Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

Taking A Blog Break [Announcement]

My dear readers, I will be taking this week off from publishing the Church Requel Blog.  I plan to have the Church Requel "What's Happening" post up on Friday, October 26th. The next podcast will be published on Wednesday, October 31st. I'll resume my regular weekday writing schedule on Thursday, November 1st. Many blessings in Christ! Mark

Blogsy App: I'm in love!

I have fallen in love again.

It's ok. Really. I'm not talking about another woman. I'm talking about my new Blogsy app on my first generation iPad.

I've owned my iPad for a couple of years now. As a Typepad blogger, I've been frustrated with the lack of iPad support from Typepad. There is a limited Typepad iPhone app and no Typepad iPad app. Trying to use the Typepad online blog editing tools with an iPad is worse than frustrating. It's maddening! That meant that anytime I wanted to write in my blog, I needed to pull out my laptop. No more. Now I have Blogsy on my iPad.

Blogsy is a full featured iPad application that allows me to do just about everything I want to do for blogging offline. I write, edit, insert pictures and videos on my iPad. I'm surprised by how well I can type on the built in iPad keyboard. I'm sure my typing skills probably has something to do with the fact that I've owned my iPad for awhile now. Blogsy provides 16 different font families, 7 different font sizes, and any text color or background I choose.

The genius of the Blogsy app are the built in services that support my blog writing that slide in from the right hand side of the screen. From here I can insert any photo on my local iPad, many photos that might be available online or that I have stored in online media libraries. I can also connect with my online videos in my YouTube and Vimeo accounts.

Inserting a photo takes a little bit of iPad finger coordination. One slides the photo over from the side and holds onto it with one finger, while moving the text up and down vertically with the other finger. I admit that I didn't do it right the first time. I can see this is something that just takes practice.

Inserting a link Is also a thing of genius with Blogsy. The Blogsy app contains a built in browser that also provides an automatic link to any highlighted text. This means that the Blogsy app user doesn't have to continuously switch from the Blogsy app to the Safari app, copy the link, switch back to Blogsy, and paste.

What if you are like me and sometimes want to work in HTML? Those of us who have been blogging for awhile sometimes like to peek behind the curtain. No problem in Blogsy. A three-finger swipe changes the screen from the pretty rich text interface to the actual HTML code. I especially like the black background on the HTML side.

One more thing that makes the Blogsy app so wonderful: the built in support is the best I have ever seen. Lance Barton and company have really helped lower the learning curve with how-to videos, an online guide, and lots of FAQs. The Typepad user will especially appreciate all the FAQs dedicated to interfacing with Typepad's unique features.

One thing that would have helped this newbie would have been some order to the videos. Many of the videos were code named to the particular past release of Blogsy, which was confusing.

One negative to be aware is for those who still use the 1st gen iPads. Blogsy uses a significant amount of memory resources. While writing this review USA Today and Fox News flashed a breaking story on my iPad, causing Blogsy to crash. While there is an auto-save feature, I did lose my last paragraph. I'm sure this would not be a problem with the latest generation of iPads.

Blogsy will change the way I blog. No longer will I reach for my laptop and hope that my battery will last long enough. Now I'll grab my Blogsy equipped iPad and be good to go for the whole day!

What about you? Do you use Blogsy? What are the features you love? What would you love to see coming soon to a new release near you? Leave your comments below. Let's talk!

Freshened the Blog Today

I felt like the blog was looking a bit dated. The old banner had some pics of people no longer attending CR. Plus it just seemed too busy with the mosaic look. I don't know that the mugshot above is any better. But I like it. This is from a photo from our recent Michigan vacation and I know I was enjoying the company of good friends at the time.

I also changed the button on the top right hand column that sends people to the official Church Requel website.  I had been using a miniature photo of the website's front page.  That got old about the 5th time I changed it.  Plus I'm not sure that everyone got the idea that if they clicked it, they went somewhere else.  Hopefully the concept of a button with our logo on it will be a bit more intuitive.

Third, I doubled the number of Twitter posts that show up in the right hand column.  And I gave it a splash of color as well.  I know there are more than a few folks who come to this page just to see what I've posted on Twitter.  And since I post 4-6 times a day usually, this new widget should include at least a whole day's worth.

Finally, I've deleted the photo albums from the right hand column.  They were definitely dated.  Plus, I have a new idea for Church Requel photos.  Soon we'll include photo albums on the main Church website.  Watch for this new development coming soon.

I spent way too much time of my day of messing with this, but at least I don't feel guilty that I used church business time for updating the blog.  Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your feedback. 

New Stuck Series Headlines Church Requel Website

I've been thinking alot this week about the new Stuck message.  At first it was going to be a single sermon.  Then, I thought perhaps I could fit it into two weekends.  But the more I've been thinking about it - and the more I've been talking to people, I've decided to go ahead and make a series out of these sermons.  I don't yet know exactly how long we'll explore this topic.  I'm thinking that I want to focus on one or two points per sermon and bring it home as best I know how.  So, we'll see how it goes.  I've changed the front of the website to reflect the new direction. We've also added the Stuck Promo video to the website, so link it and tell all your friends!

I Love My Dad and I Love to Read His Blog

How about a little Saturday morning bragging?  I have a great dad.  And he has a great blog.  And you should go over and say, "howdy" sometime.

My dad is Walsine Pierce.  Most people call him Walt, but my grandma named him Walsine.  I'm sure she had her reasons.  The name is unique.  One benefit of its uniqueness is that the URL, www.walsinepierce.com, had not been taken yet!

When this month is over, my Dad will have reached his 79th birthday.  Eighteen months ago, Dad joined Mary Kay and me for a vacation in the Outer Banks.  While we were there, he and I worked on setting up his blog on blogger.com.  I really enjoyed the time we spent working on it together.  I wasn't sure the blog would really take.  I knew he loved to write and the blog would be a great outlet.  But I didn't know if he could handle the sometimes technical frustrations that come along with publishing on the internet.

One-hundred-seventy-seven articles later and Dad is still writing strong.  He is a natural story teller and one can "hear" his tales as he writes about family, liberty, and life.  Dad loves to spend time with his family and it's not surprising to hear him write about his grandchildren and children.  Of course, as his son, I love these tales and the fact that the family patriarch's family stories now will have a life of their own. 

Dad also has some solid opinions on our country and its politics, defending the liberties that make America great.  He welcomes comments from family and friends and foes alike, usually incorporating those comments into his next blog.

What makes Dad's blog so unique and special are his writings about life.  My dad knows how to live!  At 79, he says he has plans to go strong until 95, then plans a gradual slowdown over the next 5 years!  For some people, retirement is a time to rest and relax.  Not Dad!  Since his retirement, he has hiked the Appalachian Trail, walked across Ireland while sleeping in hostels, canoed and then sailed down the Ohio River, and recently he embarked on a cross-country tricycle trip.  That he hasn't always finished his original goal has never diminished the fact that he made the attempt, relishing a life lived at full throttle. 

Personally, I get encouraged when I read his blog.  I think to myself, 'if he can do it, then there must be hope for me too!'  For all the family and friends who are regular readers of walsinepierce.com, thanks Dad, for sharing your thoughts and your adventures with us. 

Welcome Mansfield News Journal Readers

ChurchRequel.com was fortunate to among five North Central Ohio bloggers featured in this morning's News Journal.  For those who make it all the way back to page 4J of today's paper and then who actually ventured forth to search for this blog in your browsers, congratulations on completing your quest!  This blog is a collection my (Mark Pierce's) writings, quips, thoughts, ideas, opinions, rants, and even a few raves.  A little over a year ago Mary Kay and I began a new church in our home.  We called it Church Requel.  Why Requel?  You've heard of sequel, right?  And prequel?  We wanted to be a church in the requel sense - fashioned as a New Testament church, but in a new and fresh and relevant way for today's culture. In October the home church became a public church, meeting on Sunday evenings at 6PM in the Mid-Ohio Conference Center.  (For more info about the church, click here.) 

While much of what I write relates to the church and its new ministry, I find so many things in today's society to be of great interest. Here are some recent non-church posts you may enjoy:

• Men of a Certain Age Not Escapism TV
• Repentance, Tiger Woods' Way
• Four Lessons Learned from Olympic Opening
• Letterman-Oprah-Leno Appealing. Why?
• Is Dropping Facebook Really the Best Solution?

Being a pastor, of course I also find much to write about in the Christian realm.  Certainly most of these posts are valid for all readers, not just those who happen to attend Church Requel.  Here are some of the ones that are fairly recent that may also be of benefit to you.

• Be Meek, Not Weak
• Are You Still Packed Up With God?
• My Prayer for Faithful Bible Readers
• How Should Pastors Respond to Haiti this Weekend?
• Remembrance of Past Provides Faith for the Future

I'd love for you to roam around this space.  Feel free to check out the archives and the categories.  Check out the photo albums in the right-hand column.  Also, along the top of the blog, you can click through to some of the other spaces I keep up on the internet.  If you like what you see, I'd love to welcome you as a regular reader.  You're welcome to subscribe in your online reader or subscribe in your email box.

What I Learn from Seth Godin

I make Seth Godin's blog part of my regular reading schedule every day.  It's a simple blog filled daily with Seth's marketing tips motivated by love and passion rather than profit and business.  This morning's thoughts from Seth grabbed my attention:

This is perhaps the greatest marketing strategy struggle of our time:

Should your product or service be very good, meet spec and be beyond reproach or...

    should it be a remarkable, memorable, over the top, a tell-your-friends event?

The answer isn't obvious, and many organizations are really conflicted about this.

I know that the moment I walk down the path of talking about Church Requel's weekly services in terms of a "product or service" I take the risk of offending those who think such considerations are too pragmatic or as "tickling the ears" (2 Tim. 4:3).  In the same way that Delta Airlines' first priority must be the safety of its passengers, my top priority as a teacher must be Biblically-based and doctrinally-sound teaching.

However, it would be foolish not to consider the fact that Church Requel is new and still relatively unknown in Mansfield.  But frankly, even if Church Requel were the best known church in town, I would still want the Sunday evening experience to be "a remarkable, memorable, over the top, tell-your-friends event."  What are some of the ways that we can make Sunday nights at Church Requel something really special?

• Make the services highly user-friendly.  Station greeters at all the doors.  Make certain greeters are friendly and desirous of helping people find their way around.  Work on signage, especially for restrooms and directions to children's areas.  Provide a written program with not only a welcome message, but some helpful instructions about what is coming up. Make creative use of projected, visual images and messages.
• Define our language.  Every church, religion, business, and organization has its own vocabulary... and nothing says "you don't belong" more loudly to an outsider than when the special lingo is thoughtlessly thrown out.  Vocabulary and language is not a bad thing - it's a special gift from God.  We aren't afraid to use our words.  We just won't be so rude as to not explain what we mean when we use them.
• I teach and let God preach.  The Bible is quite clear that the Holy Spirit convicts and rebukes the world.  He really doesn't need my help.  So I work really hard at having a conversation with those who come to the services.  I want them to think of me as someone sitting down at the kitchen table and talking to them about something I have just learned myself. 
• Authenticity breaks barriers.  No pedestal sitting here.  I am on a faith journey myself.  I want to invite others to share the journey.  So let's not be afraid to admit that we struggle with the same issues as everyone else.  The glory is all about God and what He has accomplished in our lives.
• Write my sermon twice.  Let it percolate a while.  By this I mean that I attempt to get the basic outline and teaching put together as early as possible.  Then I store it up in the subconscious and let it roll around in my mind.  I find it remarkable how often I will find special ways to bring out the message of the sermon through illustrations, stories, quotes, movie clips, and examples.  

We have been strategic about choosing Sunday evenings rather than Sunday mornings.  I want people to walk out of the Church Requel experience stepping a little higher than when they came in.  I want the Sunday night message to still be at the forefront of someone's thinking on Monday morning.  I want Church Requel to make a difference in the way the people of Richland County relate and interact with one another.  None of these wants will ever be achieved if we just "meet spec."

Blog Receives Long Overdue Makeover

It has been long overdue.  I haven't changed the basic layout of this blog since I set it up in the summer of 2008.  Since then I've lost a job, started a home church, then moved it out of the house and over to our public setting at Mid-Ohio Conference Center.  All the while, the look of the Church Requel blog has remained the same. 

Anyone who knows me knows that I get tired of things in short order.  I love to create and refashion.  But the blog was just always on the bottom of the totem pole of things that needed doing.  Since I've started the blog, there's been the work on the new church website, the audio blog, the private online church community site, the Vimeo and YouTube video sites, not to mention the fun sites like Twitter and Facebook.  And of course there is the weekly, creative juices that go into each Church Requel worship service.

Three things have motivated me to get out the blog paint brush and tidy things up.  First, my seminary class has been canceled because of the snow so I suddenly had a few free hours.  Second, the News Journal will be publishing an article about Mansfield's top bloggers within the next few days and I thought this might be a good excuse to fancy up just a bit. (Apparently if one googles "blog Mansfield Ohio," three of the top six sites belong to Church Requel!)

Third, and really the most important reason, is that this blog has taken on a different life than it had when it began.  In the summer of 2008, this blog was the story of an executive pastor at a local megachurch.  Now it's the story of a church planter AND (the most important aspect) his friends who have decided to take this journey with him.  So I thought the look of the blog should reflect that.

The banner at the top now includes pictures of the many people involved in Church Requel.  The color scheme is lighter and, I hope, more pleasing to the eye.  And I now have some easy navigation links across the top that can take the reader to any of the sites that I keep up on a day to day basis.

So... what do you think?  I'd love to hear your feedback!  Mark

News Journal Interview Today

I was interviewed by Al Lawrence of the News Journal today.  He asked me questions about blogging and how it relates to our ministry at Church Requel.  Over the one-hour interview we discussed the relationship between blogging and the journals kept by our forefathers, like Ben Franklin and John Adams.  We also discussed the relationship between blogging and social networking sites like Facebook.  I attempted to make the point that blogging is simply another communication tool, another means to reach people. 

The interview was a pleasant experience.  I felt like I was able to have a great conversation, not just an interview.  Of course that also might be evidence of how good an interviewer Mr. Lawrence is.  He will be interviewing 5 other Mansfield bloggers in addition to me.  I'll let you, my readers, know when the article is published in the News Journal.

New Year's Welcome on Church Requel Site

This is the last week of 2009!  What a great year it has been for us.  I really need to sit down and write a blog article this week about how faithful God has been to us in launching Church Requel.  But for now I will settle for getting this week's work done before the festivities begin.  This morning I created a new front page on the Church Requel website.  Check it out!

Len Edgerly and the Kindle Chronicles

I've made a new friend.  His name is Len Edgerly and he publishes a weekly podcast called The Kindle Chronicles.  Anyone who knows me well knows that they cannot talk to me long before I begin talking about how much I love my new Kindle 2.  (For those who don't know me well, the Kindle 2 is an electronic reading device from Amazon.com, which weighs only 10 ounces and holds 1500 books!) 

Just Wednesday morning I was eating breakfast with my friend, Shaun Jourdan, when our waitress came up and asked me about the cool white device in my hand.  Before she left, she vowed she would buy one for her husband for Father's Day.  This happens to me all the time! Honestly, I should get some kind of a commission from Amazon.

What, you may ask, does any of this have to do with Len Edgerly and The Kindle Chronicles?  About two months ago I began my training for G.O.B.A. - The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure.  I needed to get my bicycle legs back so I could make the 400+ mile bike ride next week with ease.  This required massive hours and miles of training, which means that I need great things to listen to while I bike.  So I searched for podcasts about my favorite new toy and came across Len's Kindle Chronicles.  

Each week Len talks about the new things going on with Amazon and with the Kindle.  He usually has a guest each week talking about something interesting in the field of electronic publishing.  He also includes great ideas for how to use the Kindle in new and interesting ways.  At the end of each podcast he includes messages from friends and subscribers.  Most write in questions and comments via email. 

However, Len likes to have voice comments and asks for them each week.  And each week I think to myself, I should call that guy and let him know he's doing a GREAT job.  But, since I'm on the bicycle and already doing multiple things at once... making a phone call would not be a good idea.  Last week, however, I happened to be in my car when I was listening to the podcast.  So I decided to call.  I let Len know about a recent experience I had purchasing Kindle books for my next seminary class this summer.

Len called me back the next day and we had a great conversation.  He told me that my comments will be on this week's edition of The Kindle Chronicles, published last night.  Would you like to hear it for yourself?  You can by going to Len's website or by going to the Apple iTunes store and typing in the keywords, "Kindle Chronicles."  You won't be sorry.  Len does a masterful job.

One other thing.  Anyone who publishes a podcast knows how much work is involved.  For Len, this is purely an act of love and dedication.  So if you haven't already purchased your Kindle and want to do so, may I suggest you buy it from his website?  It won't cost you a cent more and Len will get a little love back from Amazon for your trouble. (You'll see a link on the right side of his site.)  Len, thanks so much for all you do.  Keep up the great work!

Are You a Woman Leader? Are You an "Iron Lady?"

I've been keeping up with Gifted for Leadership - a great blog for Christian women leaders.  Last week Amy Simpson posted the Top 10 blog posts for 2008.  I read some of those articles with fascination.  Anyone who believes in the value of women leaders would love most of these pieces.  I especially enjoyed the article, "Is the Church Ready for Iron Ladies?"  Here's an excerpt:

Research studies indicate that it is difficult for a woman to be perceived as both a lady and an effective leader. Both men and women expect women to be “warm, caring, selfless, and nice” while they expect leaders to be “assertive, direct, and competent.” When women display the desirable leadership traits—confident in their competency, assertive, and bold—they cease to be viewed as “warm and caring” and are instead perceived as “tough, domineering, relentless, or brutal.” In political circles, these women are called “Iron Ladies.”

Halee Gray Scott's article talks about the first Iron Lady that Halee had ever known - her grandmother.  I resonated with this piece because my own Grandma Pierce was also such an Iron Lady.  As her young grandson I knew her warm and caring side.  But I also saw her confidence, assertiveness and especially her boldness.  Without question she had much to do with who I am today.  To this day I keep her picture near me always.  Thanks Grandma Pierce for being an Iron Lady before my eyes.  I know much about leadership... and about the value of a strong woman... from my early years with you!  I miss you so much.

Church Super Bowl Party Ok with NFL, But What About God?

For those churches wanting to hold a Super Bowl party at the church as a party or outreach event, you now have the permission of the National Football League.  According to this article from OneNewsNow.com:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently stated churches can now watch the Super Bowl live as long as they do not charge an attendance fee. John Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute is thankful for the change.
 
"Well, churches can now have football parties and show the Super Bowl on a screen larger than 55 inches," he explains. "It's taken two years, basically, of the Rutherford Institute harassing them."
 
Whitehead notes the conditions. "As long as the viewings are free and they're on the premises of the church," he points out. "So it's legal now and you can do it. The NFL will not harass you."

However, you might want to check first with the Internet Monk, who recently received a memo from God.  He says (tongue in cheek) that God wants to make sure that churches have church on Sunday night and not do the Super Bowl Party. 

Bottom line:  Ok with the NFL.  Maybe not with God... if you're a real church... who really loves Jesus.

Internet Monk: Was It Really Better Back In The Day?

I've been reading the Internet Monk, a blog written by Michael Spenser.  Michael describes himself as "a post-evangelical reformation Christian in search of a Jesus shaped spirituality.”  I like his self description!  Sounds sort of familiar.  He is an excellent writer AND has things to say that are worth reading.  The following is a post he wrote earlier this week entitled, "Is This the 'Better World' You Were Talking About?"  This is only a brief excerpt from a much longer piece.  If you go to the bottom, you'll see my response.

For my parents, what was important happened in your family, your neighborhood or maybe your county. Events in Washington or around there world were distant, and when they touched you, it was for reasons of obvious importance.

Were they ignorant? Were they under informed? Would their lives have been better if they could set in front of Fox News or CNN and watch the stock market’s every move?

I don’t think so.

They trusted a few sources of information. They believed that what they heard in church and Sunday School was what was really important. (And that came from their own pastor! Not a religious channel!!)

They believed in talking to their neighbors and family about what was going on in the community. Perhaps they needed to be overwhelmed by information, so they would know they couldn’t be happy without the stock market at 14,000 or a flat screen television. Perhaps they needed to be wired into the world-wide information superhighway, where “friends” are tiny pictures on facebook that may never say a word to you and “neighborhood” is the a collection of property belonging to other strangers you never talk to.

I grew up in the same world as Michael.  He was born in 1956, one year earlier than me.  I have the great benefit of still having my Dad with me, a faithful reader of this blog every day.  (I'm sure he will have some comments.)  I half-way agree with Michael's conclusions.  Life pre-Internet was certainly MUCH different.  I wouldn't agree that it was better.

Favorite Blogs from Collide Readers

Scott McClellan from Collide Magazine asked this question a few weeks ago:  "From what blog do you most anticipate a new post?"  I decided to come back a few weeks later to see what people had written in their comments.  Here is their list of favs.  I found a few new writers I want to follow.  How about you?

• Jason Boyett's blog - author of the Pocket Guides
• Don Miller - author of several popular Christian books.
• Lifehacker.com - mentioned multiple times from several readers.
• Smashing Magazine - also mentioned a few times, a blog for web designers.
• Ben Arment - I already subscribe.  Good stuff.  Was a church planter, now at Catalyst.
• Perry Noble - senior pastor of New Spring Church, great read for church leaders.
• Dad Gone Mad - by writer Danny Evans
• VideoCoPilot.net - video tutorials and training for motion graphics and visual effects.
• El Clinto - drummer, graphic designer, and daddy.
• Difted.com - Insights into trends in marketing and web presence.
• Already Been Chewed - Fresh media ideas for churches.
• I am polylthic - hard to describe.
• Jill Stanek - prominent anti-abortion columnist and blogger.
• Wooster Collective - a celebration of street art.  Different. Creative. I subscribed.
• Chris Brogan - helps readers understand how to use social media tools
• Seth Godin - trends in marketing and social media.  Also one of my top reads.
• Deadly Viper - "intentional, transparent, honest conversations about key character issues."
• Cake Wrecks - when cakes go horribly and hilariously wrong.  Must see!
• Church Marketing Sucks - church marketing and communication.

New Connect Buttons for Church Requel Blog

This is probably not a big deal to anyone else but me, but I was getting tired of the haphazard look of the sidebars on the right.  Regular readers of ChurchRequel.com, and especially those who read these daily posts in a reader, probably never even notice what goes on at the actual website.  But for anyone who comes here as a brand new person, I want the site to be easy to access.  Over the months much content has been created, including a new audio blog and podcast as well as the daily Bible study in Matthew.  Now, hopefully, it will be easier for new people to get quickly connected to the content they are interested in.  If you're reading this in a reader, click here to see the new look.  Go ahead... you know you want to!

Savoring Carpe Diem

I'm spending some of my first day of 2009 getting caught up in my reading.  My daughter, Jillian, wrote the following on her blog a week ago.  Pretty good.  I thought you might enjoy it as well.

There is also a strategy to savoring life. I want to savor every morsel, every bite. I want to make it beautiful and worthwhile. I don't want to waste time with diverted focus. I want to be fully present in every single moment of my life. The details count- the smells, the textures, the atmosphere, the company, the presentation. 

I wonder, how much of my life am I truly savoring? How much am I living each moment? Enjoying it, appreciating it to the full?

Great words with which to begin 2009.  I'd suggest you click here to read the whole thing.  I want to really savor life.  And today I'd also like to savor some pork and sauerkraut! 

Seth Godin: Internet is Full

I enjoy keeping up with Seth Godin, author of Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us.  Tribes is one of my favorite books of this year.  Seth writes just about every day on his blog.  Today, Seth made a major announcement:  The Internet is almost full!

Due to the extraordinary explosion in video, blogs, news feeds and social network postings, the internet is dangerously close to running out of room.

Nothing can grow forever, and exponential growth is always short lived. We're running out of disk space, so if you have something left to say, better hurry. Once it's full, it's full.

A bit tongue in cheek, of course, but it's worth reading the whole thing.  Personally, I'm adding all I can every day to the Internet before the thing fills up completely!

Check Out the New Sidebars

I've invested some hard work on the sidebars of Church Requel today.  My Google Reader now boast 71 other websites that I read on a regular basis.  "Browse" would probably be a better verb.  Clearly I do not read every word.  Using the Google Reader, I can quickly browse what is going on with other websites.  Every now and again I see something that I think would be worth sharing on Church Requel.  Since these are my source websites, and since you might want to check them out yourself, I have provided all the links on the far right hand side. 

Also, after a bit of experimenting, I figured out how to add a graphic link back to our main CrossroadsWired.com website.  At the top left of this article, you can see the graphic I created describing our current "One Month To Live" series.  The only downside to this is that it will become dated and will need to be changed regularly.  So we'll see how long this feature remains.  Let me know what you think about these new additions to Church Requel!

Jillian Begins Blogging

My youngest daughter, Jillian, began blogging today.  She calls her blog, "My Quotidian Eureka."  I'd question the word "quotidian," but then I went and stuck requel in my title.  I'm sure that before long, she will blog the reason for her title.

You need to know four things about Jillian.  First, she is my youngest daughter.  (And I am VERY proud of her!)  Second, she is enjoying her first year at Cedarville University.  Third, she loves pink; her blog, like her room, is shaded pink (so I write with a pink font in her honor).  And fourth, she is an OUTSTANDING writer.  I can communicate with my writing, but Jillian paints with words.  Her blog will be a joy to read. 

One of her first posts provides a good example.  Her Mr. Coffee machine exploded today.  Most people would have told that story and let it end there.  Not Jillian.  She goes on to connect this situation to her life with God:

In my class (which I was late to thanks to the Mr. Coffee incident), my prof mentioned just how many times we assume, "Oh I can handle it."  I think God chuckles a bit whenever we say that. Like, "Here we go again, Jillian thinks she has this life thing down again." We forget that we have a fallen human nature. We forget that we are created to be in relation with God and with others. If we simply think we can handle things by ourselves, we inevitably... well... blow up like Mr. Coffee.

Take my advice and add jillianepierce.blogspot.com to your daily reading.  You'll be glad you did!  I've added her to my blogroll on the side of my blog so you can link to her if you forget her address.  And oh, by the way, did I mention she's my daughter and that I'm very proud of her?