Merry Christmas

You might not have noticed, but I've been blogging now for three years. In my first blog post, I wrote:
... some blogs are nothing more than opinionated (sometimes bigoted) outlets for people to spew their irrationality onto the internet. But some blogs aren't always bad, and there is some utility in them, the most obvious of which is keeping up with obscure news. That's what inspired me to start this blog. (Imagine that: blog hater to blogger in under a year. What's the world coming to?)
Guess what? Not much has changed. I'm continually amazed at the ways my writing gets misinterpreted, eisegeted (is that a word?), warped, twisted, etc. I've certainly made a lot of people angry because of what I've written, and my enemy list is probably longer than it was.

On the other hand, I've made a lot of new friends thanks to this blog. I've always wanted this to be a haven from the cocksure arrogance that characterizes many people involved in the creation/evolution war. I haven't always succeeded. I've definitely gotten carried away on occasion, but for the most part I think I've created a place for those who just aren't sure what to make of this whole debate. I'm glad for that, and I'm grateful for all your encouragement. Thanks for your kind feedback.

What's coming for the new year? I have a lot of research projects that I want to get done. I say that every year about this time, and then I don't get everything done that I hoped. But I seem to be on a roll this year. In the past two weeks, I've finished two papers that I was working on this fall, and I've started a new one. I'm getting ready to finish the research for a very (VERY) large project, and I've got plans for a few contributions to the next ICC. To top it all off, I've got three student research projects to supervise in the spring semester. Sounds like a lot on my plate, but I love it. It's what I'm here for.

Some of you have written to inquire what I meant back in October when I wrote,
I've been pondering that question a lot lately, and I've been taking a long, hard look at my own involvement in the creation/evolution debate. I don't mind saying that I'm reconsidering a lot of things, and there will probably be some important changes coming before the end of the year. Stay tuned, I guarantee it'll be fun!
Some readers have been worried about what that meant, but the "important changes" referred to how the blog was run and what kinds of things I posted about. Part of the "reconsidering" was revealed in my essay for the Colossian Forum. In the future I want to make this blog more overtly edifying than it has been, but I'm still not sure how to do that. If you have suggestions, I'd be grateful to hear them.

Finally, I pray that you will have a blessed Christmas. I should probably encourage you to think about "the true meaning of Christmas," but that phrase seems so trite, doesn't it? Instead, I'll just ask you to be grateful. Jesus would rather die than live without you. What an amazing blessing that is!

Feedback? Email me at toddcharleswood [at] gmail [dot] com.