I rarely write on this blog about Twitter. Why? Because it’s easy to make fun of. Most people don’t get it, and I don’t blame them. That’s partly because of the common perceptions surrounding Twitter and social media, such as…
You might be familiar with “URL shortners” such as bit.ly or su.pr. These are tools which take a long url (internet link) and shorten it so you can easily share it on social networks, websites, etc. Well, ref.ly is a shortener of a different sort. Instead of shortening web references, it shortens Bible references. It’s a service of Logos Bible Software and has even gotten a very positive review from Mashable. Give it a shot – share your favorite verse! Mine is http://ref.ly/2Co4.5.
I often liken the development of social media to the invention of the printing press as far as its potential for impacting our culture, and I think we’ve only scratched the surface. Jay Caruso agrees and mentioned me in a pretty neat article about the value of social media, particularly Twitter where you can follow Jay if you’re a Twitter user.
If you’re unaware, social media has to do with spreading news (including the best news of all) through tribes and crowds of people using tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and a range of others. Jay and I (and many others) agree that while engagement in social media is not for everyone perhaps, someone within the church you attend needs to catch the vision for its impact. Thanks for the hat tip, Jay!
This post is inspired by #followfriday, a weekly event in which users of Twitter recommend their friends to other friends, but this article isn’t about Twitter at all. It’s about the ‘ultimate’ follow. Ready for it?
…(John the Baptist) looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, ‘Behold the Lamb of God! and the two disciples heard him (John) speak, and they followed Jesus. ~ John 1:36-37
The single most life-changing decision we can ever make is to follow Jesus. Following Him means, first of all, to forsake our sin, for which Jesus atoned for when He died on the cross. It also means to trust Him to make us righteous before God when we are anything but that. And it means to commit our way, our life, our eternity to His care.
It’s the ultimate follow! I’m an unashamed Jesus-follower. I like a lot of things outside the realm of religion – web design, social media, baseball, hikes through the woods – but I’m defined most by the phrase “redeemed Jesus follower.”
I’m a sinner, like you. I’m no better than anyone else. I deserve hell, but God’s grace has been so overabundant toward me that “He demonstrated His own love toward me, in that while I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me.”
Following Jesus’ example isn’t enough. There are plenty of seemingly “good” people who have missed the point of God’s grace. It’s a faith commitment. Will you trust Him to forgive your sin and to follow Him with your life?
I’ve been blogging for almost four years now, but I think I’d still call myself a late adopter. It’s only been within the last year and a half that I’ve begun to realize the power of optimizing my site for search engines, so I spent a couple of years blogging while nobody was listening. I’ve also been slow to catch on when it comes to social networking, but I’m quickly realizing I’m not alone – though many networks seem huge, most people I know still aren’t on them.
I thought I’d take just a few minutes and talk about the power of social networking and why I wish all my friends would jump in with both feet, as well as a couple of warnings…
Brandon is first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ. He's a husband to Angie and a Dad to Ella Grace and Samuel David. He's a Pastor to Bethel Baptist Church, Editor of Fuel Your Blogging and also a logo and web designer.
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