Leeds Castle (photo from trekearth.com)
I reason that Site Meter (SiteMeter) is useful, and therefore I use it. But, I have difficulties with the program.
I have noticed since adding the BlogRush widget that BlogRush records my traffic as more than twice that of Site Meter per day. Which program should I trust? I lean towards BlogRush with the number of comments I receive (thank you very much commenters and readers!), and since I know that many times persons have stated that they read my blog, but there is no record on Site Meter of a person from that geographical area visiting. My friend from down the street comments often and I can see no record of his visits on Site Meter.
The difference in traffic from Site Meter to BlogRush is the difference between a small blog and a small/medium-sized blog. I am beginning to change the view of my growth progress slightly, but thanks to others, and God.
My satirical (fictional) explanation:
There is a ‘conspiracy’ against my blogs of course. Someone at Site Meter hates my blogs and is determined to limit my traffic, in the hopes that I shall pull the plug on my blogs and deprive the public of the beautiful images of me with different stages of sleep apnea. Perhaps the person at Site Meter is an atheist, liberal or Baptist.;)
On a serious note:
In my web searching for Christian blogs, I left a message in regard to a post involving the value of attending church and growing closer to God, although these were not the exact words of the blogger.
My reply:
True, it takes fellowship with Christians, study and prayer, all by the lead of the Holy Spirit, to be performing God’s will obediently.
The blogger answered along the lines that the primary thing for a Christian to do is focus on Christ, and that study, prayer and fellowship may be a result, but cannot replace the relationship with Christ and will not help one grow closer to Christ.
I answered:
Hmm,
To focus on Christ requires prayer, study, fellowship and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. One cannot adequately focus on Christ in isolation. I certainly believe in a personalized relationship with Christ, but this does not happen on its own; it requires what I noted above in order to know Christ well and do God’s will obediently. But, we can agree to disagree, but I am coming from a Reformed perspective.
Cheers.
Russ
My explanation:
I have come across the idea of focusing on Christ is this manner before. My points:
To focus on Christ, Biblically speaking means being guided by the Holy Spirit (John 20: 22, Acts 2). The Holy Spirit both inspired Scripture and is to guide persons as they serve Christ. In John 20 the disciples received the Holy Spirit and Pentecost occurs in Acts 2. The work of the Holy Spirit cannot be isolated from adequately knowing Christ. As a theology professor taught at TWU, the Holy Spirit is to lead the believer to Christ. Prayer is always vital in this process, the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6) being one example of this concept. Prayer cannot be isolated from the process of adequately knowing Christ.
Christians are to study the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Peter 3:15-16, 2 Peter 1: 20-21, 3: 14-16). I reason that theological studies and other disciplines can also have importance, as all truth is God’s truth. Christ is revealed and explained through the Holy Spirit inspired Scripture. Therefore Christ cannot be known adequately without serious study of Scripture and I would reason that good theology books assist in this process. Scripture and study cannot be isolated from the process of adequately knowing Christ.
There is also the important matter of Christian fellowship in order to discuss spiritual, Biblical, theological and philosophical issues, etc. Christians are not to forsake assembling together. (Hebrews 10:25). Christians are not to interpret Christ in isolation, this is not adequate. Christ is an objective historical figure who was and is both God and man, and he is known both objectively and subjectively by the follower. To isolate knowing Christ from the Holy Spirit, prayer, study and fellowship is to risk overemphasizing the subjective at the expense of the objective.
Please check out my latest on thekingpin68.
I would appreciate feedback concerning my third question on my philosophy of blogging. I would like to read your views.
http://thekingpin68.blogspot.com/2008/05/more-faqs-do-i-want-to-become-next.html
Gossip is a waste of time.
Speaking of Muppets:
http://thethinkingfrog.blogspot.com/
Funny Muppets cover.
ReplyDeleteI have a new post (About time) on my mormon blog. Rick B
Thanks, Rick.
ReplyDeleteI will check.
I should compare the traffic ratings on BlogRush and Google Analytics. That is the other traffic monitor I use. Hold on a second while I do that...
ReplyDelete...Okay, done. Google reports more traffic for me, and a lot of it comes from subscribers to my feed or random Google searches.
It wouldn't surprise me, Russ, if there is a small part of your satirical explanation that is true--that there is a direct attempt to restrict traffic to Christian or religious blogs. I'm not saying it's true, just that it wouldn't entirely surprise me.
That being said, if you were to compose a blog about business or iPod's or better sex techniques you'd get way more traffic than you do now simply because of the subject matter. Academic theology and philosophy is, I would suspect, not the highest sought after material on the web.
I've been tempted once or twice to tag my posts with a word like "sex" or "breasts" just as an experiment to see how much traffic would jump to that post. But I haven't had the guts to do it yet, and probably won't. :)
That "Muppets" cover is a trip. Good spoof on the gossip rags.
ReplyDeleteRegarding being a Christian in solitude, I was just reading the following passage earlier this morning, which is from "The Practice of the Presence of God," by Brother Lawrence (written in the 1600's) (pp.77-78):
"Because his soul was weary of the painful life he had been leading up to that time in the world, he decided to retire to the desert. There, through his new Christian strength, he was able to get closer to God than he had ever been.
However, such a solitary life is not good for young Christians, which our brother soon discovered. Seeing how joy and then sadness, peace and then anxiety, confidence and then heaviness took turns ruling his soul, Brother Lawrence began to doubt the wisdom of his decision to live in the desert, wishing instead to live within a Christian brotherhood. Life within such a group would be based on the firm rock of Jesus Christ rather than on the shifting sands of temporary, individual devotion. Also, the members of the group could edify and exhort one another, protecting themselves against the changeableness of their individual whims. Although the first step was difficult, he was lovingly persuaded by God to go to Paris, where he became a lay-brother of the Carmelite Order and took the name of Brother Lawrence."
I think there is a movement today among some Charismatics that a person, once they grow beyond a certain point in their spiritual walk, can get past the necessity for studying the Bible. This is dangerous.
On the other hand, I believe it is also possible to study the Bible or Theology from a purely intellectual perspective and gain basically no spiritual value from it at all.
When I was attending Bob Jones University, we had to read the entire book of Acts, for example, as a homework assignment. I found myself treating the Bible in the same way I would treat a textbook, and gaining absolutely no spiritual benefit or significance from it. I was reading it only because I was assigned to do so.
We should read the entire Bible to get an overview and to know what it says, and to understand how it all flows together. We should also study the Bible to gain a more full understanding of it; but not from the perspective of one looking at it from the outside, merely to compare contrasting doctrines or theological explanations. We must meditate on Scripture, and let it sink into our very being. We must dwell on it, and not just examine it like you would examine food. Food does you no good unless you actually eat it. To sit there and merely critically examine how the food looks, without actually eating it, provides no nutritional value to you whatsoever. In addition, to merely swallow it in one big gulp provides little satisfaction. We must savor the taste of it and enjoy the chewing of it.
Scripture memory is also valuable, as that can make Scripture become second-nature to us. Also, if we ever fall under persecution, and our Bibles are taken away, or we are thrown into prison, the only Scripture we may have available to us is that which is memorized in our head.
The Bible is our spiritual food. Prayer is our spiritual breathing. Witnessing to others is our spiritual exercise. And by fellowshipping with other Christians, we learn about and are able to practice relating to other Christians (which we will be doing for all eternity), and we gain motivation and insight from others that we could not gain by ourselves.
It wouldn't surprise me, Russ, if there is a small part of your satirical explanation that is true--that there is a direct attempt to restrict traffic to Christian or religious blogs. I'm not saying it's true, just that it wouldn't entirely surprise me.
ReplyDeleteIf there is any truth to my satirical comments, many Christian/religious blogs are in tough and will have to fight through discouragement.
Academic theology and philosophy is, I would suspect, not the highest sought after material on the web.
Agreed. It is challenging to market. I am using some of the techniques I used in a copywriting course I took a few years ago, and I use satire/humour.
I've been tempted once or twice to tag my posts with a word like "sex" or "breasts" just as an experiment to see how much traffic would jump to that post. But I haven't had the guts to do it yet, and probably won't. :)
A friend has suggested I place those type of words on my blogs in the colour of the blog background! But, I have not.
Thanks, Jake.
I think there is a movement today among some Charismatics that a person, once they grow beyond a certain point in their spiritual walk, can get past the necessity for studying the Bible. This is dangerous.
ReplyDeleteThis makes sense.
On the other hand, I believe it is also possible to study the Bible or Theology from a purely intellectual perspective and gain basically no spiritual value from it at all.
Yes, and/or have false interpretations because of a very closed mind.
The Bible is our spiritual food. Prayer is our spiritual breathing. Witnessing to others is our spiritual exercise. And by fellowshipping with other Christians, we learn about and are able to practice relating to other Christians (which we will be doing for all eternity), and we gain motivation and insight from others that we could not gain by ourselves.
Very good, and thanks Jeff.
Thanks again for your comment! I still have to add a lot more on my personal webpage..... Hope everything is well with you! Good luck with the reviewing of your Ph.D. !!!!
ReplyDeleteJimmy, all the best with career and academic objectives.
ReplyDeleteThanks.:)
Russ
THANK YOU sir for the link.
ReplyDeleteI:
1. Enjoy your blog
2. Am glad you enjoy mine
[That is all.]
Cheers, Jacob.
ReplyDeleteRuss:)
Here's an interesting viewpoint:
ReplyDeleteWhy I Don't Participate in Link Exchanges
Oops! In my last post, I forgot to create something to click on! (I think I created an invisible link only). Here it is:
ReplyDeleteWhy I Don't Participate in Link Exchanges
Here's another interesting viewpoint:
Should I Avoid Link Exchange / Link Trading Hubs?
Thanks, Jeff.
ReplyDeleteUnless one is well-known in his/her field of study, no link exchanges likely means one will have a very small blog.
If I wanted to write a diary/journal I could do that, but I wish to have significant interaction.
I do monitor how my blogs are linked on-line, and it is important to maintain integrity.
"One cannot adequately focus on Christ in isolation." I agree. The Bible is full of fellowship. Jesus fellowshipped a lot too.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
ReplyDeleteFellowship with other believers is vital for a comprehensive Christian life.
make sure you read some good science books along with that bible. there's been a lot of updates to the world in the past 2,000 years, some of which are more wondrous and astonishingly beautiful than the story of creation. carl sagan's "cosmos" comes to mind. do you think it's okay to read these things to test your faith?
ReplyDeleteHello.
ReplyDeleteYour comments demonstrate a lack of understanding of my academic background. To write MPhil and PhD theses at secular University is a massive test of faith and philosophy. Do you think I would be allowed to write an 83,000 page PhD and 40,000 MPhil by just studying the Bible? What makes you think that I just read the Bible when it comes to knowledge? What makes you think I do not have at least some knowledge of science? Have you ever studied religion at an academic level in order to find out if it contradicts empirical science?
If you would like to test my religious faith and philosophy, then feel free to provide some challenging comments concerning the material on this blog and thekingpin68.
My PhD and MPhil theses were written through the University of Wales where I had to deal with material from other sources than the Bible. I have had to work with theological and philosophical writings from conservatives, liberals and atheists. My theses also deal with statistics and yes even some science.
the problem of evil, empirical theology and science
Inner Ninja, did you ever listen to a Public Radio show, "Ask Mr. Science?" I am sure that show was some kind of spin off from Sagan's little clips at about that time. That man lived in constant need of a giant cream pie with national coverage! A fair intellect, but heavily prejudiced.
ReplyDeleteFind a Bible. Ask yourself, what if it is true? You know folks used to think the stories in the first part were all made up, until archaeologists started finding ruins of the cities it mentioned, where it said they were. They figured out that not only did the stories happen (according to the sites for those stories and evidence such as fire damage, etc., matching the narratives, but the terrain & political landscape was such that if the accounts had been written in later generations they would have gotten the details wrong. Over about 2,000 years people have been coming up with theories and insights to "prove" that book wrong. Not one of those theories has held, but the closer scrutiny has uncovered more evidence for the Bible. Read that Book. Whether you choose to believe it or not, don't let it just be your own opinion but check it out first hand. The deeper you dig the more amazing it will get.
Thanks, Robert.
ReplyDeleteYou make sense. One should look at both science and the Bible/religion with an open-mind.
Russ
"there's been a lot of updates to the world in the past 2,000 years"
ReplyDeleteHas the world really been updated? Or is it that we are merely playing 'keep up' with God's vast eternal plan?
"do you think it's okay to read these things to test your faith?"
I suppose. But if one engages his faith, as he should, then it will be tested on its own without having to go through the trouble of reading Sagan.
Cheers, Wade.
ReplyDeleteYour point has me reason that there are many tests to Christian faith and philosophy. In actuality empirical science is not the greatest test to Christianity. Most scientists and Christian scholars agree on empirical science (as a local Christian who is a scientist explained in a presentation). The greater challenge is dealing with philosophical theories from non-Christian persons and groups. This is the work I have done concerning several issues in my theses and blogs. There are also of course, serious intellectual debates on secondary issues within Christianity itself.
Kapatid, (brother in Filipino) I am using statcounter instead of sitemeter. Sitemeter has no privacy. Anyone can pick your stats. That's why I don't use it. Plus it is also known tobe inaccurate. I use stat counter instead because it is so accurate and reliable that even bloggers who are using proxy servers that hides their true ip addresses are exposed. Its free and it has a good stat from location of the visitor to its time entering and exiting your site, pagviews, thepages they clicked and the website they came from.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to suggest youtry using e-refferer.com because it can also count the number of websites that link referred your site.
Technorati is only for linking. But sometimes links inside forums, wikipedia and other non-blog websites are not indexed in technorati. so i use e-referrer to know how many websites so far or search engines refer my site.
Pax et Bonum
Thanks for the tips, Army.
ReplyDeleteI will investigate.
PS.. with due respect to Jake belder I do not agree with that theory that there is a direct attempt to restrict traffic to Christian or religious blogs...
ReplyDeletemY blog is a catholic blog and once in a while I post hardcore dogmas and doctrines, and issues inside the catholic church, yet in my wordpress stats, it records that most of the traffic that I get in google are from posts that are catholic in nature.
I am also using a popularity contest plugin which determines what post is most clicked, viewed and read in my blog. And surprisingly most of them are my Religious post.
I think I post at least 40% religious articles or some inclinations to it, 20% paid post and 40% political and entertainment issues. Yet google has indexed more of my religious post than my entertainment post.
I hope what some of you are experiencing would not discourage you from your blog ministry because it will really take a while before traffic comes. It took me at least 6 months before I solidified and maintained my constant average traffic. Have patients because God knows our purpose to spread the word regardless of denomination and doctrine.
Pax et Bonum
Thanks for the information, Army.
ReplyDeleteI realize you have done a very good job in marketing your blog to your target audience.
Russ
@bluepanjeet -- I was merely being facetious with my suggestion that Sitemeter legitimately directs traffic away from Christian blogs. I was just going along with the satirical comment that Russ made.
ReplyDeleteThe point I (and I think Russ) was making, is that blogs that deal with major theological and philosophical issues, especially Christian ones, are going to have a difficult time attracting a great number of readers due to the nature of the topic. I realize some Christian blogs are able to achieve that, but the vast majority of us will not.
Just wanted to Let every one know, It was Carl Pagan, But like Saul being changed to Paul, Carl is no longer a pagan, He is know a true Believer in the one true Living God.
ReplyDeleteHe most likly is not a believer unto salvation, I am guessing he died in unbeliefe since he was a pagan, but now being in hell he knows he was wrong and God was real, so that would make him a believer, but just not a believer unto salvation. Rick b
The point I (and I think Russ) was making, is that blogs that deal with major theological and philosophical issues, especially Christian ones, are going to have a difficult time attracting a great number of readers due to the nature of the topic. I realize some Christian blogs are able to achieve that, but the vast majority of us will not.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Jake. Therefore most Christian blogs need to network.
Rick...that is funny, but also sad of course.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Science books vs. the Bible, I have often seen unbelievers on the Internet challenge Christians to "get a good Science book" or learn the basics of Science. It's really a joke, because pretty much any modern educated person would have had to take classes in Science. I have taken Science, Biology, Marine Biology, etc., and have been taught the theory of Evolution again and again and again. Simply watching PBS will expose you to that theory.
ReplyDeleteI agree that 'Science' is not even close to being the greatest test for a Christian's faith. Personal tragedy is a far greater test than Science. When someone you love dies, or when you are told you have cancer, or when you have to have a limb amputated, that's when your faith is tested.
Also, being betrayed by other Christians, or having a church announce lies about you or announce that no one in the church is allowed to have any communication with you (after you left the church because they were teaching false doctrine or participating in ungodly practices), is a far greater test to your faith than any mere Science class or Science book.
The greatest damage to my faith that I have ever experienced was done by attending a Christian college. As a result, I went into deep rebellion against God, and those were the blackest, darkest days of my life. It took me years to recover from that.
Second to that, the greatest challenge to my faith was when I read a book (required reading in a college class I was taking) by Freud that supposedly "proved" that God does not exist. For the first time in my life, I seriously doubted and questioned the existence of God. That only lasted for probably less than 5 minutes, because, after looking back on the things that have happened in my life and in other's lives (both people I knew personally, and others whom I had read about), all doubts about God's existence were completely dispelled...like a disappearing vapor.
Jeff, you are an example of a Christian that has had intellectual tests of faith and yet continues to blog and risks other tests. If Christianity is true, it is worth testing.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Russ:)
thanks for the discussion.
ReplyDeletei have read the bible, and in general i subscribe to the more enlightened moral principles of the new testament jesus, which are quite liberal, compassionate, and socialist really. man searches for truth, and there has never been a more powerful instrument for finding truth than science. the bible may provide a valid spiritual and moral framework, but its assertions are often bizarre and arbitrary. anyone who believes the scenes of humans and dinosaurs coexisting in a prehistoric world on display at the creation museum is really uninformed and indeed misled.
the tragedies that befall us as fragile humans, whether illnesses in the family or deaths, are so soul crushing that religion may help us make some sense of them, and for that religion deserves much credit. But for me, i don't make the leap from tragedy to god's purpose. instead i reflect on how we can be good to one another, show compassion like christ, turn the other cheek, stop war, alleve suffering, etc. we as humans are all in this together, and all we have to console and inspire us is truth as revealed in art, science, poetry, and love.
if your religion gives you these things then wonderful. i just don't like when any religion is wielded as an instrument of judgment, superiority, tribalism, and indeed hate. i recoil from the anti-intellectualism and the pronouncements of "pagan" and "hell" that self-assured evangelists throw around.
as far as the nature of this blog, i can only spend so much time catching up, so sorry if i missed the point. consider my comments in isolation.
and freaking read "cosmos" already!
Thanks, I.
ReplyDeleteScience finds empirical truth and is extremely valuable, but science cannot provide information concerning the deepest purposes of life and why a first cause would create human beings. This must be revealed by an infinite, eternal, first cause. A common mistake made by some today is to make science the ultimate source for knowledge, and science has limitations as do all other important academic disciplines, which add to human knowledge.
vicious regress
There are Christians who are scientists and scholars in other fields that reason dinosaurs ceased to exist approximately 65 million years ago, as is a typical secular view. Some Christians are old earth creationists, such as scientist Hugh Ross, and some are new earth creationists. I for example, lean towards old earth theory, due to in part, as Ross states, the amount of time entropy would require for the universe to be as is; but do not think in regard to evolution that there is any solid evidence that persons were ever anything other than human as there are no transitional forms in regard to human beings. Not all Christians reason that human beings and dinosaurs coexisted.
From
about physics
Definition: Entropy is the quantitative measure of disorder in a system. The concept comes out of thermodynamics, which deals with the transfer of heat energy within a system. Instead of talking about some form of "absolute entropy," physicists generally talk about the change in entropy that takes place in a specific thermodynamic process.
Biblical assertions are not arbitrary, but are based on documented supernatural interaction between God and selected persons over an approximate period of 1500 years.
There is no realistic hope of everlasting life for persons outside of being obediently, by grace, in God's purpose. I have studied theodicy/the problem of evil, academically for 10 years, and without the philosophical concept of God existing and delivering humanity from sin, death, and evil, there is no reasonable ultimate purpose for human beings other than to non-exist (death). Human relative goodness is simply a lack of maximization of evil. God willingly allows the problem of evil and human nature and the resulting choices fuel it. This is a reason why with all the human progress in knowledge over the millennia, persons are as capable as ever of committing much evil. Only God can change the nature of persons and in Christ there is a plan for this with the atoning work, resurrection and culminated Kingdom.
the meaning of life
My religious faith and philosophy is not based on wonderful feelings, and is not primarily subjective in approach, but is based on objective truth via revelation from historical persons that experienced God and documented these experiences and teachings in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Judaism and Christianity has been used for evil by many people at times throughout history, but these people were sinners, as are we all, and did not follow God's actual Biblical teaching, in the correct spirit, closely enough. To follow religion is not the answer, to be lead in spirit by the Biblical God is the answer.
Sagan and company are fine where they hold to empirical science, but when it comes to philosophy and religious philosophy there can be debate. There is too much pop culture evaluation of Christianity by critics today, which lacks knowledge of academic Biblical Christianity. Sadly, some extreme Christian fundamentalists and other Christians are not that educated and make uneducated claims, but the same can be stated for some non-Christian critics. I have visited several blogs critical of Christianity and they are usually filled with pop culture uneducated assumptions, which lack significant substance.
Thanks for reading, I.
Russ:)
Russ,
ReplyDeleteYou have summarized well these thoughts on evil, God, creation and science.
Joyfully Serving,
Kermit
Thanks, Kermit.
ReplyDeleteThat is encouraging and I look forward to learning more about science over the years, as it does relate to Christian apologetics of course.
I am glad the comment went through!:)