When I began this blog, I assumed that if any number of people read this blog, my actual identity would eventually come out publicly. Of course, I’ve been blogging all along — some 4½ years and almost 3,000 posts ago — under the pseudonym of “Brother Maynard.” When I began blogging here, I said that “the names are being withheld to protect the innocent and show grace toward the guilty.” I thought after the first year that I would announce myself, but on the advice of a few friends, I never have. But maybe I’m no longer feeling gracious.
Several unexpected things have transpired since that first blog post, chief among them the number of people who eventually began reading here. I did not anticipate the new friendships I would make through these contacts, nor the depth of meaning that some of these have come to have. And I also did not expect that this far down the line my identity would still be, more or less, unknown or that my pseudonym would become in many ways bigger and grander than I am. Although, of course, that was never a great stretch.
On my Facebook page, I gave Brother Maynard the face of Sean Connery rather than that of Eric Idle as I did on the “Who is Brother Maynard?” page on this blog. Since then, my real image has appeared here and elsewhere around the Internet… but it’s not like I get stopped in the street or stalked by paparazzi or anything. Perhaps if I looked more like Sean Connery and less like the real me.
As time went on, I established a certain “trigger” which would cause me to reveal my identity online in these pages: publishing. Still, when I self-published my first book, That You Might Believe: Praying Advent with the Gospel of John, I published it under my Pseudonym, but displayed the copyright in the book under my own name. Either nobody noticed, or nobody said anything. Same as when I registered the domain name for this site… I registered it under my own name and did not select the privacy options. I wondered how long it would be before someone did a ‘whois’ search to find out, but again, either nobody noticed, or nobody said anything. As a result, I’ve been somewhat reticent to say anything more overtly. After all, people have said such nice things about me when they don’t know who I am.
As of this week though, a book I edited together with Len Hjalmarson will be shipping from Allelon Publishing and Resonate. 
And yes, it’s true… the book that Len has mentioned on his blog is now available on Amazon.com. I threw together a site which we have up at fresh-refresh.com and, you guessed it, it’s got my real name splattered on it. So I guess the cat’s out of the bag now. The guy who writes the current blog looks a lot like the guy who writes 
this other blog. So I guess that’s it… another emerging/missional mystery solved. Think anyone will notice?
Stay tuned for more information on the new book as well as a few other tidbits I can say now that there’s no secret identity that I need to don in the nearest telephone booth.
Still left a little puzzled as to the secrecy. Given the pseudonym I’d wondered if you were a pastor at a more traditional church or something like that, something which could get you fired. This seems anticlimactic by comparrison. In any case, interesting to read the bio and see you’re a secular worker like me.
Anticlimatic? Interesting. :)
You made “coming out” seem easy.
I was wondering who “the other guy” was.
can i get you to sign my copy? :)
I can’t tell you how glad I am that the cat is out of the bag. You know how many times I almost let this slip? And, believe it or not, once in the company of some of the very people you’d have least wanted to know.
At any rate, I hope this means even more and deeper relationships with your readers. I know I have appreciated your friendship a great deal.
A year or two ago, if I recall, someone who was at that missional gathering/conference (can’t think of what it was called) put your real name on some images they posted from it. I’ve known since then, but figured you used an alias for a reason. And in any case, it doesn’t change who you are.
But now to convince Grace….
Congratulations, Brent! I’m with Jamie … no need to watch what I call you any more…. ;^)
And Erin … good luck with convincing Grace….
Hey!
LOL! Grace, there are days I get your real name and pseudonym(s) mixed up!
Well sounds you’re more like me than I realized. Similarly I have more missional knowledge and experience and motivation than most clergy I know and started blogging with a few axes to grind. Dealt with the problem by speaking about the church rather than specific churches, as after all the problems are endemic. As time has gone on I focus much more on the future than the past.
Brent, congrats to you and Len on the new book.
hahaha … I never know what to call “Grace” anymore because her pseudonym seems more fitting (in my mind) than her real name. But I’m trying to retrain myself … so I’m confused.
Same with Br…. ent. LOL … j/k. I think it’s funny that Brent and Brother Maynard begin with the same consonant combination.
As with Jamie, I’m glad this is out now …
Glad to meet you Brent. Younger than I had imagined :) Funny thing is that it matters not whether or not you are Brent or Bro May. Same soul. Same spirit. Thanks for who you are.
since i met you in your IRL name/persona at Seabeck before i even knew there was a Brother Maynard, it’s kind of trippy that now i finally get to call you by the first name i knew you as instead of a pseudonymonious saying.
and so, harooh! hoorah! hooray! single-ganger at last!
and congrats to you and Len on the book. and, in the famous words of My Big Fat [Koine] Greek Wedding – “… and there you go!
Brad aka futuristguy aka CamoClashMan aka SuperHero Sidekick aka The Bradster aka The Bradmeister aka etc.
ummm … p.s. – just curious, since you used Sean Connery from The Name of the Rose, does this mean that Brother Maynard was your palimpsest? sort of an echo of Eco? just wond’rin’ …