Set stage:
I learned something about myself when an old friend called last night to offer her (belated) congratulations on the hoopla surrounding the Best New Evangelical Blog. As I extended my gratitude to her for actually reading the thing, she remarked, “I don’t know how you have time to write…”

I replied that I composed my last post in about 20 minutes (10 minutes to write, 10 minutes to spell check and try to get those linkies to work) while the baby was finishing her nap and the older three were building a fort out of couch pillows, so what was so hard about that? And then it hit me. I do not spend an extraordinary amount of time writing, but rather a dizzying amount of time reading. I read constantly: books, journals, magazines, catalogs, websites, the fine print on coupon advertisements, and cereal boxes. Now that I think of it, when I played Life with my three oldest yesterday, I was too busy reading the rules on the underside of the box to actively enjoy and participate in the game of Life. (Try not to miss the nuances there…)

Outtake #1:
Actually, it probably took me about 10 minutes longer than mentioned to write the last post because I had trouble thinking up my plant growing illustration. The math one was easy because I just ripped that off Sproul Jr., and the cosmic treason comment was stolen from Sproul Sr. Then in the comments, I mentioned a “God entranced view of all things” which is highjacked from Piper, and of course, the whole basis of the post was taken from Cal Thomas….

So, not only am I an addict (to reading), but I’m a thief as well. Hello. My name is Amy, and…

Moving on, here are the people who confess to blogging about my post compiled in one spot:

Credits (in order of appearance):
–Bet, from Dappled Things has 1, 2, 3 posts on the subject
–Sandra, from Everyday Grace has one post and a take-off post on Bono
–Kristen, from Walking Circumspectly has one post and a take-off rant on Bono
–Amber Lynn, from Desperate Vision
–Milton Stanley, from Transforming Sermons
–John, from lucid moments
–John, from Blogotional
–Molly, from My Three Pennies
–Razor’s Kiss, weighing in with his study on Francis Schaeffer’s The Great Evangelical Disaster

[Update: People are still writing; here's more:]
–Salt and Light comments
–Kristen, from WC wants to tie Bet and also have a third post

Stage Help:
These people didn’t write their own blogs about this, but they deserve recognition anyway for sending me emails that go something like this, “Hey, Amy. Your sidebar looks pretty bad. You know, if you just paste in the code I’m giving you…” They’ve given up on teaching me anything, and just send me the codes I need, though I’m sure they wouldn’t want to be held responsible for the miserable state of my site. Anyway, they deserve your patronage:

Todd, from Five Children
Curt, a.k.a. The Happy Husband

Fine Print:
I hope in the making of this scene that no cyber feelings were injured. Please inform the stage manager if the unfortunate has occurred.

Outtake #2:
Now, regarding yesterday’s comments, I appreciate everyone who took the time to write. Pondering such things is a worthwhile pursuit, and I hope the dialogue continues around your dinner table tonight. In the meantime, I have a game of Life to go play.

Exiting stage left, er, make that right…