Archive for the ‘Site News…’ Category
Polling Returns?
March 30th, 2007 | Comments Off | Posted in » Polls, Site News...
I found an updated polling plugin last night, so polling has returned to the site, at least temporarily.
I thought the easiest test of it would be a simple opinion poll… keep the poll, or ditch it?
Check it out in the right sidebar. Vote early, and vote often! 
1st Anniversary of Toward the Goal…
November 15th, 2006 | 8 Comments | Posted in » My Life / Family, Site News...
Well, today marks the 1st anniversary of Toward the Goal, at least as it exists at toward-the-goal.net. It’s been an interesting year!
Here’s a few highlights…
- 239 posts, and 471 comments (almost a post every weekday, amazingly enough).
- 107 posts devoted to Baptist issues… something I never envisioned being involved in when I started this site back up last year at this time.
- Top posts of the year (by comments): “A Question I’ve Always Wondered About”, in regard to the experience of tongues / prayer language, and “Is it Really Worth It?”, where I ponder (out of frustration with conduct by many) whether we’re doing more harm than good to our convention through the rhetoric we’ve generated through our heated discussions about Baptist issues. Both posts had 19 comments (not a lot in comparison to most blogs, I know).
- Coming out from the fog of anonymnity. Looking back, it feels crazy that this was ever an issue for me (after all, given the site’s purpose of sharing my faith, it seemed like I was almost being ashamed of being a Christian by remaining anonymous), but it was a tough decision for me at the time (just ask Nancy).
- The 2006 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. What can I say except that it was an AWESOME experience? I met a ton of wonderful people there (almost like a family reunion of bloggers, strange as that may sound), had a lot of fun shooting and producing video footage for Baptists everywhere (see sbcvideos.info), met some Baptist leaders (and was blessed to pray over them), experienced a Westboro protest (and filmed an interview with Shirley Phelps-Roper), met Paul Strickland (an incredibly inspirational soul-winner if ever there were one)… oh yeah, and got lost somewhere outside Greensboro TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW after midnight on the way back to the hotel (I blame the driver, Micah).
- Implemented a complete site re-design (definitely needed!).
Most importantly though? Blogging here at Toward the Goal has brought me into contact with some absolutely awesome people. I can’t say enough about all of you. A few I want to mention in particular, though…
- Micah Fries. Yeah, you’re my pastor… but over the past year you’ve also become one of my closest friends. This blogging thing gave us yet another commonality. Tracy and Nancy may not appreciate it all that much (we both spend WAY too much time online), but hey… that’s yet one more thing we’ve got in common. I can’t wait to see how God continues to grow the friendship not only between you and I, but between both of our families. That’s not even mentioning the excitement I have about seeing how He uses us in the St. Joseph area…
- Kevin Bussey. We had some great times in Greensboro… you introduced me to Carolina BBQ (that sauce just has to grow on you, I guess!). You were fearless and incredibly composed in the interview with the Westboro folks (there’s no way I could have held my composure the way you did). But your heart man… that’s what I like best about you. You love God, you love people, and you want to make a difference in this world. Your church is blessed to have you as their pastor. I really hope we’ll have a chance to see each other again someday! In the meantime, I look forward to our continuing online interactions!
- Judah. My Kiwi friend (New Zealand for all of you that don’t know the Kiwi reference)! You’re the first person I really got to know online very well at all (good old e4god.com… too bad it got overrun by spammers / hackers). I’ve always appreciated your passion for defending and explaining the faith to the searching online. You’re solid Biblically, and you’ve challenged and encouraged me in my walk with Christ. We may not correspond much nowadays, but do know that I have appreciated our online friendship.
- Bob Cleveland. We may be seperated by a generation or so in age, but brotherhood in Christ bridges all barriers. I appreciate all of the encouragement you’ve sent my way (especially those personal experiences you’ve shared via e-mail), and I’m more than pleased to know that some of the things I’ve shared here have been of benefit to you in your own walk with Christ.
- Bryan Riley. Man… your faith is an inspiration. You and your family have made sacrifices most would find nearly impossible. I can’t help but be encouraged as I’ve learned about your journey from Arkansas businessman to missionary in Hawaii, where you’re now finding ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Your journey and sharing reminds me that honoring God by following Christ is what matters most, and that it’s worth it… no matter what the cost.
- Alan Cross. You, like Bryan, are an inspiration to me. What you and your family have gone through with Caelan would tear most people apart, but you’ve consistently shown us through what you’ve shared that God’s grace and provision is sufficient, and that He truly is there for us in our most difficult times. As I mentioned to Kevin, your church is blessed to have you as pastor.
- Dorcas Hawker. The way you use your blog is a shining example for us all. You’re open, honest… real. You share about your life… and glorify Christ through doing so. Thanks for showing all of us what blogging is all about.
I have no doubt overlooked some people I should recognize, so please don’t be upset with me if I haven’t included you on this list (or even if I have!). I appreciate everyone whom I’ve interacted with through this strange media we call blogging. As for those of you who read this blog with whom I have not conversed? I appreciate you as well. Why not introduce yourselves, though? I’d love to have the opportunity to get to know you.
As for the future of Toward the Goal? I couldn’t have imagined where God would take this last year, so I can’t begin to guess at where God will lead me with this in the coming year. The good thing? I don’t have to know… I just have to be willing to follow as He reveals each subsequent step. The future is in His hands… and I trust Him.
Anyway… I pray that Toward the Goal has been and will continue to be a blessing to all of you.
Bad Joke of the Day
September 5th, 2006 | 7 Comments | Posted in » Just For Fun..., Site News...
Okay… here’s a new site feature for you… the “Bad Joke of the Day”. Check it out on the left sidebar, or from either of the following links:
- Bad Joke of the Day (updated daily with the latest joke… if possible, of course)
- Bad Joke of the Day Archives (containing links to every audio file)
The backstory? Well… I usually listen to a local Christian radio station on my way to work each day. As part of their morning show, they have a “Joke of the Day” feature. Quite honestly, I just can’t help but listen… wondering if they’ll ever have one that’s good! Seriously. This feature is full of jokes so bad that they actually advertise something to the effect of, “and don’t miss the morning show with so-and-so, who proves that there is a big difference between funny and trying to be funny.”
Anyway, thought I’d share, so I started recording them this morning. Maybe you guys will find these futile attempts at humor as funny as I do.
Enjoy!
(BTW, don’t get me wrong, the station is great as a whole!)
New Look for the Blog
September 3rd, 2006 | 9 Comments | Posted in » Site News...
As you’ve no doubt noticed, I decided to take the time to change my blog template (peer pressure finally got to me!).
Hope you like the new look! Let me know if you’ve got suggestions or if you find something that just doesn’t look right. It often takes a bit of time to work all the bugs out!
Verse-O-Matic Update, or… Name that Blog Section!
June 27th, 2006 | 10 Comments | Posted in » Site News...
I had initially named the section containing the “verse-o-matic” plugin “Random Bible Verse”. After further thought (and after a suggestion from one of the readers of this blog), that title sounds a bit like I’m treating Scripture passages a bit non-chalantly. So… since I’m running a bit low on creativity, we’re having a contest to name that section of the blog. The winner will get… um… well… something. Can’t do Starbucks gift certificates… that’s been done (Dorcas Hawker). I’d do an autographed copy of my book… but that wouldn’t be very original either (not to mention the fact that I haven’t written a book!). So… how about this… let’s extend the contest a bit further, we’ll allow readers the opportunity to name the prize too ($10 or less, please… I’m not made of money!).
So… two questions:
1. What should I name the “Verse-O-Matic” section of the blog?
2. What should the prize(s) for this contest be? ($10 or less).
All entries must be submitted by midnight on July 4th! Winners will be announced the following day.
Verse-O-Matic
June 27th, 2006 | 9 Comments | Posted in » Site News...
I just finished adding the “verse-o-matic” plugin to the site. It displays randomly selected Scripture verses from a list I’ve provided, changing the displayed verse each time a new page is loaded on the site.
I’ve added about 25 verses I like… how about sharing some of your favorites? I’ll add them to the list too.
Live Comment Previewing!
June 26th, 2006 | 2 Comments | Posted in » Site News...
I’ve added a new plugin to the site which allows for live comment previewing. I’ve also modified the width of the text area for commenting to eliminate that irritating stylesheet error that caused part of your comment text to scroll off the right side of the screen. Hopefully these features will make the commenting more user-friendly.
Let me know if you like the new features! I’m always open to feedback, especially ideas that will help improve the look and feel of the site!