At GodBlogCon on Friday night, Tod Bolsinger, Mark D. Roberts, and Dr. John Mark Reynolds treated the GodBlogConians to a large draft from their barrel of bloggy wisdom. Here’s what the the panel discussion made me think about…..

Pastor Roberts called blogging "a harsh mistress". This is a reference to the time and strain involved in the blogging
enterprise and how it seems to take time away from spouse and family. Blogging is hard. It often causes me to stay up way past my bedtime on school nights. It occassionally causes me to drop the F-bomb (like when I click "Save as Draft" in Blogspot after working on a post for an hour and a half, only to lose all the text because Blogspot timed out). However, I prefer not to think of blogging as a mistress. To me, that term is heavy with connotations of the illicit, unfaithful, and rebellious. To blog is to be true to my calling, and I prefer to think of blogging as a labor of love:

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." I Corinthians 15:58

No matter the toils and snares sometimes involved with blogging, I would always blog for love and clear conscience.

Attitude of service covers a multitude of blog sins. The responses to Hugh Hewitt’s question ("What are the warning signs of pastor/Christian who should not blog?") can, in large part, be mitigated if the blogger thinks of themselves as a servant to the people reading.

Go for the big payoff. Big payoff in blogging? I’ve earned $3 since January using Google Ads. What big payoff could their be? The real payoff, says Pastor Roberts, is being able to make a tangible difference in someone’s life because of your blog. But, you first need a spirit of sacrificial service to make this happen.

The poignant, closing statements by the panelists really drove home these points for me. That God may direct a struggling, searching soul in an hour of desperation to Voice in the Wilderness to find an answer in words he/she can understand is both sobering and deeply satisfying.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:9-10

Click here to see the entire live blog.

Update: I forgot to mention that GBC got a fairly long article on FoxNews.com last Thursday.

10/16/05 Update: CNN also has a story on GBC I. Money quote:

Biola University professor Timothy Muehlhoff gave instructions on writing about faith without alienating nonbelievers.

He
stressed that God blogging has the potential to be a "train wreck"
because done wrong it can reinforce stereotypes of evangelical
Christians as angry and close-minded "pit bulls of the culture wars."

"As
Christians today we are embroiled in the argument culture and we have
forgotten this one thing: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’," he said.
"Wouldn’t it be nice if we could say we brought a level of civility
back to the conversation?"

Here’s a quiz:

1. In which country did a historic, relatively quiet election occur on a nationwide level for or against a new national Constitution?

a) U.S.
b) Ireland
c) China
d) Iraq

2. In which country did a nasty race riot break out during a demonstration in which the authorities had to get involved?

a) U.S.
b) Ireland
c) China
d) Iraq

Answers: 1. d and 2. a

Discuss amongst yourselves……..