All posts tagged: Facebook

7 Scriptures to look up before you shout “legalism”

Published by

There is a growing group of Christians today that want nothing to do with any kind of restriction from scripture or common sense Christian values in matters of faith and life. Any objection to the kind of movies they watch, the kind of music they listen to, the way they dress, the jokes they tell, getting wasted, the use of curse words or inappropriate language is usually seen as being “legalistic.” The problem here is, I think, we want to be mere men, but we are not mere men. We want to be like everyone else, but we are not everyone else. We want to be normal, but we are not normal. We want to be ordinary, but we are not ordinary. God made us and called us to be extraordinary. And instead of letting scripture shape the way we live, we water it down a little for culture to have a little wiggle room around truth. But it is important to understand that the things we watch and listen to have profound effects on us. Like my spiritual father used to say, “what goes in …

The Facebook Sonnet

Published by

Welcome to the endless highschool Reunion. Welcome to past friends and lovers however kind or cruel Let’s undervalue and unmend the present. Why can’t we pretend Every stage of life is the same? Let’s exhume, resume and extend Childhood. L:et’s all play the game That occupy the young. Let fame And shame intertwine. Let one’s search For God become public domain. Let the Church.com become our Church. Let’s sign up, sign in, and confess Here at the altar of loneliness. -Sherman Alexie

Beyond Information to Transformation

Published by

Let me begin with a status update from my spiritual father’s Facebook page. He wrote: Reading through Jeremiah and Lamentations in the One Year Bible [really gasping for air].  GOD’s tolerance for dirty living was at “0.”  And my “take away?” 1.  Clean living is valuable. 2.  Clean living’s got to be “on our radar.” 3.  Clean living has to be a from the “inside–out” deal. GOD — please — take GT beyond information to transformation. In this Facebook status update I would like for you to notice just one phrase. Forrest says, “Take GT beyond information to transformation.” For those of you who do not know Pastor Beiser, he is my spiritual father. And he leads a thriving church in San Francisco. This phrase, “beyond information to transformation,” has been one of the driving forces of his life and ministry, at least since I’ve known him. Making disciples  is what he lives for. So, how do you lead people beyond information to transformation? Here are a few suggestions: 1. Pioneer a yearning lifestyle Let your people see your devotion. Don’t …

You can still dunk in the dark…

Published by

At 8:48 p.m. the night of the Superbowl, Oreo tweeted this ad with the caption “Power out? No problem.” Since then, it’s been retweeted more than 14,000 times (and the same image on Facebook has gotten more than 20,000 likes) The agency behind the on-the-fly ad was 360i. And this is what they had to say about it: We had a mission control set up at our office with the brand and 360i, and when the blackout happened, the team looked at it as an opportunity An Opportunity! Boy, that should preach… According to Sarah Hofstetter, the president of 360i, “the big question is, what happens when everything changes, when you go off script?” And I will add – what do you do when life throws at you its greatest blow, it’s knock out punch – when all is dark around you? Some give up, throw in the towel, throw a pity party and sit around complaining when their darkest days hit. But I am confident that we can see our dark days as opportunities to reinvent ourselves, stay in the game, be creative and simply …

Conflict Resolution: Three Thing To Avoid

Published by

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. Matthew 18:15 1. Do everything in your power to avoid using email, text messages, or Facebook and twitter to either confront or respond to any conflict related issues. Chances are you will be misunderstood. Chances are the problem may take longer to be resolved. Chances are the problem could be blown out of proportion. Meet face to face, resolve the issue, give your apology, affirm your love or appreciation for each other, and recommit to the relationship. If this first step doesn’t work, study Matthew 18, all the while, staying humble, prayerful and sensitive to the Holy Spirit. 2. Always remember #1 3. Never forget # 1 Conclusion: Sometimes a conflict can happen between people living far apart geographically. In this instance a simple apology may suffice. Recognize your fault, humble yourself, give no excuses, give no explanations, just say – I’M Sorry!

Do you need a Digital Sabbatical?

Published by

Digital Sabbatical vs Digital Lifestyle Makeover I have been hearing about what some are calling a digital sabbatical over and over for the past three to four months now and I finally want to say… IDK… this one is probably not for me. The question may be asked – What is a digital sabbatical? Some say it is  Dedicating one day a week or even a whole month away from the internet, email, twitter, and other online activities.” To others, an extended sabbatical is even more appealing (Rowdykittins) They say the main reason for a DS is to have a mind cleans, a way to reclaim your time, exercise you body, and break the online dependency. But, My problem with this concept  is simple – when the weekend, the one week, one month is over, what are they going to do about the problem that made them feel like they needed a digital sabbatical in the first place? They are  going to go right back to their same old bad habits: mindless surfing, odd hours of online gaming, …