Cliques: They’re What’s Wrong With the Christian Blogosphere
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There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven: . . .
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4
Knowing this, we are aware that there will be times when our hearts hurt and break. Each of us has experienced that heart break in one form or another. Thinking back on your life, what makes your heart break, and why?
There it is. The elephant in the room. I have decided that it is finally time to acknowledge, name, and discuss it.
One dictionary defines a “clique” as “an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose,” while another describes it this way: “A group of people who are friendly with each other but exclude others.” The word in that sentence that troubles and inspires me to blog is “exclude.” As Christians, we should never exclude other human beings from our presence because they do not believe as we do. To exclude others is to be decidedly un-Christlike.
Other bloggers have invoked different names to discuss the issue, although not specifically in reference to Christian blogs. For instance, Jack of All Blogs wrote about a phenomenon that occurs when one lone voice stands out from a crowd of bloggers who all line up on the same side of a particular issue. He dubbed it the “blogging posse,” noting that blogging often becomes an activity which is “polarizing and tends to tear communities apart. You’re forced to choose a side. Otherwise, it’s ‘if you’re not with us, then you’re against us.’”
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Carnival of Family Life: Father’s Day Edition
Welcome to this very special Father’s Day Edition of the Carnival of Family Life, the weekly blog carnival spotlighting posts discussing what it means to live within and be part of a family. There are many excellent submissions included in this week’s edition that will inform, enlighten, inspire, and amuse you. 
Make sure that you leave a comment at each author’s site, letting him or her know how much you enjoyed his or her contribution!
Father’s Day began not as a day to purchase and give greeting cards, but, rather, because of one woman’s desire to recognize the sacrifices of her own father. Sonora Dodd was the daughter of Civil War veteran William Smart. When his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child, he was left to raise all six alone. 
After growing up on the family farm in eastern Washington, Mrs. Dodd sought a way to honor her father’s strength and selflessness. Thus, Spokane, Washington was the site of the very first Father’s Day commemoration on June 19, 1910, the date chosen by Mrs. Dodd because her father’s birthday was in June.
In 1924, Calvin Coolidge was the first United States President to recognize the observance. It was not until 42 years later that a presidential proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day was signed — by President Lyndon Johnson in 1966. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it a permanent holiday.
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Wordless Wednesday
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Don’t Waste Time Looking Back
If you could go back in time to a pivotal point in your young life and give yourself one word/sentence of advice, and know that you would accept the advice, what would it be?
Like most people, there are a number of moments that, if I could, I would go back and relive, applying the knowledge I have today to situations that occurred ten, twenty, thirty or more years ago.
One of those moments would be a chilly winter evening when I was a mere 19 years old.
It took me many years to realize, analyze, and, eventually, appreciate the import of a decision I made that night. Frankly, it did not seem monumental at the time because, like a typical 19-year-old, I lacked the capacity to grasp the seriousness of the moment. I could not have foreseen that so many years later, I would be able to look back and see precisely how my one-word response to a question literally charted the course of my life.
The question, the person who asked it, the circumstances, and the events that unfolded afterward are not germane to the real issue. Yes, I would look back at my naive, inexperienced, 19-year-old self and advise myself to respond differently.
“Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can’t build on it; it’s only for wallowing in.” (Katherine Mansfield)
“Regret” is defined as “a feeling of disappointment or distress about something that one wishes could be different.” Do I regret the decision I made on that night so many years ago? From time to time, when something reminds me of that situation, I do. But it is a brief, fleeting emotion born out of curiosity about how different my life would be today. I don’t wallow in remorse because that would be a futile waste of energy. I don’t believe in looking back too often or for too long because it is not a productive use of a very precious and scarce commodity: My time.
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The Seventh Day “Blogging’s Best” Carnival
On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
Genesis 2:2-3
Welcome to the Seventh Day “Blogging’s Best” Carnival.
I extend my thanks to all who are participating this month either by submitting their work or visiting the various sites listed and supporting the bloggers represented in this edition. Don’t forget to leave a comment, letting each of them know how much you appreciate their contribution!
Blogging / Writing
JHS shares A Unique Legal Theory Serves as a Reminder to Blog Responsibly published at Colloquium. Every parent should read this article before allowing his/her children to access the Internet.
Cindy King shares Book Review: Letting Go Of The Words - Writing Web Content That Works By Janice Redish published at Cindy King, a “must-read” according to Cindy, about “planning, selecting, organizing, writing, illustrating, reviewing, and testing content . . . that gives readers a successful and satisfying web experience.”
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