The End For Now

After much consideration, I have decided to officially suspend the Journeyman's Files.

It is obvious that my interest and energy for posting here has declined significantly in the past year. It has been more than a month since I posted anything. Even before that, I had basically stopped writing anything original, and simply posted excerpts and links to things I found interesting and helpful from other sites. I can continue to do that via Facebook and Twitter.

It's time to acknowledge the reality that this blog's time has past, and to move on.

Thank you to all of you who have followed my blog, and especially those who have commented or shared a post with others. I hope that what you found here has been helpful to your spiritual life. I will leave all the posts online for anyone who searches for topics and can be help by what I've posted here.

I do reserve the right to changed my mind and re-open the blog, but don't consider that to be a likely outcome.

Thanks to all!

Seven Years In Cyberspace

Seven years ago today, on April 1, 2008, the Journeyman's Files was launched upon an unsuspecting internet and blog-o-sphere. I promise you that despite that date this blog was never intended to be an April Fool's joke, and I hope it's continuing existence is not an April Fool joke now. Well, at least most of the time it's not....

Thanks to all of you you read this stuff, regularly or occasionally. I appreciate you very much!

BTW - Where the name came from and a reminder about your humble blogger.

My Second Blog - Ideas & Trends

I've started a second blog, focusing on successful living, productivity, leadership, technology and business matters. If you are interested in those subjects, check our Ideas & Trends.

Avoiding On-line Self-Promotion

Some good counsel from Mark Sayers, author of the new book, Facing Leviathan: Leadership, Influence, and Creating in a Cultural Storm, (By way of Justin Taylor)

1. Avoid being a fame-vampire.
2. Don’t add to the Hubbub.
3. Real life Followers>Online followers.
4. Platform never beats spiritual authority.
5. Promote resources not yourself.
6. Avoid humblebrags.
7. Ask the dangerous question ‘why?’
8. Take breaks.
9. Be patient with God.
10. Track your time.

You can read an explanation of each point here.

Six Years Blogging

Today this blog is six years old. It doesn't feel a day over five!

When I started on April 1, 2008, I was a little afraid that the whole thing would be considered an April Fool joke. But joke or not, I'm still here. Thanks to all of you who read my quotes and musings -You are greatly appreciated.

Here's what I wrote in that first post.

Why did I choose the name "The Journeyman" and whither goest he?

When thinking about a nome de blog I considered several ideas, some of which were pretty cheesy. I choose this one for two primary reasons.

First, The call of the Lord Jesus to each Christian is not "Say a sinners prayer so that you can go to heaven when you die. Meanwhile sit still in church and do not get into trouble!" His call to us is "The Kingdom of God is at hand! Turn from your selfish ways, believe my good news and come, follow me. I will make you fishers of men. Together we will go to seek and save the lost. Together we will see and hear what my Father is doing and join his work and mission. Join my journey of obedience to the Father. Come walk with me!"

What I will write here are observations and disciple notes of one guy learning (and forgetting and re-learning) how to walk with Jesus on His journey and join in His mission. It's all about Him, not me.

Second, in the world of trades and guilds, a journeyman is the next step up from an apprentice. Someone with this status is considered to be a skilled and trained worker who no longer needs to be taught the basics and overseen in everything he does. However, he is not yet a master carpenter, plumber, electrician, or whatever- he needs to work with a Master who will judge and vouch for his work.

I hope that after years (decades now) of experience in Christian leadership and teaching ministries that I have learned to do somethings well and have proven trustworthy. I have had the privilege to work with and be trained by many wise men in the Lord. But I always know that I need close attention from The Master or I will go astray. 

I'm only a Journeyman, not yet a master.

I'm Five Years Old Today!

...in blogging years, that is. Today "The Journeyman's Files" is five years old. I guess I'm almost ready for kindergarten! Here's a link to my very first post on April 1, 2008.

Thanks to all who have been on this journey with me from early on, and to those who have joined along the way. The journey continues!

Worth a Look

Some links that are worth a look:

How Protestants Can Justify the Doctrinal Development of the Reformation

Links in a Chain - Lisa Allen's Amazing Life

The Blogs, the Battles & the Gospel (Rules for Internet Controversies)

Five Signs We Might Take Ourselves Too Seriously

The New Pope: Novelty Following Precedent (A very good analysis)

Luis Palau's Friendship with New Pope Francis

A Gay Man Come Out Against Same Sex Marriage

Why Do We Recite the Apostle's Creed

My Blog Says It All

Yeh, It's lame.... but it's all I got today!

Other Social Media Connections

Did you know you can access this blog on Facebook  -The Journeymans Files.? Yes you can! I'm also on Twitter @bg_simmons.

Love to see you there also

Dear Santa...

Bloggers are sometimes so selfish! (irony intended)

10 Commandments for Writers

"The 10 Commandments for Writers" - from Jared Wilson

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before God. Neither publication nor fame nor even writing itself shall be your god, but God alone.
2. Thou shalt not make of your writing an idol, serving it as if it is sovereign. Nor shall you look to your gift or craft for the fulfillment and satisfaction and joy only Christ can give in himself.
3. Thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain, but shall write ultimately for the fame of his name, not for your own.
4. Thou shalt take a day off every week.
5. Honor your father and your mother. Even if you’re writing about your troubled childhood, don’t do so in ways that shame your parents or throw them under the bus for cheap laughs or tears.
6. Thou shalt not murder, not even in your heart when another writer writes well or when a critic savages your work or when you think somebody stole your idea.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. If writing is your mistress, it’s still cheating on your spouse. And you’re not fooling everybody by trying to “keep it real” with the sexuality in your book.
8. Thou shalt not steal anybody’s joy or time. Nor shall you steal anybody’s work and pass it off as your own.
9. Thou shalt not tell lies. Even when writing fiction, tell the truth.
10. Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s gifts, praise, success, or livelihood.
The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and the second is like it: Love your reader as yourself.

 .. and these words apply to Bloggers too!  So let it be written. So let it be done.

Reminder

 
Hat Tip: Thinking Out Loud

Remembering the I-Monk

Today I'm remembering Michael Spencer, aka "the Internet Monk," aka "I-Monk,"on the second anniversary of his untimely and too early departure from this life. I miss his writing so much. The blog-o-sphere is a better place because he was here.

The Internet Monk site has memorial postings up. RIP Brother Michael.
   

4th Anniversary of This Blog

Four years ago today "The Journeyman's Files" began its life on the world-wide interwebs. No April fooling; I really did start blogging on April 1, 2008.

Thanks to all of you who continue to visit and read. I pray that you are blessed in some way by my feeble writings and my harvests from writers who so much better than I am. Thanks to all who have followed this blog through Google, Networked Blogs or in some other way. I've been overwhelmed by the response

God bless you all!
 

New Facebook Page

I've set up a new Facebook page for this blog. This is an experiment, and I do not know if it will work or if I will keep it.

Let me know what you think!

All I Want for Christmas....

Hellish Days

Okay, I laughed (and I bet you did too!)

From: Cartoon of the Month | Christianity Today:

ESV Audio Widget

Crossway Publishing has a neat new widget that allows bloggers to embed audio from the ESV Bible into a blog or other website.

John 1:18

What do you think? My response: Cool!

A Goal for My Humble Blog

"If thou findest me short in things, impute that to my love of brevity.
If thou findest me besides the truth in aught [any respect], impute that to my infirmity.
But if thou findest anything here that serves to your furtherance and joy of the faith, impute that to the mercy of God bestowed on thee and me.
Yours to serve you with what little I have."

—John Bunyan, Note to Reader, “Saved by Grace,” in The Works of John Bunyan, 1:336.

Works for me too!

Hat Tip: A Nice Little Introduction to This Blog – Justin Taylor:

Help for Christian Bloggers

Any other Christian bloggers out there who stumble across my humble little blog should probably check out The Upright Project, a web page designed to help Christian bloggers to "Blog better." Some recent articles included:

A Serious Bloggers First Year Goals
100 Goals to Consider With Your Blog
The Christian Approach to Writer's Block
Before You Start Your Christian BlogHow I Found My Perfect Niche

Thanks to blogger Christopher Morris for creating this resource for the rest of us.