Reports of the blogosphere’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Another year has come and (just about) gone and the blogosphere continues to be an integral means of communication, and this despite many predictions that blogs will soon go the way of the dinosaur (or the newspaper, as the case may be). 2011 was a great year for blogs, at least here in the Christian blogosphere. Before the year comes to an end, I want to point to a few of my 2011 blogging heroes.

Here are seven of them, in no particular order.

Practical Shepherding - When I speak to people who are considering blogging, I always talk about the importance of identifying a niche and then filling it. It is far easier to gain authority in a niche than it is to gain authority broadly. The example I always use is Brian Croft and his Practical Shepherding blog. Brian identified his own passion and gifting and then found that there was a void in the Christian blogosphere that he could fill. He has done a great job of doing just that. Writing primarily to pastors, he humbly offers advice or teaching that is both practical and biblical. It’s a must-read for any pastor.

The King’s English - 2011 marked the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible and Glen Scrivener decided to mark the occasion by looking at hundreds of phrases coined by the King James translators that have since passed into modern parlance—phrases we now take for granted: "labour of love", "beast of burden", "wits' end" and "scapegoat"; and also phrases that perhaps should be a bit more popular, like "filthy lucre" and "gird up thy loins". He did a phenomenal job of it. I am looking forward to seeing what he does in 2012 and beyond.

The Cripplegate - The Cripplegate is a new blog produced by a team of writers connected by their association with [John MacArthur’s] Grace Community Church. It offers a place for “like-minded Christians and pastors to share their thoughts about ministry, theology, and issues that affect the church today, in a way that will bring encouragement and clarity to those that read it.” The writers have done a good job of addressing current events while also writing about issues relevant to ministry or just being part of a church. I appreciate their willingness to be blunt when bluntness will help a conversation progress.

Farhad Manjoo recently wrote a provocative article for Slate in which he argued that we shouldn’t support our local independent bookstores. According to Manjoo, “buying books on Amazon is better for authors, better for the economy, and better for you.” Those are fighting words!

You may have heard of Amazon’s recent promotion. If you walked into a retail outlet and used Amazon’s app to buy that product through Amazon, they would give you a 5 percent discount. That was good for Amazon, but bad for everyone else—especially the salesperson who used some of his time to tell you all about that product. Not surprisingly, this promotion generated a lot of anger.

This caught Manjoo’s attention and got him thinking about local bookstores. He looks at a New York Times op-ed penned by Richard Russo and says this:

Rather than focus on the ways that Amazon's promotion would harm businesses whose demise might actually be a cause for alarm (like a big-box electronics store that hires hundreds of local residents), Russo hangs his tirade on some of the least efficient, least user-friendly, and most mistakenly mythologized local establishments you can find: independent bookstores. Russo and his novelist friends take for granted that sustaining these cultish, moldering institutions is the only way to foster a "real-life literary culture," as writer Tom Perrotta puts it. Russo claims that Amazon, unlike the bookstore down the street, "doesn't care about the larger bookselling universe" and has no interest in fostering "literary culture."

Manjoo goes on to show how much Amazon has done for readers, writers and publishers: “As much as I despise some of its recent tactics, no company in recent years has done more than Amazon to ignite a national passion for buying, reading, and even writing new books. … Compared with online retailers, bookstores present a frustrating consumer experience. A physical store--whether it's your favorite indie or the humongous Barnes & Noble at the mall--offers a relatively paltry selection, no customer reviews, no reliable way to find what you're looking for, and a dubious recommendations engine. Amazon suggests books based on others you've read; your local store recommends what the employees like. If you don't choose your movies based on what the guy at the box office recommends, why would you choose your books that way?”

Last week I asked if you are interested in taking The 3650 Challenge with me—to read or listen to 3,650 chapters of the Bible in 2012. A lot of you said that you are interested, so today I want to launch this plan in earnest.

Through 2012 I plan to use Professor Horner’s Bible Reading System to read the Bible. This system calls for 10 chapters per day, with each chapter being drawn from a different part of the Bible. This means that over the course of 2012 anyone who uses the plan will go through all the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul's letters 4-5 times each, the Old Testament wisdom literature six times, all the Psalms at least twice, all the Proverbs as well as Acts a dozen times, and all the way through the Old Testament History and Prophetic books about 1.5 times. That is drinking from the fire hose!

I’d like you to do all of this with me. It is going to be a true challenge, but a very worthwhile one. As I asked last time, don’t you think your life would change if you were to read 3,650 chapters of the Bible? Between now and December 31 I’ll give some pointers and provide a list of resources you may find helpful. But for now, let’s work on some coordination.

I think the easiest way to coordinate the group will be through a Facebook Group. I have one ready to go right here: The 3650 Challenge. Simply click on that link and join the group. That will make you aware of updates and give us a place to discuss how we are doing. We will actually begin together on January 1. If you are not on Facebook, stay tuned to the blog and I’ll do occasional updates here as well. 

If you are already doing the plan and do not want to start over on January 1, no problem. Join up with us anyway.

Podcast Pastor - “When I am talking to young evangelicals, often who are in ministry, and I say, "Who has been really influential upon you in ministry and on learning to preach and to do the things of ministry?" ten years ago, most people would have given me the name of a local pastor who had mentored them and worked with them. Now they are mentioning a disembodied voice that they have heard on a podcast. That's a very dangerous thing...”

Questioning Your Pastor - Mark Altrogge: “Help your pastor. Help him preach more accurately. Help him see how to lead and care for people better. Encourage him.  And if you have questions, feel free to ask.”

Denise Sproul - Pray for the Sproul family today. R.C. Sproul Jr’s wife Denise went to be with the Lord on Sunday. Grieving her death are R.C. Jr and their 8 children (age 2 up to age 18).

Accomplish More by Doing Less - Tony Schwartz offers some good and practical advice on accomplishing more by doing less.

White Christmas - Here is a gallery of some beautiful, snowy scenery.

He’s Here - From The Jesus Storybook Bible.

Knowing God is your single greatest privilege as a Christian. —Sinclair Ferguson