Unfermented grape juice is a bland and pleasant drink, especially on a warm afternoon mixed half-and-half with ginger ale. It is a ghastly symbol of the life blood of Jesus Christ, especially when served in individual antiseptic, thimble-sized glasses.
“Wine is booze, which means it is dangerous and drunk-making. It makes the timid brave and the reserved amorous. It loosens the tongue and breaks the ice, especially when served in a loving cup. It kills germs. As symbols go, it is a rather splendid one.”
— Frederick Buechner
Wishful Thinking: A Seeker’s ABC
Category Archives: Resources
Google Reader in Plain English
I read approximately 200-plus blogs a day. It takes less than 20 minutes. How? Simple. I use Google Reader. Using this simple tool, I subscribe to blogs I find interesting. When one of these blogs has a new post, the content instantly appears in Google Reader through the magic of RSS (“real simple syndication”).
You don’t have to understand RSS or the underlying technology to take advantage of it. Simply set up a free Google Reader account and start adding your favorite blogs. Here’s a short video to get you started.
If you can’t see this video in your RSS reader or email, then click here.
Please note: I don’t read every new post that appears in Google Reader, but I scan through them all and read the ones that catch my eye. This is how I keep up with 200-plus blogs a day.
Peter DeVries on Writing
I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired at nine o’clock every morning.”
— Peter DeVries
Stephen King on Writing
Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
— Stephen King
On the Importance of Books
. . . the world that throbbed outside the library seemed to be losing its memory, day after day, unknowingly, feeling all the wiser the more it forgot.”
— Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Shadow of the Wind
The Social Media Revolution
This video is a a great introduction to social media. It moves quickly, so you may want to watch it a few times. I have actually embedded in my slide presentation for Social Media 101.
On Leadership and Energy
The best thing a leader can bring to their team is their energy.”
— Bill Hybels
As quoted by Andy Stanley
Must See SEO Guide for All WordPress Bloggers
I have read a great deal about SEO, but it all seems so theoretical. This is the first article I have read that deals exclusively with WordPress blogs. It is also extremely practical. The editorial staff of WPBeginner walk you through the exact steps you need to take to make your blog more SEO-friendly. If you have a WordPress blog, this is must-reading.
On Expanding Your Market
To reach people no one else is reaching, we must do things no one else is doing.”
— Craig Groeschel
As quoted by Andy Stanley
Wufoo: Form Builder
For a while now, I have been looking for a simple way to create a Web form on my blog. Since I am a publisher, I occasionally give away books. I needed a simple way for my readers to sign up for this. I looked at several solutions, but Wufoo is exactly what I needed. It is super easy AND super powerful. Once I have collected the names, I can export them to an Excel spreadsheet, comma delimited file, or a text file. My IT department can even connect to the database through Wufoo’s API and extract the names.
On Mystery
One day some of the brethren came to see Abba Antony, and among them was Abba Joseph. Wishing to test them, the old man mentioned a text from Scripture, and starting with the youngest he asked them what it meant.
Each explained it the best he could. But to each one the old man said, ‘You have not yet found the answer.’
Last of all he said to Abba Joseph, ‘And what do you think the text means?’
He replied, ‘I do not know.’
Then Abba Antony said, ‘Truly, Abba Joseph has found the way, for he said: I do not know.’”
