David J. Garcia » My life

We did it! 30 days of blogging: complete

David J Garcia — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:29:17 +0000

Gather round; it’s time for a debriefing. Today is the last day of my marathon challenge to post every day in June–and I’m happy to say that I succeeded.*

Also: June 30th (today) at midnight PST marks the end of my contest giving away a 2009 Associated Press Stylebook. So hurry: add a comment before the deadline for your last chance to enter. I’ll announce the winners tomorrow.

Posting daily has certainly been a challenge, but it’s been very rewarding as well. Your support and enthusiasm as readers is certainly what kept me going–so thank you! I honestly wouldn’t and couldn’t have done it without you.

Here are this month’s posts:

As you can see, there have certainly been some themes, but also some variety.

Now I need some feedback from you: the reader. What do you like to read about? Which posts did you find most interesting? What did you feel was a waste of your time? What would you like to see more or less of in the future?

Now that June is over, I’ll continue to post frequently, but I may allow myself a day or two off here or there.

Thanks for sticking with me!

Love you all!

– David J. Garcia

*I may have fudged around the edges a little with posts before or after midnight, but I won’t hold it against me if you won’t. Deal?

(Creative Commons image by flickr user bfick)

Top ten ways being a blogger is like being a preacher

David J Garcia — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:33:06 +0000

Being a blogger is a lot like being a preacher.

Although I don’t think of either as my career, I have some experience with both. I’ve run a few blogs, including this one. I also spent two years as a full-time volunteer missionary and lay minister in Washington/Oregon (I didn’t run a congregation, but I had many other religious responsiblilities).

So here are the top ten ways that being a blogger is like being a preacher:

10 - You need new content every week–probably even more often.

9 – Your subject stays the same, but you still must come up with new ways to say it.

8 - Every great experience makes you wonder, “How I could incorporate this into a sermon/post?”

7 - Comments of appreciation mean the world to you.

6 - Your community is surprisingly willing to support you.

5 - Your best work motivates people.

4 - You occasionally get told off for saying what you believe.

3 - If you go on too long, people stop listening.

2 - Since not everyone can become one of the “big guys,” you really have to do it out of love. Ideally, you’d do it no matter how many followers you have.

1 - You still really want more followers.

———–

Like it? Tweet it! The top ten ways that being a blogger is like being a preacher: http://djgpr.com/preach

(Creative Commons photo by flickr user bsabarnowl)

Happy Father’s Day!

David J Garcia — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:55:02 +0000

I have been truly blessed with a father who loves his family and works ridiculously hard. He is a great example.

I know that not everyone has that same gift, but we can each choose what kind of person we will be and how we’ll treat the children in our lives.

Here’s a great example of another father who, despite his challenges, shows us what it means to be a man and a father. Here’s to trying to live up to the standard set by my dad and by this guy:

(Creative Commons photo by flickr user apdk)

A new direction

David J Garcia — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:20:05 +0000

For about the past year and a half, I’ve been singing “Lead Kindly Light” as I kept stepping farther into the dark. I haven’t really known my plans for more than four months at a time. It’s been a challenge, but I’ve learned a lot about faith and patience.

While there’s still much I don’t know about my future, I finally have a job without a built-in expiration date. I signed my acceptance of their offer, and I’m going to be moving to Orange County!