Are you making a difference or are you earning a check? That’s the key question we ask readers at one of the sites I edit: TheHighCalling.org. And its something I’d like to think about philosophically for the next few days as part of the High Calling Blog Tour.
We just went live this weekend with our new design, and I have to say I am just pleased as punch that this thing is off the ground.
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New Functionality on the Site Â
We’ve spent nearly a year working with two internet companies to make this happen. It’s a big change from our old site. Don’t get me wrong, even that tired 1990s behemouth continued to generate more and more traffic each month simply because the content was good. But it was hard to use.
We think our new site has gone a long way to fix some of those user problems. Users can now browse by author, by article type, and by tag. If you become a member, you can even add your own tags and track your favorite content.
What Is the Site about Anyway?Â
Enough talking about what it does. Why should you care? Well, first of all, I want to reassure you that this is not some kind of bait and switch income generating scam. TheHighCalling.org is a non-profit program of the H. E. Butt Foundation, which exists primarily to fund services just like this.
For me, this site is a reminder that I need to glorify God in all that I do. That is why I work. That is why I exist.
Faith in Hollywood speaks to this point for artists and writers. It’s an interview with Scott Derrickson (director and producer of the upcoming Paradise Lost) and Ralph Winter (veteran producer of many scifi works from Star Trek to X-Men and one of the main people working to greenlight THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS!).
Editing that interview changed the way I think about fiction and narrative. If you are interested in either of those ideas, go read that two part interview. Leave some comments there, or come back here to comment.
I’d love to hear what you think.
Also, a quick tip of the hat to everyone participating in our blog tour over the next few days:
Gordon Atkinson, L. L. Barkat, Gina Conroy, Craver VII, CREEations, Milton Brasher-Cunningham, Mary DeMuth, Karl Edwards, Emdashery, Every Square Inch, Green Inventions, Amy Goodyear, Marcus Goodyear, Al Hsu, Jennwith2ns, Charles Foster Johnson, Mike McLoughlin, Eve Nielsen, Naked Pastor, Ramblin Dan, Charity Singleton, Stacy, Camy Tang, Writer… InterruptedÂ
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I’ve been enjoying the articles. Loved that one where the people stole the faucets, thinking that’s where the true source of water was!
New site looks good!
Carl, thanks! It has pretty much consumed my last few weeks. Our next step is resources for bloggers.
L.L., crazy story about packing faucets, right? That one went up before I came on board.
Hey Marcus — I had to spend the day DOING my high calling before I could join the tour! I just posted my introduction to the site and am looking forward to digging a little deeper tomorrow. Hope you are getting a lot of good response. The website is fantastic!
I am not quite sure what to make of Is 50:1-3. Following 49:25,26it seems to me that He is telling them that what they are sufffering is pretty much their own fault because He clearly is willing and able to care for them, not just for their sake, but for His own reputation so that (49:26) all will know what His true character is.
So, my assumption is that 50:1-3 are further indictments of just how incorrectly they have passed judgement on the cause of their own situations – i.e., they think it’s His fault and He is quite clearly saying, “no boys, you did this one to yourselves because you didn’t respond when I called (vs2) and don’t seem yet to have a clue as to who I am (v3)”.
The transition seems to me to be in vs 4 – the tongue of disciples – one who follows correctly and listens, does not fall away or turn back – who obeys not matter what. Interestingly, in this particular bible of mine, 4-10 are highlighted, bolded, bracketed and dated multiple times over the course of several years, clearly a passage that I cling to.
Marcus
I’m new to this tour thing and also apparently a little slow to get started. That said, I will get on it real soon and put out the High Calling welcome mat.
Meanwhile, I’ve checked out the new site and it looks wonderful…no doubt, a credit to your hard work. Outstanding!
OK Marcus – the second post is going up now – but I’m not sure how to let everyone that I have hyperlinked know that they’re listed – can you advise?
Charity, you are the best. Thanks for the encouragement. The new site is a big step forward–far from perfect, but a big step.
Susan, I’m still puzzling over the relationship between Isaiah 50:1-3 and 4-5. God chastises his children by selling them into slavery because of their sins. That’s an extremely vivid and frightening image of God. So much so that Isaiah’s claim to have the words that encourage the weary leaves me wondering… where are those words? Certainly he doesn’t mean verses 1-3…
ESI, you aren’t slow. Just thoughtful and deliberate. Wise. I’m glad you like the new look. We’ve got some bugs that this blog tour is helping us find, but overall we’re very very happy.
Susan, hmmm. That question has some elaborate answers.
Short answer: The easiest way I know though, is the “L.L. Barkat method”.
Anytime you link to someone, go post a comment on their blog. Many bloggers will click through a link to learn more about you. When they do, voila! they will see that you linked to them. And they might comment.
If you know their email address, you can also give them the heads up with an email. I do that a lot.
Long Answer: blog platforms like WordPress and Typepad allow something called Trackbacks. Claim your blog on Technorati. Then Technorati will receive your new posts and notify other blogs when you link to them (if they are set up to receive the notification). Needless to say, it’s a little complicated to set up at first, but VERY VERY useful in the long run. It’s also the primary reason I switched from Blogger to Wordpress.
Marcus – the encouragement is in verses 4-10.
First they get the bad news – “you did this to yourselves; I didn’t even have to sell you into slavery or punish you; the consequences of your own actions are sufficiently horrible enough” –
then there is movement towards encouraging the weary one – me – SUSAN – who am suffering the consequences of my own actions from verses 1-1.
Then moving into verses 4-10 He reminds me that I am not God and He is. Perhaps it is not too far out of line with the Hebrew to read verse 4b as “now that I know that it is God that sustains me through what He has given me, I am willing to be awakened to the truth by Him on a daily basis”. And then moving into verse 5 – “Now He has opened my ear and I am determined to obey and listen and not ever turn back again, (vs6) no matter how badly others treat me or the temptations I face because (vs7) I never want to be ashamed again” – and trust me, I know shame from verses 1:3.
Tell me what you think of this rather unorthodox personalization of the passage.
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