A new year has dawned and I feel like it is once again time to take stock of where things stand here at The Manofesto and look at what may lie ahead. I like to do this periodically more for my own benefit than anything, as a way of staying focused on what I want to accomplish with this site.

Some may have already noticed the elimination of the Let’s Talk About God & The Right Side sections and the subsequent emergence of an area of the site I am calling Values, Principles, & Truth. What I have found over the course of time is that, despite our nation’s liberal obsession with separation of church & state, there is much crossover between politics and faith. I have found in particular that my political opinions are heavily influenced by my faith, and that my faith dictates how I view many sociopolitical issues. This blurring of the lines often comes into play when I am writing, so I just decided to go with it. At the end of the day everything boils down to what is true, what is right, and what is moral, regardless of the precise subject matter.

Awhile back I mentioned the possibility of The Manofesto evolving into a talk show on BlogTalkRadio. To be honest the fire within me hasn’t been lit in regard to this matter as of yet. It is something I will continue to ponder and may eventually do when the time is right. However, I don’t think that time will be all that soon.

I have some plans for The Sports Page in 2011 as well. First, because there is always always always something going on in the world of sports I think it is an area that lends itself nicely to a weekly column of some sort. We’ll see what happens, but look for a weekly sports wrap-up of some kind to begin soon. There might quick hits on several topics, or we may examine just one or two events more in depth. Also, even though college & pro football will be winding down all too soon I am already looking ahead to next season. My favorite TV show, ESPN’s Mike & Mike in the Morning, has a weekly feature during the NFL season called Stone Cold Lead Pipe Locks, where Greeny & Golic choose a handful of games and pick their poison. I plan on doing something similar, although I will almost certainly be picking more games than they do and I definitely will be picking college games as well. I probably won’t be getting into point spreads and all that jazz, not only because I don’t really want to promote gambling but also because I just want to have some good, clean, lighthearted fun and anything involving mathematics isn’t all that much fun.

2011 will see the end of the road for the 100 Favorite Movies series and the examinations of The Fruits of the Spirit and the Sermon on the Mount. Other Biblically based writings are in the pondering stage but nothing that will involve a long, drawn out series. That is always subject to change.

I am not even going to say that The Book Shelf is going to get more attention this year because I know I have made that promise a few times before. But I have gotten back into the habit of reading more lately, so atleast I am headed in the right direction. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that upwards of a dozen…give or take a couple…books will be given their proper due on this site in 2011.

I have finally found a look for the site that I find aesthetically pleasing, so I do not anticipate anything more than the occasional slight tweak here & there. I have found that it is much too cumbersome of an ordeal to go back and edit every single entry I’ve ever written, something that usually becomes necessary when cosmetic changes are made. WordPress, which hosts this blog, is far from perfect and there are improvements I’d love to see them make eventually, but overall it has been a good site to deal with so I have no major complaints.

So there you have it…some changes, but nothing too drastic. My desire is for The Manofesto to always be a place where one can spend some downtime reading a piece that may entertain, provoke some thought, or occasionally even stir one’s heart. Readability is key, and that entails subject matter and structure. As always, I want this to be an interactive experience, so never hesitate to leave comments and suggestions.