jonnybaker

looks like a good crowd

bloggers get together at greenbelt looks like being well attended. sign up, come along (if you're not at maggi's seminar).

hadge and smallritual on the move

a couple of blog changes if you haven't spotted them...

hadge is now blogging here (formerly ogblog) | steve collins has started a new blog here (formerly small ritual though don't change that link as there is so much fab stuff on that site!)

blogger users do this...

following my last post, i have checked and blogger users can have an atom feed. but if you have never set it up, it may not happen automatically unless you set your blog up after atom feeds were an option. so to set it up when you are logged in just go to settings and select site feed. then select yes. even if it says yes already it seems you need to save it if you haven't done so before. that is it! then everyone with a newsreader can read your blog via that. if you don't know what i'm talking about trust me and set it up!....

alternative hymnal and youthmultimedia

have added alternative hymnal run by darren wright and his personal blog accidental theoblogian. a good blend of alt worship, music and reflection... darren is part of a network of people discussing youthmultimedia in a yahoo discussion group. if you're interested go to youthmultimedia...

this is the intro blurb to alternative hymnal...

Have you ever:
- Sat in Church and cried as the organist played "Shine Jesus Shine" on the pipe organ at half pace?
- Tried playing a Beatles song in Church and been told that it's "too modern" for this congregation?
- Wondered what the words meant during the course of singing a hymn at church?
- Been caught whistling a U2, Radiohead or Moby song in Church

blog tools

i'm a bit behind on this one but good blog tools roundup at theooze from jordon

more blogs...

a couple of newish uk bloggers...

theshinyheadedprophet (aka rob) - caught up with rob at blah... and it turns out that he is going to be taking on the job at yfc (reworked somewhat) that i used to do - up the revolution!

pete leveson who lives in ealing and networks the london baptists in youth ministry and (i think) emerging church stuff. he was also spotted at blah...

photos of san fransisco added

i have added a photo album of our trip so far. all these pics are taken in the bay area - mainly san fransisco...

blogger is back and revamped

blogger has had a revamp and looks great and is free! i moved to typepad because i wanted more options and am very happy with it but do have to pay for the service.

info on what's new is here and i have had a quick look and it looks very user friendly with lots of features. cool....

if you have been thinking of starting a blog this could be a great option!

submergence

submergence is karen ward's new blog. looking forward to meeting karen next week and again in the summer when she is bringing a crowd to this year's greenbelt.

there's an article about apostles church in seattle in episcopal life....

have added submergence to the blog list...

holy huddle blogging...

interesting post and debate in the commets on the post at living room on holy huddle blogging which is about whether christian blogs are just read by christians and therefore insular. i confess that i whilst it's interesting, just get on with it!!!!!

i think by virtue of putting stuff out there you'll get readers of all sorts. i blog with typepad. like many people i often click on some of the latest updated sites - i'm sure i get readers that way. i get plenty of readers via google often as a result of typing in strange things (i remember the discovery at one stage that we had had visitors to the grace web site who had typed naked fat men wearing tights into google!!!) - visitors who type say 'thom yorke' who find out i've written about radiohead or 'alternative worship' and discover some groups they can relate to. does it matter what is christian and what isn't? not to me.... i want to live life - part of that is a buzz about following christ and particularly the adventure of the connection between faith and new media/culture stuff - hence the worship tricks, but it's also a genuine interest in film, music, art, flash, fun stuff, resistance to capitalism and a whole host of other stuff...

if all you do is church stuff yes that's a problem but other than that chill out and get on with it....

2 or 3 columns?

i have been messing around with typepad (on a day off...) and am trying out three columns rather than two. that then enables me to add a few more things in such as recent comments, books, music... etc. i still have the template with two columns so i can switch back. what do you think?.... which do you prefer?.... do you care?... or should i just get a life?....

looking forward to the big london champions league clash tonight between arsenal and chelsea - come on the blues!!!!

noam chomsky starts a blog

noam chomsky has started a blog turning the tide. 3 out of his first 5 posts have over a hundred comments on - i guess it looks like it could be popular!!!

a really good laugh

I want to have a really good laugh;
not a polite
chuckle
or an effortless
snigger,
not a tight-cheeked
surface smile
that makes my face
ache
but bypasses
the best
of my body.

I want a deep, fat, uncontrollable laugh
that shakes my belly and sows tears
on my cheeks; that erupts and cascades
all over the conversation; that I surf as it surges
but end up submerged; that rumbles deliciously
like thunder in summer; that tricks me
into thinking it’s tamed, but that fractures afresh
when my eye catches yours; that’s raucous and rude
and defiantly unrepentant; that leaves me gasping
for breath but still wanting more; that goes underground
for hours at a time, then surfaces in dreams
in the dark of the night; that leaves me weak,
exhausted and satisfied.

posted by jenny on the gracelentblog yesterday.

i'll try and stop mentining the grace lent blog every day but this is so brilliant i couldn't help myself...

if a thing is worth doing...

if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly

(mark's wisdom on today's gracelentblog)

darkness in me

don't forget to visit thegrace lentblog. i posted yesterday's entry the darkness in me

grace lent blog 2004

ash wednesday today... lent begins

grace lent blog 2004 begins today. someone from the grace community will post a thought/reflection (if they remember!) each day through lent.

tech questions

daniel blogs that he gets irritated when you force links to open in a new window. i do this all the time so apologies daniel! but before i change my habits what does anyone else think/want?

on the subject of blog tech stuff why don't all you typepad users select to send the whole of your posts to your rss feeds? some do one line, some do 30 words, but come on send all your post....

building an RSS feed made simple

building an RSS feed made simple

ecto

on the advice of tallskinnykiwi i am trying out ecto which is a program that enables you to write blog entries on your computer as drafts and then upload them. i'll let you know after a few weeks what i think. it already looks very cool/useful tool. enjoyed meeting the rest of the jones family for lunch today...

emergent kiwi

emergent kiwi has moved web site and now has an XML feed (hooray another conversion!). has also managed to get the suggestion that emerging church (or is it microsoft? - read for yourself) is evil