There has been a lot of talk about how “blogging is dead” “Twitter is meaner than it used to be” “Facebook’s money grubbing ways ruins everything” (okay that last one is kind of true) and it makes me question why I even bother showing up.

But then I remember. I remember that two of my dearest friends I have yet to meet in real life. I remember that the internet gave me the courage to do things I really want to do. Sites like Deeper Story, SheLoves, The Mudroom made me aware that I was not alone, and that we are stronger together. I remember that “me too” is often what we need to hear. I remember that the internet came together to feed my kid’s classroom snack for a whole school year.

Y’all, I love the internet. I still love the internet. I don’t think that blogging could possibly be dead. There are still so many of us showing up. So let’s celebrate that! I know that starting a round-up is like placing a kick me sign on my own back. I know about “she only links up her friends” and “what the heck does a girl have to do to get noticed?” I know because I have said all those things. So, let me let you in on a secret. I LOVE IT WHEN PEOPLE CHOOSE THEMSELVES! Find me on twitter, on Facebook, tell me that you wrote something awesome. Put it in the comments on these posts. There is so much goodness on the internet, and I want to know about more of it.

So! Without further explanation,

I LOVE THE INTERNET! (vol. 1)

Ed Cyzewski writes honestly about Christian publishing. Ed is the realest. Experienced, honest, and generous. This advice was clearly hard one and he is just handing it out on his blog!

When Commercial Christian Publishing was Bad for My soul. 

Sarah Kovac on broken bodies and communion. This is my first introduction to her. Wow. “I avoided eye contact as I returned to my pew. I, a wife and mother, who has lived independently and enjoys a successful career, had to be fed like a toddler in front of hundreds of people.”

I Boycotted Church Over Communion

Becca Stanley writes honestly about the how hard it can be living amidst brokenness. “It all feels lately like a hopeless tangle of fights and arrests. And we watch, mired in our own helpless uncertainty as everyone gives up on them, until finally they give up on themselves. Can anyone escape this warzone unscathed? I roll the question around in my chest, hoping the answer may yet surprise me. ”

Dry Bones

Kate Schell on what it means to miss church, but not fit anywhere, but believe in redemption, but have lots of questions. “Won’t I always be a Christian, though? Wasn’t Susan still a queen of Narnia, even when she started wearing lipstick and stopped believing? Could she see a hotel wardrobe or a beaver at the zoo without remembering that lifetime of magic?”

Church Bells

Esther Emery gives voice to how I feel about being a Christian feminist. “For better or for worse, I’m stuck right in. Whatever “Christian woman” means, it means me, too. I can’t and won’t let go of my identity in Christ.”

The Christian Sisterhood, For Better and For Worse

Jamie Wright Bagley writes about when you just don’t feel it anymore. “It’s hard to believe in fullness if I am feeling empty, and there are still plenty of days that look this way; when the sun is blazing but the heat does not reach my center or set my heart on fire.”

When Your Heart Hits a Wall

Places to Watch

She Loves Magazine is completely golden this month with Dangerous Women. This week Tanya Marlow wrote about crying. You know I loved that. “In the early years of my Christian ministry, I felt ashamed of my strong emotions. Surrounded by men who debated Calvinism versus Arminianism for breakfast, I often felt excluded for caring about how decisions and theological debates would impact people emotionally.”

Armed With Tears

The Mudroom Blog is still pretty new, I am excited about this space (Full disclosure: I write here.) Because it is new, it is actively seeking submissions! Get on that! I loved Brenna’s piece about hoping to show her daughters a courageous mom. “My goal as a mother is to raise girls who love God, love others, and are brave and here I am hiding from a picture so I don’t have to see myself. I want to accomplish big things; to be someone they can look up to and emulate. I want them to remember me as someone just as strong and brave and daring as the women they grew up reading about.”

What I want them to Remember

 

Because it is Friday!

Someone made a digital spirograph and you can play with it for free. This is why I love the internet.

Play with the spirograph

Why do you love the internet? Show me in the comments!