Thank You from Kingdom Living

It has been a great year at the blog. I could go into all the numbers of comments, visits and all the rest but that never really does justice to what the point of this is all about. 2008 was a great year not because of the top posts or the ones with the most comments or even the content of the posts themselves. What makes blogging great is that we get to talk. We sharpen each other. We share our thoughts and opinions, listen respectfully to each other and at the end of the day go home better people. For that I am thankful that this blog has existed in 2008 because I know it has made me a better person and I hope it has helped you as well. So here are some thank you’s that need to be shared.

Thank you for dealing with me patiently as we discuss things and even disagree with each other.

Thank you for feeling free to share your thoughts and opinions and feeling this is a safe environment to do it in. I value your trust in that. Many blogs get anonymous comments. That has happened here in my memory maybe only a half dozen times out of thousands of comments. I think that says something about the maturity level of those who comment here.

Thank you for helping me check my own attitudes and motivations in posting what I do and in expressing my views. You have helped me grow more than you know.

Thank you for stopping by.

Thank you for your emails. They are encouraging to me. I get so encouraged when I read that one of my study guides or small group lessons is being used in a congregation or Bible class and that it is successful. I am sure I have the facilitators and teachers to thank for that more than my lessons but I still want to say thank you for downloading and using the lessons here.

Thank you for treating other people here like fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I cannot tell you how many heated debates I have seen in other places where names start to fly and accussations are leveled. I can’t think of a single instance where that has happened here. Maybe I have blocked it from my memory. I can’t think of a worse witness to Christianity than a Christian blog full of comments by bitter Christians bashing each other. So thank you for being salt and light and dealing with each other with love, respect, and mutual submission.

Thank you for dealing with issues in a mature way that often never get talked about in a very objective way. We have discussed everything from instrumental music to women’s roles, to textual criticism and while we have generated some intriguing discussions on some of those issues. We all left the discussion better people for having discussed it. Trust me, it doesn’t always work that way.

So let me wrap up the year by saying that it is refreshing to be able to be a part of a community of people who are mature and loving. Thank you also for your blogs, many of which I read regularly. It is hard to believe there is this much excellent and free material being written and posted on a daily basis through the medium of blogging. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that 2009 is a year you look back on seeing how God has formed and shaped and used you better for His purposes than ever before.