Blogging time

My posts have been sparse recently. It's not that there haven't been developments in Morecambe, or that the children haven't been saying and doing cute things. Just that my personal blogging time has been absorbed by a bigger project. A blog face lift. I've been planning it for a while (as regular readers will know), and I am very nearly there. If you want a sneak preview of how it is developing you can look at: test.graham.doel.org

Welcome, Desert and Waiting

Welcome to anyone who has come by because of Mark Berry's kind link (thanks Mark).  MArk has written a meditation on lifes journey's through the desert, which I have the privalage to host (here).  If you use it for anything then please let Mark know.  Thanks. For anyone  who is looking for a copy of the "waiting" reading we are using on Sunday morning, you will find it here.

New Blog

My friend David has started blogging about his experiences of trasferring his skills as a chellist on to a violin... David is a typical clever musician, he plays the piano at church every week, and I've seen him playing, precussion and guitar as well! You can visit him here: violin.hendra.org.uk

Blog upgrade

With the new version of Wordpress released this month, I have upgraded both this blog and my study notes. I have suffered no ill effects, both are running fine. I also checked my blog stats. Itis nice to see a steady increase in traffic over the year. The dynamic of my blogging has changed slightly over the year as I have become aware that people read it. Though I would still blog even if no one read it, my three blogs are simply my filing system. Happy New year to you all.

Thoughts about pursuing an MPhil.

I have started pursuing the idea of further organised study and have started another blog in order to store my notes and thoughts as I work towards it. I decided not to swamp this blog with it because this one is more like a personal diary. So now I have three blogs:

1. This one, which contains my ramblings about me, my family, my home, my work and my hobbies.
2. Brave or Foolish, which contains my developing talk notes and theological perspectives.
3. study.graham.doel.org, which contains my notes as I work towards an MPhil.

Blogging Policy

Terry Storch from bloggingchurch.com asked me the other day if I had ever made a post that I regret, or if I had learned from the reaction a particular post has caused. I've thought about that a bit since and I am aware that anyone can read what I post so that does colour how I write. I sometimes make private posts which only I have access to (me and anyone clever enough to hack into the MySQL database). The last thing I want is for people to get upset or offended by me (though that does happen). The nature of my blog has developed though. This blog is my own space, it is about me, my family and where I live. I have moved most of my religious posting into a subdirectory (bible.graham.doel.org) because it has a different kind of purpose and direction. I mentioned before that I am thinking of doing some further study, and I might make a further blog to house my notes and reflections from that.

Template Update

I think it is time I gave the blog a face lift.  I have done a sketch of what I am thinking about with the following in mind.

• I sketch most of my ideas on a peice of A4 stolen from the printer tray.  I would like to give it that kind of "I'm working on this" feel.
• I want the navigation and style to be simple.
• I want to make it a WP theme, with the idea of porting it to "Brave or Foolish".
  

 Target date: 31st Jan 2006

 

Protected: Time away from the blog: e.mail me for the password.

I have been away from my blog for a few weeks now. We had a couple of weeks holiday and then I haven't got back into the rythm since getting back from holiday.

Our holiday was excellent. In fact we have had an ace summer. These are a couple of photos of the kids before and after crabbing with their cousins.

Nuts about 4 am!

It's 4:30 am and I am up and playing again. It's not that I go out of my way to be up at this unearthly hour, it's just that something wakes me up and my brain is saying "Let's go!"

There are some special things about my early morning time.

1. I get more done.
2. It is quiet (rare in our house).
3. It is like my own time. I get 3 hours when I can do whatever I want, there are no pressures.

What do I do.

• Sometimes I work.
• Sometimes I cook up a hair-brained scheme.
• I drink coffee (lots of it)
• I often have an early breakfast.
• Sometimes I watch the news (Courtesy of news.bbc.co.uk).
• Sometimes I blog.
• Sometimes I play with my websites.
• Sometimes I play.
• Sometimes I bargain hunt.
• Sometimes I sit and enjoy the silence.
• Sometimes I put my headphones on and play loud music. (ELO this morning, probably followed by Gypsy Kings.

Early mornings.... I love them.

Blogging and Commenting

I had a few days of not posting much here earlier in the week, mainly because I have been using my blogging time elsewhere.

Steve Taylor has provoked some discussion about listening during services here and here.  I took notes at the day at the custard factory by SMS on my mobile.  I wonder if everyone else thought I was being rude and disinterested.

I have continued to post some of my story about how my view of evangelism has developed over the last few years.  You can read it here, here, here and here. 

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