Like Eugene Cho, 2007 was my first year of really engaging the blogosphere (however, unlike Eugene, I do not regularly generate 200+ comments. Dat mange iz populerz like da kittyz!). In many ways, blogging has been a kind of spiritual discipline for me — though not nearly as awesome as Bruce Reyes-Chow’s take on blogging as spiritual discipline (Reyes-Chow in 2008!) and a way to get my head around different things, not to mention a forum for my inner music-nerd’s need to make lists.

One of the best, and most surprising, parts of this bloggy year has been making friends — actual friends with whom I have shared an inner resonance about life, ministry, music and community. Although I still worry that it sounds totally wrong when I say it, I am glad to have met several friends this past year through the internet. I have also been very glad to re-connect with several old friends via Facebook, potential scourge of humanity and harbinger of the apocalypse but wonderful host to online Scrabble and Tetris competitions. I missed the whole MySpace thing (most pages leave me feeling on the verge of a seizure) but FB has been a great way to catch up with friends from all over the country I haven’t heard from in years.

Yesterday, I met up with Jason Evans for lunch at Sipz (vegetarian food even a total meat-eater like myself can enjoy). While it was his impeccable taste in music (Battles! Old school San Diego noise punk bands! Hooray!!) that initially set off our email communications, I really enjoyed hearing about Jason’s intentional community and how God might be leading him & his family in the future. I find great encouragement listening to the stories of those for whom the Gospel encompasses all of life — for me, that’s what missional living is all about.

My wife was teasing me because I was all excited to have a friend with whom to attend concerts now!