My personal vision for the blog

As I dreamed of a personal blog in recent years, I confess I also dreaded it as an onerous, boring task and after all, who would read it? But a series of distinct “nudgings” from the Lord last November at the international ETHNE network gatherings in Bogotá, Colombia, changed me. During those pregnant days I sensed the Spirit’s whisperings: “Your life is changing… and your strong role will be to mentor and write”. The next day, the word was. “This change will begin in your 70^th year…and you are in it already.”

Back home I dialogued with Yvonne about these two words, and then early in January as I put the 2010 itinerary together it became clear that, for the first time in 24 years, my commitments were about 1/3 of “normal”. Yvonne knew that was significant and encouraged me to be quiet for a season, to listen to the Spirit, and to ponder what I was hearing. Just at the same time, during one five-day period, I spoke with five international colleagues, sharing the calendar changes, and all five said something like, “Bill, your life is changing…..and you must mentor and write.”

What do I want to write about in this blog?

1. I will begin with initial musings and reflections on some of the following themes:
   • I want to reflect on both the inner and out landscape of life and ministry; about wisdom lessons; about the long journey towards God; about the seasons of a man’s life; about spiritual formation; about prophetic words for mission and the church; about the fullness of our Lord’s transforming commissions and commandments; about some of the controversial issues of mission; about younger and older leaders; about leadership transitions; about parenting and grand-parenting; about life in the latter stages of the Great Race; about finishing well; about authentic partnership in the global Gospel Cause; about what it means to listen, truly, to international voices of the people of God.
   • I want to discern the times, to grow as a son of Issachar, to seize courageously the Kingdom of Christ as it advances boldly and in the face of evil opposition.
   • I want to mull over how God gathers His people together for Common Gospel Cause: whether teams and networks, alliances and associations, gathered and scattered Church, other mission structures.
   • I also want to connect people, and I start with links that simply put you in contact with others. It will be a growing list. As time moves on I want to profile some of these entities and their creative and committed leaders from all around the world.
   • I want to evaluate everything that I have ever written and see how it might serve the global body of Christ today.
   • I want to post some thoughtful articles that friends and colleagues have written.
   • I want to write on behalf of the WEA Missions Commission, especially as editor of Connections, and MC publications coordinator.
   • I want to point people to the amazing set of print resources that have been generated by the MC over the last 23 years.

• Articles to read and mull over….and let them mull you over

• Thought-provoking publications, from the MC and other sources
  • An annotated bibliography will be posted of Mission Commission publications, on global issues, evangelism and religious pluralism, mission and Bible and contextualization, missionary life and work and crosscultural communication, holistic mission, spiritual formation and spiritual warfare…and more.

• A photo gallery will be created that will focus on
  • People
  • Ministry
  • Personal images
  • Family
  • Travel
  • Food (right!)
  • Humor—of a cross-cultural nature

• A few words of gratitude
  • Thank you, Yvonne Christine DeAcutis Taylor, my Italian-Irish-Texan artist and muse, my resident spiritual director. I am in so many dimensions who I am because of your investment in my life.
  • Thank you, W. David O. Taylor, son, arts pastor, writer, blogger, for encouraging me. And to the rest of my children by blood and marriage: Phaedra Taylor, Cliff and Christine Warner, Stephanie and Scranton Twohey; and those six plus grand-children that fill our lives with joy and prayer.
  • Thank you, Tommy Crawford, my friend and fellow worshipper at Christ Church, Anglican, here in Austin. You have volunteered to shepherd me in this next communication stage of blogging, web sites, designing and hosting.
  • And Becky Yates, who with her good engineer husband, Matt, are headed into longer-term cross-cultural mission. I love what she wrote me upon sending the logo options, “Matt and I often think of you as a compass, providing direction, pointing us towards something or someone.  You provide wisdom and are a common link to many people and resources, so in that sense a compass-type image could be a strong visual.”