Hi everyone. It’s been forever since I’ve updated this puppy. Life has continued in full swing as I look back at everything 2006 has brought–marriage, relocation to a new state and house church community, and now (I guess this is my first Myspace announcement about it) a child on the way for Jasmin and I. Wotta year. I feel extremely blessed, and a bit drained to be perfectly frank with you. More year-end reflections to come, I promise.
But this has also been a significant year for the growth of another of my “babies” (as in, not-the-kind-growing-in-my-wife’s-womb), zoecarnate.com As some of you know, my partner-in-crime Philip and I started the site (originally on geocities) to keep people abreast of what was happening online in the alternative Christian world–among those who seek to know and life by Jesus’ life, but for whom conventional institutional religion does not do it.
Well at the time, zoecarnate.com had about 1,200 sites linked on it–churches, web ‘zines, (eventually) bloggers, that kind of thing. The simple act of finding all of these off-the-beaten-path treasures has been spiritually formative; it has broadened my horizons and deepened my waters considerably. So as of recently, we now have over 5,000 sites linked up. Every week, we get emails from folks thanking us because they realized that they’re not the only crazy ones out there–that in every nook and cranny on the globe now, you can find enclaves of faith, hope and love amidst the insanity of religion.
So anyway…if you haven’t been on the site in awhile, check it out and explore. If you’re regular user of the site, please read on, because–here’s where the shameless plug part comes in–we need your help.
zoecarnate has been and remains a 100% volunteer effort, and we plan to keep it free for everyone. The site costs us money, though, and we’re trying to raise about $6k for the massive renovations the site needs. What renovations? Well, a complete redesign, a more intuitive interface, and fully databased links so that folks can connect to the people you want and find what they’re looking for around the world. We’ve already received a generous grant from the Millennia Foundation, which is a wonderful start.
Our needs are still substantial, but we’re asking friends of the site to donate a paltry $3.00. If enough people pitch in, we think we can get the whole job done. For more information (and to donate if you’re so inclined), go here.
I want to reiterate that if you’re one of my “general Myspace friends,” please don’t feel that this is addressed to you. Just enjoy the site! But for those of you who have written and expressed your support since we began this eclectic potpourri of linking excellence in 2003, we would very much appreciate your support!
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