Looking for a New Name

Friends, for a long time I've been searching for a new name for this blog. The title "Everyday Revolutionary" was originally a play on the phrase "Ordinary Radical," which was coined by leaders of the Christian movement fronted by people like Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove. I still identify as a neo-monastic (though Alyssa and I have been without a solid community for far too long), but no longer feel the fan-boy giddiness I once felt in being intentionally provocative and stand-offish toward the Church. I still have my misgivings about unnecessary hierarchy and bureaucratic BS, but I'd like to think that I've become a little slower to criticize and more intentional about listening and understanding than I once was. Probably comes from living my whole life in a glass house.

While I still like the title of this blog, I nonetheless feel that it no longer accurately describes who I am as a person and as a Christian. I'm a lot more Everyday and a lot less Revolutionary these days. Additionally, the academic in me suspiciously eyes the title as an oblique form of copyright infringement, since several published works (and a few films) have used the term "Ordinary Radical," and I am unsure of how exclusive the rights to that phrase may be. I know I'm splitting hairs here, but it's still a minor concern.

My faith is broader (and, I hope, deeper) than it was when I began this blogging journey, and I'm looking for a new name to help describe who I am and what I do as a blogger. Something that incorporates my passion for New Testament biblical studies, literary interpretation, history, theology (particularly Mennonite/Anabaptist), and music would be nice. Here are a few of my favorite titles from the blogs I follow:

• On Not Being a Sausage (click the link to see the explanation in the blog's header)
• Near Emmaus
• Words on the Word
• The Time Has Been Shortened (from 1 Corinthians 7:29—This one is my favorite.)
• Reading Acts
• The Cosmic Cathedral
• Experimental Theology
• The aptly named "Jesus Blog" gets honorable mention, since Keith and Le Donne went with something almost painfully simple, yet perfectly communicative of its purpose.

Now comes the fun part. I'd like you to help me rename my blog. If you have a suggestion, you can comment below, email it to me by clicking this link, or contact me on Twitter @EverydayRev. Your suggestions can be as serious or as off-the-wall as you'd like. Hopefully sometime in the next few weeks we can find a name that better suits this blog, and if your suggestion is chosen, who knows—you may even win a prize!

Much peace and love to you,

Joshua

Calling All Theology/Preaching/History/Library Nerds!

My great-grandparents:
Roger L. Connelly and his wife, Mildred.

I have a big project under way, and I need your help! About a week ago, I was bequeathed the entire collection of sermons from my great-grandfather's preaching career (he was a United Methodist pastor). They take up about three large file cabinet drawers, and are variously written and typed. To help preserve them, I am planning to make digital scans and electronic transcriptions of each sermon. However, this would be at least a couple years of work for me alone (and I'm about to begin working on my master's thesis). I'm looking to my online community of friends to help transcribe my grandfather's sermons. Many hands make light work, and even if just 10 friends pitch in and help transcribe, we can have the entire collection done in no time.

If you're interested, please click this link to send me an email and I will in turn send you digital scans of however many sermons you think you could handle transcribing (probably best to limit it to no more than 3 at a time), as well as a sample transcription with formatting guidelines. There will be no pressure—get it done in your own time when you have a few moments to spare.

I can't offer any money in exchange for your help (I'm a student, after all). However, in return for your work, you will receive written credit once the sermons are compiled into a book. Plus, that whole bit about treasure in heaven. Yada yada.

Thank you all so much for reading, and thanks in advance for being willing to help out with this huge project.