blogging with @thehighcalling

A couple of years ago I joined a startup network of Christian bloggers. I wasn’t sure if I would get anything out of this thing, or if I’d be able to add any value to it either. As it turns out, it was one of the best things that I’ve ever done as a blogger. I’ve discovered an online community where not only am I encouraged by some of the best Christian content on the web, but where I have an opportunity to be able to bless others in many ways.

I’d like for you to meet HighCallingBlogs.com, a part of TheHighCalling.org…

TheHighCalling.org is a ministry of the Foundations for Laity Renewal. We seek to connect people with the faith that supports and sustains all that we do. That’s why it is the high calling of our daily work. We believe God cares about our work. And we believe Christians are called to glorify God through their work. For us, work embraces all aspects and activities of daily living—including home, community, leisure, as well as occupation.

Recently I’ve taken on a new role with the Editorial Team as the network’s Social Media Editor. In this role I’ll be working on the network’s Twitter accounts (@thehighcalling and @highcallingblog), encouraging discussion on the Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheHighCalling), and sharing occasional posts on the website about engaging community online through social media.

The rest of the Editorial Team is made up of some amazing bloggers, authors, and people who take seriously the high calling of their daily work. And as we develop our team, each of us have been introducing the others on our own blogs, and I’d love to share some of these introductions with you here so that you can get to know this incredible team…

Gordon Atkinson (Real Live Preacher), Founding Editor

• BibleDude.net: [12 days of awesomeness] day six: real live preacher
• The Wellspring: Community Treasures
• Seedlings in Stone: One More Reason to Join HCB (sorta

Marcus Goodyear (GoodWordEditing.com),  Senior Editor

• BibleDude.net: [12 days of awesomeness] day seven: goodwordediting.com

L.L. Barkat (Seedlings in Stone), Managing Editor

• BibleDude.net: [12 days of awesomeness] day twelve: love notes to yahweh

Chris Cree (SuccessCREEations), Senior Community Manager

• GoodWordEditing.com: Meet Chris Cree, Senior Editor for the High Calling Network
• The Wellspring: Our Guru: Meet Chris Cree

Laura Boggess (The Wellspring), Book Club Convener

• BibleDude.net: [12 days of awesomeness] day eight: the wellspring
• Seedlings in Stone: Loving Monday: Show, Don’t Tell

Ann Kroeker (AnnKroeker.com), Family Editor

• BibleDude.net: [12 days of awesomeness] day three: not so fast
• The Wellspring: Slowing Down With Ann Kroeker
• Green Inventions Central: Shoes, Twitter, and Wild Kingdoms : Talking with Ann Kroeker

Bradley J. Moore (Shrinking the Camel), Work Editor

• BibleDude.net: [12 days of awesomeness] day five: shrinking the camel
• The Wellspring: Not a Spitting Camel
• Seedlings in Stone: The Spirituality of Business

Sam Van Eman (New Breed of Advertisers), Culture Editor

• BibleDude.net: tebow, barna, and culture [an interview with sam van eman]
• NotSoFastBook.com (Ann Kroeker): Paying Attention & Listening for Motives: Interview with Sam Van Eman

And if you want to get to know me a little bit better, then check out these introductions of yours truly through the eyes of others on the HighCallingBlogs.com Editorial Team…

• The Wellspring: Dude! It’s the BibleDude!
• AnnKroeker.com: Getting to Know HCB: Meet Dan King (an interview)
• Green Inventions Central: Welcome to Dan’s House (an interview)
• Shrinking the Camel: My Other Job:Content Editor at The High Calling Blogs (whole team introduction)

I encourage you to keep up with what’s happening with the HighCallingBlogs.com network. I think that you’ll be glad that you did! This is definitely a crew that will inspire you in the high calling of your daily work.

[the africa diaries] day nine: headed to kampala

Leaving Kenya and flying to Uganda was the biggest thing on our agenda for this day. I have to admit that it was tough leaving my new friends in Kenya. Because of the great distance, I knew that it wasn’t likely that I’d see most (if any) of them again. Yet, their impact on my life is etched on my heart BIG TIME.

But we were on a mission, and our next objective was the work in Uganda.

I had heard from others on our team about how different Uganda was going to be. They talked about how friendly the Ugandan people are, but I really had a hard time grasping what they meant by that. I mean, how different could they be?

Meeting us at the airport in Kampala were two people that I’ll never forget… Reverend Jonathan and our driver Chintu (pronounced kin-too). Not only was Chintu our driver, but he was the owner of the transport company that he represented. What I thought was really cool about him is that he was also someone who had benefited from the same microfinance work that we were there to support!

At first they both seemed friendly enough, but I still didn’t see the BIG difference. That is until we made our way into downtown Kampala.

When I was in Kenya I had seen extreme poverty, but driving through Kampala allowed me to see it in mass proportions. As we drove deeper into the heart of the city, I saw lots of people who obviously had very little. I saw (lots of) trash on the streets. I saw kids without shoes.

I saw the face of extreme poverty.

Then all of the sudden we heard a rattling noise under the van. The rattling quickly turned into metal dragging on asphalt. So Chintu quickly pulled into an alley to inspect the vehicle. As soon as he stopped, there were no less than five men from the street who surrounded the van and started looking underneath with Chintu.

As it turned out a bracket broke and the spare tire had come loose underneath the van, causing it  to drag on the ground. So these street men helped remove the hanging spare. Then out of concern for our time, Chintu left the spare time with them men on the street so that he could get us to our lodging destination. He informed us that these men would hold the spare tire for him until he returned later to pick it up when he had time to fix it.

I wondered how often things like this happen back in the States. Typically when someone is broken down on the side of the road, most people (including myself) simply drive by and avoid helping the one in need. But our van was practically mobbed by people coming to help.

Then I started to understand what my teammates meant when they told me that the Ugandan people were some of the most friendly that they’ve ever encountered.

They had so little but yet gave so much of themselves to another in need. I remember thinking that I was really going to like Uganda.

Check out more from this series in the africa diaries.

[12 days of awesomeness] day three: not so fast

This one is a fairly new friend that I’ve made online, but… DUDE, I like that way she thinks! I love it when I see people who challenge the status quo, and not simply cave in to popular culture because it’s just easier that way. And this is exactly what Not So Fast is all about…

As regular visitors here may already know, I’ve recently started contributing a weekly post as the Faith Editor at HighCallingBlogs.com. After joining the editorial team there, I’ve gotten to know Ann Kroeker though our posts and comments to each other. Ann is the Family Editor at HighCallingBlogs.com, and always does an amazing job sharing insights relevant to families and parenting!

Her blog Not So Fast shares the same name as her book. In the book she talks about the very counter-culture idea of slowing down from the [too] fast-paced lifestyles that we live today. And her blog is devoted to providing thoughts and practical tips on how families can slow down and reap some great rewards from slowing down!

This is the kind of wisdom that we need more of in the church [and the world] today. If you are not too busy, then you should check out Ann’s blog sometime…

 

Check out the complete list!

[12 days of awesomeness] day one: paper bridges

Monica Brand is a rebel with a cause.

She blogs at at Paper Bridges where she calls herself “just another Jesus freak, homeschooling mom with a blog.” The web is full of homeschooling moms who have taken up blogging, but one thing that I really appreciate about this one is that she seems to love to engage culture. She discusses things things that are culturally relevant, and never seems to be satisfied with everyday, typical church-ianity.

I think that I originally found her blog through the HighCallingBlogs.com network, where she is listed with the culture blogs.

However,  my most significant interaction with her came when she joined a group blogging project here at BibleDude.net on Dino Rizzo’s book Servolution: Starting a Church Revolution Through Serving. Her vlog on chapter two of the book is still one of my favorite entries for a group blogging project so far. Partially because she is still the only one to submit a video entry as a post for one of these projects, but also because I can see how she strives to apply the concepts at a very practical level in her own life.

I love to see people who stretch themselves and other people for the faith. I encourage you to check out Paper Bridges, and join in with her in taking on the culture head-on. I don’t think that you’ll regret it!

 

Check out the complete list!

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