People I Enjoy Pt. 1

There is a wonderful world out there on the internet. Before I knew much about blogs, and bloggers, I just imagined a bunch of cynical, basement dwellers getting in cheap shots on people they would never meet. Don’t get me wrong, those people are out there. But, that’s not the whole picture. There is an entire ecosphere of bloggers who are dedicated to helping one person, you. Most do it as a side project, and most are not compensated in any way. The following bloggers are not just people whose work I follow, they are people I have personally interacted with, and can vouch for .

May I introduce you to…

Rambling with the Barba: Ken is his real name, barba is Spanish for beard, and he has a righteous goatee. He’s a missionary living in Paraguay, yes, in South America, and somehow is able to blog regularly and interact with people who get into contact with him. Every Wednesday, Barba publishes his “Rambling Roundup” in which he gathers great posts from several blogs and makes them available in one place. He offers great insight into his mission, but not in a typical martyr complex kind of way. He’s quickly climbing my list of favorites. Here’s one that he wrote for Proveketive magazine that is a great place to start: Are You Sure?

Sarah Mae:  I can’t say enough good things about Sarah. I had the chance to meet her at a conference a few months back, and she was nothing short of gracious. Her writing is both warm and transparent; I’ve read several of her posts and thought that there is no way I would ever share something that personal. Her bravery is empowering to writers like me to dig deeper, and is freeing for all of her readers. In Sarah,  you can see someone who just puts it out there, and everyone is better for it. She has a book called “Desperate” about motherhood that is in the publishing process.  Here’s a great place to start: Children and Shame

Shawn Smucker: I also had the great fortune of meeting Shawn and his wife, Maile, a while back, and they were both warm and inviting. I just finished reading Shawn’s most recent book, “Building a Life Out of Words,”  which I will be doing a full review of soon. I’ve been trying to set up an interview with him, but it’s somewhat difficult, because he recently set out on a cross country trip in a tour bus with his family. So, we have been trying to coordinate my schedule with his schedule, made more complicated by the fact that his ability to find a reliable wifi connection is always hit or miss. You can read his about his adventures in touring the country, and you will hopefully be seeing him around here again in the near future. Start here: Losing Our Breaks at 8,000 feet