Blogging Biblically

Blogging has become quite the modern phenomenon. Never before in history have the intimate thoughts of regular people been so accessible to the general public. Since I'm a blogger and a Christian really concerned about obeying the Lord, I thought I'd share my thoughts on blogging Biblically.

1. Keep Your Priorities Straight. In my life, almost everything comes before blogging. My personal time with God, my family, my service in the church, my job, and my current educational pursuits all have higher priority. So when life gets crazy and I don't blog, I don't feel bad about it. At least I try not to. :)

2. Don't Vent... If you have a problem with a person, talk directly to that person. DON'T BLOG ABOUT IT! Talking to the entire general public (what blogging is) instead of the person about a certain situation is a violation of the Matthew 18 principle. You must go to your brother in private, then with one or two, then before the church. Never expose your brother's (or your parents' or your friends' or anybody else's) sins on your blog.

3. Remember, Anybody Can Read. This includes your future bosses, your enemies, your parents, your pastors, complete strangers, criminals and weirdos. Just ask yourself if you would be embarassed or ashamed if any particular person read that post. If there is any question about the appropriateness of your post, err on the side of caution and don't post it!

4. Be Slow to Speak. A blog post written in the heat of passion (whether anger or any other emotion) is probably going to be regretted. Try to write only when you're level-headed, not tired, irritable or under the influence of caffeine. :)

5. Write Understandably. No one will be able to be edified from your blog if they can't understand what you are saying. Write clearly. Use punctuation and correct spelling (there's a cool little button called 'spell check'). Avoid using the same words over and over. Alot of grammatical mistakes happen because people are lazy. Do everything, even writing a blog entry, as unto the Lord.

5. Glorify God. Everybody fits into the Body of Christ differently. And I'm sure that everyone's blogs are different. Some are wordy. Some are short'n'sweet. Some are obsessed with numerical lists--like me! But all should bring glory to God.

If you're gonna blog, then do it well. Do it to glorify God.

* P.S. to my youth people. Reminder: Your blog is (like you) submitted to your parents. Make sure you're talking with them about what personal details they would/would not like for you to reveal online. Be obedient. Give them a link to your blog. Remember, your life is an open book before your parents.