About this site

Hi. I'm Michael. Allow me to introduce myself somewhat. I am a software developer, a writer, a perpetual student of the Trivium (though I admit rhetoric does not come easily to me most of the time), and a very imperfect LCMS Lutheran.

I have a wife, an 11 month old daughter, and a son due later this year, all of whom serve as constant proof that the Lord is generous even to such silly geese as myself.

I have started The Midnight Oil partly as a kind of outlet where I can "think out loud" and partly as a way of sharing what can be shared of the blessings the Lord has given me with others. Sometimes that may be in the form of theological posts. Other times it may be a list of free tools I've learned about and like. And then sometimes it may even be short or episodic stories. One thing the Lord has taught me very thoroughly is that His generosity is not only a spiritual thing. He is concerned that we should eat as well as that we should pray. With that in view, you may expect to see anything here that seems likely to me to be useful to others, whether to their souls or to their bodies.

Other than that, I am also hopeful that the project will attract others who love truth and view every activity as an opportunity to create art, whether it is painting or programming or doing the dishes. There are few places in this world where philosophers and artists who value honesty above popularity are free to set down their burdens, and I am very eager to see The Midnight Oil become such a place.

Want your own blog but not sure where to start?

If you enjoy the feel of this site and want to set up your own blog, I encourage you to check out Ghost. I don't make any money or anything if you do. I just find it pleasant to work with and think you might too. I may - in the near future - write one or more posts about my experience getting this blog set up, my total costs (something like $5/month for a server to host the site and $12/year for the domain. Ghost is free if you self-host like I am doing), and so on in case it is helpful to anyone.