The 27th Day of Community: Kathy Richards

There are at least three Kathy Richards.

First, there is the Supreme @katdish on Twitter, where she reigns in awesomeness.

She is the author of the Katdishionary, which has no equal.

She thinks of nefarious things to do (via Sky Mall) to people whose houses will soon occupy the fields behind her home. (Would you like to be confronted by a smiling Buddha or a zombie statue in your neighbor's yard?)

She is not afraid of telling anyone "you are not the boss of me" and has a comeback ready when her kids use it on her.

She wages war on clowns.

She is THE charter member of the Fellowship of Traveling Smarty-Pants.

And she keeps Buddy Love the dachshund in line.

Then there is the Kathy Richards who encourages.

She generously opens her blog every week (by invitation) to guest bloggers.

She discovered Billy Coffey's writing and played an instrumental role in stopping him from chucking it all in discouragement. (And how many people has that alone blessed!)

She leaves thoughtful, deep and profound comments on people's blog posts (in addition to the funny ones). (I'm still working on getting the beret she says I need to have.)

The third Kathy Richards is the one who loves God with all the exuberance she can muster (and she can muster a lot). She loves her family and her church. And that love and exuberance comes flowing out over all of us who read her blog posts and follow her on Twitter and marvel at her creative imagination.

And she paints, too!

How can you not read and follow a blog called Hey Look, A Chicken!

And you better follow her on Twitter on you may find a zombie statue in your yard.

(Last December, a number of us participated in the "Twelve Days of Community" - see the button near the top right - sponsored by The High Calling Blogs. The purpose was to highlight a blog or web site of someone other than ourselves during the season of Advent and Christmas. I liked the idea so much that I'm continuing to do that -- highlight a blog or web site of a person whose thoughts and writing have had an impact on me and others.)

The 26th Day of Community: Erin Kilmer

You have to wonder about a mom who has kids named Bubs, Stinky the Pyromaniac, and Little One. I can understand names like Bubs and Little One, but Stinky the Pyromaniac, predicted to burn down the state of Iowa one day? Who would nickname a child that? (Only a mother who really knows.) (For some odd reason, I think she identifies with Stinky.)

Erin Kilmer blogs at Together for Good. She’s a wife (to husband Art), mother of the aforementioned three, a writer and a poet. She also takes photographs, mostly of the family she’s obviously crazy about (see "Behold the Easter Cuteness").

She tells stories with humor (read “The Rat” or “Maybe I Should Change My Blog’s Title to Together for Random”); she tells stories with deep insight (“On My Head” or “They Are Listening”); and with love and pride in family spilling out all over the place (“The Spelling Bee” or “In Which the Pictures Are as Overwhelming as the Lack of Content”). We also know her children come by it honestly (“Because You Needed Proof of the Crazy”).

Then there are her poems.

Erin is a regular contributor to our poetry jams on Twitter, which we assemble over at TweetSpeak Poetry. But take a look at her poetry blog to see what she writes and how she writes. Take a look at “Branch,” “To That Humble Cot Upon Which I Daily Lay My Head” (a sonnet!), “Us, Together,” and “Boundaries.” You will be challenged, encouraged, impressed and moved – and often all in the same poem.

So check out Erin’s blog and poetry blog, and follow her on Twitter. It will be difficult to miss her incredible enthusiasm for family, for life and for God.

(In December, a number of us participated in the “Twelve Days of Community” - see the button at the top right - sponsored by The High Calling Blogs. The purpose was to highlight the blog or web site of someone other than ourselves during the season of Advent and Christmas. I liked the idea so much that I’m continuing to do that -- highlight a blog or web site of a person whose thoughts and writing have had an impact on me and others.)

The 25th Day of Community: Corinne Cunningham

Wife of Lucas, mother of Paige and Fynn, Corinne Cunningham is a New Englander who blogs at Trains, Tutus and Tea Time. And she tells ordinary, and extraordinary, stories.

Try Navigating, where she yells at a town recreation worker.

Or something as prosaic as sugar cookies, which she turns into a love story (and recently reposted at Motherese).

Or a photo post of Paige and Fynn dying Easter eggs.

Or, one of my favorites of her posts, Cocoa Shenanigans.

Or try one of her guest posts (she’s in great demand), like at Crying Out Now. She’s told this story on her own blog, and you read it, not expecting what the story turns out to be. And you go back and read it again, and you’re stunned. Then the third time you’re hit with the reality of the story and her profound honesty in telling it. And you know why – to help and encourage others (and there are a lot of others).

Corinne struggles, like we all do, and writes about it. And then she struggles in different ways, and she writes about that as well. I read her posts, and I find love for others, love for her family and love for God.

So read her blog, follow her on Twitter, and be blessed.

(In December, a number of us participating in the “Twelve Days of Community” - see the button at the top right - sponsored by The High Calling Blogs. The purpose was to highlight the blog or web site of someone other than ourselves during the season of Advent and Christmas. I liked the idea so much that I’m continuing to do that -- highlight a blog or web site of a person whose thoughts and writing have had an impact on me and others.)

The 24th Day of Community: Anne Lang Bundy

So who is Anne Lang Bundy? Here’s how she describes herself.

As her King’s ambassador.

As wife to John.

As mother to five children.

As teacher to five homeschooled children.

As lay minister to all.

As a writer of all things Bible.

She wouldn’t say this, but she’s also a gifted Bible teacher and thinker. A great encourager. And she’s working on a novel about King David.

You tweet or retweet one of her blog posts, and you get more than a thank you; you get a blessing.

What a great heart this woman, this lover of God, has. She makes no apology for her belief in God. She first met him, she says in 1985, and she’s never looked back. She was called to ministry to 2002, and her ministry is to build up the body of believers.

On her blog, Building His Body, she tackles topics from rejection and faithfulness to sex and gluttony. If you’re looking for straight up, solid Bible teaching on line, you’ve now found it. And you’ll find tenderness, too, like the letter she wrote to her husband John.

Anne is also a regular guest blogger at Russell Holloway’s place, Bullets and Butterflies, where she answers the “question of the week,” like how much of a good thing is too much? Or why do Christians fight each other? Or is it okay for a male and female to room together if they have no romantic intentions?

Visit Building His Body. Follow her on Twitter. And see firsthand what it means to love God – love that’s poured outwards on the people she ministers to.


(In December, a number of us participating in the “Twelve Days of Community” - see the button at the top right - sponsored by The High Calling Blogs. The purpose was to highlight the blog or web site of someone other than ourselves during the season of Advent and Christmas. I liked the idea so much that I’m going to continue to do that -- highlight a blog or web site of a person whose thoughts and writing have had an impact on me and others.)

The 22nd Day of Community: Eric Swalberg

Early last fall, poet and author L.L. Barkat and I began talking about a “permanent” place to house the poems that were resulting from our poetry jams on Twitter. The place became TweetSpeak Poetry, and it is made possible through the technical and hosting assistance of Eric Swalberg, our co-conspirator in poetic crime. (I give L.L. the credit for suggesting Eric.)

Eric is a teacher in the Atlanta area. He’s also a husband and the father of two children. And he is a poet, a poet with a big heart.

He doesn’t post frequently on his blog, Journey of Words (perhaps we can encourage him to do more). But when he posts – he posts some beautiful poetry.

In November, he posted a poem entitled “Form of a Poem.” It’s nine lines and 29 words, and it is exquisite:

the supple softness and
gentle curve of the breast.
the river of flowing hair
tossed
over a small curve
of shoulder following
the spine’s curvature
leading in directions
unknown

(“Form of a Poem” copyright by Eric Swalberg. Republished with permission. I hope, since this is a surprise.)

Or read his “Hidden Joy,” about how the ones who are different teach us the most about God, or “An Exchange,” the story of old now-too-tight jeans raising the question of what might have been, or “To Begin,” written for the beginning of the new year.

Eric is a regular participant in our poetry jams on Twitter, and while he doesn’t make a lot of contributions, he makes some truly beautiful ones.

We’ve never met, but I consider Eric a good friend and a fine poet. So check his blog, follow him on Twitter, and be ready to experience beauty.

(In December, a number of us participating in the “Twelve Days of Community” - see the button at the top right - sponsored by The High Calling Blogs. The purpose was to highlight the blog or web site of someone other than ourselves during the season of Advent and Christmas. I liked the idea so much that I’m continuing to do that each week -- highlight a blog or web site of a person whose thoughts and writing have had an impact on me and others.)

The 21st Day of Community: Susan Etole

When things get hectic, or I need to calm down, or just be quiet, a good place to start is Just…A Moment, a site (and a person) I noted in a short paragraph summary in December but one I keep returning to over and over.

Just…A Moment is the blog site of Susan Etole. She lives in Minnesota – and you can tell by the photos she takes – lots of snow. And she takes absolutely beautiful photos.

But it’s what she does with the photos that are so special. Using few words, she wraps sounds and sights together, simply, elegantly and, yes, spiritually. Her posts are always like this.

Take, for example, the one she posted yesterday, entitled “Transitions.” The words are few and simple: “Sometimes the end of a thing is the beginning of something very beautiful.” The five photos posted with them are spectacularly clear. But you have to step back from the words and the photos to see them as a whole, and therein is the great thing she does – she creates poetry with those few words and those beautiful pictures. I’m in awe.

Another example: “Something to Ponder,” again, a short sentence and photos of the moon. Or a birthday song to her son – heartfelt words and a series of pictures of baby shoes. Just stunning. Or her post entitled “Kindness Leads” -- wonderful words, photos of a bird at a bird feeder. (You see lots of photos of birds on Susan’s blog, and she must sit for a long time to get exactly those photos.)

Just…A Moment is what I call a ministry, because it ministers to all who come there. You arrive at the site, and you immediately find yourself, as she says in About Me, “in the midst of quietness.” Sometime, I’d like to sit with Susan and talk, basking in the quiet conversation, and basking in the quiet.

Visit Just…A Moment and find out for yourself.

(In December, a number of us participating in the “Twelve Days of Community” - see the button at the top right - sponsored by The High Calling Blogs. The purpose was to highlight the blog or web site of someone other than ourselves during the season of Advent and Christmas. I liked the idea so much that I’m continuing to do that each week -- highlight a blog or web site of a person whose thoughts and writing have had an impact on me and others.)

The 20th Day of Community: Kathleen Overby

Some time ago, a comment left here on a blog post took me to the commenter’s web site. And I discovered someone who, seeing that newbies like me were writing poetry and posting it online, decided to make the leap. I sent an email to L.L. Barkat, who with Eric Swalberg is my co-conspirator in publishing TweetSpeak Poetry, and said, “I think we’ve done a good thing here.”

The commenter was Kathleen Overby, who lives in Washington State and somehow manages two blogs – Neoteny and Almost Paradisical.

At Neoteny, she says that her purpose is about play: “One of my passions as a wife, parent, friend and woman, is to invite others -- to play. Let's not forget how to lie on our stomachs in the dirt, have water fights, lay on our backs and watch cloud pictures, laugh till we wet our pants and cry with cheek cramps. Deep play takes many forms. I want to explore this with you. Let's hold hands and skip.” And that’s where she invites fellow bloggers to guest post about what they do in their lives to play. In her most recent post, she reviewed Sex, Lies and Religion by Randy Elrod; read the review to see some of her thinking.

At Almost Paradisical, she publishes her poetry and what I would call her “prose musings.” I love to read her poems. There is a childlike innocence about them, like when a young heart creates something just for you, and rather shyly opens a hand to show you. Look at her poems and you’ll see for yourself -- poems like “Pile of Rocks,” “Sugar Words,” and “Rock Salt.” An example of her “prose musings” is “Twenty Camels?” – a love story about two people who fell in love on a trip to Israel and Jordan, and couldn’t be together on Valentine’s Day.

And to top all of this off, two of her favorite movies are “Babette’s Feast” and “Enchanted April” – which happen to be two of the favorite movies of my wife and me.

Check out her blogs. You can also follow her on Twitter. And you’re in for a real treat with her poetry.


(In December, a number of us participating in the “Twelve Days of Community” - see the button at the top right - sponsored by The High Calling Blogs. The purpose was to highlight the blog or web site of someone other than ourselves during the season of Advent and Christmas. I liked the idea so much that I’m continuing to do that each week -- highlight a blog or web site of a person whose thoughts and writing have had an impact on me and others.)

The 19th Day of Community: Bridget Chumbley

A native Californian, Bridget Chumbley lives in Washington State with her husband, Dale, and two children. She says that two psychotic cats live with the family, but as she well knows, “psychotic” and “cat” are redundant. In her spare time, she’s a writer, and she’s completed a manuscript for a Young Adult novel (and gotten a request for manuscript – which is a very cool thing, indeed).

Bridget is a co-host (with Peter Pollock) of the one-word blog carnival. Every two weeks or so, bloggers write posts on whatever the word is – patience, peace, love and even lust. The carnivals having been going on for several months now, and introduced writers from all over the United States and the world to each other. (In addition to the hosting logistics, Bridget reads every single post and leaves a comment.) (That’s not just being a good host; that’s a ministry.)

She had two recent posts on her blog, however, that demonstrated what a fine writer she is. One is called “Innocence,” and is about the child of a friend who was the victim of sexual abuse. The other, posted today, is the follow-up. Entitled “Healing,” it is about the struggles of a young man trying to come to terms with what happened to him, and how extenuating family circumstances make that so difficult. Both posts are heartbreaking.

So check out Bridget’s blog, One Word at a Time. Follow her on Twitter. Join in the blog carnivals – a wonderful way to meet writers who take an incredibly individualized approach to each word. And read her blog posts – every one is worth your while.

(In December, a number of us participating in the “Twelve Days of Community” - see the button at the top right - sponsored by The High Calling Blogs. The purpose was to highlight the blog or web site of someone other than ourselves during the season of Advent and Christmas. I liked the idea so much that I’m continuing to do that -- highlight a blog or web site of a person whose thoughts and writing have had an impact on me and others.)

The 18th Day of Community: Sam Van Eman

I can’t recall when exactly I started following Sam Van Eman’s blog New Breed of Advertisers, but judging by where it falls on my RSS feed, it’s been at least several years.

Sam works for CCOJubliee, a campus ministry involved in colleges and universities all over the United States that seeks to develop young men and women to live out their faith in all areas of life. He is also the author of On Earth as It Is in Advertising: Moving from Commercial Hype to Gospel Hope, in which he discussed the negative messages of advertising and contrasted them with the positive messages of the gospel.

He calls himself both a “critic and a fan of advertising,” and he places advertising squarely in the midst of the concept of being a neighbor, as he describes on his blog: “You're good at what you do. You study and listen and read - honing your trade - only to understandably and occasionally forget that behind the progress toward success are real neighbors consuming your work. So you must ask - and keep asking - not the myopic, ‘How can I get customers to fall in love with my product?" but a more generous, "How can I love by getting this product to my customers?’"

It’s that belief, and how he writes about it, that first pulled me into New Breed of Advertisers, and kept me there. It doesn’t matter whether the subject is an ad about soup or Volkswagen or the NCAA, he takes the same insightful look, grounded in faith, and then looks at what the ad is really communicating.

Sam is also a content editor for The High Calling Blogs, focusing on the area of culture.

So check out New Breed of Advertisers. For someone like me, with a background in corporate communications, his blog and his writing in general provide the background story of familiar territory.


(In December, a number of us participating in the “Twelve Days of Community” - see the button at the top right - sponsored by The High Calling Blogs. The purpose was to highlight the blog or web site of someone other than ourselves during the season of Advent and Christmas. I liked the idea so much that I’m going to continue to do that -- highlight a blog or web site of a person whose thoughts and writing have had an impact on me and others.)

The 17th Day of Community: Kelly Sauer

This is how Kelly Sauer introduces herself on her blog, This Restless Heart:

“This is me, photographer, writer, wife, mama to two; struggling to be; every day desperate in need of Jesus; writing from here.

“I dream big, fall hard, live on grace, and change diapers.”

Several months ago, I came across Kelly’s writing the usual way you do on the web. You’re following someone, someone leaves a comment; you click on the someone’s link, and then find yourself in an entirely new world. That’s what happened to me when I clicked on the link to her blog.

She writes about her family – her husband Peter, young daughter Piper and new baby son Bredon. (She posted a five-year slide show on their life together this week.) She writes about her faith. She writes about her struggles.

What struck me about Kelly were the openness and the honesty of her writing. It is all right there in front of you. Some days I read her posts and afterward, I just sit, staring the computer screen, marveling at the beauty of the words and how she opens her heart.

And then there’s her photography.

She’s a professional photographer. She does wedding photos like you’ve never seen wedding photos, capturing joy and reality and romance. She photographs her children and Pete, and every photograph says “love” (it’s amazing how she does that). And then there are photographs like Good Gifts, photographs that blow your socks off.

So visit her blog. Follow her on Twitter. See where she and Peter and their family are going on their journey. You’ll find yourself signing up for the trip, too.


(In December, a number of us participating in the “Twelve Days of Community” - see the button at the top right - sponsored by The High Calling Blogs. The purpose was to highlight the blog or web site of someone other than ourselves during the season of Advent and Christmas. I liked the idea so much that I’m going to continue to do that -- highlight a blog or web site of a person whose thoughts and writing have had an impact on me and others.)

The 16th Day of Community: David Rupert

When I happened across David Rupert’s blog Red Letter Believers some months ago, I felt like I had discovered a kindred spirit. I still do.

If I remember correctly, I was looking at the Inside Work blog managed by Jim Hancock, and read a post by Bradley Moore, the Shrinking Camel himself. I clicked over to Bradley’s blog, and liked it so much that I added it to my RSS reader. And one day, a guy with an avatar showing duct tape over his mouth commented on one of Bradley’s posts; I followed the link and discovered Red Letter Believers. (He’s since changed his avatar.)

David works in corporate communications as a writer/editor for the U.S. Postal Service. I’ve spent 90 percent of my career in corporate communications, and a big chunk of that as a writer/editor. We read and follow a lot of the same blogs – and we didn’t plan it that way. We arrived at these same places independently of one another. On his blog, he writes a lot about work, and faith, and work and faith. Here’s what he says his blog is about:

“Red Letter Believers go far beyond politics or religion or entertainment or the things of earth. We are here to encourage each other to live the words of Christ -- the same words that many Bibles put 'in red.' We seek to live out our faith, impacting our homes, our communities, our jobs and our nation.”

He’s written about the difference between being spiritual and being religious; about responding to disaster; Mark McGuire and cheating; Christian party poopers; and what your boss really wants for Christmas, among dozens of other subjects. What they have in common is this: simple, clean language; clarity; depth; and the perspective of faith. Always the perspective of faith.

As I said, I have the blog on my RSS reader, but Red Letter Believers is one of the few blogs I actually check daily. Do the same and be richly rewarded.

(Last month, a number of us participating in the “Twelve Days of Community” - see the button at the top right - sponsored by The High Calling Blogs. The purpose was to highlight the blog or web site of someone other than ourselves during the season of Advent and Christmas. I liked the idea so much that I’m going to continue to do that -- highlight a blog or web site of a person whose thoughts and writing have had an impact on me and others.)

The 15th Day of Community: Russell Holloway

You must get all kinds of interesting reactions when your name on Twitter is @LuvStomp.

Russell Holloway is a registered mental health counselor in private practice at the Port Orange Counseling Center in Port Orange, Florida. He and his wife are the parents of two boys. He enjoys multi-sports racing, hiking and reading.

And he has a heart for the homeless, the hurting – and for God.

Until just a few days ago, his blog was called Bullets & Butterflies. He’s opened a new space online called Give Peas a Chance (I love the pun; I told him he should also try to visualize whirled peas, like the bumper sticker suggests.)

What does he write about? Hearts, mostly. Take a look.

• Notes from a friend’s work at a homeless shelter when it’s cold in Florida (“Just Look”).
• The importance of intimacy (“Make Love Not Porn”).
• “If you go to church long enough you'll get your heart stomped on. With people involved, it's a given” (“Pretend Perfection”).
• And how his own heart was changed after listening to a speech about African-American history being American history (“American Made”).

I’ve never met Russell face-to-face, but we’ve traded tweets, emails and DMs. When I read his blog posts, I find understanding, compassion and gentleness.

You should, too.

Update: Russell says that he's going to stick with Bullets & Butterflies only.

(Last month, a number of us participating in the “Twelve Days of Community” - see the button at the top right - sponsored by The High Calling Blogs. The purpose was to highlight the blog or web site of someone other than ourselves during the season of Advent and Christmas. I liked the idea so much that I’m going to continue to do that -- highlight a blog or web site of a person whose thoughts and writing have had an impact on me and others.)