When Mark Driscoll, Brian McLaren, Ann Voskamp and I are all at the same block party

That’s sorta what it feels like to scroll through my Google Reader each morning. 

Only it’s much less awkward. 

Usually Jenny Lawson breaks the ice with a bizarre, profanity-laced story about a mummified bat (or peasant or ferret); then Scot McKnight jumps in with his thoughts on the latest biblical scholarship, followed by an update from NPR on today’s news. Then, either Sarah Bessey or Glennon Melton makes me cry, either Jamie Wright or Jen Hatmaker makes me laugh, either Richard Beck or Christena Cleveland makes me think, and either Al Mohler or someone from The Gospel Coalition makes me mad. Then there’s a picture of feminist Ryan Gosling or an adorable crying toddler and everything is okay again. 

Such is the joy of subscribing to a variety of different blogs from a variety of different bloggers. 

So when I learned Google Reader would be shutting down July 1, I panicked a little. How will I keep track of all these bloggers? How will my readers keep track of me? How will I pick Sunday Superlatives? How will I know about these 23 awesome cats who are plotting their owners’ demise? THIS IS IMPORTANT STUFF, PEOPLE!  

Fortunately, I found an alternative pretty quickly, as exemplified by the conversation at our breakfast table this morning:  

Rachel: “Guess what. I switched my RSS reader from Google Reader to Feedly all by myself.” 

Dan: “You mean you clicked the big green button that said ‘import feed from Google Reader’?” 

Rachel: “Yes, all by myself.” 

So after worrying for three months about losing my precious Google Reader, the switch to Feedly was that easy, even for the technologically challengd like me. 

So, for those of you who already subscribe to this blog in Google Reader, I recommend switching to Feedly. (If that doesn’t work for you, check out “12 Google Reader Alternatives.”)  

For those of you who have yet to subscribe to my blog, you can do that here.*

And for those of you looking to update your reader, here are some suggestions for blogs that might be just under your radar: 

Richard Beck (Experimental Theology): Richard is thoughtful, wise, curious, and kind, both in person and in his writing. His blog examines the interface of Christian theology and psychology with a particular focus on how existential issues affect Christian belief and practice. Subscribe to Richard’s blog if you like looking at things from a new angle.

Jonathan Martin: Pastoral, in the very best sense of the word. Be sure to check out his sermon podcasts too.

Christena Cleveland: Practical, challenging thoughts on privilege, racial reconciliation, faith, and relationships. I just recently discovered Christena and am so grateful for her voice. 

Jamie The Very Worst Missionary: Just read her latest post if you need any more convincing.  

Peter Enns: Pete’s been on a blogging roll lately and is swiftly becoming my favorite theology blogger. Lots of room on his blog for discussion, differences of opinion, and honest searching. If you’re wrestling with harmonizing your faith and your intellectual integrity, I can’t recommend Pete’s blog enough. 

John Blase: It’s hard to find good poetry online. John’s consistently takes my breath away it’s so beautiful. 

Deeper Story: What I love about Deeper Story is its diversity of voices, brought together by consistently fantastic writing. You’ll hear from Kristen Howerton, Preston Yancey, Emily Maynard and a host of others, and their stories will stick with you throughout the day.  

She Loves: My favorite place to “meet” new writers. Often includes international perspectives, which is nice. 

Pinterest You are Drunk: For a laugh.

Kristen Rosser (at Wordgazer’s Words): One of the best writers on biblical support for gender equality. (You will remember Kristen wrote a guest post for us entitled, “Is Marriage Really an Illustration of Christ and the Church?”)

Addie Zierman (How To Talk Evangelical): Addie’s a natural. Love her writing. And she’s got a book coming out this fall that you’re going to love. 

Micha Boyett: When I think of Micha, the word “steward” comes to mind. She has a real gift for using her online platform to bring us something beautiful with each post. Her guest post series on “one good phrase” has been fantastic. 

Ed Cyzewski: Consistently thoughtful and always open to feedback, Ed’s one of the humbles and wisest writers I know. 

Zack Hunt (The American Jesus): Everyone loves Zack’s annual installment of “American Jesus Madness,” but his blog is so much more than that. In addition to witty commentary on religion and culture, Zack writes thoughtful and accessible reflections on theology, as well as deeply personal, engaging stories like this one about the news that he and his wife are expecting. 

On Pop Theology: I just started following this blog and am loving it so far. Just an eclectic, easy-to-read collection of commentaries and insights on Christianity and pop culture. I often steal from their weekly roundup for Sunday Superlatives. 

Justin Lee: Justin manages to write about being a gay Christian in America with the sort of patience, openness, and grace that will astound you. He has a way of cutting through all the noise to bring us true redemption songs. 

D.L. Mayfield: Asks the hard questions about what it means to live in the upside-down Kingdom of Jesus. 

*** 

I subscribe to over 200 blogs, so obviously, I’m leaving out a BUNCH of people whose blogs I absolutely love. These were just a few that might be flying under your radar. 

So what blogs do you subscribe to? And Google people, have you found a new Reader? 

And don't forget to subscribe to this blog if you haven't already! Makes reading a lot easier.