social media

Thoughts on Appalachia v. Ghana (or, Twitter fights)

Posted on May 30, 2024May 30, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

The title is a euphemism. I’m not speaking of actual countries.

Another brouhaha erupted on TwittX this week. That is not abnormal, sadly. But no one likes a fight. It makes all of us sad when people act badly in public. Ugly words are said and it’s just disheartening to watch it unfold. I won’t mention the names of the man and the woman involved because I do not want to give the bad actor in this any publicity (and there was only *one* bad actor- the woman. The man involved was fine).

It was started by a woman professing to be a Christian. The woman was the bad actor. She needs strong discipline from her pastor. She says she attends church. Hopefully she is not self-deceived about her status in Jesus.

Her words were mean, harsh, unnecessary, and hurtful. The tweet she replied to was not even aimed at her or about her. She simply intruded and said some awful things.

Have you noticed that a lot of these quarrels are started by women? Women professing to be Christian?

Even though no one likes a fight (and let me be clear, the ‘fight’ was one sided, the man in this behaved biblically), there are some things we can take away that are positive.

First, look at 1 Corinthians 11:19 which says, For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.

Note, “must”. Also note “among you.” Not all who profess Christianity are actually saved. But the tares lurk among us. How people behave when there are divisions, people lined up in a fight, one side supporting one side and the other supporting the other shows us a lot. Is there self-control? (Galatians 5:22-23). Kindness? (Galatians 5:22-23). Is grace being extended? (Ephesians 4:29). Is there gracious speech? (Proverbs 16:13, Ecclesiastes 10:12).

Or is there unwholesome talk coming out of the mouth? (Matthew 12:34). Hardness of heart? (Mark 3:5).

To mature Christians, the bad-acting side might as well hang a sign around their necks because it becomes so evident who is approved and who is not. Ultimately this is helpful.

Secondly, in addition to discovering who is approved and who is not approved (based on biblical standards), during a public fracas we can be encouraged by mature men. A lot of ink is spilled about the lack of maturity in men these days, even mourning over so-called immaturity in Christian men. But it is not so. People gravitate to and remember the bad, and tend to forget the good more quickly. Mature men are all over Christ’s church. It’s encouraging to see self-restraint, humility, and grace in action. Praise our Lord for raising up so many good men.

If we are unfortunately witnesses to a fracas in real life, the words rush by and it’s hard to remember who said or did what. On social media, the adage “the internet is forever” comes in handy. We can see who said what, pray over it, ponder it, compare the words to the biblical standards outlined for us in God’s word. We can make measured and proper decisions about it, whatever those decisions may be.

Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. (Titus 2:2).

At the very least, we can simply scroll on by and not view or absorb that which would make us mournful or upset.

Last, though quarrels may be recorded forever online for anyone to see and comment on, for standards to be judged and decisions made, there is another recording of it. The LORD is recording all our deeds in His book. Some are recorded in the Books plural. Others are recorded in the Book of Life. On Judgment day, the bad actors in a fracas, the quarrelsome women, the foul mouthed harridans, will stand before Him and BOOKS WILL BE OPENED.

And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. (Revelation 20:12).

So observing a quarrel online helps to know who is approved, helps to remind US to behave according to biblical standards, displays true ugliness in all its black nastiness, and reminds us that Jesus sees all and our words and deeds are recorded in the Book of Life. Or the other book.

If online fights upset you, avoid them. I don’t get involved in Facebook Groups focused on doctrine for this reason. Twitter doesn’t bother me as much, becuase I carefully curate who I follow. If a fight pops up, I usually scroll by. If it involves someone I know and love, I watch for the above reasons. I can practice restraint, charity, grace, and self-examination. If I get involved against my better judgment and say something I regret, I can repent. All good things.

While nobody likes a fight, think on how many New Testament books record one. Even Peter and Paul got into it. Paul and John Mark. Jesus and the Pharisees. The quarrelsome Corinthians among each other (1 Cor 1:11). The unruly Corinthians and Paul. Our global church is full of self-deceived unforgiven sinners, forgiven sinners, mature Christians, immature Christians…it’s bound to happen. We are blessed with the word of God to know what to do when situations like a quarrel pops up.

The best we can do is hope and pray for the day when these things will be no more. Someday we will all be at peace. What a day that will be.

PS: After a few days of fighting, the Appalachian bad actor woman deleted her Twitter account. Good.

theology

Social Media and Flaming Fingers

Posted on August 17, 2023August 19, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I saw a new book come across my screen and it piqued my interest. It is called “Taming the Fingers: Heavenly Wisdom for Social Media” by Jeff Johnson.

The book blurb says,

“While social media has many benefits, it often serves as a breeding ground for divisiveness and hostility. Hidden behind our screens, we are often tempted to type things we would never say aloud. With wisdom from the Proverbs, Pastor Jeff Johnson offers five practical questions that can help us cultivate heavenly wisdom in our use of social media: • Am I controlled? • Am I calm? • Am I careful? • Am I compassionate? • Am I conscientious? Read Taming the Fingers to turn social media into a tool for God’s glory.”

Intrigued, I purchased it and have read the introduction and first part of chapter 1. It’s a very short book, only 71 pages.

I am old enough to have lived a good part of my adult life prior to the invention of the internet. I was 37 years old when the world wide web came to my house. I wasn’t saved yet but as a life-long writer and a lover of research, I was thrilled I could self-publish and overjoyed not to have to drive 45 minutes in the freezing Maine snowy weather to the library and look stuff up from the card catalog.

Now, information was available at the touch of a button. Communication with loved ones far away was instant. Finding answers to burning questions such as ‘what is the diameter of the sun?’ or even niggling questions like when you’re watching a movie and you can’t quite remember the actor’s name, ‘what was that guys’ name??’ – just go to imdb.com.

It is a huge blessing to have this tool. Don’t take it for granted. It’s become such an embedded part of our lives and several generations have now been born after its invention, that we forget what a boon it is.

Then 6 years later I was saved. What joy! To be able to spread the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ at the touch of a button. To witness, evangelize, proclaim. To hear sermons from long dead or still alive preachers! To read Spurgeon’s sermons. To look up Puritan books online. To make friends with internet Christians.

The internet can be a wonderful tool.

It also can be a satanic tool.

In fact, the first line of “Taming the Fingers” book is:

“Sin does not operate independently of tools.”

It wasn’t long before doctrines of demons began percolating on the www (world wide web). Before long, a mixture of genuine Christians, false Christians, and non-Christians began muddying the doctrinal waters. False teachers like Joyce Meyer or Beth Moore grabbed ahold of the internet right away to spread their brand of evil.

False Christians and atheists know how to push buttons. Righteous indignation rises and before we know it we’re blotching our pure witness with unrighteous anger or secular snark or other behavior we are sorry for later. That’s the flaming fingers, having typed something you realize you either inadvertently worded poorly, or was drenched with some sort of sin you regret exposing to the world.

On Twitter (sorry I just not used to “X” yet, a curious name for a social media) D. Michael Clary, a Reformed conservative pastor of a church in Cincinnati, wrote the following on his Twitter stream the other day and I liked it. I thought it matched well with the above comment about the book Taming the Fingers I was preparing anyway, so I asked Mr Clary if I could repost it. He said yes.

Michael Clary @dmichaelclary said

The Twitter/TikTok generation should take heed of Proverbs 12:16.

“The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.”

People naturally want to talk about the things that make them angry. An insult. A betrayal. An injustice. An evil.

They quickly vent their frustrations online and others will cheer them on in agreement.

This is foolish. Anger can make you irrational and impulsive. Social media rewards our foolish impulses in all the worst ways.

If you’re angry or upset about something, don’t vent about it online. Everything you say on the internet is instantaneous, global, and permanent. There’s nothing good that will come of it, but plenty of bad things that can come of it. “An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips” (V13).

Proverbs urges discretion. Don’t be rash with your words (V18). The “heart of fools proclaims folly” (V23). Ignore the insult (V16).

There are times to speak out about evil in the world, even on social media. But not as a self-serving emotional release. There are many pitfalls. “A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly” (V23).

There are times to speak out about evil in the world, even on social media. But not as a self-serving emotional release.
Jeff Johnson, “Taming the Fingers”

In Proverbs, fools just talk-talk-talk all the time, venting their hot takes, contradicting themselves, lying, slandering, and confidently asserting nonsense. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes” (V15).

The wise pick their moments. They hold their tongues (or their thumbs), and speak when it is wise to do so. They “conceal knowledge.” They see things and know what’s going on, but don’t weigh in on everything. But in the right time, they’ll speak up and make a meaningful contribution.

“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment” (V19). ——end Clary comment

I’ve tried to abandon snark entirely online. I know, Paul was sarcastic, so was Elijah once or twice. I’m not them. I think just being nice and polite is enough. Mocking and anger have to go too. They don’t result in a gentle witness. With so much of our lives not on screens, taming the fingers is more important than ever. Proverbs and prayer can help with this.

If social media is getting you down, then there are a few things you can do.
–You can scroll by and not read or engage in comments that rile you.
–You can do a cleanse of the accounts that upset you with their comments by muting or blocking.
–You can say ‘No thank you’ to invites on lists or Groups that will occupy your time negatively.
–You can delete the particular social media that tempts your witness.
–You can take a break from social media for a period of time.
–You can delete social media altogether.

I’ve deleted a few social medias, such as MeWe and Pinterest, mainly because I felt overloaded with too many platforms. I’ve said ‘no thank you’ to invites on Facebook into Apologetics groups and Reformed groups. I don’t join Twitter ‘Lists’ or formulate them. I do not have a Youtube Channel. I haven’t even looked up TikTok or Blue Sky.

For me, I feel Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and my WordPress blog allow me to express my thoughts about Jesus and His word well enough. And that is the point. We can use social media for entertainment, sure. But if you use it for proclamation of the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ, then we should work in taming the fingers so we can maintain witness that satan cannot point to with accusations. God’s glory is the chief end of man.

discernment, social media, witness

The Pros and Cons of Social Media for the Christian

Posted on April 14, 2021April 14, 2021 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I’m a lay person, a Christian woman, who happens to write. I’ve made my living from writing in the past and I’m thrilled to be able to use the talent God gave me for His glory now, writing as a Christian about biblical things.

I’m older and I distinctly remember life before internet. As a writer wanting to publish, bumping up against the monoliths of the Madison Avenue publishing companies, and the chokehold of the magazines and literary journals, (and the publishing rejection letters) having a free platform in which to share one’s thoughts and words with the world was a revelation. I took to it instantly and with glee, going online in 1996 and becoming an Amazon.com customer in 1997. Finally, an equalizing global conversation could be had.

I don’t think young people have a well-developed sense of just what a privilege it is to have global access to speaking one’s mind on any topic. I remember the frustration of rejection letter after rejection letter, of seeking the underground, mimeographed ‘zines as they were called then, of a regular person not having a voice. Or seeing the ones with voices squander them or limit them or censor them. Conglomerates purported to speak for the masses, and more often they didn’t, but their lobbyist money did speak to the corruption. Journalists were supposed to speak for the voiceless but more often they were kowtowing to Corporate. Benjamin Franklin felt the same frustration so he started his own papers and printed them on his own presses. The Second Amendment gave the promise of free speech, but never made any promises about how or where. No platforms were ever promised. That, one had to figure out for one’s self.

Of course all my words back then were unfettered into in the civic or personal/creative realms, but were wind and chaff to God because they were not for His glory.

I converted to Christianity late in life at around age 42. Until then I’d been occupied with writing for my weekly newspaper and curating its online version. When I sold the paper in 2006 and moved down south I needed to fill the void left by not writing intensively, so I started my personal blog The Quiet Life in August of that year. It’s hard to believe it’s been more than a decade since I founded it. What a joy to play with the Layout format, press ‘publish’ and one’s thoughts and words could be seen by the world. Of course, back in 2004-2006 blogging exploded and there were a million blogs starting a day, it seemed. How to make one’s own blog rise to the top amid the sea of cacophonous voices also clamoring to be heard was something left to one’s creative problem solving. Now we had the platform, but how to make people listen…

As the Holy Spirit solidified my faith and grew me in sanctification, I founded this blog in January 2009, and once again it’s hard to believe it’s been 11 years since then. Though I write intermittently on The Quiet Life I am committed to using the gift of writing and proclamation and exhortation for the Lord and I’ve been faithful to write daily on this blog since the beginning. Though I’ve been writing longer at The Quiet Life and there are 70 pages over there, there’s double the amount here, containing about 3,600 essays. And fortunately, I don’t have to stress over about whom to make listen. The Holy Spirit takes care of disseminating the message to whom He desires.

I joined Facebook in 2008, and joined Twitter then also. This year I added another Facebook page, The End Time. Online newspapers and journals enabled comment sections. People from the great to the small posted their email address, allowing direct conversation. Cell phones, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Flickr, Podcasts…Suddenly, there were platforms everywhere and it seemed like the cacophony grew but so did the possibilities for getting the Gospel out.

The question today is, just because social media exists, does that mean it is wise, profitable, or even safe to enter the fray?

All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. (1 Corinthians 6:12)

That is a question for each Christian to answer and there are different considerations if one is a parent, a missionary, or is living under a restrictive regime or just to personally consider in the face of doing our utmost for His highest (to paraphrase O. Chambers).

Here are some thoughts in my experience, in my opinion, and remember I’m just one lay-woman with a small sphere of influence. There have been pros and cons with being so present on social media. Just as with anything, there are considerations and there are joys.

I am a single woman so there are safety issues with being too open.
Yet I feel compelled to be truthful and transparent, openly proclaiming the message to as many as possible.
If The Lord allowed the internet to be invented then I resolve to use it to the best of my ability to honor Him and spread His message.
Yet there are also a great many temptations to sin with my mind and with my mouth (typing fingers) and present a poor witness.
I have stumbled before in being so present online.
Yet when I sadly do, it presents more opportunities to repent, grow, obey and rely on Him- and to be mindful next time.
Seeing before me in living color so vividly the woes and successes of fellow believers; and being accountable to an online community of believers widens my perspective and reminds me of how large His body really is.
It presents a tendency to want to focus on just the virtual believers to the exclusion of those in real life.
When someone is encouraged by something I’ve written, it offers a high incomparable to any other.
When I receive letters from people who have come out from under a false teacher, or have strengthened their walk because of anything I’ve written, it makes it all worth it
People online can be mean, nasty, and hide behind cowardly anonymous comments. Combating their effects can steal your joy and re-direct your energy better used in other ways.

So, you see, the pros and cons are similar to laboring in any other medium or any other sphere. No better, no worse, just different considerations to consider.

Unlike other people who have expressed distrust or disdain over social media use to share a holy Christian witness, I don’t believe social media is the devil. It is merely a vehicle into which we can pour our energy and message depending on what the Lord has called us to do. Some pour their message into children through motherhood. Others who are not called to motherhood became missionaries and brought the message to orphans overseas. Some who were writers without the advantage of social media got the message out anyway using the vehicles of their own day- hymns.

So be mindful of the medium you choose to employ to spread God’s message, from your own tongue in real life to the cold virtual reality of a laptop keyboard, to… whatever else. As a matter of fact I’ve always held that the internet is one of the world’s great inventions. The Gospel message can be disseminated in podcast, tract, devotional, online bible, visually through art and animation, Youtube, the ancient writers’ work is spoken alive online to new generations or can be read anew for those who can’t afford the precious tomes but can afford the lower price of an online connection or even free at a library. Wow!

Through online blogs and sermons and devotionals I was strengthened by John MacArthur’s preaching and discovered the Puritans and Reformers. I connected with solid doctrine at The Master’s Seminary and learned of Paul Washer’s fire. I learned that I, too, had a platform that may strengthen even one woman seemed too good an opportunity to pass up- as long as I kept my priorities straight. But that’s like any ministry, it’s life, isn’t it? It is all a struggle and no matter the sphere or means the Lord provides, the devil will attempt to corrupt it.

So make your decisions about social media with your husband or pastor or family. Decide how “out there” you feel led to be, and which means to use. Elisabeth Eliot, Gladys Aylward, Eliza Spurgeon, Fanny Crosby, Katharina von Bora (Mrs Martin Luther) all used the means at their disposal and through obedience to the Lord to influence those in their spheres. How large or small or what that means the Lord will use through you within that sphere is a personal decision. But don’t let scary stories or condescension about social media taint your view of how useful it can be to getting the message out there. Just be safe, be wise, and the Lord will take care of the rest.

discernment, theology

Taming the Tongue on Social Media

Posted on July 23, 2018July 23, 2018 by elizabethprata

Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. (James 3:4).

Our boat circa 1995

I was watching my Twitter follow count the last few days. Surprisingly, I was nearing 1,000 followers. That isn’t a lot, but it’s a lot to me. 1,000 is a new and exciting level.

I have two blogs, mirrored on two platforms, (Blogger and WordPress) so that means 4 blogs. The End Time which is this one, with Christian content, and The Quiet Life, about art, crafting, cooking, etc. I’ve got Twitter. I have an Instagram account with a minimal amount of followers. I have two Facebook pages, one called The End Time and the other is the personal one. I have a GoodReads account. I use email. I text to my GroupMe church and sundry church small groups. I have a Pinterest account. I have a Disqus commenting account.

I’ve learned modern terms like ‘reach’ and ‘impressions.’ I have ‘stats’.

Some years ago John MacArthur said that he has never worried about his reach (influence). He focused on the depth and knew the Spirit would take care of the reach.

I was concerned from the very beginning about the depth of my ministry, and I said if I take care of the depth of my ministry, I can leave the breadth of it to God. You know, if it’s something He can use, then He’ll take it where He wants it to go. So I’ve never done anything to take it anywhere.

I took his words to heart and I’ve never done anything overt to push any of my social media. I’ve had The End Time blog for 9 1/2 years and The Quiet Life for 12. I don’t do SEO, I don’t request friends to go look at it, I don’t concentrate on the statistics. I know that the Spirit will put whatever He wants of what I write in front of whom He wants to. I’ll write a little PS to this thought I’ll add at the bottom, though.

I listened to a good sermon this week, twice. We all have a God-given desire to communicate, said Chris Hamilton in his sermon Taming the Tongue on Social Media. We want to be heard.

He said that until recently the opinion making and influence reach was in the hands of a very few people. I remember that time before the internet distinctly. Prior to the internet the Average Joe or Jane remained obscure all his or her life. The only times someone would be guaranteed to get into the paper was when they were born, married, or died. Sometimes your name went into the paper if you went to jail, or were derelict in paying property taxes. That’s it. Opining on the culture wars of the day, publishing books or poetry, presenting your photography portfolio, announcing things on television, wase left to others, a very few others. Cut to today:

The agenda of public thought and discourse is no longer set by a few people in the news networks [and newspapers]. It’s set by just about anyone, such as wannabe celebrities, rap artists, actors, or minor journalists. There has been a rush of human beings to become a source of data, perspective, leadership, and influence with words…~Chris Hamilton

Now, billions of people every day say things on any social media that they want.

Before we’re saved, the desire to be heard is a sinful desire. Even when we have good intentions, our sin-nature means that the desire to communicate is always self-glorifying at some level. We can’t help it. The utter depravity of man is never more on display than when posted on social media. ~Chris Hamilton

“The tongue is a restless evil and a poison.” (James 3:8b).

After salvation, the Bible is clear on right speech and wrong speech, giving over many verses to the subject. A major series of verses are in James 3. Here is Chris Hamilton with 12 ways the Bible says we are to use our tongue-

1. Confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord. Romans 10:9
2. Teach God’s word (we all teach in some capacity. Deuteronomy 11:19; Heb 13:7
3. Speak of God. Psalm 71:8
4. Preach the Gospel. Matthew 28:20, Romans 10:14, 1 Timothy 4:12
5. Speak truth. Ephesians 4:25
6. Building each other up. Ephesians 4:29, 1 Timothy 5:14
7. Admonish one another (warning using the word of God, not our opinion). Colossians 3:16a
8. Sing. Colossians 3:16b
9. Expressing thankfulness. Colossians 3:16c, Ephesians 5:20
10. Pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
11. Confess sin. James 5:16
12. To make a defense and give a hope that is within us. 1 Peter 3:15

God gave us a tongue and told us how to use it, but we are unable to comply without the saving grace of God.

The tongue is a rudder. This is the rudder on our boat. The boat weighed 23,000 pounds. A small shaft running through the rudder and connected to the steering wheel was all that made the yacht go where we wanted.

the boat out of the water, exposing the rudder

As for participation on the internet and social media: it calls for WISDOM.

James 3 goes from a discussion of the tongue straight into wisdom. Think about why that might be for a minute…

This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. (James 3:15-17)

Is our conduct on social media:
pure,
peaceable,
gentle,
reasonable
full of mercy ?

Or is our conduct on social media

earthly,
unspiritual,
demonic ?

At minimum we should be thinking about that before we press send.

As Mr Hamilton preached, And then there is the case of silence. Not speaking. Saying nothing. No words. Silence can be an expression of worship, humility, wisdom, chastening, etc. God did not give us a tongue in order to remain silent. Obviously. No command in scripture says to not use words. But consider our contribution to the internet and whether, in some cases, a response might not be necessary. Silence can reign supreme sometimes. It’s OK. (Ecclesiastes 3:7; Ecclesiastes 5:2; Revelation 8:1).

Silence also protects our own ignorance. Let us (me) not put our own ignorance on display. (Proverbs 10:19).

We can and should remain silent in response to the foolishness and sin of others. (1 Peter 2:21-22, referring to Christ’s trial, where He remained silent). And a case is made to remain silent in the face of conflict. (Proverbs 26:17).

Mr Hamilton was tough on Christian participation in social media. His stance was that using social media to promote the name of Jesus is good and fine, but if we do that, we are entering territory that is teaching. And the scripture says not many of you should become teachers. He is right. He said to his immediate audience, “some of you should stand down.” He is right again.

I thought about it for a long time, and as appropriate, applied the scriptures and the warning to myself. Should I stand down? How is my tongue? I meditated.

On the other hand, we do have this marvelous opportunity to, within our sphere, encourage, lift up, share verses, learn of others’ burdens so we can shoulder them, and so on. I do feel called to teach and I employ that online. (My foremost priority are the real people in my real church life though).

These are some of the stats of the most popular ‘Christian’ teachers online today. Their evil influence reaches millions.

PS: As for my own reach & influence, I am not concerned with the reach or the stats but I’m highly concerned with my content- that it’s accurate and edifying.

With all the false out there masquerading as truth, how can I NOT promote Jesus, share credible ministries, offer true interpretations of the Bible’s words, with every means possible? The world will always love its own. But as long as I have a tongue in my head or an online connection, here I speak, I can do no other.

With the Lord’s help and Chris Hamilton’s words and admonishments ringing in my ears, I pray that as I do speak, it’s pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy. I face a stricter judgment. And that does give one pause.

discernment, Uncategorized

Tips and resources on using Social Media

Posted on February 28, 2018 by elizabethprata

social-media-2636256_960_720 — Photo Pixabay ,CC

Do you feel trapped by social media? Does it make you sad, or anxious? Do you waste time? Many people say yes to all of the above.

I like social media. I have an account at Pinterest, Twitter, 2 Facebook pages- (a theological page and a personal page), two blogs (one theological and one personal) and an Instagram. My personal blog is 11 years old, my theological blog is 9 years old. I have 4,325 essays at my theological blog.

I am also on GroupMe, a mass group text messaging service. LOL I obtained my very first cell phone last month, solely for the purposes of calling AAA when my car breaks down (and is always does) and to receive church messages. I have photo accounts at Flickr and Unsplash. My account at Flickr is 11 years old and I have 1,936 pictures there. Unsplash is newer. I joined when it began, three years ago.

So you can see that I enjoy social media, to say the least. But then again, I have a lot of time, being unmarried without children. I like to stay-at-home and use the internet for witnessing in discrete and selective quantities. (I also attend church, go to small groups, disciple, and witness in real life, to be clear.) I also use it for my entertainment, having no television.

I’m old enough to remember when the internet didn’t exist, and it was hard to get your message out. I mean in that era when I was unsaved, my message was my secular writing. It was hard to break the gates of publishing in the 80s and 90s. So when self-publishing on blogs and such came along in the 2000s, I was thrilled. No gatekeepers except my conscience.

Being unsaved for most of my early adult life, until age 43, I didn’t have a Jesus message to share. But now that there are so many venues to share about Him and learn about Him from others’ social media pages, I enjoy using it all for that purpose. I like being able to get the message itself out more widely. Therefore, I have a goal, to use social media as a platform to share the beauty and truth of Jesus Christ. I use it to encourage, exhort, teach, and edify. I use it to learn from others.

Even then, I still have to limit my use of it. Temptations abound! I think long and hard about who I am going to ‘Follow’ or ‘Friend’. I do not want excessively negative things passing before my eyes. I liked when FB implemented an option to mute friends, that is, not to unfollow them but to not see their posts. I don’t like to see continual political posts. I won’t look at abortion photos. I won’t follow someone rambunctious or rebellious. Constant ‘woe is me’ pity parties get a mute.

As for my ministries, I also work to get the me-centeredness out of my fingers typing, and stick with my goal and plans: focus on saying something scriptural, something positive about Jesus, and something encouraging to my friends and church members every day. If I don’t, what is the point of all these social media accounts?

Still with all that social media can be very depressing. Often, it displays the worst of man, unsaved and saved. Here are four essays that I hope will help bring perspective and encouragement regarding social media.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Social media requires a different kind of brain work than does sitting for long periods with a book. Personally I think the two kinds of reading are at odds. I strive to maintain the ‘book reading’ skills I’d taken for granted most of my life. I do feel a negative impact in this area from social media use. So does Michael Harris:

I have forgotten how to read

For a long time Michael Harris convinced himself that a childhood spent immersed in old-fashioned books would insulate him from our new media climate – that he could keep on reading in the old way because his mind was formed in pre-internet days. He was wrong

Some people take long breaks from social media, or take the drastic step of abandoning it altogether. Here, Aaron Armstrong has some tips for using (or not using):

You don’t need social media (even if your brain tells you otherwise)

This weekend, my wife and I spent a great deal of time talking about social media—specifically how she responds to it. For a few years she was on Facebook, up until a particularly negative incident led her to abandon it.

In the old Bulletin Bard days (with 300 baud, remember that? lol) something called “flame wars” would erupt. That’s just internet lingo for people fighting online. Arguments are easier online because we forget there are actual people on the other side of the screen. Somewhere. Flame wars ignite on Twitter, Facebook…anywhere there are people. Here, Michael Coughlin reminds us at Things Above Us that

You Don’t Have To Enter Every Argument You’re Invited To

Everyone you meet is made in the image of God. Thus, each person you encounter has a level of dignity because of his or her Creator, and you are responsible to treat folks with respect as a consequence of this fact.

I was a journalist for almost 6 years. I hunted stories, dug up stores, investigated, published. Of course, a reporter is driven to get the story first. That drive still ignites me when a major even happens, but as a Christian, even a Christian ex-reporter/now-blogger needs to hold back and ‘consider these things’ first. And pray. When everyone is jumping on the bandwagon is takes maturity, patience, and wisdom to know when to speak and when not to speak. Not everyone needs to know my opinion. But then again, if we have some insight that might help a local body, then by all means publish. The wisdom is to know which to do when. Chris Martin has a few ideas for us.

3 Ways NOT to Use Social Media Immediately Following a Tragedy

I made a concerted effort to stay off of social media most of this past weekend because I was already a bit exhausted at a lot of the response I was seeing to the tragedy last Wednesday. … I should say before I continue, what follows are my opinions. These suggestions are not stone-cold social media sins. So, take them as you will. Here are three ways NOT to use social media immediately following a tragedy: