Why start another blog?

Amongst the many thousands of voices on the internet what makes me think that I have anything to offer? Aren’t there are others wiser, more experienced, and more articulate than myself? What makes me think that anyone would listen to my voice?

Truthfully, I’m not certain I have a good answer to those questions. But here’s why I’m doing it:

1) Earlier this year I heard Andy Crouch speak and was inspired. (I’m still singing “I hear music in the air.”) I just finished reading his book “Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling.” He uses lots of “Cs” in this book, but in the end the key idea that I heard was that we as Christians need to create culture. I’ve been challenged to think about how I can create culture. While I love to sing, I’m not a musician. I love to read, but I’m not about to write a book. What am I good at? I like to think. A lot. And so I’m creating this blog as a place to share my thinking. It is my humble attempt to add something to the culture of our world. Even if no one reads it.

2) In the last few years I have been on an educational journey. Learning at the intersection of education and technology. I’ve been scouring the internet for other Christian educators who are doing the same. I’ve found quite a few who have inspired my thinking.

• Greg Bitgood at www.thechristianeducator.org
• Barrett Mosbacker at http://christianschooljournal.com/
• Dan Beerens at http://nurturingfaith.wordpress.com/
• Stephen Harris at http://imaginelearning.tumblr.com/
• Steve Collis at http://www.happysteve.com

But not one of these is in the educational jurisdiction that I’m in. I’ve been searching throughout my community for others who are sharing their thinking in this medium and I’ve come to the conclusion that there aren’t any. Yet. Perhaps I can encourage others to do the same by starting.

3) I want to engage my students in authentic tasks where they put their work on the public stage. But how can I ask that of them if I don’t do the same?

4) And finally, but far from the least. I hear God calling. More on this in a later post.