02 January 2013

Start of Year Housekeeping: 2013

by Frank Turk

Housekeeping, as we begin the new year. For those just now getting out of bed, it is in fact 2013. Phil Johnson (allegedly) has quit the internet, Barack Obama was re-elected president, we have gone over the fiscal cliff, and I merely mentioned giving up blogging in my Christmas post just to grinch the Christmases of people who would hope it would come true. The coal in their stocking is that I am back.



As my daughter once said as I tucked her into bed, "wait! wait! WAIT! I HAVE SOME MORE TO SAY!" Fortunately for all of you, whatever it is I have left to say is merely reduced to housekeeping notes at the beginning of the new year. This list is in no particular order.

  • Beginning this Friday, the "Best of Phil" feature will return as we have a new unpaid and under-appreciated staff member on the roster. If he wants to introduce himself on the comments, I welcome him to do so -- but we offer the cover of anonymity via the Staff account so that our unpaid and overworked volunteers don;t have to take any grief for their efforts. It's a relief for me personally to have someone reliable working on that feature.
  • Dose of Spurgeon continues as scheduled on Sundays, and effectively providing content on Mondays for those of you who wisely take Sunday off from crowd-sourced media.
  • However, that leaves the question open regarding the call for open submissions to "guest Pyro" as we offered back in Sep/Oct. Dan and I haven't sorted out who, exactly, is supposed to accept, approve, format and publish those submissions. Because all those submissions would need some kind of editorial filter (we do use one, so no snide remarks), either Dan or I have to find the 2 hours a week to get on top of that. No word as to when that will get rightside up.
  • For the invasively-curious, and for insight into what kind of fellow I am in real life, I have received a promotion at work to start the new year as well. Functionally, I think that means I'll be constrained to my one post per week here.

That's enough for today. Happy New Year. Prepare to be boarded.







22 comments:

Jeremiah Halstead said...

I didn't really love it... but it wasn't bad. I just needed to reverse the damage of the one-star-hater who apparently doesn't like change either

DJP said...

"... I am back."

Best horizontal news today. Worth 5 stars all by itself.

Congrats on the promotion.

Anonymous said...

This blog does such a good job both in posting articles and moderating the meta, and I don't think some how realize how long it takes. Sometimes my parents get frustrated with how long I spent online doing my blog. Look forward to 2013 articles, Team Pyro!

Rational νεόφυτος said...

"Phil Johnson (allegedly) has quit the internet..." THAT'S the new years resolution that I should have made this year...

Nash Equilibrium said...

Congratulations on your promotion in your real job. Here's to those of us with real jobs!

FX Turk said...

"real job" as opposed to "professional blogger". Don't let anyone ready too keenly between the lines.

Nash Equilibrium said...

Exactly.

Tom Chantry said...

Frank's real job is where he goes to escape his mom's basement.

#tiredbloggeerjokes

FX Turk said...

I can't tell if that's James White or Dan Phillips' picture -- who is that person?

DJP said...

You mean it's not Mitch Miller?

Michael Coughlin said...

Best post all year. Thanks, Frank. I look forward to more. Congratulations on the promotion.

Nash Equilibrium said...

I loved Sing Along with Mitch when I was a kid!

Kerry James Allen said...

Chantry, keep up those insults and you permanently jeopardize your chances of ever becoming an unnamed, unrecognized member of the Pyro staff like that guy who was unnamed to staff today, whoever he is. Don't say I didn't warn you. And I'm still with you on the no beard thing in 2013 Frank.

FX Turk said...

Word to Coughlin: Beard or no Beard, but don't be messy.

Stephen said...

I think One Star Hater has some free time to edit your guest posts. Or he can write them him (or her) self!

Aaron Snell said...

Any takers yet on the submission invitation?

FX Turk said...

To our shame, yes. they have been in limbo for months.

Anonymous said...

I've read this blog for a while, and one post I would be really like you to write is how you balance your career with your personal faith. Is this something you ever discuss in the corporate lunchroom? Moreover, how do you manage relationships with coworkers and underlings? For example as a Christian, we have views concerning the Biblical roles for women. How does this come into play at work? What if you have a female underling who finds your blog and says, "aha, no wonder I'm being treated unfairly".

FX Turk said...

The first step in being a Christian at work is to give up on the idea that anyone can be or ought to be your "underling." While I have consenting staff here at the blog who sign up to be underappreciated and unpaid, at work it turns out much better when you see each person as a colleague who is gracious enough to put up with you and your faults personally.

The second step is to be great at your job. That means you do it better than anyone expects you to do it -- not that you make it a habit of telling anyone how great thou art. You derive a sense of accomplishment from a job done well.

The third step is to listen, and answer the questions people are actually asking you. Over the last 4 years here at my current employer, I have had the opportunity to tell people about the depravity of man, the unique place among all literature occupied by the Bible, the sanctity of life, the supremacy of Christ, and the reconciling power of the Gospel not just between God and man, but also between fellow human beings -- all in the context of being an imperfect human being these people see every day.

Now go and do the same.

Jim Crigler said...

I'm with Dan: The first paragraph is worth 5 stars all by itself.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your promotion. Well done :)

Mary Elizabeth Tyler said...

The following is a perfect reason for reading the articles here on Pyro; and why I love the fact that Frank has made the right decision to keep on keepin' on: "The third step is to listen, and answer the questions people are actually asking you. Over the last 4 years here at my current employer, I have had the opportunity to tell people about the depravity of man, the unique place among all literature occupied by the Bible, the sanctity of life, the supremacy of Christ, and the reconciling power of the Gospel not just between God and man, but also between fellow human beings -- all in the context of being an imperfect human being these people see every day."

I love this blog!!!