outside is better

Who are You ? (Online) Pt. 2

Yesterday I wrote briefly about thinking about how you portray yourself online, especially on social networks.  At the end, I mentioned how those in vocational ministry have a unique challenge, and how I would touch on my own views today.

Lets just say I have raised my fair share of hell, at differing moments in life.  When I was a college minster I was grateful to have a student who had known me at one of my deepest, darkest moments.  I am open about this, and open about the things that led me to these places.  I was a self-medicator, and I will speak openly about how God drew me out of that into a life where I found my worth in him.

But I don't "unfriend" people that I know.  Especially on Facebook, I am careful to display who I am.  That means owning up to stupid things, and I can only think of 1 time where I untagged myself in a picture.  If you are using social networking that reaches back to younger (and sometimes stupider) times, I think you should not try to hide that part of your past.

While I don't have a "strategy" to how I use Facebook and Twitter, I have thought about how to not just devour it with academic or constant theological banter, especially on twitter.  Yes, I do use the tools to enhance some of my research, because I believe that I do have a call as a teacher. 

But more than anything else, I try to be myself.  I am excited about participating in a community of faith in multiple arenas when my time in seminary is over.  I know that social networking (when used in the context of a face to face community) enhances relationships and allows for levels of connection that weren't available a decade ago.  I also regularly stay off of the internets for a couple of days at a time, especially when I am on sabbath.

I hope people to feel that they know me because of social networking.  If that allows them to feel more comfortable around me I have accomplished every goal I have ever set.

Please don't try to make yourself seem to cool.  Don't glitz up your profile pic.  Mine is of me eating BBQ, possibly one of the happiest things that I can do.  As ministers we aren't supposed to be Rock Stars...so lets leave it to the Jonas Brothers to attempt to look like The Rolling Stones lost 40 years.

Who are You? (Online)

After spending the last 8 yrs online as a blogger, I have spent the last few months looking back as to the person that I appear to be to those who have never met me.  Also, I am increasingly getting contacted by people asking my opinion on certain things that I often write or talk about, even though some of these folk I have never met.

Facebook has grown so much in the last year that I actually wrote a piece (here) about who I am now, because I made the decision to friend people that are a part of my history, but don’t travel in the same social circles as me.  I also am reconnecting with friends who I have not seen in a decade.  I keep Facebook connected to my blog and twitter, so it isn’t that hard to see what I am up too.

Potential employers also have learned to use Social Media in regard to hiring new team members.  I am happy (but surprised) that I have never had to delete anything online.  If someone wants the links, I can give them where I was blogging clear back to 2000/2001.  They only work sometimes (blogger likes to hide things that old), but they are there.

What I have made conscious decisions regarding is who I am online.  Many people that choose to be active online have to either secret things away or choose to be their “professional” self online, and have separate (and usually hidden) accounts for personal interaction.  I have decided to be myself online, and that means involving myself in things that I am passionate about, while also realizing how silly I can be at the same time.  I don’t have a problem following “bigfoot” stuff on twitter, and I regularly tweet about Mad Max.  Facebook is the same, I interact with people in the way that I choose to.  If anything, Facebook is the least professional thing that I do, because it really is about interaction with other people.

But we are you online?  I will delve more into that (specifically) about myself tomorrow, and the unique challenges that my job as a vocational minister present.

Back

I spent the last week in Atlanta at the Catalyst Conference recruiting for Asbury Seminary.  It was a good time, and I was able to meet alot of great people.  This next week is my first week at home not working at the Church, so I will be testing out my new schedule.  I have had a side project in the works for the last few weeks, and that should be revealed later this week.  Thanks for coming and hanging around.

Ever wanted to tell me something?

This last year has been hard on the old blog.  It was neglected, and rarely paid any attention.  Fixing that is going to be one of my primary projects this summer.  Last summer, I was getting more than twice the hits and subscriptions I am now, and I still get what some people would love.  I am developing my thoughts about why I blog, and how that relates to my current and future ministry.  I wanted to give you guys a say, because blogging doesn't make sense with just one person involved.  Below is a survey that would really help me out, it won't take long at all.  Please take a minute and fill it out.

Writing Day

I have several reviews/articles due to folk that I am working on today.  I am also excited about my study retreat tomorrow at the Abbey of Gethsemani.  I am writing a research paper on the correlation between Eastern Spirituality and Cistertian thought in the 1960's.  I figured Gethsemani would be the best place to find resources, so I am planning on heading out early tomorrow.

Tonight I am recording a good friend Cherith Meeks playing some Lenten compositions that she has been working on.  Her writing is always nice so I am looking forward to getting some good sound. 

Next week I am going to "super-record" several songs for an EP I am working on, so I guess this is the week for recording.

Two Great Series

While I am still transitioning back into a lived life in the blogosphere, I have two friends that are doing GREAT series on their blogs.  I wanted to make sure my readers knew about them.

JD Walt: JD is my boss and friend.  I have worked under him for the last couple of years.  He is on the Jedi High Council of Worship, and is a great songwriter.  JD is the Vice President of Community life and Dean of the Chapel at Asbury Seminary.  The last few weeks have been filled with great posts on worship, and he is doing a series on Story Telling right now.  Go check it out at farmstrong.blogspot.com

David Norman: David is a good friend from a LONG time ago, we went to college and led worship together.  David is now living in Austin with his wife and 3 kids.  While working a day job at a gym, he does the ground work of planting a church the rest of the day.  David has a great series going on paralleling Gym Culture and Church Culture.  He calls it "Gym Rats and Church Mice" and you can read it at his blog

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The rise of the "random" blog?

A few of us were having a conversation the other day about the direction that our blog has.  I felt that it is necessary to go off track at times so that your readers get a better idea of "you", but it is still in the context of what your blog does specifically.  The only issue is, I don't have a defined direction here.  I blog about worship, rock and roll, biblical studies, BBQ, family stuff, various theological topics...etc...etc.  But I do treat my(this) blog serious, and I try to watch my analytics to see what people read more.

My friend JD started the yardsale, a blog where he can post the random things that he finds on the internet(something he is good at).  I really have started looking at some of the small blogging sites out there, and tumblr seems to be great.  I have had an account over there for close to a year-but never knew what to use it for.

Chadbrooks.tumblr.com is officially active now, with blip.fm tied into it (a feature I miss from xanga.com), and me doing a few other posts.  I will also try to get a widget installed here so you can see what is going on over there.  Go check it out.

Clean workbench

Clean workbench
Originally uploaded by chadbrooks

It is always nice to clean.  January has been a "cleaning" time of mine the last several years.  I usually have a list of things that I would like to accomplish.  These are things that I think would make life easier or more enjoyable.  Those that know me can quickly figure out that I am using the term cleaning very loosely.  I am a bit of a packrat/clutter fan.  I have gotten better since marrying Meredith, cause she has shown me the light.

When I think cleaning it is more like arranging.  Putting things in order to enjoy life better.  That does mean traditional cleaning at times, and at others it is more like accomplishing or even starting.

I hinted in my last post about a secret that I figured out this last semester that made things so much better.  I quit allowing a stressful and busy schedule to identify who I am and to affect the amount of peace that I carry with me.  That taught me to slow down when there wasn't the time too, and also to learn to relax very well when I had the time.

It also pointed me towards the idea that for years I (among other friends) had been dreaming about the future, and just acknowledging the present as a place I had to be for the time being.  Then I started to see that I had been living life like that for years, and that I was on a path to be an old man that had never accomplished anything he wanted to do.  So I quit living for the schedule and started living for life.  It actually allowed for the schedule to get done better and quicker and life to be alot more fun.

So here is to the January "cleaning", when hopefully practices will be laid out to make this year on of the best ever.

Coming Back to Life: Big Goal #1

Well, the moment is finally here.  After vegging for three weeks (maybe even 4), I have come back to life on the internet.  I read through over 300 posts today in my feed reader, and made a list of posts to write for this site, and a few other sites.  I frequented a forum that I haven't visited since October, and I looked at the stack of reviews that I promised to different people.

The last few months was a miserable time in my life, but quietly transforming.  What I believed to be the perfect schedule ended up fighting back like a rabid possum at a Larry the Cable Guy show.  No matter what amount of planning and GTD'ing I could do, I was always playing catch up.  I in turn had to drop off the face of the earth (except for twitter) to concentrate on school and work.

But I am back-and hopefully with the endurance of Rocky fighting that robot Russian guy that appeared to be training on the set of Tron.  And I promise to not have any more humor, because I can never get it to translate on the interweb.

What I do have is the usual content regarding Worship Theology, Patristics, Social Theory, the book of Revelation and the occasional post about Rock Music/BBQ.

For the sake of keeping myself accountable, I do want to share a resolution of sorts (I will talk more about my thoughts regarding the year later this week).  In Dr. Dongell's class we learn that one can read through the book of Mark in just under two hours.  Judging from this, I think I could read the gospels in 8 hours, and probably the New Testament in around 20 tops.  I haven't done the figuring for the OT, but I realize that Scripture reading doesn't really take that much time.  I know plenty of people that want to read through the bible in a year (and there is nothing the matter with that), and I have always wanted to do the same.  But I really think for me it undershoots it.  I have tried reading an entire book of the NT on Sundays, and it really hasn't been that hard.  When reading Patristics, I am amazed at the grasp they have regarding the Bible, and Lester Ruth says that the best way to talk about God is to use his own words.  JD Walt is a big fan of Immersion Vs. Extraction when it comes to Scripture reading.  To really understand the Bible, I think it has to be digested in narrative chunks.

So my goal for this year is to read the Bible through as many times as I can.  Not just to tack a number on the belt, but to start a lifestyle practice of Scripture immersion and familiarity.  So there goes one of my big goals for the year. To end this-I give you David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd).

I dig you georgia peaches.....

Early tomorrow I am entering the land of bad traffic, no gas and really good ice tea and going to a place filled with great shoes, square glasses and cool blue jeans.  Thats right!!! I am headed to Atlanta to go to the Catalyst conference.  All jokes aside, I am really excited to have the opportunity to hang out there.  I will be the sole "man-er" (can I use this word like this?) of the Asbury Seminary recruiting booth.  Doing this by myself means that I won't have much time to actually hit the conference up that much, but I have already started finding a HUGE group of people that I haven't seen in years or never have met that I am excited to possibly spend some time with. 

The trip should be nice because I could really use the downtime, and I have some great BBQ stops planned for the trip down and back.  If you are at the conference, drop by the Asbury booth and say Hi, I will be the only one there.

ps. can anyone name the reference in the title?  If you do, I will make it worth your while.