I’m talking about you this morning. I just wanted to let you know that. I’m talking to a group of people from non-profits in the Fort Wayne (IN) area about social media and I’m talking about you. I’ll tell them about how grateful I am for your interaction and reading and challenges and, in some cases, friendships. It’s gossip, but it’s good gossip. And I won’t mention your name.

Even as I was thinking about confessing my gossip, I remembered that Paul talked in his letters about good gossip, too. He told the people in Philippi that he talked to God about them all the time, thanking God for the relationship.

He told the people in Colosse that he had heard about their faith from a mutual friend, and that he was praying for them all the time.

He told the people in Ephesus that he prayed for them all the time and then detailed some of that prayer for them.

He told the people in Thessaloniki that he prayed for them all the time and then told them specifically that he was grateful for

your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I was suddenly convicted. Not in a “I am the worst of all sinners” way. More in a “what if didn’t start with ‘what should I write’ approach to praying before I write but in a ‘God, you know these people. Take care of them. Help them understand You, especially for those who have been so confused and abused by people who use your name. Thank you for curiosity and a willingness to try to learn a bit more about you” way of talking with God before I write.

So that’s what I’m doing.