04 April 2008
Over the 200,000 Landmark
Okay, everytime the blog passes a landmark, I invite visitors to step out from their Anonymous hiding places and introduce themselves. Today we not only crossed 200,000 visitors since I put up the site meter, but even 201,000. Wow! Glad to have you all hanging around ye old blog, and some of you I've come to know over the years of blogging, but even if you're an old hand around here, why not introduce yourself to the newbies?
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55 comments:
My name is Paul Kruta. I just started visiting over the Issues, Etc. scandal.
I'm 23 years old (24 in May).
I went to school with Pastor Weedon's daughter, Lauren. She married my next door neighbor, Dean. Smallll small world.
I was baptized into the faith on May 20th, 1984 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church by Pastor Seto.
I went to Good Shepherd Lutheran School from Pre-K to 8th grade and Metro East Lutheran High School.
I don't have a College degree, but I'm feeling a very strong calling from God to go back to school. I'm still not sure which area to study, but theology is looking more and more like the way to go.
I'm happy to be here in this little Lutheran community in CyberSpace. :)
I'M MILTON WADDAMS. I'VE WORKED AT INITECH FOR 15 YEARS. THEY KEEP MOVING MY DESK.
I started becoming a regular visitor about six months ago, visiting 1-5 times per week. And about two weeks ago I started visiting about 1-5 times per day. I live in Washington, D.C. with my wonderful husband. I was raised a Lutheran and my husband was baptized 4 years ago this week. We have been blessed with a beautiful little daughter who is 7-months-old.
I have been a voyeur for about a year. I visit the site regularly and have it linked to my blog. I am a LCMS pastor in Tulsa, OK and am married to Lisa and we have been blessed with Owen (5) and Megan (3).
Started visiting a few years ago at this point. I look in at least twice a day.
Life long Lutheran with a wife and two boys.
The best year of my life in Muenchen. Lived the majority of my life in Detroit. Now exiled in the suburbs thereof.
Jon Townsend
I'm a stay-at-home mom of two little boys living in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I'm a graduate of Concordia University – Wisconsin; I was an English major, but worked as a systems analyst before kids. I lived in Texas for five years after college and wonder every winter why I moved back up north.
I'm a lifelong WELS Lutheran, but I appreciate confessional Lutherans of any synod. In the year or so that I have been exploring the Lutheran blogosphere, blogs such as this one have given me a great deal of education and gospel edification. Blogs are no substitute for church, but I believe that much that is good and worthwhile can be delivered through the Internet. After all, I met my husband online.
I first started visiting Pastor Weedon's excellent blog a little over a year ago after hearing one of his many faithful homilies on "Issues, Etc." (yeah, I'm one of the few people who listened to that show regularly:) I visit many wonderful blogs regularly, but this one has become like home. Thank you, William, for this excellent resource - it has been a real blessing!
Your brother in Christ,
Tom
I'm Lauren...
(and Dean's here too)
I'm your daughter
(the eldest and therefore the most perfect...:) )
And....I'm moving home in a month!
YAY!
Little known fact about dad:
Katie is his FAVORITE animal in the whole wide world and he gives her kitty kisses eeeeevvvery day!
Hi everyone!
I'm in college at U of Michigan, and have been doing research on this Issues issue, and Lutheran theology. I love researching this issue between classes! I've been raised in Lutheran schools my entire life, and care very deeply about what is going on. I must say, I'm deeply saddened by it, but know there's always hope. Mostly, I care that sound theology and the Christ-centered message are proclaimed, like many other Issues supporters.
I found Pastor Weedon's blog amidst doing this research, and especially like the strong, traditional quotes.
My very best,
Julianne
I'm an American confessional Lutheran in Japan. I came here 28 years ago with the LCMS Volunteer Youth Ministry right after graduating from Concordia Teachers College in River Forest, now Concordia U Chicago. I married a Japanese man, who was baptized into the Japan Lutheran Church soon after we got married. We have 4 children and live in the hinterlands of northern Japan - with no LCMS or affiliate in our area.
So, I feel like I've wandered, physically, at least, but once I found Issues, Etc., something finally "clicked" and I knew I was a confessional Lutheran unequivocally!
During the month of March I was visiting family in the States, and as soon as I heard the gloomy news, I was checking in here a LOT! Now I'm back home in Japan, jet lag is out of my system and my new school year begins next week (I teach University English), and pray.
Thank you for your blog!
Greetings All from England. My name is Jack and I blog under the name Doorman-Priest. Pastor Weedon is one of my long distance mentors as I approach ordination.
He does well with my radical-liberal-Lutheran-Anglican-Inclusivist heresies.
Hey, y'all! I go by Dixie because I live in Georgia and like to pretend I am a Southern Lady when in fact I am really just a Midwesterner with an accent as flat as the state of Kansas.
I was Roman Catholic by birth, Lutheran by marriage and now am an Orthodox Christian by choice but I have been reading Pastor Weedon's blog for what seems to be forever now and he puts up with me.
Oh and I forgot, Milton, if you are looking for your red Swingline, it's on my desk....
I still haven't figured out how to do this blogging/commenting very well. My name is Becky, but I go by grabatowel because that's what I always shout out when I want help in the kitchen.
Susan here. From Tupelo, Mississippi.
I'm the organist and choir director at theonly Missouri Synod church for miles around.
I've visited Weedon's blog since I heard Pastor Weedon on Issues, Etc. Same with Cwirla's and Petersen's blogs.
Blogs are a great unifyiing and edifying resource...some blogs, that is. In the same manner as Issues, Etc. I mourn its loss and hope for its return, and for the easy access to it we once had. It is a treasure the faithful and most especially the seeker should never have lost.
A neat idea, these intros.
I am an LCMS pastor who mostly "lurks" here 2 or 3 times a day - I have a gadget on my iGoogle that tells me when Weedon's Blog has new posts!
I am a pastor in Indiana, who not quite two years ago was introduced to the realm of blogging through this blog and a few others. Since then I have taken the blogging plunge, as has my wife and son.
High praises, admiration, and kudos to my blogging hero, The Rev. Fr. Weedon!
I am Clint Hoff, campus pastor at Concordia Saint Paul. I am married to Lalita; we have four children. This past year I linked up to your blog (and other confessional Lutheran blogs). I have really enjoyed it.
Hello! I'll be seeing you in June. I'm Pastor Alex Klages, webmaster of the infamous Lutheran Preaching Retreat in lovely Lumsden, SK, a pastor in the LCC in rural Manitoba, and a blogger myself. Been lurking and reading for a while. Married to the artist and occasional cartoonist Kelly Klages.
FYI...Pr. Weedon, not sure what your stat counter shows you, but you might like to have these definitions, from the Wikipedia article on web stats:
* Hit - A request for a file from the web server. Available only in log analysis. The number of hits received by a website is frequently cited to assert its popularity, but this number is extremely misleading and dramatically over-estimates popularity. A single web-page typically consists of multiple (often dozens) of discrete files, each of which is counted as a hit as the page is downloaded, so the number of hits is really an arbitrary number more reflective of the complexity of individual pages on the website than the website's actual popularity. The total number of visitors or page views provides a more realistic and accurate assessment of popularity.
* Page View - A request for a file whose type is defined as a page in log analysis. An occurrence of the script being run in page tagging. In log analysis, a single page view may generate multiple hits as all the resources required to view the page (images, .js and .css files) are also requested from the web server.
* Visit / Session - A series of requests from the same uniquely identified client with a set timeout. A visit is expected to contain multiple hits (in log analysis) and page views.
* First Visit / First Session - A visit from a visitor who has not made any previous visits.
* Visitor / Unique Visitor / Unique User - The uniquely identified client generating requests on the web server (log analysis) or viewing pages (page tagging) within a defined time period (i.e. day, week or month). A Unique Visitor counts once within the timescale. A visitor can make multiple visits. The Unique User is now the only mandatory metric for an ABCe audit [[3]].
* Repeat Visitor - A visitor that has made at least one previous visit. The period between the last and current visit is called visitor recency and is measured in days.
* New Visitor - A visitor that has not made any previous visits. This definition creates a certain amount of confusion (see common confusions below), and is sometimes substituted with analysis of first visits.
* Impression - An impression is each time an advertisement loads on a user's screen. Anytime you see a banner, that is an impression.
* Singletons - The number of visits where only a single page is viewed. While not a useful metric in and of itself the number of singletons is indicative of various forms of "Click Fraud" as well as being used to calculate bounce rate and in some cases to identify automatons ("bots").
* Bounce Rate / % Exit - The percentage of visits where the visitor enters and exits at the same page without visiting any other pages on the site in between.
* Visibility time - The time a single page (or a blog, Ad Banner...) is viewed.
I'm Joshua Gale, a 27-year-old seminarian at Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne. Married, one child (14-month-old Katy).
Hi everyone :-). I'm 18, a student at the U of Florida, and have been reading (and occasionally commenting) on this blog for a couple years. I play the organ.
I was baptized E. Orthodox (at the mandate of my rural Ukrainian grandma), and grew up baptigelical (but I'm all better now).
Hi all,
My name is Matt. I am a member of Pr. Weedon's congregation here in Hamel, IL.
I have lurked around his blog for most of the time he has had it up, occasionally posting.
Have been checking in more frequently and posting more since the Issues, Etc. debacle.
I'm an LCMS layman; married with two children. I'm a political-science professor at a large university, and am editor of a scholarly journal.
Hello all,
I have been a member of the LCMS for only 2 1/2 years. I stumbled across Pastor Weedon's blog one day and was amazed at the information as well as Pastor Weedon's passion for the faith.
Prior to attending an LCMS church I was an ordained Deacon in the Anglican Catholic Church. I truly appreciate the fullness of the faith that is expressed on this site.
I'm 18, and a student at the University of North Texas.I hope to enter the ministry after graduation. I was baptized into the Confessional Lutheran Church at the tender age of 8, after being invited to church by my pastor's son (we lived down the street). I am the only Lutheran in my family. Pr. Weedon, take heart -- I'm not a kraut either!
After attending Christ Academy this past summer, I feel called to the ministry in this confessional church. I continue to pray that His will be done.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Tory W. Sumrall ~ Jer. 1:18
Randall from Texas, an LCMS pastor. I have been visiting since the Issues event. I was a field ed. student at Emmaus in Dorsey, and a classmate of mine was there at Hamel.
I'm a lifelong Lutheran chick married to pastor's kid. I live across the state from Pr. Weedon, a resident of the totally awesome Central Illinois District. I'm a homeschooling mom and a regular poster on the Martin Looper's email list.
I've been a weekly check-in reader of this blog for quite awhile, but the Issues issues brought me to add this blog into my Google Reader.
Thanks for writing this blog, Pr. Weedon!
I'm an 8th grade math teacher, wife, mother, and grandma from Nebraska.
I've been looking in on this blog for several years. I first heard Pastor Weedon on Issue's Etc. He was speaking about the Capadocian Fathers. I was interested in this because I had been attempting to study the differences between the Eastern Orthodox viewpoint and the LCMS viewpoint. Though I'm a lifelong Lutheran, at one point I had my beliefs seriously challenged and was considering a switch. The things I learned on Issues and from this blog have helped me, and I remain LCMS. I really appreciate the input from our Orthodox brothers and sisters.
I read this blog about once a week to catch up. I used to listen to Issues almost daily on my way home from work. I will miss it and hope it will reappear as suddenly as it disappeared.
God's blessings to you.
My name is Josh, and my wife (Diane) and I started reading your blog about six months ago. I'm a seminary student in St. Louis and we're members of Emmaus Ev. LC. We met Pr. Weedon briefly at the Gregorian Chant class held there, and we're sure to meet again at the upcoming Evening Prayer for Issues.
I visited Dr. Nagel some time ago and he said something like, "Weedon is a great liturgical resource, listen to what he says." So, following Dr. Nagel's orders, I check this blog every day!
Thanks for all the great quotes, thoughts, and information!
I was raised SBC and married into LCMS Lutheran family. What a two-fer, huh!!
I rode along for several years, enduring deaths in my wife's family and other difficulties with very little faith. My spark came from a sermon preached by one of our vicars. I don't remember his exact words but he was basically condemning most "Christian pop/rock" as heresy. That one sentence lit my fire because I was pretty big into that stuff and it made me start researching. Lo and behold, I found that he was right! That was also when I first heard of the infamous prayer by Pr. Benke. I didn't really understand it at that point. FF to about a year and a half ago, a new friend of mine pointed me to Issues, etc. The rest is history. I'm taking in theology as fast as I can.
I learned of Pr. Weedon's blog through IE. I love you sermons, pastor. I always looked forward to when Todd would review one of yours or Pr. Cwirla's sermons.
34 year old LCMS pastor with a lovely wife and 3 adorable kids ages 5 years to 9 months. Serve a dual parish in Southern Illinois, 70 minutes south of Hamel. I met William shortly after ordination because he was my PALS supervisor (aren't all you new LCMS pastors jealous? For those who don't know, PALS is a group to help guys fresh out of the sem transition to the challenges of parish life.) I've been reading this blog for 2-3 years now on an almost daily basis.
It's so nice and fascinating to read your posts, everyone.
"Past Elder" is Terry Maher from Omaha. Baptised and raised pre-conciliar RC, graduated from one of the hot spots of conciliar "reform", renounced Christianity in all forms for twenty years thereafter, married a woman who turns out left LCMS in similar fashion after the Seminex scandal, after a year of instruction and the BOC professed the Lutheran faith 15 December 1996, served as an elder in WELS (hence the "past elder"), in large part because of the presence of bloggers like Pastor joined LCMS 27 August 2006. I'm in the financial sector, and a widower now with two school age kids. My role in confessional Lutheranism seems to be keeping us all from being taken as crypto-papists, as my view of the Roman church isn't much different than my view of the happy-clappy pseudo-evangelical movement in terms of influence on "our beloved synod".
I am the pastor of Immanuel Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Virginia. I first met Pastor Weedon when I was the pastor of a congregation in the Southern Illinois District. I don't comment on the blog much, but subscribe to the feed and read it "religiously"; "Weedon's Blog" is one of the few feeds privileged to be in my highly-elite "Can't Miss" folder.
Hello there; my name is Jeff and I am a member of University Lutheran in Minneapolis. I enjoy reading your blog -- it is definetly one of the best out there! THANKS and keep up the good work!
I am Craig, an LCMS layman in Omaha. I started reading Pr. Weedon after hearing him on IE. One of my cousins is an ELCA pastor and he is lurking here like me. Hopefully he will learn some orthodoxy from Pr. Weedon's writings. I also love this blog http://bookofconcord.blogspot.com/
I'm Heather. I am a deaconess student minoring in Biblical languages at Concordia University Chicago (more affectionately known as River Forest to many, including me). Currently, I am in the final months of my internship with Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services in Watertown, Wisconsin. This fall I return to RF for my final semester of classes and the wait for my first Call.
I found Weedon's Blog among a list titled "Places I Go For Gospel." I now check three of those every day (Weedon, Cyberstones and Esgetology). I am enjoying the opportunity to learn about the historic lectionary. But, most of all, these blogs have been great encouragement to me as I serve in challenging and temporary circumstances. Praise be to God for the faithful witness of these servants of the Most High!
I'm Bob, an LCMS layman living in the Florida panhandle. I grew up in a Mennonite home, left it to spend 23 years in the Navy, and during that journey met a great LCMS woman. We've been married 27 years. My blogging experience began in earnest since March 18. I read blogs, seldom comment, but learn so much from you all. I particularly enjoy Pr. Weedon's blog and those of other confessional thinkers and writers. Again, thanks for teaching and reaching so many people.
I am Thomas Fast, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fairmont, MN. I know Pastor Weedon from my time of service down in Illinois some years ago. I thoroughly enjoy reading this blog and plan on continuing to visit here as long as Pastor Weedon continues to post.
My wife visits regularly as well.
Hi. I'm Darren Harbaugh. I'm from Los Angeles, but currently a 1st year student at Concordia Seminary - St Louis.
I used to be a methobapifundigelimergical but I got fed up and left the church for a while. My wife Becca (girlfriend at the time) attended Rev. Cwirla's church. Through Becca, Cwirla, and Craig Parton's book "The Defense Never Rests," I became Lutheran.
Blogs like yours and pastor Cwirla's; programs such as The White Horse Inn and Issues Etc; have all been wonderful examples of Christ-centered, cross-focused media that prompted me to seriously consider the lutheran faith and eventually seminary.
Hi. I'm Jane Casey and I've been reading your blog at least a couple of times a week for a couple of years. (And of course I've got you linked from my blog.) My husband and I and our four kids are members of Redeemer in Fort Wayne.
Hi, my name is Sharon. I've known Pr. Bill & Cindi for going on 11 years! It seems longer right Pastor? I've been reading Pastor's blog for a few years now since he forgets to e-mail me his sermons. (I am a catechist at St. Paul's and need them for my lessons) This is my first attempt at responding, (Pr. Bill may hope it is my last ; )) but I really enjoyed reading all the previous posts, so I decided to give it a try! I am a self-appointed big-head shrinker for Pr. Bill and after reading all these wonderful compliments I can see I'll have to work a little over-time (I think I might have to enlist Crys's help for this job)! Seriously though I am a life-long Lutheran, a PK but contrary to many popular notions about PK's I was a good kid! I was pretty well versed in Bible stories minus appropriate Law/Gospel application and little if any knowledge about the confessions other than the SC. I was a pleaser so I was ripe for some hard twists and turns on my spiritual journey. I came to true confessional Lutheranism via 4 years of Bible Study Fellowship which almost convinced me I wasn't being faithful enough to be saved and 2 separate, often lonely wrestling matches with Eastern Orthodoxy. In all of these struggles it was Issues Etc. that was my life raft along with help from Pr. Baker's Law & Gospel. Oh yeah, in the midst of all that the Lord lead my husband and I and our 4 kids to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hamel where I met this Pastor who actually really sounded sure of, and excited to be, truly Lutheran! And he has this wonderful wife with a gorgeous voice who is such a great friend! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! I knew then and still know now, that at least this side of heaven,cuy I am home! Nice to meet all you other travelers on the way! Hopefully I'll meet some of you face to face on April 13. Don't worry Pastor, I won't have time to post often. : )
I'm Pastor Daniel Grams from Holy Trinity Garfield, New Jersey. I have the distinct honor of serving at the place where Bill Weedon served as a vicar. Don't worry...I won't tell any Vicar Weedon stories... :-)
I've been reading Weedon's blog for the past couple years. Most likely, I found it originally by a link from Cyberstones.
Weedon knows my mother. But not me.
I've been reading Weedon's blog for a couple years at least. Used to be a Methodist. Now my wife, daughter and I are Lutheran.
Eric Rapp
I'm Chris Ridenour and a pre-sem student majoring in Christian Studies at McKendree U. I'm LC-MS under the tutalage and pastoring of Pr. Brian Holle of Messiah Lutheran and have met you on two occasions for pericope studies. I'm also a friend of the Kruta's.
Hi. I'm Pastor Jeremy Loesch. I serve a church in Newark, Delaware and live with my wife and two sons across the border in Maryland. I highly enjoy Pastor Weedon's blog and find it very helpful and reasonable. I used to blog when I served a church in Ohio, but that was before marriage and kids. Maybe I'll start again. This whole Issues, Etc thing has got me very irritated and I appreciate all the light that is being shed- light, not heat. (Todd is married to my cousin, so he's family. And we pray for the Wilken's and Schwarz's everyday.) Thanks for your blog work Rev. Weedon, and blessings on our Gospel proclamation! Jeremy
Mainly, I lurk with a purpose. I keep our Web site here at St. Paul, so I read Pastor’s blog several times a week looking for the good stuff to up-date our site and for “This Week’s Sermon.” I’m a terrible typist and hate typing the homilies in by hand. I also really enjoy reading the rest of the blog. I usually save the quotes from St. Ephrem – my favorites. Candy
I'm Eric 23, from Canada. I found your blog through the fearsome pirate's blog a (year?) while ago. Keep up the good work!
I'm Pr. Luke Zimmerman, and I serve congregations in Dexter and Casey, Iowa. Stumbled onto Pr. Weedon's blog after hearing him on Issues, Etc., as well as hearing about him from friends and acquaintances who were/are in the Southern Illinois District (e.g. Prs. Juhl and Leistico) and other pastors in Synod.
Though I do not personally know Pr. Weedon, I find that his posts are nearly always enlightening. They also show common interests to mine, such as reading from Henry Eyster Jacobs and Charles Porterfield Krauth (Lutherans from the 19th Century General Council) and patristic and liturgical studies. I also enjoy the fact that he interacts with commentators and shows a graciousness with them on his blog and other websites--something that, unfortunately, is not always seen from others who engage in online writing.
LTZ
I'm Rev. Gerson Flor, married to Guislei and father of Gabriela (7) and Julia (5). We live in Georgetown, Ontario, where I am the pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church.
I cannot recall how I first found this highly addictive blog, but I guess everyone here knows why I keep checking: on finding one pearl of great value...
Thanks, Pastor Weedon, for your help in keeping the gospel on the web (and on the LCMS). As long as the truth is confessed here, those stats will keep going up. (Btw, I wonder what stats would Mr. Grand have for your blog...).
Peace in Christ!
boy Dad, I think Sharon's right...her and Crys DO have a lot to do!
I'm sure they'll start next time you play cards...(because they'll probably wipe your face in the dirt! :))
I'm 47, live in St. Louis and my name is Lynne - I've been reading the blog for awhile now, I really enjoy that you post your sermons. (Yes, I am that Lynne, Dingo's mother)
If I wasn't so computer illiterate, I think it might be fun to have my own blog....but I have tried, without much (strike that, without any) success to set one up. Oh well. I shall just continue to enjoy everyone who posts here.
I'm a software developer in the heart of LCMS country, San Jose, CA, not! Pastor Weedon and the many wonderful guests on Issues, Etc. brought me back to my Lutheran Day School roots.
I run Wittenberg Media (http://wittenbergmedia.org), a podcast that is releasing old episodes of Issues, Etc. by topics and guests.
I have only been visiting because of the Issues Etc scandal. Keep up the good work.
Hi Pastor Weedon,
I am Cheryl Magness, a homeschooling mom and pianist in Chicagoland. I have been a regular visitor for some time.
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