Dave Miller

NOTE: Because of the incredible closeness of the vote, because I forgot to remind Tony to close voting yesterday, and because Todd and Paul have been SO entertaining in their shameless electioneering, the voting will continue until about 5 PM this evening (Central Daylight Time).  So, Todd can continue to rally his family members and Paul can garner more support from the animated animals that have lined up behind him until that time. We have winnowed the field down and now only four blogs remain. Our Blue Collar Blog Madness champion for 2012 will be crowned soon. Congratulations to Paul … [Read more...] about Blue Collar Blog Madness: Final Four

Battle blogging - that describes a lot of what we do, doesn't it? Battle blogging is the us vs. them, good guys and bad guys, we-have-to-win mentality.  "They" are the enemies of truth, justice and the American Way, and I am Superdave, avenger of justice, able to leap tall blogs in a single bound as I defend the Baptist world from those who would destroy it! I'm through with it. A Little Introspection You may get tired of my self-reflective blogs about blogging.  But for me, blogging a big deal.  It's not a past-time, it is a significant ministry.  So I think about it a lot.  Is … [Read more...] about Why I Am Retiring from (Battle) Blogging

I was watching coverage of the trade yesterday between the Broncos and the Jets.  A nearly unknown quarterback (Tim something) was traded to the Jersey Jets for draft picks, in a move reminiscent of the Romans sending innocent Christians to the Coliseum to battle wild beasts.  Tebow has been the subject of more debate than any other player I can remember.  Supporters have accused John Elway and John Fox of conspiring against Tebow, possibly for reasons of faith.  Tim is an outspoken Christian (an understatement), which endeared him to some and annoyed others (even some Christians). But what … [Read more...] about Ruminating on Race: Will a Colorblind Convention Ever Be a Reality?

There are sixteen blogs left in our Blue Collar Blog Madness: That's SWEET! Congratulations to those who made it through to round 2.  Actually, the voting was so close - a lot of blogs came within a vote or two (or three) of making the second round. It's been a great tournament so far. In this round, you only get to vote for one blog.  You don't get to vote more than once, but you can certainly encourage your friends to vote!  Hope you get into the spirit of things. Voting will be open all week, ending sometime Sunday. Here are your sixteen round 2 blogs... Golden Gate … [Read more...] about Blue Collar Blog Madness: Round Two – SWEET Sixteen!

I posted on Saturday afternoon concerning my struggles about the direction of commenting here at SBC Voices, with a wide range of responses.  Thank you for your suggestions, and those I've received privately from some of our contributors who shared their wisdom.  I have drawn a few conclusions from the discussion.  I don't have a final plan of action,  yet; I want to discuss this with our writing team.  But here's what I gleaned from some of your comments and my own thoughts - sort of an opinion mishmash. 1)  Quite a few people like the open commenting policy here, though most realize it … [Read more...] about Conclusions from Comments about Comment Moderation

This is a heavy day for all of us involved in blogging.  No need to go back over the details.  But as I was looking on Facebook, I saw this song (on Jeff Musgrave's site) from Phil Keaggy.  It's an oldie, but a good reminder (if we needed one) about the dangers posed by the sin that each of us deals with and the importance of walking in Christ's power daily, not our own. Enjoy the song. Walk in Christ.  Remember that we stand in his strength and not in our own. … [Read more...] about “It Could’ve Been Me” – A Reminder from Phil Keaggy

(Baptist Press has released an article about the events.) Frankly, I don't know what to do tonight. How do we respond to a tragedy like this? I feel like I've been punched in the gut. When I got back to my office after evening service, there was an email waiting for me from someone I have grown to consider a friend, someone with whose judgment and astute theological argument I was increasingly impressed, admitting moral failure. I did a little research and found a link to a news article that disabused me of any hope that this was not real or that it was not as serious as it … [Read more...] about Stunned, Sad, and Confused: A Blogging Brother Falls into Sin

SBC Voices has an unusual niche in the Baptist blogging world.  We have become something of a social media forum.  No other Baptist blog has the lively comment streams that we do.  That is one of our strengths.  It is also our biggest challenge.  I think we publish some good articles here, but a lot of the conversation lacks grace. I'll be honest, I am amazed at the words some Christians think are justified in discussing issues. Blog discussions are tricky.  Since there is a sense of anonymity, we tend to say things in ways we might not in person. And because we can't read tone of voice, … [Read more...] about A Forum: What to Do About Blog Comments and Moderation

While our own (and more important) Blog Madness is going on, there is this silly little basketball tourney going on as well, the NCAA men's basketball championship. Big stuff happened today.  I thought you might want to talk about it. As always, with our sports forums, trash-talking is not only permitted, it is strongly encouraged. Two points of note today:  One, the Alabama Crimson Crud got knocked off by a team from just south of Sioux City.  Go Blue Jays. Also, #2 Mizzou got knocked off. Should be lots more to watch this weekend.   … [Read more...] about An SBC Voices NCAA March Madness Forum

There is a certain amount of arrogance, I suppose, in undertaking a subject like this.  It assumes that I know something about excellence in blogging or that I am an expert in building blogs.  I'm not. But I have been in blogging a long time (especially if measured in blog years), and I have observed the process.  Blogs come and go.  Most of the top SBC blogs back in 2006 either do not exist anymore or have faded out of the limelight.  If I named some of the luminaries of the Baptist Blogging world from back then, many of you would say, "Who?" I was a newbie back then, now I'm part of the … [Read more...] about How to Build an Excellent Baptist Blog