One Year of Flannel Christian

One year ago I started this blog - originally as an extension of my new ministerial work for the church, reaching out to young adults and such. But in the process of writing and reflecting, and with comments and readers, I've found myself ministered to more than I've felt ministering. And that's not too surprising.

On this first anniversary, I'd like to thank two people who have contributed extraordinarily to this e-project, and shaped much of it with their character and insight: Jon and Shannon.

Jon has been the source of the wry humor of many posts. His proving searches of odd and sometime vaguely religious news on the internet have been both entertaining and edifying. And, it must be said, Jon's irreverence for most anything sacred has been a healthy and perspective-giving ministry in itself. (For a sample of this articulate irreverence - which may not be entirely irreverent - see his daily humor page.)

The smartest thing I ever did in regard to Flannel Christian was to ask Shannon to join me in posting on it. Honestly, I didn't entirely know what I was doing when I asked. I knew she was smart, but didn't realize how smart she was. I knew she was into cool (and honest) theological pioneering, but didn't know what she was into, or how much she was willing to explore. And Shannon just keeps getting more interesting (and more honest).

Thank you both, Jon and Shannon, for helping so much this past year. Your friendships are treasures to me.

This next year will see more changes to Flannel Christian. I will be moving to Europe to be a minister there, and haven't yet quite entirely envisioned how I will balance the Pacific Northwest and European angles. But I will try to do honor to all my experience, including the ties I have here. One year hence, I suppose, I have a better idea of what I'm doing.

I hope.

Looking back on my first post, it is funny to note that flannel might have originated as a material brought by refugees and immigrants from the Netherlands. Just four-hundred years later, I'm taking it back.

Thanks to my readers - those loyal, occasional and accidental. Without you, I'd be talking to myself - and that's healthy only in small doses. I really do appreciate your readership and comments. Honestly.

Well... here's to another year!