Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Happy (Late) Anniversary to Us

Oops. December 11 has come and gone. Totally escaped me.

I vaguely remember our first post was in the month of December two years ago, but the specific date has never really stuck in my mind. Were I better organized we might have done something more memorable to mark the occasion.

Still, I wouldn’t want to let the date pass without taking the opportunity to say thanks to our readers.

So thank you. Thank you to the folks who have come by once or twice, or who occasionally pop by to see what we’re up to. Your visits are appreciated.

Thanks to those who have added us to your Really Simple Syndication readers (Feedly, etc.). I can’t keep track of you quite so easily but since I’ve met some of you personally, we know you’re out there and are grateful for your consistent support.

Thanks to all 953 959 of you (not counting the RSS crowd) who, as of this morning, had read our most popular post. That’s more people than I’ve ever had the opportunity to speak to publicly by a factor of five. Wow.

Thanks to those who have read those few remaining early posts with pageviews still in single digits. That would be you, Mom.

Thanks to those who Google-Plus and Facebook-share us. Those little gestures make a noticeable difference in getting the word out. We don’t go out of our way to self-promote (for one, I haven’t got the time), so those of you who do it for us mean a lot.

Thanks to those of you who have commented here or who have sent feedback by email. It’s a comparatively small internet community, but some of our exchanges have been very helpful to me and, I am convinced, to others too. So thanks, Qman, Micah, Russell, Shawn, WiC, Patrick, Tertius, Caveat Bettor, David, Rod, Mike, Anonymous (all of you) and everyone else I’m forgetting (Blogger doesn’t let me easily revisit comments prior to the last six months or so). You are all models of internet courtesy well worthy of emulation. I still have yet to exercise my prerogative to actually moderate a comment. That’s amazing, I think.

Thanks to IC for all the consistent hard work and editorial support, for dialling me back a bit when I get on my hobby horse or go a little over the top, or when I haven’t quite figured out what I’m trying to say (yes, that does actually happen). Thank you especially for the regular tentpole pieces you’ve produced that are among our best-read, most shared and most commented-on posts. You’ve taught me a ton, and I love you, bro.

Thanks to Bernie and RJ for contributing some of our most thought-provoking posts. Thanks also to Bernie for taking care of the technical end of things (not to mention paying the bills).

The word of God is truly amazing. For 735 straight mornings, nearly always at 12:30 a.m., one or another of us has had something to say. If we find ourselves repeating ourselves, it is a testament to our own failings of memory, diligence, originality or acuity. It is never because there’s nothing worth writing about.

Most of all, thank you, Lord: the inexhaustible Subject, the faithful Creator, our very present Help in trouble, and our glorious Saviour.

If the Lord wills, and if he hasn’t returned for us by then, maybe we’ll make December 11, 2016 a little more memorable.

7 comments :

  1. Back Atcha, Tom. It's simply astounding how you keep producing good stuff day after day. We're all astonished and grateful that you do, but have no idea how you can.

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  2. Amen to that! I don't know where you find the time to do this every single day but it's a great testimony of faithfulness. It's awesome to know and see your passion for God's Word and the truth of His glorious gospel. God bless you brothers.

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  3. Dear Tom,

    Your blog is stimulating, dense and helpful. I do not always get a chance to read and digest all the ideas, but I keep coming back from time to time. Carry on!

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  4. Thank you all for your kind words.

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  5. I have expressed the same sentiments in the past about Tom's (and IC's) prolificness and congratulations are definitely in order. However, one should not ignore that no matter how hard they work their efforts are finite and they do not have all the answers. E.g., they could NOT tell us how many angels fit on the head of a pin ;-).

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    1. All of them, Q. Angels are “ministering spirits” (Hebrews 1:14) and “a spirit does not have flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39).

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    2. Hmm, Tom, I think I will have to consult a quantum physicist about that (if I can find one that believes in angels :). My feeling is every one appreciates their personal space, including angels.

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