(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Those who know me know I think a lot, talk even more, and write when I feel like it. I’ve written various things during my life, mainly blog posts in recent years – posts that have covered the gamut, from reflections on scripture to political commentary. While I do not have a seminary degree, nor the vast knowledge base required of our committed government leaders, I do have a true expertise in leadership, education and communication. Put these together and it spells I-N-F-L-U-E-N-C-E.

We all have influence over others, whether family, friends, colleagues, or just drivers sharing the same roadway. Sadly, our influence is not always positive. Yet the Bible teaches us to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Th 5:11). This is my heart song. Although I’ve hit some bad notes in my life’s concert, my desire is to promote beautiful harmony in our society.

There is no one more influential in any country than its leader. This week, several republican politicians met for a debate in Las Vegas with the hope of garnering support for their run at our country’s top office. These debates reveal as much about the character of the candidate as the content of their political position. Both must be strong. Yet those who master the art of presentation will succeed while those who don’t will fail, regardless of their qualities or qualifications. We will always elect a strong communicator as our President.

A strong communicator is vital to the health of our nation – but not merely a strong one. Like influence, strong communication can be both positive and negative. A positive communicator will more ultimately yield profitable results, rather than unprofitable ones. Surely most, if not all, Americans desire fruitfulness for our nation.

So what makes a strong communicator a positive one? I’ll be sharing my thoughts in upcoming posts. I hope you’ll share yours with me.

When I started blogging in 2007, I honestly didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I didn’t even know what a blog was! I joined Blogger by default because I had received an email inviting me to comment on an “article” on the Internet (a.k.a. blog post). Of course I wanted my voice to be heard. Don’t we all? So I followed the links like clues on a scavenger hunt and the next thing you know, my first blog, Prayerfully Penned, was born.

My first post was sent to three people, my mother, my mother-in-law, and my women’s ministry leader at my church. It was sent with a note saying, “I have no idea what I have done, but I commit to writing something for the Lord this year.” And I did. I initially wrote what I learned from studying God’s Word. I shared what I believed He taught me, praying that my words would help somebody else. My words were truly prayerfully penned.

Since that time, my writing has taken various twists and turns. I’ve continued to blog my reflections on His Word. But in riding these online rapids, I’ve bounced around this blogging river, writing about politics, news, leadership and culture. I’ve blogged in letter form as a mother to her daughters. I’ve even blogged as a guest blogger on others’ blogs.

Sadly, in four short years I’ve seen the new art of blogging morph from unknown, to undefined, to overrated and overrun. Many blog posts are worthy of being written and read. But many do not warrant the time spent on either activity. I’ve learned that blogging can be an effective way to inspire and educate. But it can also be an effective way to expel one’s own opinions, and to inflate one’s own ego.

My mother always told me, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” As Christians, we are to speak to build up, not to tear down. As such, when we Christian bloggers don’t have anything edifying to write, perhaps we should keep our fingers off the keys until we do. It’s a goal I certainly haven’t reached, but I’m resolved to aim in that direction. How about you?

It has baffled me for the longest time: that God would create a world so perfect only to be tainted. Why would He? Some will argue that God did not spoil it, man did. While this is true, God knows the beginning from the end, so therefore He must have known it would occur even as He created the culprits. Some will say it was not His will and therefore somehow out of His doing. Yet even though God Himself did not infect the world with sin, He allowed it. After all, He is sovereign over all; is He not? Why then, would He allow such a situation, even create beings that would contribute to it? Why would the perfectly holy and beautiful God of the Universe create such circumstances knowing His most prized creations would work to destroy both their environment and each other?

Today I believe – and I preface my remarks with “today”, for I have learned that my beliefs are continually being challenged and refined – Today I believe that because God created us to worship Him, He also had to create the conditions in which we could. Because He endowed us with intelligence and not just a robotic computer center for a brain, He wired us to perceive, compare, decide and evaluate. It is only through the reality of darkness that light is recognized. It is only by experiencing failure that we understand success. It is only through the lens of imperfection that we seek perfection. God knew all along that we could only truly appreciate and adore the Perfect Redeemer by longing for His presence in an imperfect world so badly in need of redemption.

At the annual National Religious Broadcasters’(NRB) Convention in Nashville, Gracia Burnham spoke at the Monday morning Women’s Breakfast of her 2001 kidnapping in the Philippines by the Abu Sayyaf Group, a militant group of Muslims, and of the faith that brought her through the ordeal that lasted over a year and included the death of her husband, Martin. She thanked the NRB, specifically the radio broadcasters, for spreading the message of their kidnapping and keeping their names before people who would pray for them while they were in captivity. “You see, I think it’s because of many of you in this room that I am here to tell my story,” she said.

Continue reading this post at EverydayChristian.com.