Tag Archives: social media

Social Media & Birthdays

Posted on by

0

book

I had my birthday recently and it got me to thinking about birthday’s and social media. Facebook has proven to be nice for a few things when it comes to birthday’s or anniversaries. Facebook tells us when these things happen. I don’t have to remember, write them down or keep track. It will just show up on my page. I can then write a quick, “Happy birthday” and be done.

This is nice and somewhat lazy.

If we’re honest, it makes us feel like we are checking something off and being a good friend. But it is missing something.

If you have ever bought a card for something, you maybe wrote something in it. If anything, you at least took 5 seconds to pick out a card that fit that person. It caused you to have some thought about what you gave them or said to them. Social media has taken that away.

One of the things I’ve started to do and here’s my challenge to you: when you write happy birthday to someone on Facebook, write a message to them on their wall. Tell them why you appreciate them or why they are special to you. If you don’t know them well enough to do that, skip the greeting all together. They won’t know you didn’t write them a message.

4 Things I’ve Learned One Week into Lent

Posted on by

2

book

At Revolution, we challenged our church to give something up for Lent. While most people give up caffeine or chocolate and then spend 40 days complaining about how much they are suffering, we took the angle of asking, “What takes up time in your life? What could you live without and replace that time with Jesus?” For me, I decided to give up Facebook for Lent. Here are 4 things I’ve learned one week into it:

  1. Facebook wastes a lot of moments in my day. I took Facebook off my phone and iPad and off my app of choice, Flipboard. I find that without thinking I go to check Facebook. It is amazing to me how automatic it is. As I think about it, it really is sad to me how much a part of my life social media has become. I can get lost in it without thinking about it.
  2. I care about how many likes I get on things. This is hard to admit, but I like when people like things on Facebook that I post. I want people to be impressed with things. This week has been good because I don’t know what people are thinking about what I post. I’m curious. It is teaching me that it doesn’t matter.
  3. I have no idea what people are doing, which makes me think I have some fake community in my life. While fake social media community is now the way we do community, it isn’t really community. I have over a thousand Facebook friends, many of them I’ve never met. This is cool on one hand, but it also keeps me from getting community. It makes me feel like I don’t need it. I now have to connect with people  give them a call, go out for coffee or have someone over to find out what is happening in their lives. While Facebook is a time saver in this regard, it also keeps you from actually having community.
  4. My life is connected through Facebook. People have asked me about why things are posting on Facebook if I gave it up. I have given it up, but I realized how much my life is connected through Facebook. My blog, twitter, linkedin, signing into hootsuite and a whole host of other apps have to have my Facebook login. Disconnecting from Facebook was more work than I felt like it was worth. So yes, I’m not reading it.

Question: What did you give up for Lent? What are you learning during this season?

Links I Like

Posted on by

0

Links I Like is a collection of blogs, articles and books I’ve come across recently and thought they were worth sharing. Click here for past Links I Like. 
  1. What I wish someone had told me at the beginning. 100 pastors share their wisdom over the years.
  2. Thom Rainer on 5 things you should know about pastors and their pay.
  3. 6 ways to handle stress at Christmas.
  4. Joe Carter on The queen James ‘gay’ bible. Not surprising someone has done this, sad, but not surprised.
  5. David Fairchild on How to respond to tragedy.
  6. 8 questions every social media strategy must answer.
  7. Watch the conversation (below) every parent needs to have with their kids about a digital footprint.

Links I Like

Posted on by

0

Links I Like is a collection of blogs, articles and books I’ve come across recently and thought they were worth sharing. Click here for past Links I Like. 
  1. Seth McBee on Satan in the suburbs. Great reminder of how Satan shows up when people are on mission, yet Jesus is more powerful.
  2. 4 keys to creating momentum in your church.
  3. Nick Bogardus on The search for authenticity.
  4. Text and tweet during a church service.
  5. Tim Challies on Is a wife’s job harder than her husband’s job?

Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

Posted on by

1

I just read Michael Hyatt’s new book Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (kindle version) and it couldn’t have come at a better time for me or be more helpful. It is literally a gold mine!

Normally when I share a review of a book I’ve read, I’ll share what jumped out at me, made me think or was worthwhile. I simply highlighted or earmarked too many pages to do that, I’d end up copying the book.

Here’s the version: if you are a blogger, a leader, a speaker, an author, a band, or a pastor. Anybody who has a brand, a product or a cause that you want others to hear about, get on board with, or spread. This is the only book you need to buy.

In the book, Michael covers how to maximize your blog, your brand, twitter, Facebook. The do’s and don’ts of all of them. I made pages of notes that will all make an enormous difference. Face it. If you are a blogger, leader, pastor, author, speaker, band, or want to be. You want to be heard. You want people to get on board with what you are doing.

This is the book.

Links to End the Week On

Posted on by
  1. Charles Stone on Preaching sticky sermons. Great post. 
  2. Brad Lomenick on How to get things done. Super helpful. 
  3. 4 reasons to preach through books of the Bible. This sums up why we preach like we do at Revolution. 
  4. Leadership training that works. 
  5. Scott Williams 5 reasons you should tweet in church. 
  6. 5 books you should read if you preach or if you want to preach. 
  7. If you are a parent at Revolution Church, here is why you need to pick up the family bible study each week. 
  8. Using Pinterest for the glory of God. 

Links to Start the Week

Posted on by
  1. 11 ways men can lead their families.
  2. Dave Kraft on Dangers leaders face.
  3. Social media explained.
  4. Ryan Huguley on The hats pastors wear.
  5. Dane Ortlund on The right and wrong way to receive criticism.
  6. What is the role of a pastor’s wife/church planter’s wife? I did a whole series on the role of a pastor’s wife, still one of my most read series I’ve ever done.
  7. From Victoria’s Secret Model to Proverbs 31 Wife.
  8. Brandon Cox on The Savior-Sensitive, Seeker-Sensitive Church. Love the idea of learning from those you disagree with.