Here is a list of some things I've learned on this five year Adventure in Blogossey that I've been on with my Thinklings bros, plus some general things I've learned just by living.

This is kind of random and stream-of-conscienceishy. And it's not exhaustive, although you may be exhausted after slogging through it.

1. I don't know everything.
2. I do, however, have opinions. Lots of 'em.
3. I'm not sure how important it is for me to write most of them down.
4. I've learned that I don't always have to tell people I disagree with them. Unfortunately, I don't always follow my own advice. Another blogger who I consider a friend told me today that he feels like much of what I write is directed, negatively, at him. This isn't the case, but he had a point that the comment I left on his space sure could be interpreted that way. I really wish in that case I would have just kept my opinion to myself, since it wasn't that important of an opinion anyway.
5. Disagreeing with someone doesn't have to be bad. But don't be surprised if they take it as a bad thing. There's a real cost/benefit to be weighed out whenever writing something negative. A good rule of thumb is that usually the cost outweighs the benefit.
6. Lots and lots of bloggers write better than I do.
7. I have to have a group blog. I've tried solo-blogging. I stink at it. That's why I'm back here on Thinklings.
8. Quoting our friend Glenn Lucke of Common Grounds, from a Del Pueblo-Moot from a few years ago: "Blogging is a huge waste of time." He didn't mean it as a universal rule, I don't think, but he does have a point.
9. I wonder sometimes if, on Judgement Day, I'll be judged for spending too much time in the blogosphere. My guess is, yes. That being said . . .
10. I think blogging positively is a good thing. We're surrounded by a lot of negative messages in our culture. I think it's a bit counter-cultural to be a positive person and a positive writer.
11. Of course, I need to be clear-eyed about things. There is a place for criticism. I do think that, in general, the volume knob for criticism in our culture, and very much so in the blogosphere, is set to 11.
12. This is huge: You know how, up to a certain age, babies don't yet have "object permanence"? This means that if you show them a ball, and then hide it from them, they forget that the ball exists. The blogosphere is much like that. In my first few years, stuff written on some blogs would really bug me. It took me awhile to realize that all I had to do was (get ready for a genius insight . . .) QUIT READING THEM. When you quit paying attention to a blog that isn't helpful, it's just like hiding a ball from a baby, except in this case, the ball is that blog and you are the baby. The bottom-line effect is the same: the blog that isn't helpful quits existing, as far as you're concerned. And that's a good thing.
13. As a corollary, I believe in relatively small blogrolls. In the early years, I'd run across blogs that had hundreds and hundreds of blogs in their blogrolls. Recip-rolls were popular too. I think one should actually read the blogs in one's roll. By definition, that makes the roll relatively small.
14. It's a crime that Jared Wilson isn't published yet. It's also just a matter of time.
15. I think, on the whole, the blogosphere is a good thing.
16. I really mean that.
17. I can't speak for the other Thinklings, but I think they'd agree with this: the only thing that makes blogging here worthwhile is the friendships made and those rare occasions when someone lets us know that they've been blessed by what was written here.
18. Holy cow, it's good to have Bird back!
19. I love the church. I can't help it - I really, really do.
20. I am beginning to think I'm called to love the church, and to speak positively of her, and to find those moments of beauty in the church, and to encourage others to do the same. I feel sometimes like I need to defend the church.
21. In a comments thread on an old post of mine, someone once reminded me that Max Lucado does the above a lot better than I do. Even though it kind of ticked me off at the time, they were right.
22. It was meant as a double-insult, by the way, because it's not cool to like Max Lucado.
23. I quit caring about what was cool a long time ago. I like all sorts of people who are snickered at by other people.
24. Well, maybe. I just re-read the previous item and it really just sounds like me trying to be cool. I can't win . . .
25. I was never cool growing up. I didn't know how to be cool. I tried, trust me. I never got it right. One beautiful thing about salvation, about Jesus, and about His Bride, the Church - for me at least - is that you don't have to be cool, you don't have to be somebody to be in the family of God.
26. I was horrified when "cool" started to become a key value in the church. I'm glad that trend is somewhat tapering off (at least in the circles I run in).
27. I first started noticing this back when I was doing youth ministry with a para-church organization in the 80s, and heard the leaders talk about how important it was that we attract the "key-kids", meaning the high school leaders (athletes, cheerleaders, etc).
28. This kind of talk always made me feel like I was betraying my tribe. I was, as I mentioned, not cool growing up. For some weird reason, doing student ministry kind of endowed me with a slight amount of cool. But, at my core, I was and still remain a nerd.
29. So when I hear talk about attracting the "key kids", I always wonder when I'll hear someone talk about attracting the kids who have no friends.
30. I think, in general, the church really attracts a lot of uncool people. And I mean that in a good way. Because the church is sometimes the only safe-haven for people like that (particularly for outcast junior high and high school students).
31. I've been around a lot of students. In my experience, the only times I've ever seen kids who are outcasts in junior high and high school society be accepted unconditionally by other students has been in church student groups. Oh my Lord Jesus that's beautiful to watch!
32. For some kids, the church is the only place they can escape the Darwinian jungle that is junior high and high school.
33. Jesus always seemed really interested in meeting and mixing with people everyone else hated. Just think about that. It's pretty hard for a nerd like me not to love Jesus. How could I not? He loves nerds, which means he loves me.
34. All that being said, I don't think there's anything wrong with being cool, especially when cool is mixed with the fruit of the Spirit.
35. And I've learned over time that even the coolest people hurt. Deep down, we're not all that different. Especially when bonded together in Christ.
36. Most of the coolest people I know are Christians.
37. I love Christians. I wish everyone was one.
38. I think this world without Christians would be a pit. Christians are the hands and feet of Jesus on earth.
39. I recently called for help to some Christian guys I know. A few of them I've never even met in real life. You know what I discovered? I discovered I have some true friends. That makes me rich.
40. No man is a failure who has friends (I'm quoting Clarence Oddbody here, from the greatest movie ever made, It's a Wonderful Life)
41. I know that neither Christians nor the church are perfect. Far from it. But neither am I.
42. I think criticizing the church can be a good thing. I think it needs to be done with lots of care, though.
43. I think some people are called to be prophetic voices for change and reform in the church. Some of them have blogs, and I appreciate their blogs very much
44. The Thinklings readers are the best in the blogosphere. Bar none.
45. To my friend: if you've read this, none of this is directed at you. You are an awesome writer and I've grown from reading what you write, even when I disagree with it. You rock.