Sidebar stuff
Nearly every blog on the web provides links to other blogs. That's one of the essential components of a blog. That's one of the defining characteristics of a blog. Philosophies about how to decide which links to display vary widely. Some bloggers will link to anything that catches their fancy at a particular moment. I don't do that because it tends to result in 50 to 100 or more links, which doesn't help readers find anything useful. Other bloggers link to sites that link back in return. If I followed that practice, I'd only have four links in my sidebar (Peachwater, The Bible Archive, The Noble Pundit, and Keep it Simple, Stupid (KISS)). Others restrict their links to sites that also deal with the blog's main topic. I'd have an empty sidebar if I did that. So I, personally, just link to blogs that I regularly read myself and provide links to other sites that I enjoy and/or find useful.
The top three links in my sidebar fall under the heading of Blog Role Models. These are blogs that I want to emulate in some way. I read Donald Sensing's One Hand Clapping every day. He is a Methodist minister (not Buddhist, despite the title) who served in the Army for a number of years. He writes about current events from a Christian perspective. His usually focuses on military issues, in which he has a fair level of expertise. I look to him as a role model because he writes well, prolifically, and with authority. He also shows humility, always making a point of setting the record straight when he has been wrong about something.
Martin Roth doesn't write quite as regularly—two or three times a week—but his posts are invariably insightful, educational, and well-written. Mr. Roth is also a Christian. He lives in Australia and came to Christianity through Buddhism, a background that gives him an interesting perspective.
Heal Your Church Web Site, aka HYCWS, probably doesn't offer anything of use to most people who visit The Happy Husband. I list it because it made me realize the possibilities of a Web-based ministry and inspired me to begin this site. Every post there offers absolutely practical information about running a Web site, particularly a church Web site, and I hope that this site will someday accomplish its purpose half as well as HYCWS does.
I found HYCWS while looking for resources to help me improve my own church's site. I found Martin Roth through a link at HYCWS. I found One Hand Clapping through a link at Martin Roth. That's why bloggers link to each other, so we can all share in the good stuff and form a sort of community.
I have recently begun reading a few other sites that I'm now adding to the sidebar. Stacy—a wife, mother, and devoted Christian—keeps a journal that chronicles her "walk through marriage, parenthood, servanthood and the family of God." Her site is called K.I.S.S.—Keep It Simple, Stupid. I found it through my referral logs. I don't know how she found this site, but I'm glad she did because I enjoy reading hers as well.
StateDog is a more traditional-format blog, serving as a place for blogger Blake to write about whatever comes into his head. I don't usually care much for sites like this as they usually seem to be directed at close friends and family members. But Blake often has something worth sharing with the world, sometimes even about marriage and family issues.
I mentioned Fragments From Floyd in a post earlier this week. I've begun reading Fred's posts every day (Fred lives in Floyd County, Virginia, hence the name) simply for the stunning amount of creativity and joy for living that he expresses. And he has a cool dog.
11/23/03 Update: It has been brought to my attention that there are now two other blogs that link to The Happy Husband: :: blogging: mccord style :: and Martin Roth(!). Also check out this post's comments and see some of the biggest
ego-boosters most encouraging things I've ever heard.
