Somewhere recently I heard the comment, "2006 called, and they want their blog back." It was 20 years ago in late December 2005 / early January 2006 I joined the blogger trend. Now, blogs are primarily extinct dinosaurs; social media is trending as the popular means of human interaction. While I don't update this blog as frequently as I did in earlier years, I still maintain it regularly as an enjoyable hobby. I happily exist among other blogger dinosaurs: we are the 8-track tapes of social media.
Words cannot express the depth of gratitude I have for the millions of people that have visited Beggars All over the past 20 years. This blog has always been a hobby... a selfish hobby. That others have visited here and have benefitted from my hobby has brought me joy and a profound humbling gratitude: feelings I cannot fully express in words.
It is through this blog that I have met amazing people... some well-known, some that should be well known! This blog has given me long lasting cyber friendships with people that I have never met in person but feel like close friends. Technology often rightly gets a bad rap, but yet... thank God for the technology that has given me invaluable cyber-friends!
This blog has also given me a number of amazing opportunities: writing articles for well-known websites, YouTube interviews, doing research for other authors, and even mentions in published books. These opportunities sometimes feel to me like I'm a theological Chauncey Gardner, Being There. For those of you that have asked me countless times over the years: why haven't you written a book? Yes, there is a book written. I'm not sure when it will be released by the publisher.
What is the future of Beggars All? I don't know. I'm surprised the blogger platform still exists. I expect to open up my browser one day and discover Blogger has been retired or changed to some sort of pop-up nightmare of advertisements. I've also yet to work through the most recent changes in technology, that being artificial intelligence. I've interacted with a number of people on social media that are using it as a primary source. For instance, I asked more than a few people about reading a quote in context, and I was provided with AI screenshot overviews as proof. In one bizarre instance, AI created a fake Luther quote. I spent hours looking for it, only to be told by a defender of Rome it was generated by AI. Then there's ChatGPT: I've never used it, and I abhor it. I will not use it on this blog. My writing warts will be visible to all.
Again: to all my friends (and yes, even my cyber-enemies) ... thank you for 20 years of cyber interaction!
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6 comments:
Thank you James. The site is a wealth of information for me to educate myself and defend Luther from the many false claims about him. I came here today to do just that today regarding his beliefs on Mary's IC and came across this. I've pointed people here repeatedly because if they make certain claims which are roundly refuted here and choose not to read it then that is on them. They have the resources but simply choose not to avail themselves to it. Thanks again..Btw, i hope youre backing your site up somehow in case that day does come when its turned off. Hopefully it won't.
Thank you! I suspect you're the same person from CARM... if so, I enjoy and benefit from your posts.
I actually have a new Luther and the IC blog post in the works- probably won't be up until sometime in January.
James, keep up the great work you have done! Your Beggars All site has been and is one of my main "Go To" sites for information and links on Luther and Reformation history and information!!!
Thanks for the support over the years!
Yes, your diligent substantiated research has been a very helpful blessing to me, having created web pages from your research, and is in stark contrast to sources such YouTube - including fake Ai dialogs, mimicking actual voices (Clint Eastwood Breaks Silence: The Night He Gave His Life to Jesus, most likely, sadly, being one of them) - TikTok and even Quora (some good answers on history, but lacks substantiation). Thank God.
Thank you! I appreciate the many comments you leave here.
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