Almost twelve years ago, on my 58th birthday, friends of mine donated their time and talents to create a website for Transitions by The Book. Additionally, they created a logo for us, which we still use today, and someone even donated the photos that you see when you go to the read my posts on the website. Now, 1808 posts later, with somewhere north of 1,500,00 words written about various transitions in our lives, it’s time to freshen things up. I never imagined that we would be around so long – but I have no intention of ending what we have done throughout the years.
You see, since we started, technology has taken many steps forward, but we have not kept up. We have added various upgrades from time to time, but from a technology standpoint, the time has come that it really isn’t possible any longer to use scotch tape and duct tape to keep us up to date – bringing each of our readers the best possible platform to interact with TBTB.
For example, we were all much younger back then and as we age, it has become more difficult to read the small print on the website. Back in the day, I never dreamt that this would become an issue, but here we are – and from the feedback I get, it can be frustrating to try to read the posts on the website. That’s about to change!
Also, software tools have become much better and I, for one, have been reluctant to learn the new technologies that are now available to us. Similarly, people have moved to different jobs and careers, or have changed their email addresses.
With all that having been said, we have once again been blessed with several generous people who have stepped up and are going to once again provide the resources and expertise to create a great user experience for all of us. Twelve years on the same technology platform is almost an eternity in the tech world so the time has come to move out the old and make everything new!
Tonight, after you read this post, the old website will be replaced by a brand new, state of the art, website. It will be easier to use and much easier to read. We will also be able to send the entire post to your inbox if you prefer that to reading on FaceBook or other social platforms that we post to.
So… while it will take a day or two to make the “transition” to the new site, starting this coming Wednesday, we would like each of our readers to verify their email addresses and re-subscribe to TBTB. By visiting transitionsbythebook.com starting Wednesday, you will be able to once again subscribe to TBTB. It’s easier than ever and you will receive an email asking you to verify that you really want to receive these posts. Please make sure that you check your spam filter if you don’t receive a notice. Just verify and you’re all up to date.
If there are duplicate emails, we will sort that out – we just don’t want our readers to miss anything that comes from TBTB. So starting next Thursday, we will be posting from the new site! We are anxious to welcome you back!
In thinking about a verse for tonight, it was clear that one verse stood out above all the others for the topic that I am covering tonight – making everything “new.” Near the end of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, God affirms that he will be with us through all eternity. He also confirms that there will be a new heaven and a new earth – everything will be new!
John, the author of Revelation, tells us, in Revelation 21:5 -6, “And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End.”
That means that Jesus is first, last and everywhere in between. We can’t escape Him. Isn’t that wonderful news? My encouragement this evening is that Jesus wants us with Him every step of the way. My prayer is that we will all look to a wonderful eternal future and in the meantime, that we will be surrounded by others who are also dedicated to serving the Creator of everything. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…. and please don’t forget to visit transitionsbythebook.com to make sure that we have your email address right… “See” you Thursday!