A "BLOG" Misconception

NOTE: This is not intended to be negative, nor are these thoughts directed at any one party.

God has graciously given us the gift of the INTERNET. Along with this gift come some amazing features, two of which are: EMAIL and BLOGGING

Now, my purpose here is twofold:
1) I desire to remind you of the advantages of email.
2) I hope to give a different purpose and mission to "C" Roth Blog
(I may fail in both goals, but it is worth a try)

EMAIL
Email is a wonderful thing...it allows you to communicate privately with another person quickly and efficiently without picking up the phone. However, there is one very important requirement: If the person with which you are hoping to communicate never checks their email...you can forget the quick and efficient part.
See this quote from of an official definition of email:

"Sent messages are stored in electronic mailboxes until the recipient fetches them."

The fetching must be done. Ok? You have to hold up your end of the deal.
The other great thing about email is that you can email one or more people all at the same time. You know how this works, you get those annoying forwards all of the time...sent to 10000000 people telling you that they are the best friend of the person that forwarded this email and that if you don't send it to all of your 10000000 best friends, well...you will probably slip on some ice and bust your butt wide open (or something ridiculous like that). Anyway, the advantage is real, nonetheless, you can send it to multiple people. By the way, do you know what the CC and BCC lines are for? (that is extra credit)
So...my point for explaining this is to help remind you that all of our family members that use the blog each have their own personal email addresses. I can send you a list if you would like. Use those things...they are great. Also...if you would like to take advantage of some more great technology...you should sign up for Google Mail. (otherwise known as Gmail). Caleb and I use this a lot to chat during the day. It is pretty neat.

BLOG
This blog has been such a blessing to me and I know to many of you. It has served us well for over a year now as we have sought to keep in touch with one another's lives. PRAISE GOD!!!
Well, I want to challenge you all try another approach to this blogging thing. I have in my mind the thought that this blog could serve as more of a discussion tool than an email tool. I mean, we could certainly still say hello to one another and a talk about what insane thing happened to us today...but I am hoping that the POSTS will serve as thought provokers that will then spark some discussion among the brethren and sisteren and motheren and fatheren. Do you know what i mean? This means that Clair, Tina, Cita, Chuck, Cary, Amanda, Caleb, April, Sally, Curtis, Lauren, Mom and Dad will all have to be willing to POST. In order to post...you would simply email me (as we spoke about above) and I will have to "fetch" the email and then post it on the blog. At that point all of the family could interact based on that POST. It serves as a talking point. If Caleb wants to talk about University of Wisconsin sports, well we can all join in and tell him how much we love UT. If Cita wants to share with us about her latest Tastefully Simple item, that is what we will talk about. I really believe that this will serve us all as we seek to KNOW one another better. Does this make sense? It will kind of shift the focus of the blog to be talking about each other's lives and focusing on someone else other than ourselves. It will take discipline and it will take time. But i think it will serve us all. The schedule for posting will follow shortly. I will do my best to hold you accountable. If you wish to not participate...well...ummm...hmmm...not sure what to say about that. I love you, though, that's for sure.

I love you all...
Tell me if you think I am absolutely ridiculous and idealistic and all of that...
I have my tendencies toward that direction.

cwjr
2cor8.9

The Goal of Christian Hope: The Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ

Romans 5:1-2
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

"The goal or the object of our hope is at the end of verse 2: “Werejoicein hope of the glory of God.” The ultimate hope of the human heart is not forgiveness or justification or heaven or freedom from disease. The ultimate hope of every heart is the glory of God. You were made to see and savor the glory of God. Christmas happened, Good Friday happened, Easter happened so that sinners might not be incinerated by the beauty of God but might see it and savor it with ever-increasing joy. Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoice in hope.” Romans 5:2 completes the thought, “Rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
This is the ultimate experience that will wipe away every tear. This will rectify every wrong. This will make you say that it was all worth it, no matter what you suffered. Listen to the way Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “This slight momentary affliction [=all this life’s afflictions] is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” This was the hope that sustained Paul’s joy in affliction. He preached to himself (and we must): this affliction is not meaningless, it is not absurd, it is not cruel, it is not pointless. No, it is working for me an experience of the glory of God that will outweigh every moment and every degree of suffering in this life.
That is our hope. Its ground is the blood and righteousness of Christ by which we are justified through faith. Its goal or object is the glory of God that one day we will experience in the face of Jesus Christ."

John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org. Email: mail@desiringGod.org. Toll Free: 1.888.346.4700.