Don’t Rely on Social Media or Google to Inform You – Do This Instead
Social media has one goal – keep your eyes on their platform. The more time you spend on social media, the more money they make off ads. Facebook doesn’t like to push external links because they send you away from their site, which means your eyeballs aren’t looking at their ads, which means less money […]
Being a Disciple in How We Talk Online
Our Christianity doesn’t have boundaries on where or when we act as followers of Jesus. If Paul had known of social media he would have said to be like Jesus there too. This can be quite difficult. It is difficult because we are humans and make mistakes on a platform with other humans who make […]
How to have a Christian Conversation on Social Media – Barriers
When we get into conflict our body has visceral fight or flight reactions that keep us from having a productive conversation. This video helps us identify the physiological signals that warn you it is time to discipline your thoughts and words if you are to move forward in a productive and disciplined way. Online conversation […]
Social Media as a Spiritual Discipline – Practical Guide to a Healthier Conversation
The last few posts on social media as a spiritual discipline all lead up to this post. What can you actually do to have a healthier online conversation? 1 – The Pause Instead of jumping in quickly to respond to comment after comment you stop. Take a moment to gather your thoughts. It may be […]
Social Media as a Spiritual Discipline – Physiology
There is one more thing I want to discuss before I get into what one can do to have a more productive and loving online conversation. One of the biggest things that is working against our success in our innate physiology. Have you ever been insulted online? If so how did you feel when it […]
Social Media as a Spiritual Discipline – Entropy
I have never seen a political or religious argument ascend into pics of the grandkids or even what someone had for dinner last night but I have seen pics of the grands or your latest, greatest dinner devolve into a verbal assault. Entropy – the idea that things fall apart, that organization more easily turns […]
Social Media as a Spiritual Discipline – Resistance
Spiritual disciplines require training. Training requires resistance. I believe spiritual disciplines take discipline because they don’t come naturally to us. If they did it wouldn’t take discipline to do them. This is why I believe using social media as a Christian can be a spiritual discipline. It comes with natural barriers to productive and effective […]
Our Religio-Socio-Political Climate Where Everything Is a Test
In today’s world everything is a test. The radars are spinning. The antennae are up and their sensitivity levels have been cranked up 100X the normal levels. What you say or don’t say matters more than ever. What you think about issues most people would have been ignorant of 10 years ago mean everything. You […]
Social Me-dia and the Death of Self-differentiation
Simply put, self-differentiation is the ability to tell where I stop and another person starts. This isn’t about the physical space one occupies. It is about so much more than that…emotions, psychological well being, etc. What we call boundaries are the attempt to establish and maintain individuation or differentiation from others. Social me-dia is […]
Christian Voyeurism
Christianity has a real problem with voyeurism. No, I am not talking about peeping through people’s windows at night. I am talking about watching other Christians fight in public. When one prominent Christian says something, another responds with sharp criticism. Then the vultures begin circling via social media looking down to see who is vulnerable. […]