So when I started the Locals account, I remembered there being something about limitations on a few things. I quickly forgot. Anyway, I have been miffed that the quality of what I stream is so low here as opposed to some others. I have finally concluded it is because something Locals does on their end. And here it is:
The best services of Locals are only provided once was has a certain number of supporters. In order to have high quality live streams, one has to be on the "Pro" tier. I'm not really close to that. They limit not just the picture quality, but the length of time I can go (30 minutes) and how many live streams per month I can do (5). That means my experiment this week is actually over tomorrow. Because I actually did two live streams this morning because the interface wasn't working on my first go, that means I have already done 4 live streams this week. Tomorrow morning will be my last one for March.
The next tier is the "Starter" tier. It requires that I have 50 supporters. I currently have 60 members, but only 23 of those are supporters. So I'm not quite halfway there. Admittedly, I haven't pushed Locals very hard, and I haven't done a good job rewarding those of you who have decided to support. I will work to remedy that over time.
As it is, you folks have, so far, given over $1,300 to this project. That isn't nothing. It is actually quite significant. The only other revenue stream I have for PlainSpoken in YouTube, which has rendered about that much. I like to imagine a future in which I am able to do everything that needs to be done without having to mess with advertising. We are a long way away, but I think it can be done.
In the meantime, if you know of a person or a church for whom PlainSpoken has been a help, you might just encourage them to join up. There is a future, a couple years down the line, in which I can create an infrastructure aimed at equipping Methodists to run powerful, informed, faithful local churches. I appreciate y'all helping me to build in that direction. Blessings to you all this day!
I'm publishing this here first to convey my thanks to those of you who have supported my work. Thank you.
Episode 1 takes up marriage, divorce and remarriage. Going into Johannesburg, our Book of Doctrines and Discipline told the world who could marry and never once used the word "divorce." On the last morning of General Conference, in about fifty minutes of floor debate, that changed. I walk Petition 1020 through its whole life: the language we inherited, Jonathan Lee's petition, the committee's 35–1 vote, and Saturday on the floor. That meant Rich Hoffman's amendment, Matt O'Reilly's rewrite, a motion to send the whole thing away for six years, and a final vote of 329–41.
Then we open Matthew 19 and 1 Corinthians 7 and ask what the church said, and what it chose not to say. I land somewhere between grateful and uneasy, and I want to hear where you land. The free discussion guide sets the old and new texts side by side, gives both sides in the delegates' own words, and has ...
I don't know why the live stream didn't work today. Here is what I did:
Update: I know I said I would start back up this week. I could easily start the morning live stream back up, but I have been feeling like I need to do some wrap-up on General Conference. It just took me some time get clear on what I would feel good about doing. And I finally got some really good thoughts together after a lot of percolation. Early next week, I should be publishing some very decent work on explaining some of the more impactful developments in Johannesburg. For right now, I'm aiming at eleven episodes dealing with:
1. Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage: how the church put words about divorce into our Book of Doctrines and Discipline on the final morning
2. Sex and Gender Identity: the rewriting of ¶302.8
3. Protecting the Unborn and the Mother: our new language on abortion
4. The Racial Theology Resolution: Resolution 1466, adopted and then defeated on a revote
5. The Articles of Faith: a new doctrinal standard for the Global Methodist Church
6. Restrictive Rules and the ...
