Ten Year Anniversary Note
Tomorrow it will be ten years to the day that I opened my webzine The Catholicist Nation. It is a somewhat bittersweet note to make here, and I am making it today instead of tomorrow because I have a full day of worship and family activities in store. Still, the completion of this day makes it a full ten years of webzine ministry.
The bittersweet part about all this is that even much earlier in that ten year time period I'd thought there'd be far more people in the mix of engaging conversation and vibrant interaction about it, and perhaps even committed action on the principles elucidated there. Alas, I haven't seen it. There are a few who see it, read it, send me a note about it. But not many. I'd like to think much of it is because I just haven't taken the time to put together a more comprehensive and expansive web design and marketing program. Most of that is just that I don't have the time or money to do that.
I do believe most of it is simply that people just don't get it. No worries. Jesus said a lot that people won't get it. This is always disappointing, but a fact of life. "What?" the thinking goes, "The Catholic Church through its military branch is responsible for much of the wretchedness happening all around us?" "What? The most horrific human sacrifice still happens today as a matter of regular practice?" "What? Tax, tithe, and interest payments are merely declarations of one's spiritual allegiance?"
Thing is, people don't even get that far. That they'd even grasp the question in any form is great progress. As I've mentioned before, when Catholicist Nation truths are shared they hear "Mibble smaggit crundle pippy snats." In fact, I've come to see it as worse. It is like this, only with lots of gross things and swear words in it that make people just want to get away from it.
Just a testament to the brilliant work of that military branch.
The times I've shared these things with others directly, in physical proximity, with actual voiced conversation -- that is, not through social media or anything like that -- just talking with people very graciously face-to-face, I've almost always gotten one of three responses, just about every single time. Deer-in-the-headlights, what's-that-got-to-do-with-the-price-of-bread, or get-outta-here-you-crazy-person-you. The ugliest of these kinds of responses have come from the dozen or so well-established pastors I've spoken with. Ministering in 501c3's and being heavily on the payroll, it is no wonder.
Yes, it is exasperating, it is discouraging, but I'm always prayerfully in Scripture, so I know Christ is always holding me up. Hey, another thing He said was that if you like Him, they're going to hate you. Wow. It is quite eye-opening -- indeed a major feature of my webzine work -- the truth that so many of those people are such wholesome church-going people.
So after ten years, I'd like to think that I've served God well. I pray over my webzine all the time, to the extent that it only reflects the truths and graces that God would like shared. That's it, really. If I'm not doing that, then what's the point. Again, I'd like to think I've been a Kingdom Bringer. Really, that's it.
I just want to be a Kingdom Bringer.
Whatever the case, through the years I've put a number of features into the webzine, and I've remained steadfast to add at least something of a home page note about something once every two months. I'd like to continue that consistency, and I do keep praying that through my web work I may interact with many more who see the things I see. I have always considered this somewhat of a selfish prayer, to be honest, just that I'd like to have fellowship with other Kingdom Bringers. But in some ways it isn't. After all, as do so many other followers of Christ, I just want to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, and He has always encouraged that.
If you want to see what I've thought about Kingdom Bringing, please look into it with me. As always, if you're reading this right now, I'd love for you to join me in the conversation. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear about it. I'm on the path walking with Christ too. My webzine, again, is here, and my email is here. Even though you can't put comments on here because Blogger won't allow it for some insane reason which I just don't know enough about in order to fix it, let me know what you're thinking by email. (Of if you know about some of this technical stuff let me know! I am eager for the fine web design and web marketing contribution from someone who does get it and does have an authentic passion for the things of Christ.)
As it is, here's to the tenth anniversary of The Catholicist Nation, with the simple declaration that I will still contribute to it with enthusiasm and commitment to, yes, ahem,
The Kingdom being brought.
___
(If for some reason you can't get to my email from this blog post, simply get it at the webzine. It's there.)
The bittersweet part about all this is that even much earlier in that ten year time period I'd thought there'd be far more people in the mix of engaging conversation and vibrant interaction about it, and perhaps even committed action on the principles elucidated there. Alas, I haven't seen it. There are a few who see it, read it, send me a note about it. But not many. I'd like to think much of it is because I just haven't taken the time to put together a more comprehensive and expansive web design and marketing program. Most of that is just that I don't have the time or money to do that.
I do believe most of it is simply that people just don't get it. No worries. Jesus said a lot that people won't get it. This is always disappointing, but a fact of life. "What?" the thinking goes, "The Catholic Church through its military branch is responsible for much of the wretchedness happening all around us?" "What? The most horrific human sacrifice still happens today as a matter of regular practice?" "What? Tax, tithe, and interest payments are merely declarations of one's spiritual allegiance?"
Thing is, people don't even get that far. That they'd even grasp the question in any form is great progress. As I've mentioned before, when Catholicist Nation truths are shared they hear "Mibble smaggit crundle pippy snats." In fact, I've come to see it as worse. It is like this, only with lots of gross things and swear words in it that make people just want to get away from it.
Just a testament to the brilliant work of that military branch.
The times I've shared these things with others directly, in physical proximity, with actual voiced conversation -- that is, not through social media or anything like that -- just talking with people very graciously face-to-face, I've almost always gotten one of three responses, just about every single time. Deer-in-the-headlights, what's-that-got-to-do-with-the-price-of-bread, or get-outta-here-you-crazy-person-you. The ugliest of these kinds of responses have come from the dozen or so well-established pastors I've spoken with. Ministering in 501c3's and being heavily on the payroll, it is no wonder.
Yes, it is exasperating, it is discouraging, but I'm always prayerfully in Scripture, so I know Christ is always holding me up. Hey, another thing He said was that if you like Him, they're going to hate you. Wow. It is quite eye-opening -- indeed a major feature of my webzine work -- the truth that so many of those people are such wholesome church-going people.
So after ten years, I'd like to think that I've served God well. I pray over my webzine all the time, to the extent that it only reflects the truths and graces that God would like shared. That's it, really. If I'm not doing that, then what's the point. Again, I'd like to think I've been a Kingdom Bringer. Really, that's it.
I just want to be a Kingdom Bringer.
Whatever the case, through the years I've put a number of features into the webzine, and I've remained steadfast to add at least something of a home page note about something once every two months. I'd like to continue that consistency, and I do keep praying that through my web work I may interact with many more who see the things I see. I have always considered this somewhat of a selfish prayer, to be honest, just that I'd like to have fellowship with other Kingdom Bringers. But in some ways it isn't. After all, as do so many other followers of Christ, I just want to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, and He has always encouraged that.
If you want to see what I've thought about Kingdom Bringing, please look into it with me. As always, if you're reading this right now, I'd love for you to join me in the conversation. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear about it. I'm on the path walking with Christ too. My webzine, again, is here, and my email is here. Even though you can't put comments on here because Blogger won't allow it for some insane reason which I just don't know enough about in order to fix it, let me know what you're thinking by email. (Of if you know about some of this technical stuff let me know! I am eager for the fine web design and web marketing contribution from someone who does get it and does have an authentic passion for the things of Christ.)
As it is, here's to the tenth anniversary of The Catholicist Nation, with the simple declaration that I will still contribute to it with enthusiasm and commitment to, yes, ahem,
The Kingdom being brought.
___
(If for some reason you can't get to my email from this blog post, simply get it at the webzine. It's there.)
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