[Note from the Proprietor: In case you're wondering what it's all about, well, we're smack in the middle of BLOGAPALOOZA! Hey, you're welcome to join in the fun if you like! All ya gotta do is click that cute little link and read all about it!]

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Guest post by Scott Roche who writes over at Spiritual Tramp

This year has been ABSOLUTELY packed. We moved. I launched a couple of podcasts and my author site. I got on Facebook and hooked up with some old friends. We elected the right man for the job president-wise. It’s been crazy. In the midst of that, here is what I learned.

January – I did some traveling at the beginning of the year and that was reflected in my blog posts, but my favorite, largely because of the conversation it brought was the first of two posts on predestination/election. Conversations like this are all about keeping communication respectful.

February – This year was all about the politics. I wrote some of my thoughts over at SpitballPolitics.com. Sadly I didn’t write there enough. My post for this month was a little bit of a rant. I am saddened that we’re all Americans but many think of their own party as the one true American party.

March – This post was inspired by a cartoon. I still refer back to it from time to time to remember that the life we live says more about us than the words we use.

April – A health scare generated a few posts, thankfully it was nothing. My favorite though, has to be the first episode of Archangel. It’s been a fun trip. Learning to podcast has been perhaps the most fun I’ve had in a learning experience.

May – This post was on spiritual hydration. If you’re a person of faith, there’s nothing more vital than staying connected to the source of that faith.

June – I had the pleasure of meeting the author of Samson and the Pirate monks and this post is a review of that book. We read it at our annual men’s retreat. I highly recommend it.

July – I launched ArchangelNovel.com, but the best one this month was an inspiring video about allowing yourself to fail. As an author, artist, or even just as a person, you need to give yourself that room.

August – Leigh (my wife) and I started our couple cast this month, but this month’s best post was one inspired by an XKCD.com comic. I learned that it’s best not to hold on to regrets and allow them to make you bitter, but to let it all drive you forward.

September – There was a lot of great content this month, but this song absolutely filled my brain for most of the month so it wins hands down. It’s an earworm and just really bizarre.

October – I spent quite a bit of time prepping for NaNo, but saw this “Christian” board game and it flipped my lid.

November – It was a light month thanks to novel writing but there were some conversations about Prop 8 and more political buffoonery.

December – Ahhhh December, I remember it well. This was inspired by a Will Ferrel movie of all things. Who is Jesus to you and are you limiting him?

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Another year goes by meaning another whole bunch of posts over at SpiritualTramp.com. But it hasn’t all been about the blogging. This is the year of the podcast. Let me back up. MZM was kind enough to invite us all to this blog party and you might not know who I am. My name is Scott Roche and these will be posts to my blog SpiritualTramp.com.

What is it? Well it started off a scattered thing, made of rags and patches. It still is, in large part, but thanks to some keen guys (Men With Pens) I was inspired to tighten up my blog posts and enhance my site a little. Now I focus more on issues of faith. That’s mostly what you’ll find, but it’s not your average God-blog. I welcome folks of all stripes to the conversations and don’t shirk from the hard questions.

Well I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. I look forward to even better stuff in ’09. I’ll be developing ScottRoche.com. I’ll finish up Archangel Legion. There will be a new podcast novel, probably in the second half of the year. Stick around and watch me for the changes.

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[Further note from the Proprietor: Hey, if you're interested in having your own "best of 2008" posts highlighted right here at the Middle Zone, then by all means, click on this link: (BLOGAPALOOZA: What I Learned From 2008) and read all about it! BLOGAPALOOZA will be open for entries from now until Sunday, January 25.]

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