A Decade of Blogging

I have been blogging for ten years! The unsettling events of 2015 and the beginning of 2016 had so distracted me that that I almost let such an important anniversary slipped my mind! I started this blog on 21 January 2006. I posted my 1000th post on 20 July 2008, 2001st post on 1 Jan 2010, and 3000th post on 11 Feb 2015. One of the features I like about blog is that I can easily retrieve previous posts, unlike Facebook or twitters. Blogging is part of my digital Great Commission activities.

My very first post Why I begin blogging in 2006 states the reasons why I started the blog.

• With the numerous viewpoints available, I want to add a distinctive Christian one
• I support the open access of knowledge that the Internet offers
• Use Web 2.0 as a platform to sharing our learning experiences
• Be part of an online community

In time, my blogging activities expanded and so did my number of blogs. Aside from this blog, I also administer the following blogs, reflecting my diverse interests.

• Random Writing from a Doctor’s Chair
• Random Sermon from a Doctor’s Chair
• Random Spirituality from a Doctor’s Chair
• Random Photos from a Doctor’s Chair

My postings in the blogs have lessen in the last few years because of my increased involvement in Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Google Plus and Youtube. This does not mean that I think that the importance of blogs has decreased. In fact, I believe that blogging has settled into the distinctive niche it was meant to be. Where Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest and Google Plus deal with the daily, social online interactions, blogs offers a place for longer, more reflective and reasoned articles to be posted.

I will continue to blog 

•  Spiritual discipline. Blogging is a spiritual discipline as I try to write at least 1,000 words daily. Not all of what I have written will be posted. Some will be published elsewhere. I find writing helps me to think and understand myself. It also helps me to experience God and engage with his creation.

• Teaching. The Internet has grown tremendously in the last two decades. It has become the largest depository of knowledge mankind has ever created. It is also the largest collection of hubris. I will continue to present a Christian viewpoint from as far as I understand it. I do not pretend to know it all but I see the need for Christian counterpoint especially from an Asian perspective.

• Recommending. I will continue to recommend good books, blog postings and websites. I find open sharing is very useful as others may also come across articles or post I am not aware of.

• Interaction. I value interactions on my blogs and other social media. I value open minds and fellow seekers. However, I will not waste my time with biased, opinionated, rude bigots. We learn more in our interactions. 

• Community. My readers and friends are my online tribe and community. I value every one of them. Their comments and likes are much appreciated. I love the friendships we have formed online and in some cases in the physical world. It is always a pleasure to meet someone in the flesh whom we have met online. I am slowly going down the list and praying for each of my Facebook friends.

Dear friends, thank you for reading this far and being part of my life. God bless you all. 

.

Blog Anniversary 2010

I started this blog on 1st January 2006 and has completed four years of blogging and this is my 2,001st post. As I begin my fifth year of blogging, I wish to thank all the readers who have read my posts. Some of you have become my friends. I appreciate the interactions and feedback either as comments on my blogs, Facebook, emails, SMS and letters.

I started this blog as a way to learn more about blogging. Gradually I find that this blog has become a way for me to voice out new ideas, and to process my thinking. Here I do find all your comments helpful. Writing the posts, reviewing the books I have read, movies I have seen, comics I have enjoyed, and computer games I have completed makes me more precise and disciplined in my thinking. It forces me to relate what I have just encountered with my belief system and worldview.

This blog is about my spirituality. I am a Christian by choice. My theology is Reformed. Christianity to me is not about a set of 'do' and 'don't' but about living out my beliefs in my everyday life. This includes my job, my hobbies, my reading and thought life. It should not be a surprise to some of my readers that a Christian may enjoy movies, reading books and comics, playing computer games and collecting Batman action figures. Or be tolerant of other religious traditions.

Most of all, I want to emphasis here, my blog is about my understanding of what Christianity is all about. I offer this blog as a resource. That is why I post links to articles, videos or other websites. The other resource I offer is my website Kairos Spiritual Formation where I have posted most of my writings and commentaries.

Thank you again for reading and visiting this blog. See ya and a Happy New Year

.

Blogging is Bad for You?

October 7, 2009

Blog ... The Devil Wants You To

Why the uber-bloggers encourage fasting from their task

by Drew Dyck

For one of the first Catalyst lab sessions, three of the top Christian bloggers took the stage to talk shop: Ann Jackson (www.FlowerDust.net), Carlos Whittaker (www.RagamuffinSoul.com), and Jon Acuff (www.StuffChristiansLike.net)

So what wisdom did these titans of the blogosphere impart?

Stay away from blogging.

read more

A 'Quiet' Day in STM (4)

The Three Amigos



spiritual theology bridging the gap between New Testament and Old Testament?

Making Money Blogging

Blogging is a logical development of the Internet Web 2.0. People blog for many reasons (reasons why I blog). In spite of censorship and threats of lawsuits and detention by governments, millions of people continue to express their opinions on all sort of topics. In the United States, it is claimed that there are as many bloggers as lawyers which says a lot. Can blogging become a profession? In other works, is it viable for bloggers to quit their full-time jobs? Mark Penn, writing in the Wall Street Journal April 21, 2009 (Asia edition) calls blogging 'America's Newest Profession.'

Paid bloggers fit just about every definition of a microtrend: Their ranks have grown dramatically over the years, blogging is an important social and cultural movement that people care passionately about, and the number of people doing it for at least some income is approaching 1% of American adults.

We know that print newspapers are facing declining subscription. One of the possible reasons may be the perceived control of print newspaper by government and big businesses. Bloggings on the other hand is slowly developing to be a reliable independent source of information (another perception). Many newspaper columnists are now blogging. Blogging, like print is a form of media. So can we make money from blogging? Maybe only a fortunate few but things are changing so rapidly that no one knows in the future.

So one day when we ask our children, "What do you want to be when you are older?"

"Doctor, lawyer, engineer?"

"Blogger"

Making Money Blogging

Blogging is a logical development of the Internet Web 2.0. People blog for many reasons (reasons why I blog). In spite of censorship and threats of lawsuits and detention by governments, millions of people continue to express their opinions on all sort of topics. In the United States, it is claimed that there are as many bloggers as lawyers which says a lot. Can blogging become a profession? In other works, is it viable for bloggers to quit their full-time jobs? Mark Penn, writing in the Wall Street Journal April 21, 2009 (Asia edition) calls blogging 'America's Newest Profession.'

Paid bloggers fit just about every definition of a microtrend: Their ranks have grown dramatically over the years, blogging is an important social and cultural movement that people care passionately about, and the number of people doing it for at least some income is approaching 1% of American adults.

We know that print newspapers are facing declining subscription. One of the possible reasons may be the perceived control of print newspaper by government and big businesses. Bloggings on the other hand is slowly developing to be a reliable independent source of information (another perception). Many newspaper columnists are now blogging. Blogging, like print is a form of media. So can we make money from blogging? Maybe only a fortunate few but things are changing so rapidly that no one knows in the future.

So one day when we ask our children, "What do you want to be when you are older?"

"Doctor, lawyer, engineer?"

"Blogger"

Blogs: A Window to Our Souls

Blogs: A Window to Our Souls What does your Internet personality say about you? By Collin Hansen

Huh! Just hope it is not a Microsoft window.

Blogs: A Window to Our Souls

Blogs: A Window to Our Souls What does your Internet personality say about you? By Collin Hansen

Huh! Just hope it is not a Microsoft window.

Can you read my webpage?

As some of you will know, I have a website, Kairos Spiritual Formation which I have been slowly and painstakingly building up for the last 3 years. I hope to develop it into a ministry resource centre for teaching, training and research into Christian spiritual formation. I update weekly or sometimes more frequently using Microsoft FrontPage 2003.

Recently I discovered to my horror that only those using the Microsoft browser Internet Explorer was able to read what I have posted on the website. Other browser like Firefox have problem showing the whole webpage. Listening to some online forum it was alluded to that the html writer program, FrontPage "purposely" write some code into the page so that only Internet Explorer browser users can read the webpages. I do not know how far this is true.

Do other website owners have this problem with different browsers?

Can anyone help me to make my website, Kairos Spiritual Formation readable to all browsers?

Help?

Can you read my webpage?

As some of you will know, I have a website, Kairos Spiritual Formation which I have been slowly and painstakingly building up for the last 3 years. I hope to develop it into a ministry resource centre for teaching, training and research into Christian spiritual formation. I update weekly or sometimes more frequently using Microsoft FrontPage 2003.

Recently I discovered to my horror that only those using the Microsoft browser Internet Explorer was able to read what I have posted on the website. Other browser like Firefox have problem showing the whole webpage. Listening to some online forum it was alluded to that the html writer program, FrontPage "purposely" write some code into the page so that only Internet Explorer browser users can read the webpages. I do not know how far this is true.

Do other website owners have this problem with different browsers?

Can anyone help me to make my website, Kairos Spiritual Formation readable to all browsers?

Help?

Blown2Bits: A Digital Explosion

This 2008 book is written by Hal Abelson, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at MIT, Ken Ledeen, Chairman/CEO of Nevo Technologies and Harry Lewis, former Dean of Harvard College, Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science at Harvard.

The question this book seeks to answer is how the digital explosion will affect life, liberty and happiness. Since this book is written for the North American context, it nevertheless gives some answers to the rest of the world.

Much of the book deals with the tremendous technological leap that took us from there to here. It also identifies two groups of people in North America; these before and after the Internet. Obviously the new generation is more computer savvy and more at home on the Net.

The book raises the issues of copyright (intellectual properties, movies, songs etc) and of personal privacy. The free availability of information (bits) has in many cases forces us to redefine copyright and privacy. Again, the younger generations is more relaxed with these two issues. Note the amount of files being exchanged and the amount of personal information that is being uploaded voluntarily to social networking sites, blogs and websites. This is an interesting book, while not providing trends or answers, gives we something to think about as we run for cover in the digital explosion.
.

Blown2Bits: A Digital Explosion

This 2008 book is written by Hal Abelson, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at MIT, Ken Ledeen, Chairman/CEO of Nevo Technologies and Harry Lewis, former Dean of Harvard College, Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science at Harvard.

The question this book seeks to answer is how the digital explosion will affect life, liberty and happiness. Since this book is written for the North American context, it nevertheless gives some answers to the rest of the world.

Much of the book deals with the tremendous technological leap that took us from there to here. It also identifies two groups of people in North America; these before and after the Internet. Obviously the new generation is more computer savvy and more at home on the Net.

The book raises the issues of copyright (intellectual properties, movies, songs etc) and of personal privacy. The free availability of information (bits) has in many cases forces us to redefine copyright and privacy. Again, the younger generations is more relaxed with these two issues. Note the amount of files being exchanged and the amount of personal information that is being uploaded voluntarily to social networking sites, blogs and websites. This is an interesting book, while not providing trends or answers, gives we something to think about as we run for cover in the digital explosion.
.

Useful Blogs Links

Jessica Merritt from ChristianColleges.com posted the

Top 100 Theology Blogs
which includes Tony Siew's Revelation is Real: This blog is about reflections on Christianity and often the book of Revelation.

Congratulations, Tony. An honour well deserved.


Also check out her useful lists of...
100 Free and Useful Online Tools to Study the Scripture

100+ Great Social Sites Especially for Christians

50 Awe-inspiring, Free, High-Res Collections of Religious Imagery

.
Happy clicking :)

Useful Blogs Links

Jessica Merritt from ChristianColleges.com posted the

Top 100 Theology Blogs
which includes Tony Siew's Revelation is Real: This blog is about reflections on Christianity and often the book of Revelation.

Congratulations, Tony. An honour well deserved.


Also check out her useful lists of...
100 Free and Useful Online Tools to Study the Scripture

100+ Great Social Sites Especially for Christians

50 Awe-inspiring, Free, High-Res Collections of Religious Imagery

.
Happy clicking :)

My Blog is Rated PG-13

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

* pain (8x)
* death (6x)
* dead (4x)

rate your blog here

HT: Kansas Bob

My Blog is Rated PG-13

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

* pain (8x)
* death (6x)
* dead (4x)

rate your blog here

HT: Kansas Bob

Lemonaid Blog Award

Lamont awarded me a Lemonaid blog award. I guess this means I'm good at making sour things sweet! Thanks Tara...

ONCE YOU'VE BEEN AWARDED, THE RULES ARE:
1. Thank the person who was so thoughtful for giving you this award by linking their blog to this post.
2. Put the logo on your blog or post.
3. Nominate 10 blogs which show great attitude/gratitude.
4. Link your nominee to your post
5. Comment them to tell them about the award they've won.



I nominate these 10 FANTASTIC people for their great blogs:

Helen
Lilian
Pearlie
Kenny
Kar Yong
Tony
Anthony
Bob
Joshua
Paul

Lemonaid Blog Award

Lamont awarded me a Lemonaid blog award. I guess this means I'm good at making sour things sweet! Thanks Tara...

ONCE YOU'VE BEEN AWARDED, THE RULES ARE:
1. Thank the person who was so thoughtful for giving you this award by linking their blog to this post.
2. Put the logo on your blog or post.
3. Nominate 10 blogs which show great attitude/gratitude.
4. Link your nominee to your post
5. Comment them to tell them about the award they've won.



I nominate these 10 FANTASTIC people for their great blogs:

Helen
Lilian
Pearlie
Kenny
Kar Yong
Tony
Anthony
Bob
Joshua
Paul

Blog Anniversary : Year 4

I have completed my third year of blogging and am looking forward to another year. I thank you for your visits and look forward to interact with your comments on my postings.

.

Blog Anniversary : Year 4

I have completed my third year of blogging and am looking forward to another year. I thank you for your visits and look forward to interact with your comments on my postings.

.