Elf On A Shelf
I Cried A Good Cry
Holding Worship
Treadmills, Nakedness, and Wink Wink Wink
The Hardest Moment…And The Most Loved Moment…
I’m doing the best I can sir…
Close The Gap – My One Year Anniversary at Buckhead Church
Dear Worship Dude

These are a few of my favs.
What have been some of you favorite Ragamuffin Soul posts?
Los

So.
People have different philosophies and reasons behind why they are blogging.
Great blogs on strategy, leadership, music, blah blah blah.
And I read lots of those.
This one tends to lean more towards those subjects when I’m running outta things to say.
But at the end of the day…the blogs that work usually do one thing…
Tell life stories.
And here are a few ones you might be unaware of that I have kept a secret long enough.
The blogs that I am reading right now that you probably aren’t reading but need to be reading.

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Messy Canvas – I’ve been debating releasing this hidden gem for a while. Just because I don’t want the masses invading my secret creative inspiration.
It’s a blog written by Mandy Steward. She is an artist, author, mom, wife to Tony (who married way outta his league as I did), and flat out dreamer. She does things like find a drawing her kids drew and turns them into stuffed animals.

Seriously?
You’re Welcome.

Next on the list is…

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Maigh.com – Maigh might not be new to you old schoolers. But when I decided to start blogging 5 years ago, hers was the one I read everyday.
It was like a drug.
And she still brings it.
I’ve turned from a fan to a fan and a friend.  She is thinking about rededicating herself to possibly posting a bit more in the future.  But honestly…Who cares.  She has TEN YEARS of posts waiting for you to dive into.
Her writing is like a hot knife through butter.
She’s one of those who you’ll get to read for free until somebody reminds them or shows them that they are actually amazing authors.
Shhhhhh.
Don’t let her know.
You’re welcome…

——————————————————

PearMama – Or Denise Silva Cortes. Sandals Forever. La Raza. IE for Life. Simply, she reminds me of home.
Denise is one who I’ve only had like 2 conversations with.
Yet we went to the same church for YEARS.
Right after I moved to the ATL I discovered this blog.
It was hilarious. I told everyone about it. I told my wife about it.
She said…”That’s Denise Cortes’ blog”.
I said…”No it’s not.”
But it was.
Denise has a gift with words that will let you into the soul of someone raising like 47 kids. At least I think it’s that many.
From conversations about her kids getting caught spraying graffiti to her kids fear of growing man boobs.
Go read her and tell her I said hey.
She is the special sauce.
You’re Welcome…

———————————————————

So there you have it.
There is obviously a lack of dudes on that list.
I think it’s because we are so busy trying to impress the online world that we matter we have forgotten to write about what really matters…
Our lives…
Bring it.
Los

And then the Collide Magazine readers voted this the Best Theology/Ministry Blog of 2009!!!

I find it ironic that the year I stopped caring about stats you guys provided the best content out there.
So I’m walking up to the mic now to accept these things.
You are my posse…You walk up with me…
You steal my mic and start shouting out your thank you’s…

Go ahead…
Give your acceptance speech.
It’s your blog anyways.
Thank your boss for letting you comment during work hours…
The mic is live…
Talk…
Los

Wow…
Happy Birthday babe.
We are old.
Los

Today…
Los

Today…
Los

Clover Clover Clover – They love you so much they have bought 2 squares to the right.  One to lead you to the goodness that is the green machine of their website creationfest.  The other so you can tell your friends to sign up and make some Clover green.

Faith Highway – My son sings that Rascall Flats song all day.  Life is a Highway.  And people.  Faith Highway is another AMAZING option for your church or ministry website.  They have a special going on for the next 20 DAYS where you can get an online giving tool for free with your Faith Highway website.

Own The Mix – Let me introduce you to the most innovative idea in church production I have seen in a LOOOOONG time.  Own the Mix is the brainchild of my coworkers Chris Green and Dustin Whitt.  2 of the most amazing audio engineers I have ever sen or heard.  It’s a comprehensive audio training solution for the modern church.  ONLINE.  Think about last Sunday.  Think about all those times you made that face when your system made that nasty sound.  Then go sign up for Own the Mix.

Mandy Joy Miller – Do you want your face melted off by a fresh sound by one of my favorite female worship leaders?  Then click on her ad.  Mandy is a worship leader here in Atlanta and has lead at all 3 Northpoint campuses along with many more.  She crushed How He Loves last easter for us and she is anointed with an amazing gift.  Book her and buy here record.

She Dances – Our passion… To seek a haven for a child who is one of the estimated 1.2 million children trafficked each year.  We can be a voice for girls who even at the young age of 11 or 12 are bought and sold forcefully into the sex trade.

Go visit these peeps.
Hasta.
Los

Hey all. Well, as most of you well know, Carlos is on a blogatical and with that, has asked me to take over things in his absence. Who am I? Well, I am Crystal Renaud and can usually be found at PinkHairedGirl.net. That’s my cozy little area of a internet real estate. I have been blogging since 2003 and somehow got to know Carlos along the way. I am honored to call him a friend. I am totally going to agenda-push (because hello, I am posting on ragamuffinsoul) and share with you, that I am working on a project of my own. I am not going to go into detail (I am not that shameless), but if you’re curious, check it out.

I don’t know about you, but I am super proud of Carlos for taking a step back to evaluate things. Prioritize. Breathe. And connect with our Maker. While I hope he returns sooner rather than later, I am excited to see what God does through this time.

NOW, FOR SOME BUSINESS

As Carlos said, this blog is now yours. Always has been and always will be. So, take advantage of this time and let your voices be heard. Got something on your heart? Got something amazing your church is doing that you think we all need to know about? Got a funny video of your kid with his head stuck in the banister railing?

SPILL IT.

Send in your videos (vimeo, youtube, any embeddable video source) to stories@ragamuffinsoul.com and I will post them as I get them. This a time for you ALL to step out and share your stories. Would love it if the stories are new… and relevant to this community. Not something from a year ago, you know? Yeah, you know what to do.

OFF THE BLOGS

While Carlos’ online presence may be gone, he is still alive and well. One of the ways you can get a little love is by coming out to OFF THE BLOGS. OFF THE BLOGS is a night of conversation with three of the most influential bloggers in the ministry world-Carlos, Anne Jackson and Jon Acuff and hosted by Pete Wilson with worship by Aaron Keyes.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here. Registration is free for Catalyst ONE DAY Atlanta attenders. Just pick up a wrist-band at the registration area.

I am going and I gotta say, I am totally pumped. Not just because I get to hang with some amazing people, but because I think that God is totally going to show up through the authenticity and no sugar-coating that will take place there.

OR you can check out his familia at … whittakerwoman.typepad.com.

GO.

So I’m feeling a month. Could be 2, 6, 12. Who knows.
I have not gone more than 2 days since 2005 without posting on here.
I’m actually pumped to see what God has for you and I on the other side.
And I have a feeling He can’t wait to get started.
Peace out, A-Town Down…
Los

This is going to be a night where our blog readers are going to gather for a night of authenticity and worship.
I CAN”T WAIT!!!
Our friends at Catalyst are sponsoring the event in conjunction with another great event called Catalyst One Day.
You can go to both events on the same day or just this one.
Go to www.offtheblogs.com for all the information/registration/promotion materials ect.
We NEED a few volunteers for the event to help us with logistics that day.
If you are interested drop a comment below and let me know!!!

Let’s meet face to face in order to continue our journey in creating culture.
Los