When I started Stuff Christians Like, I was writing it for about an hour every day, in my kitchen before work. It was something I would have honestly described as a “fun hobby.” I loved doing it, but it was at best, a sliver of my life.
Fast forward almost three years, and the site has turned into something I never expected. We’ve created a list of almost 1,000 items. We built two kindergartens in Vietnam and did a massive nets project in Uganda. There’s a Stuff Christians Like book and a cologne called “For Hymnal,” that smells like old hymns. (That last one is what they call, “vision casting.”)
And Stuff Christians Like is now a huge part of my life. In addition to being my passion, it’s what I do all day. But the site didn’t visually reflect that. I’ve honestly been afraid to step out there and say, “Hey, this is what I do. And I love it!” I tend to be a bit of coward when it comes to admitting stuff is good because I’m afraid if I do, and it goes away, the pain of losing it will be magnified by the hope I invested. It’s the classic, “I don’t want to get my hopes up” approach to life. It is dumb. I know.
So though it’s just a new header today, this is a big deal to me. This is me admitting, “I’m all in.” This is me saying, “Hey, I’m Jon Acuff and I love this site and this community and feel like we’ve only just got started on what we can do.” Is that a silly thing to think about a header? Maybe, but then, I am silly.
There are also three other things I am really excited about:
1. The archives are complete
Prior to today, if you went to the archives section of this site, you could read posts 1-500. That would be great if we didn’t have more than 900 posts. That wildly incomplete list made it a hassle to read from 1-900 or to find old posts. Today, the archives are finally complete!
2. JonAcuff.com
If you look at the address bar, you’ll notice that it says, “jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike. (Typing www.stuffchristianslike.net will still get you here so don’t worry about typing a new address.) Why the change? There are a few reasons. The first is that we’re starting a new blog soon and didn’t want to have completely different addresses and platforms. We wanted everything connected together and easy to navigate. And we couldn’t get the .com version of StuffChristiansLike. A 1957 Chevy Dealer is squatting on it. It made more sense to build the long term plan off of the thing we owned, jonacuff.com, instead of the thing we didn’t own.
3. More graphics
The other reason I like the header is that I’m trying to do a better job of using graphics on the site. It will still be super clean and not cluttered and put the focus on the words, but it turns out people are now able to upload photos online and actually enjoy imagery on blogs. So in addition to my mug in the header, I’m going to try to do a better job showcasing photos, and maybe even incorporating your photos in posts. (The metrosexual worship leader post would be so much better for instance if worship leaders could submit their photos and we could make a slide show.) (I also like the header because it visually summarizes the site’s goal to “clear the clutter of Christianity, so that we can see the beauty of Christ.” It’s about bringing into focus the things that matter most.)
I’m excited about the changes and what’s ahead. Thank you so much for the endless support you’ve given me that has made all of this possible.
