On occasion, we talk about writing on this podcast and episode number three is a great example of this. And just this week, Josh from Bel Air, Maryland writes in and asks this, "Last year," I think it was January of 2013, "you tweeted about how much you love commas. Can you expand on what you meant by this tweet?

'I love commas. No punctuation mark is more useful in helping a reader know how you want your sentences to be read.'" And of course, it should be noted for listeners that your tweet about your love of commas has no commas. I have the conviction that grammatical rules and punctuation rules are practical ways of helping us love people.

So grammar has a moral dimension to it. In other words, it's a moral dimension. In other words, if we could agree on certain grammatical features, that's what rules are, agreeing on certain grammatical features, what they mean, we will be able to communicate. And that is a loving thing to do.

It's unloving not to care if people understand what you say. If you say, "I'm going to talk and write any way I want. I don't care if people understand what I say," well then you're not a loving person, at least not in that moment. You're not acting in a loving way.

It's unloving to cultivate patterns of grammar or punctuation that make communication harder. So when it comes to the comma, here is a friend indeed. This little fellow is the next best thing to being there. I mean, face-to-face communication lets you divide your phrases by pauses, right? But in writing, how does your reader know when you want him to pause?

Answer? The comma tells him so. So here's a couple of funny examples. Really more serious and funny maybe. Ephesians 4.28, so I'll put in the comma. "Let him that stole," comma, "steal no more," comma, "let him labor working with his hands." Well, what if you dropped out all the commas or put them in the wrong place and you read it like this?

"Let him that stole steal. No more let him labor working with his hands." Same words, just paused in different places. Well, that's the opposite of what you mean. And so the comma rescues, comes to the rescue to keep your meaning from being given exactly the opposite of your intention.

And I just was online with Justin Taylor a little while ago because I could remember him referring to this issue and he pointed me to this one. The serial comma, you know, people say when you've got a list this and this and this and this, you don't need to put the comma before the last and.

Well, here's one where if you don't, you're in big trouble. "I'd like to thank my parents," comma, "Jesus and Ayn Rand." Like, oh, Jesus and Ayn Rand are your parents? No, no, no, that's not what I meant. Well, then put a comma after the second and. So it goes like this.

"I'd like to thank my parents," comma, "Jesus," comma, like it's before the end, "and Ayn Rand." So he's thanking three people, not parents who are Jesus and Ayn Rand. Without a comma there, it's very confusing and you'd have to reread it and say, "Oh, he couldn't mean that and so he didn't mean that." So rescue, be nice to your reader, help your reader.

So when I'm writing, I think about the comma as a humble little servant ready at any moment to make my pauses clear. I'm not going to make it clear and thus make my meaning understood. So the rule, I have one rule for commas. The rule I follow is this.

The comma signifies a pause in thought so as to avoid confusion. That's my rule. Given that rule, I use it wherever it's needed. I don't care what anybody else says, I'm going to use a comma if I can help my reader not confuse himself about my intention. Let me add one more thing and this would be a whole other way to go, but I've got to stick it on at the end here.

I write to be heard in the ear, not just to be understood. I want what I write to sound good. I want it to have a certain rhythm or cadence or meter or pulse. And I think reading is more enjoyable and more impactful and more memorable if the writing sounds in the ear as good as it means.

So any place I think people might miss my cadence and could get help from a comma, I'm going to stick in a comma just to help them keep going with me as if they're listening to me talk into their ear. So conclusion, for love's sake and for understanding's sake and for beauty's sake, I love this little servant the comma.

Excellent. Thank you, Pastor John. Well, Jesus and Ayn Rand would have made a horrible couple, but speaking of matchmaking, what about online dating? Is that a legitimate way for Christians to find a spouse? Pastor John says yes, and tomorrow he'll explain why. I'm your host, Tony Ranke. We'll see you then.

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1