, we want to make sure people know what we’re against. We’ve painted ourselves into a corner and there doesn’t seem to be a foreseeable way out.

My friend then shared the most vivid, truthful analogy I’ve ever heard regarding the mess we Christians have put ourselves in. He said:

Imagine going to a job interview. You’ve got the nice, pressed suit. You’ve got the resume ready to go. You’ve got your list of references. You’re on. You’re waiting to to be interviewed by the boss when the secretary comes over and hands you a dixie cup. She says, “Sir, we’d like you to take a dump in this dixie cup. Drop a dooce. Number Two. We’re going to be evaluating all of our candidates based on what they put in this cup. Thank you.” So now, the resume doesn’t matter. The suit doesn’t matter. What you have to offer doesn’t matter. You’re not be evaluated on those things. You are, quite literally, being judged by your crap.

Wow. Bold. Brash. But isn’t it the truth? In this analogy, Christians are the nicely-dressed job seeker with tons to offer. What we have to offer, of course, is a life transformed by Christ.

The person doing the interviewing in this analogy is the culture–they’re inspecting our “refuse” (to put it lightly). They want to see if our “crap” is the same as everyone else’s or if there’s something different about us.

My friend went on to say that when we make our faith about anything other than Jesus, when we make it about abortion or immigration laws or politics or homosexuality debates or drinking (or not drinking), we give the culture “crap.” We give them exactly what they thought we would give them. Junk. Refuse.

As we ended our conversation he said to me in closing, “There’s got to be a third way.” Amen. There’s got to be a way to get out of the corner we’ve painted ourselves in. The only question that remains is how?

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So, what do you think? Is he right? I think so.

But how do we change or get around the perception that most people have of Christians?

My thought is that there is no quick answer. It will take a lot of real Christians representing the real Jesus before people start to see that we are about Jesus, not issues.

Be Real, Be Honest and Love People.

'Precious' Review

This weekend I finally saw Precious, the movie put out by Oprah and Tyler Perry. I have wanted to see this movie for a while based on the powerful trailer, positive reviews and what I have heard about the story. All I can really say is, WOW. What an amazingly powerful, sobering, eye-opening, hopeless, yet hope-filled movie.

One of the things that I really appreciated was that, while it could have been far more graphic, I felt like this movie was honest enough to give everyone a taste of what life is like for far too many. This movie is not based on a true story, however this movie is the true story of far too many people.

You experience the pain, hurt, loneliness, sadness and anger of the main character and by the end of the movie, her victory is your victory because you feel like you have gone on this journey with her.

The acting is great, the story is powerful and I think it is a must-see movie that tells a story that needs far more attention that it gets.

In the final 10 minutes of the movie there is a scene in a social worker's office with Monique and it is some of the most raw, passionate, honest and amazing acting that I have ever seen. It is that scene that has stuck with me the past couple days since watching the movie and one that will almost certainly evoke emotion from just about anyone.

I don't think that you can watch a movie like this and not wrestle with some of the truths and thought that this movie addresses.

Here is what I have been wrestling with:

I think that there were 3 real takeaways that I got from this movie in regards to "how in the world do we even approach this problem?" I will try and go into these without giving away too much of the movie for those who haven't seen it.

A) It has to start with changing the culture. There are many symptoms of this problem, and you can treat them. However, if you never get to the core of the issue you will treat symptoms forever. We need to become a culture that values life - all life. In a world where some people are viewed as less important, it is not a far step to justify poor treatment of those people. If all are created equal, all deserve to be treated equal and until we get back to valuing people just because of who they are - not because of what they have done, how they look, what they wear or where they live - we will continue to battle these issues.

B) Having the right people in the right places. In this story there are 2 key people who, despite all of her faults, see something of value in Precious. Both of them are teachers and they take the steps that they can to help her. One teacher in particular, in an Alternative School, puts in the time and energy to connect with Precious. As their relationship develops you begin to see this teacher as so much more. She isn't there just to collect a paycheck, she isn't there to check off the days till retirement, she is there because she genuinely believes that what she does has an impact on these kids. By believing in them, challenging them and building that relationship, these kids who had very little hope begin to believe that maybe there is something more. If hope dies, life dies. We need people in positions of influence in kids' lives who really care. Can each teacher take the time to develop deep relationships with every student? No. But I do believe that each teacher can at least pass on the message that no matter where you come from, what kind of crap you have dealt with or how hard your road has been, there is a potential in each kid that can overcome all of that. Strong adults speaking life into the lives of our youth is a needed necessity.

C) Have a soft place to land. This may have been the biggest part that stuck out to me. When Precious gets out of her situation she has no where to go. If there is someone who is in an abusive situation and they need to get out, they need to know that there is somewhere that they can go NOW. Getting out of that sort of situation can be hard enough, we should try and make their landing as soft as possible. We should have well-funded and staffed shelters and organizations in our communities available to anyone who really needs them. If the road ahead is just as dark as the road behind, you will never move forward.

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Some practical Ideas:

* If you have a local shelter or organization that deals with abused women, go buy some new toys and donate them there so that if a mother comes in with her child, the landing for the child can be as soft as possible. If you have kids, why not donate your child's used clothes to one of these shelters? Many people arrive with nothing more than the clothes on their back and your items can make a big difference in their transition.
* If you have a "runaway shelter" or homeless teen organization, volunteer some time there. Maybe you can be the adult that shows them that the future can be different.

Finally, go rent Precious, if you haven't seen it. It is out on DVD and BluRay. It may be painful to watch at times but there is a truth in the story that we should all see.

Have you seen the movie? What did you think?

Be In The World

"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. "

Matthew 5:14-16 - The Message

A common phrase in faith communities is to "Be in the world, but not of it." This phrase is normally used to make the point that we need to be careful to not be corrupted by the things of this world. The emphasis is almost always placed on the last half of the phrase, "not of it."

I believe that this phrase has contributed to the "christian bubble." This is where we do as much as we can to NOT interact with the world. We try and only interact with the "holy" and never with the "secular." We have our own radio stations so that we don't get drug down by the worlds' music and we have our own bookstores so that we can buy our Bibles without having to walk past the "evil magazine rack" at Barnes & Noble and we place ourselves in the "safest" most "moral" communities that we can find so that we don't have to deal with the realities of this world.

We spend so much time and energy separating ourselves from this world and "not being of it" that we completely forget the part that is, I believe, the most important part of that phrase - BE IN THE WORLD!

The Bible says that no one lights a candle and puts it under a basket, instead you place it where everyone can see it. The light always shines brightest in the darkest of places, yet we try and stay huddled around all of the other candles where it is safe.

Mahatma Gandhi said "Be the change you want to see in the world" and I think that he is exactly right. We can not be the change that we want to see in the world if we are not "in the world."

Here are three great ways to "be in the world":
* Volunteer your time. You don't always have to volunteer at "christian" organizations. We should go into the world, not always expect the world to come to us or our organizations. Look towards local organizations like the Boys & Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, local Senior Centers, Food Banks, Soup Kitchens and things like that. Also, play to your strengths. If you are artistic, volunteer to help with children's art classes at a local studio. If you love sports, volunteer to help coach local youth sports. These are great ways to use your time to make a difference in our world.
* Be strategic with your financial resources. My wife and I learned of a need a few years ago at a local organization: they needed winter coats for the homeless and working poor that they serve. We obviously couldn't afford dozens of new coats but we did learn that a local thrift store had "99-cent Mondays" on certain tagged items. So we would go in and find all of the good coats that they had for 99 cents, and for less than $20.00 we would have a couple big bags full of coats to donate! This ended up being an inexpensive way that we could help a local organization and make an impact in people's lives.
* Get involved in your community. Every town has community-focused events and activities, this is a great place to get involved. You can "be in the world" while contributing to making our communities a better place! Be creative, there are literally hundreds of ways that you can give your life away in most cities.

Just go. Live your life. Certainly be smart about the situations you put yourself in, but don't view this phrase as a call to separate yourself from the world. Instead, view it as a call to live in, and impact, the world. Your impact will be felt and your light will shine!

Now go and BE IN THE WORLD!

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If you would like to read more on this topic a great resource is Reject Apathy, a new project that has been launched by the team at Relevant Magazine. You can learn more here: REJECT APATHY

People Matter

This week, Contemporary Christian Music artist, Jennifer Knapp, announced in an interview to Christianity Today that she is gay. If you look at the comments on message boards and Facebook pages it is easy to see that the backlash from her announcement has already started.

This post isn't going to be about the Homosexuality vs. The Church issue, although this is an issue that I care deeply about and may blog about later. This is going to be focused more on the church's reaction to announcements like this and to people who are different than us.

First, and most important:

The church should be known
as a group of people who run
TO people, not FROM them.

Too often our response to announcements like this has been to distance ourselves, turn from the person and ignore the issue, when our response should be to draw near to the person and not be afraid to address the issues and answer the tough questions.

If people matter to God, they should matter to us. The same God who made and cares for me, made and cares for you. Jesus said that the most important things are simple: Love God & Love People. He didn't say "Love God and Love other middle-class white people who drive similar cars and also like Coldplay." We need to learn to love without limits. Love the single mother, love the gay couple, love the guy who takes the bus to church, love the person who has made hairstyle choices that differ from your own and love the person who decided that 20 tattoos would be better than 1. In fact, the person in church who seems the most different from you, that you feel the most awkward around, is probably the person you should get the closest to and love the most.

We are the representation of Christ in the world. People can disagree with our message and beliefs, but they should never be able to doubt our love and compassion for people.

The church should be a place that says, "No matter who you are, no matter what your situation or baggage, this is a safe place and we are here for you." Our churches need to be a Sanctuary for hurting, lost, confused people and not a Social Club for the comfortable. It should be a place where people from all walks of life, nationalities, income-levels and sexual orientation feel welcomed by Christians and challenged by Christ. A place where we can gather, admit our need and be changed in the presence of a God who is passionate about people -- ALL people.

And Jennifer Knapp, you are welcome to come to church with me anytime!

Welcome!

Welcome to Faith.Life.Media!

Langston Hughes once said,

"The only prerequisite for writing is having something to say."

That is why I am starting this blog. I have much to say. Probably too much. Enjoy.