Category Archives: blogging

What do you think?

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the-computer-demands-a-blog

One of the most read bloggers on the internet gave me a good piece of advice back when I first started blogging.  He said “Find a theme and a design that works for you and leave it alone.”

I have tried to do that.  The Master’s Table has not had a face lift since the doors opened in May of 2008.  I’ve been wanting to switch to a 3 column theme for some time for a couple of reasons.  One is that the sidebar ran so far down the page on my 2 column theme, and the design was just so narrow.  My Other Blog is done in Andreas 9 which I love except for one thing; the headers above each widget are too close to what’s above them, and not close enough to what they are meant to label.  It’s a small thing, and I don’t want both blogs to look alike anyway.  BTW, find some other blogs in Digg 3 and then ask me how I got the title to look like that.

So, to make a short story long, this is the new look of The Master’s Table.    What do you think?

p.s.  If you’re in a reader, jump over to the actual site for a minute.  Thanks a bunch.

Tips for Creating MP3’s

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faith-by-hearingI have to thank Challies Dot Com for sharing this link, so that I can share it with my audience.

Faith By Hearing is the first 4 column blog I’ve ever seen.  Digital Etiquette for MP3 Creators gives some tips on how to do a better job of turning sermons and lectures in MP3’s that are both easy to find and of a manageable size.  I appreciate the advice, and perhaps many of us would do well to heed it.

Faith By Hearing has an extensive catalog of sermons and teachings by many well known speakers, some of whom may surprise you.  Their site will be added under the Useful Resources links, and I highly recommend spending some quality time there.

Sneaky Spammers, and What to do About Them

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spamI don’t know why, but an article I wrote back in October about Christopher Columbus has been getting a lot of views lately.  It seemed relevant to me back on Columbus Day, but for some reason it has become very popular just in the last couple of weeks.  The other day I got a comment about how the article was bullcrap, and that simply using Google could straighten me out.  I responded with in my usual tactful manner (lol) and waited to see what happened next.  Continue reading →

Thank You to All Who Have Prayed For Us

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jan-5-09-ultrasound-imageAll we can do is say “Thank You” to any and all who have been praying for us. Regular fans and readers will recall being asked to pray for Teresa and our unborn child some weeks back. In 2002 and 2004 we had early term miscarriages, and were uncertain about this pregnancy from the very start. Pictured at left are two ultrasound images, the top from Jan 5 (9 weeks) and the other from Feb 2 (13 weeks). The baby is now 6.51 cm, with a fetal heartbeat of 162 bpm. It is too efeb-2-09-ultrasound-imagearly to determine gender, and atour next appointment (17 weeks) we will probably still have to wait.

If you click on the thumbnail image it will open full size. They were scanned at only 200 dpi so they could be uploaded more easily.

In December I asked Christians to please pray, and so I wanted to update my readers of our progress. The doctors say everything is perfect. The due date is August 10th.  You can keep tabs on us by checking the Journal page of My Other Blog from time to time. I blog theology and religion on The Master’s Table, with the goal of being God honoring, Christ Centered. Check out My Other Blog for news, humor, politics, funny pics and videos, and the events of my life.

UPDATE: 1) Johannah Lorelai was born August 11 (my wife’s birthday) 2009.  You can read more here.  2) There is no longer a journal page on My Other Blog, but the above link still goes to the home page.

Let’s go to the map…

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mapI just kept seeing blogs that had a Cluster Map.  My curiosity was tweeked.  I know how many people each day read my blog, but where are they?  I added my own map on Jan. 11th, at the bottom of the right-hand sidebar.  You can click the map (at the bottom) for a detailed list of how many viewers are from each country.

WordPress has a big following in Australia, so I was not surprised there.  I’ve had comments from Israel before, so I’m still expected “thatdudeyouknow” to dot my map.  The surprises for me come from South Africa, India, and the United Arab Emirates.  I didn’t expect Pakistan to be on my list, nor Spain for that matter.  It’s been fun.

Perhaps the new will wear off after a while, and I will quit checking daily to see what new countries have appeared.  To add a map of your own, visit the Cluster Map website.  It’s as simple as entering your blog URL, then copying the code into a text widget.  Maybe I can someday travel the world and meet each person that reads my blog.  Until then, enjoy the map.

New Friends …Again

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blogrollIt’s that time again.  Time to add some new friends to the blogroll.  New on the blogroll at this time is New Creation Person, a.k.a. Carl.  We think a lot alike.  He’s a bit new to the blog thing, so pay him a visit and share a comment or two; I already have. 

And new in the Useful Resources list is Catholic Answers.  Check out their forums.  This is the self proclaimed largest network of Catholics on the net, and Protestants alike are invited to join in and comment.  I found out about them when a member linked to a post I wrote months ago.  The thread on Christians struggling with homosexuality was sending traffic my way, so I joined as a member.  Anytime you happen to wonder what our Catholic brothers and sisters believe about a particular subject, this is the place to start.  Even if you believe Catholicism is wrong, I want you to do the research and be able to say why it is wrong.

Warning:  If you are entering the URL yourself to visit Catholic Answers, be sure  to type  http://catholic.com   and not catholics.com, with an “s.”  This site will download malicious code (a trojan) to your computer.  I was fortunate that McAfee caught it.

A ton of links

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Sometimes I like to go looking for blogs I’ve never read before.   Occasionally, you find a real treasure that way.  One of my internet blogging buddies has created a post listing every single blog that he subscribes to with RSS.  He is actually taking inventory of what to scrap and what to keep, but in this post  he links to  each with a brief description.  It would take some time to go through and look at each one, but any blog that he describes as an absolute must read I would consider at least taking a peek at.

New Friends (on the blogroll)

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As I am introduced to new blogs I didn’t know about, and make new friends on the internet, I like to update my blogroll from time to time.  (Likewise, some blogs I link to have become inactive, and I should probably remove them.)  A couple of new editions this week are RT’s Place and Thinking Out Loud.  RT has a unique perspective on some things that you might have thought about, but not the way he does.  Paul Wilkinson has a very extensive blogroll you might want to check out.  There are guys listed you probably already read, like The Master’s Table, InternetMonk, and Tall Skinny Kiwi.  He also lists many resources, and has links to sermons.  There is a wide variety of linkage.  As always, when you find a blog worth reading, let me know.

Under Useful Links is now an entry for The Master’s Table.  This is a website, not a blog, listing resources, essays, and articles for Bible study that also links to other Christian sites and blogs.  It has a .org not a .com address, and is authored by a gentelmen named Timothy Youngblood.

RT’s Place

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After RT left a comment or two, I checked out his blog to get to know him better (I hope RT is a him.  If not, sorry girl.)  I found this post particularly amusing, comparing the salaries of teachers with those of state legislators.  He also asks some pointed questions about the requirements of both to keep a job.  Interesting stuff.  It’s good to make new friends, and we might soon be adding RT to the blogroll.

Dry Spell?

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I feel like I’m in some kind of a slump lately.  Maybe you call it a dry spell.  I don’t normally use this blog to talk about me and what’s going on in my life, but you may have noticed I haven’t used this blog lately for well, anything.  Is there a Christian writer’s block?  Continue reading →