Pisteuomen Hits 100,000

Well, I've been at this blogging thing for about 3 years now and today, Pisteuomen has reached a milestone: 100,000 visits. To be honest, I've gotten way more mileage out of this site than I ever imagined I would have. I've made lots of friends through this site, many of whom I've been able to meet in person. I've had numerous people recognize me at churches or conferences or various places from this site, which has been kind of fun. I've enjoyed all of the good dialogue and debate, as well as encouragement from everyone. Though 100,000 is not much compared to some sites, I consider it a pretty good achievement for being an actual biblical studies blog (that is, a blog that actually does biblical studies related stuff). Anyway, here's to another 100,000 and even 1,000,000!

1 Dozen Books Giveaway

A couple of days ago, for my birthday, I gave away a couple of books and had such a good time doing it that I decided another giveaway was in order. This time, however, I'm giving away 12 books which have a value of nearly $150 (well, 13 actually but that's because there are 2 copies of the same book included). The titles of the books and a picture of the "pile" can be viewed below.

To enter to win the free books, all you have to do is point back to this website. There are at least four ways to do this: 1) If you are on Twitter, announce the giveaway with the hashtag #pisteuomen , 2) If you are on Facebook, mention this site in your status or in a note, 3) If you have a website or blog, just do a quick post pointing to this site, or 4) Join the blog network via Facebook, here's the link: "Join / Follow". At the end of the week, someone who did one of these four things will be chosen and the book will be delivered to them.

* Just Another Girl (Fiction)

* Dearest Dorothy, If Not Now, When? (Fiction)

* Burnt Orange (Fiction)

* Courageous Past, Bold Future: The Journey Toward Full Clergy Rights For Women In The United Methodist Church (Non-Fiction)

* Finding Balance: Loving God With Heart & Soul, Strength & Mind (Devotion)

* 40-Day Journey (Devotion)

* Making Love Last A Lifetime: Biblical Perspectives on Love, Marriage & Sex (Non-Fiction)

* Parenting, The Early Years: 10 Biblical Traits Your Kids Will Remember You For (Non-Fiction)

* Women At Risk (Non-Fiction)

* Live the Light: Five Weeks To A Life That Shines (Devotion)

* Beginning To Belong (2 copies; Small Group Leader Manuals)

* Embracing Grace (Companion Guide; Devotion)

Follow Pisteuomen

So, now that I plan to get back in the regular swing of blogging, I'd like to invite everyone to follow Pisteuomen. There are two ways to do this and both of them are located here in the post and docked permanently on the right sidebar. Check these features out and keep up with the latest.

New Blog: The Golden Rule

It's been a while since I've utilized this feature of Pisteuomen, but I'm proud to resurrect it and bring it back to life, the feature is: A Beginning Blogger. I started this feature for the following reasons (here's what I wrote in the initial piece about it): "...I realize how tough it is to get people to visit your site, comment, add you to their blogroll, etc. Now, I've done a lot to make my blog both resource and user-friendly and I believe that's contributed to its success but it might have also helped if some more well-known persons helped draw attention to Pisteuomen. Well, with the conviction that the biblio-blogosphere is not about constantly catering to the egos of a select few or having to be around for years in order to make it (among other things, like creating a resourceful, edifying online community), I thought I'd add this feature."

The Beginning Blogger that I'd like to mention today is Mike Koke. Mike maintains the blog "The Golden Rule". Here's his impetus for blogging: " wanted to start this blog as a safe place to explore early Christian diversity, where no one is insulted and no comment is censored (except for spam or harrassing posts). I agree with John Dominic Crossan's comment on the heated rhetoric of the "Jesus Wars" when he writes, "It is, however, only a small part of the recent shift from academic argumentation (I will make your case as accurate and strong as I can before I demolish it) to political argumentation (I will make your case as dumb and silly as I can before I demolish you)." We should all approach the Bible with humility and be willing to engage with different perspectives. I want to learn from any scholar who can help me come closer to the text, whether the scholar is NT Wright and Ben Witherington or Burton Mack and the Jesus Seminar. I hope this can be a place where we can all treat each other with the Golden Rule."

Mike says of himself: "I graduated with a BA in Religion and Theology with a Specialization in Biblical studies from Taylor University College and am just finishing an MA in Religious Studies at the University of Alberta. I hope to apply for a PhD in the Fall and use scholarship as a tool for ministry." In terms of blogging, so far, Mike has written some great posts on Historical Jesus issues, How to 'do' history and The Parting of the Ways. His blog can be found by clicking the following link: The Golden Rule. Be sure to give his blog a look and leave him a word of encouragement!

Merry Christmas...

...and Happy Holidays from all of us here at Pisteuomen (oh wait, it's just me, Michael Halcomb). Regardless, travel safely and share the love of Christ wherever you go!

Free Toolbar for Bible/Theology Bloggers: Free Software From Pisteuomen

Have you ever wanted to have all the Bible & Theology blogs that you like in one place? Want to un-muddy your page-reader or blogroll? Want some kind of aggregator that you don't have to manage? Want to visit a blog without trying to type in a url you can't remember, going to your page-reader or googling it? Well, now you can have what you want. Today, a couple of days before Christmas, I am giving a present away here at Pisteuomen. The present is called "The Pistueomen Bible & Theology Bloggers Toolbar". This toolbar, a one-of-a-kind, contains scores of sites of active Bible and Theology bloggers. A couple of months ago, NT Wrong began collecting working urls of bloggers. Every url listed on his site, plus, many more are included here. One of the best things about the toolbar is that it is updateable, so, if you're not included this month, if you contact me with the proper info., your site can be included in next month's update. The toolbar is incredibly user-friendly, lightweight, easy to download and install and best of all, it's free. After using the toolbar, if you have any comments or suggestions, please, feel free to leave them here. So, get the word out; tell everyone about the Bible & Theology Bloggers Toolbar!!! Scroll down to see screenshots. Click the icon below to go to the download page. (IE and Firefox ready! Directions below too.)

(Download)


(Firefox Screenshot)


(Internet Explorer Screenshot)

Download Instructions & Notes (Please Read!):


*Download
((If user screen shows up click "allow")
*Check notify box
*Click next
*Check desired boxes (IE or Mozilla / Firefox)
*Click next
*Install (or "browse" for desired destination, then Install)
*When it says "Installation Complete" select the "Close" button

In Firefox:
*You may see software installation screen
*Click "Install Now"
*Select "Restart Firefox"

Internet Explorer:
*Blog not found message (I didn't want you to fill out a form, so, nothing's there, ignore it and type your desired URL

Uninstall:
After uninstalling, you may get a note saying "page not found". I didn't want
you to have to fill out a form so nothing's there. Type in your URL and proceed as you wish.

You may need to allow this BHO past your firewall. This is a clean file. There are no viruses. It has been scanned. If you experience problems in this area, you simply need to make sure the toolbar is bypassed in your virus program.

Getting German (Masc. Nouns): Free Program By Pisteuomen

Here is another learning module that I have created and am offering for free!!! This module deals with German nouns and offers tips for spotting nouns that are masculine in gender. The interface is straightforward and easy-to-use, it has two sections for extra vocabulary (common & theological) and best of all, it is free. This module is to be used in conjunction with, other, forthcoming ones. So, check back often to see if the new ones have been created. To download "Getting German" (Masc. Nouns), click the icon below.

*Note, this has also been added to the "My Free Resources" page. A link to that page can be found in the page tabs above.

Death Threats At Pisteuomen

Some time ago (back on July 31st to be exact) someone landed on my site by searching for "Eric Sowell". That was immediately followed by another search which led to Pisteuomen as well, googled this time were the words: "worst ways to die in the wild". I warned Mr. Sowell that someone might be gunnin' for him and that it might be in his best interest to watch his back. Dying in the wild would totally suck!!! Well, perhaps I should speak for myself now. Today I had a person google "theology of Christian funerals" which landed them at my site and right after that, another google result that led to Pisteuomen was: "Michael Halcomb murdered". I don't know what this is all about but I'm beginning not to like it!!! Who's next?

Pisteuomen Is Getting Revamped

So, if you've reached my blog and can read this post at all, you're fortunate. Among a couple of other odd things I encountered this morning (1. When I stopped to ask a guy for directions, he began his reply with "Okay, don't take me seriously on this..." and 2. The fellow next to me in the Post Office bought $5,400 worth of stamps...insane!!!), when I checked my blog, it was all screwed up. Many of the elements that make up its appearance and keep it functioning had stopped working (as you can tell!). So, I think this post will have to be it for today because I must redesign the site. Oh, one piece of good news: I got another review book in the mail today: Four Views on the Warning Passages in Hebrews. Sounds interesting. Anyway, have a good one. -TMWH

*Note: The site has been updated, hope you like it!

Pisteuomen & Numbers

At this point in time (as of 10.02.08), I have been blogging for about 15-6 months. Now, I know that there are others out there who have far surpassed me when it comes to visits/hits or whatever, but I think I'm doing pretty good. Honestly, the hits/visits thing isn't as important to me as a couple of other stats. But here's a quick numerical rundown of Pisteuomen in its first 15 months of existence:

* About to reach 35,000 hits
* About to reach 700th post
* Over 1,000 comments
* Over 1,000 downloads of the resources / programs I've created (estatic about this) - just surpassed 1,000 yesterday
* Nearly 50 downloads of widgets I've created
* Nearly 6,500 ExegeTV views / 517 (recorded) Channel Views
* Thousands of theologically / biblically related searches have led people here

For me, Pisteuomen is not all about or simply about numbers. What's important to me (and this is the reason I started and continue to maintain the site) is that thousands upon thousands of people are finding it informative, helpful and useful. In the last few weeks, I've had a number of people contact me for help or insight...I love when this happens. In more ways than one, Pisteuomen is carrying out The Great Commission as it takes the Gospel all over the earth. To all of my faithful readers, thank you, once again, for helping make this site a success! May Pisteuomen do even more in the days, weeks, months and years to come!!!

A Heads-Up On Biblioblog Carnival XXXIII

I just wanted to let everyone know that on September 1st at 9am, Biblioblog Carnival XXXIII will be posted here at Pisteuomen. It has been a fruitful month in the blogosphere and much ground has been covered by many people. I'm excited to host the carnival this month and I hope you find it both useful and helpful. Keep your eyes peeled.

Pisteuomen: Movin' On Up

While Mark Goodacre boasted of 4-million visits to his site yesterday and James McGrath, 150,000, I picked up my thirty-thousandth. The number of visitors to the site has been climbing consistently for the last few months. I enjoy interacting with everyone and while blogging can be challenging every once in a while, I am constantly reminded of the good that Pisteuomen has accomplished. Thanks again for helping make the site a success!

πιστευομεν : We Believe

Here are some NT occurrences of the word Pisteuomen (πιστευομεν), the title of this site which means "we believe". Want some translation practice? Give them a read:

1. τῇ τε γυναικὶ ἔλεγον ὅτι οὐκέτι διὰ τὴν σὴν λαλιὰν πιστεύομεν, αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἀκηκόαμεν καὶ οἴδαμεν ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου. (Jn. 4.42)

2. νῦν οἴδαμεν ὅτι οἶδας πάντα καὶ οὐ χρείαν ἔχεις ἵνα τίς σε ἐρωτᾷ ἐν τούτῳ πιστεύομεν ὅτι ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἐξῆλθες. (Jn. 16.30)

3. ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ πιστεύομεν σωθῆναι καθ' ὃν τρόπον κἀκεῖνοι. (Acts 15.11)

4. εἰ δὲ ἀπεθάνομεν σὺν Χριστῷ, πιστεύομεν ὅτι καὶ συζήσομεν αὐτῷ, (Rom. 6.8)

5. ἔχοντες δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πίστεως κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· ἐπίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα, καὶ ἡμεῖς πιστεύομεν, διὸ καὶ λαλοῦμεν, (2. Cor. 4.13)

6. εἰ γὰρ πιστεύομεν ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἀνέστη, οὕτως καὶ ὁ θεὸς τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ. (1 Thess. 4.14)

Pisteuomen: New Look, New Feel

I've been trying, since I've started Pisteuomen to make the site as easy to navigate as possible. I think I've finally found the format I'm going to stick with. It took a bit of work to set the site up this way but I think it's much more user-friendly and clean-cut. I hope you like it too!

Pisteuomen Turns 10,000

Well, today marks the day on which I have been blogging for 7-months. I started on June 14th, 2007. Today also marks the day that Pisteuomen passed the 10,000 hits mark. I am amazed at the number of people all over the world I've met, interacted with and talked to because of my blog. If you're reading this then thank you very much for helping Pisteuomen be a success. I only hope that in the future it will do even better.

New Feature At Pisteuomen

I've recently added the AIM feature to Pisteuomen. This not only allows you to see when I'm online and available for conversation but, if you have AIM, it also allows us to talk to one another. So, if you're ever online and see that I'm online too, drop me a note and we'll talk for a bit. Also, feel free to add me to your buddy list; I'll do the same.

"Those Who Trust"

Oh, the college days. Here's a video from '02 of my old roomate (the one on the left singing) and another friend playing "Those Who Trust", by Waterdeep. I'm a sucker for the acoustic guitar and Chris (though it isn't necesarrily fully showcased in this video, is by far one of the best guitarists I've ever met in person; the kid is phenomenal, this coming from a writer, singer and guitarist myself). If you're into acoustic worship, give this short video a watch.

Pisteuomen Auido Has Launched

I recently mentioned that, in addition to a written text blog, Pisteuomen would also go audio. I am pleased to announced that today is that day! Pisteuomen is now audio friendly, especially created for those with visual impairments. Another nice feature is that Pisteuomen is now available in a podcast format via I-Tunes. I hope this new feature is helpful and handy for my readers and well, my listeners too.

(*Note: Click the "listen" button at the top of each post to hear Pisteuomen read aloud. While you're at it, be sure to subscribe!)

Why Pisteuomen?

The title of this post can be taken a few different ways. It could be taken in the sense of, Why did you name the blog Pisteuomen and what does it mean? Pisteuomen is a Greek word that means "we believe." The "we" connotes "community."

This actually leads to another way that the title of this post could be taken: Why did you start Pisteuomen? Actually, I created Pisteuomen thinking that it would be a site where people's faiths / beliefs could be edified when they visited. While I still desire for that to happen, there is yet another aspect of "Why Pisteuomen?" that has come into being.

I should begin by saying that for me, my blog is not primarily concerned with self-promotion or self-publication (inevitably, though, self-publication is a part of any blog; every blogger wants to get their name out there and to get their site promoted, however, the reasons behind such motivations vary considerably). Pisteuomen has increasingly been taking on the character of being a site for others. Of course, "we" includes me as well as my readers, but as of late, the purpose of this site has become more than anything, a resource / knowledge sharing page.

One of the reasons I was hesitant to start a blog was because I was afraid someone would take my ideas or something. But the realization hit me that knowledge should not be kept from people, especially biblical / spiritual knowledge. So, along with adding posts every day, I have slowly been developing free, biblical / theological, open-source resources. At this point, I think that is the main reason "why" Pisteuomen exists. This site is meant to share and distribute knowledge and resources that will not only help build up individual faiths / beliefs but also the community ("we") of faith.

To all of my readers thus far, thanks for reading. Enjoy the free resources and if you have any ideas for new resources I might create, please let me know as I am consantly working on new projects.

New Feature at Pisteuomen: ExegeTV

Readers of Pisteuomen: Tomorrow I will be launching a new feature on this site, it is called ExegeTV. ExegeTV is a channel/show that I have developed which aims to help students/preachers etc., move through the exegetical and explanation process of biblical texts. I will be adding new episodes to Pisteuomen posts periodically. I hope that you find this new resource useful and are able to share it with others. Again, I will probably post the first episode tomorrow, so, keep your eyes peeled.