I want to say a few words about the power of blogging on a personal level. And I want to challenge my fellow quiet Pentecostals and Charismatics to pick up the keyboard and begin writing.

Words have Consequences
A friend on an email message group recently asked me about the effectiveness of ministering through a blog. So I'd been thinking about that when a couple things landed in my inbox that encouraged me and seem to illustrate the answer to his question. Writing in a public forum — whether blogging, managing a web page, or crafting freelance articles for a newspaper or magazine — can have an effect.

First up, from Amber, who sent me a nice note via my online contact form:

« I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your blog.  … Your blog is always honest and open, you don't shy away from even the hard stuff in your comments. After joining the Assemblies at 16, I soon discovered that opinions and controversy and doubt are all too often a flag for that person needing to "get saved" again.

I have just recently left the Assemblies … but a part of it is still in me, hopefully the good parts. And honestly, I think all of those good parts are what you portray here at your blog.

Thanks for being there and restoring a little of my fragile hope for humanity. »

The Global Language Monitor recently published some interesting lists of word and phase usage for 2005. Here are my hand-picked faves:

Best top ten phrase is #9: “Jumping the Couch. Apparently losing complete emotional control; made popular by the escapades of Tom Cruise on the Oprah television show.” (Others: Out of the Mainstream, Bird Flu/Avian Flu, Politically Correct, North/South Divide, Purple Thumb, Climate Change, String Theory, The Golden Quatrilateral, Deferred success.) (See the entries for “Jump the Couch” at the Urban Dictionary and at WordSpy.)

Best top ten word is #4: “Chinglish: The new second language of China from the Chinglish formation: CHINese + EngLISH.”

Best Bushism—sounds like blogging:

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."