I know some of you who read this blog think it’s a bit much sometimes. That’s ok. Some of you would like to avoid the clutter and just get the meat-and-potatoes, high-octane longer posts, and so….

Here is the solution – a new blog that will feature only my longer pieces of writing, some of which have been published in print and others that are waiting to be published. The blog is called simply “Michael Krahn – Writer”

I’m hoping to keep the post frequency on the new blog to about once a week. So, if that’s the kind of thing you’re looking for, you now know where to find it.

Go and take a look at the new site here.
You can subscribe by email by clicking here.
You can subscribe by RSS by clicking here.
The Facebook group for the new blog is here.

Enjoy!

(The blog you’re currently reading – “The Ascent to Truth” – will continue to THE “go-to” source for figuring out what’s going on inside my social media saturated brain. Here I will continue to post thoughts on music, media, theology and whatever else might present itself on a given day. Thanks for reading!)

Here are another 5 of the posts that generated the most conversation in 2010:

Does God Hate Haiti?
Does God hate Haiti? That is the conclusion reached by many, who point to the earthquake as a sign of God’s direct and observable judgment.

What If Pastor Can’t Preach? (Pastor Peter and Pastor Paul)
For the majority of the congregation in most churches, the Pastor search process is heavily biased toward the 30 minutes people see the candidate on one Sunday morning when they deliver a sermon. This is unfortunate

Church Planting: Slums or Suburbs? WWJP? (Where Would Jesus Plant?)
When we intentionally – and almost exclusively – associate with the opposite class of people that Jesus associated with, we miss the main thrust of his life and ministry.

Rejection By Silent Majority – The Fate of Many Modern Worship Songs
The problem with most worship songs written today is NOT simplicity, it’s singability. Writing a good, singable song requires both artistry and servanthood. These qualities are difficult to balance, and unfortunately many of today’s worship writers are not doing a very good job of it.

Churches as “Heretical Structures” – Who Said It?
“The most common fault is for the church to be structured for ‘holiness’ rather than ‘worldliness,’ for worship and fellowship rather than mission… Further, our static, inflexible, self-centered structures are ‘heretical structures’ because they embody a heretical doctrine of the church…”

Here are the posts that generated the most conversation in 2010:

Christian Death Metal: The Message of the Medium
Like a good Christian music listener, you look at lyrics before you listen to music. Good for you. This of course keeps us all safe from “bad” music, right?

The Health and Wealth Corner
You don’t think you’re interested in statistics, but you are. Watch this. As it turns out, the whole world is getting richer and living longer.

John Piper: the Emerging Church was “an upper-middle-class, white, departure from orthodoxy…”
Piper: “The EC is a fading reality that has seen its best days. I think you will not even hear the term “Emerging Church” in 10 years – I think it will be over and gone.”

Onward Christian Soldiers?
Kevin DeYoung: “Military service is one of the most common metaphors in the New Testament to describe the Christian life. We are to fight the good fight, put on the armor of God, and serve as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

I think Anne Rice just went Emergent!
All the tell-tale sign are there:
- Remains committed to Christ but is no longer a “Christian”
- Sees other Christians as difficult to get along with
- Refuses to be against anything
- Quits Christianity and being Christian “in the name of Christ”

An FYI… If receiving blog posts by email is more convenient for you, you can set that up by entering your email address below. I over-posted a bit in December with all of the extra Christmas content. I plan to get back to my one post per day routine in the new year.

(Those of you reading via RSS may need to click through to the blog here)

Cartoon by Dave Walker.

Jonathan Friesen frequently comments on my posts. The comments are usually post-worthy themselves, so I’m quite happy to point you to “Left Coast Menno“, Jonathan’s new blog.

As an intro to his blog he says this:

“If you’re like my wife, then stuff like theology, church life, communications, management, work life, politics, and the philosophical underpinnings of society bore you to tears. For the rest of you, I hope that my drivel stimulates your thinking enough to help you procrastinate a little longer. That’s not really a bad thing though. The other stuff can probably wait. At least 2 more minutes.

So join in the conversation, challenge me, agree with me, oppose me, but at least leave your comments if I captured your imagination a bit. Looking forward to it!”

Go and do as instructed above by clicking here.

(To my other friends whose blogs I enjoy reading… blog love and a small bump in traffic coming your way soon.)

Below is a summary of the most popular search terms that brought traffic to my blog in the second quarter of 2010.

[table id=1 /]

You were expecting to see Rick Warren in running shorts here, weren’t you? Sorry, my photoshop skills aren’t THAT good. Rick in a Hawaiian shirt floating eerily in a pool with a maniacal look on his face was the best I could come up with.

Ok, I admit it: the title of the post is inflammatory and manipulative, but it was “Purpose-Driven” so all is forgiven, right? It’s not Rick who’s running a half-marathon – it’s me! I am however going to see Rick the weekend after I run.

Here’s the deal: on September 26th I’m going to run my first half-marathon; the following weekend I’m taking a roadtrip to Minneapolis to attend Desiring God 2010. This year’s line-up of speakers includes Big Rick, Francis Chan, Al Mohler, John Piper, Kevin DeYoung, and N.D. Wilson.

I’ve created two ToDo lists for myself for the two trips. Let me know if you have any suggestion for my prep work for either event.

2010 has been a bit of an experiment for me – and a successful one. I’ve been trying to put up one post per day and because of this my traffic is up, there are a lot more comments coming in, and other opportunities are surfacing because of it

But now it’s time for a break – to write, to read, to reflect. So I’m going to take April off from blogging.

See you May 1.

One of my favorite writer-bloggers is Michael Spencer (a.k.a. The Internet Monk). Like Matt Chandler, Michael is also dealing with serious cancer. His has debilitated him far more than Matt Chandler’s has. Matt is still able to write and preach (and tweet). That is certainly not to minimize Matt’s cancer, but I can’t help but think Michael’s has been somewhat overshadowed by it.

Here is an update from Michael posted at www.internetmonk.com this morning:

My situation is serious. Sleep is a big issue. I need rest and it is hard to get. This cancer situation is not going to give my old life back. It may take the life I have. I choose whatever mission God has for me, the utmost need is a simple prayer on my behalf.

If what I am going through reminds you of what you have been through what you what been through in the past, I pray for you and hope others will be the same.

I am home most of the time but I am on the road on almost every day to various doctors. Tomorrow I finish my first found of chemo and have a fell week off. I am so proud to have come through radiation and to this point.

Thanks for all donations. I will no longer be able to acknowledge them through Paypal. Denise will try to acknowledge all that come via denisespenc@gmail.com.

Once again: Very, very serious. Pray, give and pray. Thanks to all who are buying the book in advance. It will be at Amazon but eventually everywhere. Almost 100% new material. (Pre-order his book here: Mere Churchianity: Finding Your Way Back to Jesus-Shaped Spirituality )

This post took almost an 3/4 of an hour to write and correct. That’s how much I have changed.

That last sentence tells a story. Spencer is a prolific writer, often posting thousands of well-chosen and readable words a day. Over the years, I have mentioned him quite a bit. He has influenced my think a lot. Here are some links to my favorite writings and interviews:

Michael Spencer: “The Big Worship Goof”

Michael Spencer on “The Shack”

iMonk on Mark Driscoll’s Talk at DG08

Michael Spencer on “Steve Brown Etc.”

Here he makes a passionate defense of Thomas Merton. I certainly couldn’t have said it better myself. He also posts  a very personal post about himself and Merton.

On Acts 15 and the implications for church leadership.

A look at the king of criticality, Ken Silva.

Michael’s income ended in January and the health insurance through his employer ends in late February.

Those interested in giving financially can click on the link below.

2009 was a good year of writing for me:
- My blog traffic was up 135% over 2008

- Because of my liveblogging of the Renov8 church planting congress in Calgary, I received an offer to write for a national Christian paper (Christian Week). The first of my six columns for 2010 will appear later this month.

- I got a link from the grand master of theo-bloggers (Tim Challies) to my new Christmas song “Glory to God on High“. To give you some idea of the power of the Challies, one link in his daily “A La Carte” post will add anywhere from 700 to 2000 pageviews to your post, depending on the content.

Below is a table of the search terms that brought the most traffic to my blog this year:

I have no idea why Ryan Adams brings so much traffic to my blog, but this post I put up on a whim one day in February attracts a lot of views.

Here’s to another 135% increase in traffic for 2010, and to the beginnings of a book to be published in… ?

Thanks for reading.

All salient points. He understands the medium. Take a look:

NT Wright on Blogging/Social Media from Bill Kinnon on Vimeo.

Wright’s one big worry: isolationism. Sure it is human beings typing and human beings responding, but there is something about human communication that involves bodies and faces, and however good you are as a writer, you can’t engage in all those ways. We are in danger of dehumanizing our communication.

I like that he uses the terms “gnostic dream”and “cultural masturbation” to describe the sort of self-stimulation that seems so prevalent in in the (bad neologism alert) “blogosphere”.  There is nothing more bland in the blog world than the comments section a blog with an exceedingly narrow audience.

Wright’s General Rule of Blogging:
For every hour you spend on a blog, you ought to spend at least that amount of time with real, touchable, hug-able human beings.

Amen.

People with no social authority suddenly gain access to previously inaccessible channels of idea distribution

- Anyone saying anything accessible to anyone. No filter, no editor, not time of reflection.

- People who attempt to transmit the authority of printed text to online print are doomed to waste their time chasing heresies. As a result, they increase the audience of the perceived “heretic”.  Page views and inbound links determine authority. Now, more than ever, unless it is someone who already has authority/audience, the best way to avoid increasing authority is to let the author’s post die in obscurity.

- Physical print is imbued with more authority because it takes time to process, time to deliver, and has usually been combed over by the eyes of an editor.

- With the removal of the costs of time, print, paper, and editor, there is little left to restrict anyone from writing and publishing online anything that comes to mind.  However, where restrictions are eliminated, a torrent of self-expression follows. In the case of music this has been a boon to artists and has increased the number of quality offerings available. For print, it has also increased the quantity but it has diluted the quality of work in print (online or offline).

Nielsen, the same people who do TV ratings, recently noted that more than 60% of new Twitter users fail to return to the site the following month.

Judging Twitter retention by how many people “visit the site” is like judging Dominoes Pizza by how many people dine-in.

It’s true that like blogging and any other social media, a lot of people try it and the many quickly give up. And with the explosive growth recently you have to expect a good number of window shoppers.

But Twitter is unique in how open it is, allowing users to interact from unlimited points of access without ever having to go to Twitter.com.

So judging retention by how many people are regularly visiting a site works for Facebook and MySpace (because you have to go there to do anything), it’s kind of apples-to-oranges to apply the same criteria to Twitter.

Follow me on Twitter here.

Hello readers,

Thank you all for the participation the last couple of weeks. I’ve enjoyed it greatly.

For the next 6-7 weeks I will be much less active here as I transition from one job to another and continue to work at both!I do enjoy the variety of people who participate in the discussions around here and I’m willing to continue to be a forum for that over the next while.

I especially appreciate the general tone of the discussions here – considering we have everything from dedicated atheists to dedicated Catholics, Lutherans, and Mennonites and others.

If there’s a topic you’d like to discuss with the group of articulate folks listed above, leave a comment below or drop me a line at michael.krahn@gmail.com or Skype “mightyzimbo”.Personally, I’d like to see a lively discussion about the compatibility of Christianity and Darwin’s theory of evolution.Cheers.

(Update: Scripture and Evolution it is.  Go here.)

Rick McKinley (Imago Dei – Portland) doesn’t blog much, but if this post is any indication he should make an effort more often. A summary of his six points in this post:

1. The subversiveness of love is the primary work of the pastor.

2. There is disaster awaiting the one who gets bogged down with doing good, and not dwelling in the excellent. It is our job to pay attention to God and life and to help  others to do the same, this is the heart of the work as pastor… many times we exchange important things for urgent things and the important things never get addressed.

3. Theological and biblical inquiry is essential to discovering the depth and Glory of Jesus.

4. Though the experiences of Christ and the Spirit may be ever satisfying, and the word be life giving, the blessings of family and the fruit of ministry be ever present, the longing for heaven and the violent reality of its absence will leave you with a broken heart that will express itself in and empty and sour stomach feeling… It is this knot in our stomach that will keep you an honest preacher in a sea of compromised men.

5. If you want to be a pastor you must learn obedience through suffering just as Jesus did, (Heb 2:10-18, 5:8-10).

6. It is the primary objective of my faith and ministry to apprehend such a vision and faith in Jesus, as revealed by his Spirit through the Scripture, that I would follow him not only in his life but also in his death…  I aim to believe this with such conviction that I could encourage and lead my people in such a faith for their day when they will suffer their own death and by grace do so in faith.

Full post here.

Or if you’d like to read one of his books click here, click on the image at left or follow the link

This Beautiful Mess: Practicing the Presence of the Kingdom of God

I changed the title from “A Mind Awake” (after a book about C.S. Lewis) to “The Ascent to Truth” (after a book by Thomas Merton).  I like books, in case you haven’t noticed.

I chose the new title for several reasons:

1. It’s the title of one of my favorite Thomas Merton books
2. I hope everyone believes that truth is a noble goal and that they’re traveling and rising toward it
3. In another sense the word means “a movement or return toward a source or beginning” or in some ways “a surrender to what IS”, a surrender to truth, and we must seek to surrender to truth, and to the ultimate Truth – Jesus Christ.

What do you think? Do you like the new title or the old title better?

For those of you who don’t care to register at the NYT in order to see the article, you can get a PDF of it by clicking here.

*Update: Driscoll was also recently featured on ABC’s Nightline.

 I had just short of 13,000 hits on this blog last year.  About 1000 of those hits came to my blog via search terms. The table below shows the most popular search terms.

Apparently I need to do more posts about Thomas Merton and “Famous Drawings”.

Here area few of the blogs I read regularly.

John Piper / Desiring God
The online home of Pastor John Piper, author of Desiring God and A Hunger for God and numerous other books

Mark Driscoll
Driscoll is founder and teaching Pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington and the author of Vintage Jesus

Tim Challies
Challies is a blogger and author from Oakville, Ontario whom Albert Mohler Jr. (President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) describes as “one of the finest young evangelical thinkers of our day”

Justin Taylor
Taylor is the ESV Study Bible project director and associate publisher at Crossway Books.

Michael Kruse
Kruse offers a unique perspective on information and statistics about topics ranging from economics to emerging church forms