Are You In?... (Social networking, that is)

Wisdom is the most important thing; so get wisdom.
    If it costs everything you have, get understanding.

~Prov. 4:7 (NCV)

 

 

      Social networking has become one of the easiest ways of communicating with large numbers of people inexpensively and quickly, in real time. I can't think of a better way of reaching people from all corners of the world than by using one of the online networks. You can text, chat, e-mail and instant message several people and have multiple conversations at once...just don't get your devices mixed up!

     Global communications also make it very easy to share encouragement and the Good News of Christ with others, even if we don't directly witness to them one-on-one. With the many quotes and the ability to cut and paste from Bible pages, we have a lot of opportunities to send positive messages through various social networking sites such as Facebook(TM)*  Twitter (TM)*, Tumblr (TM)* blogs, and newsfeeds. Networks such as LinkedIn(TM)* are another way of doing professional networking with people with whom we have similar interests.
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     There are probably still many of you who don't feel comfortable on social networks because of privacy concerns, or because of some of the unsavory behavior that goes on a lot of the time, but a lot of that happens due to people not knowing how they work, or not taking the time to adjust their settings for the most security.

     Before opening a social networking account, decide on your reasons for having one. Are you going to use it to keep in touch with family members and friends? Would you like to network with people who share common interests or to meet new business contacts, or maybe a combination of all of the above? If you have an account, and privacy is a concern, are you familiar with how to adjust your settings to allow limited access to your information?  For example, on Facebook (TM), you can make your posts public, limited to friends, friends except acquaintances, restricted from certain people, or to yourself only... and can change the audience for each post according to groups of people that you want to reach. Also, you can use a nickname or pseudonym that you post under, as long as you are not impersonating anyone else. You can also choose to leave personal information off of your page such as your location, birthday, hometown or any other facts that you want to keep private, but also remember to respect other people's right to privacy.

 

 

A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

~Prov. 18:24 (NKJV)



     When sending out  friend requests, what motivates you to connect with people? Are you reaching out because you find certain people interesting, for marketing purposes or to increase your data base? If you aren't sincere, people will eventually drop you if they feel that you are only contacting them to enlarge your list of friends and have no real interest in them. At the same time, use discretion when accepting friend requests, because everyone who sends a request doesn't necessarily have a good reason for sending one.

     Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting information on how to have to best experiences with social networking, what I've learned, and what has worked for me. In the meantime, are you in?

Blessings...

If you would like to learn more about how to secure your Facebook account, here's a link to Facecrooks.com:

http://facecrooks.com/Internet-Safety-Privacy/how-to-lockdown-your-facebook-account-for-maximum-privacy-and-security.html

*Facebook, Facecrooks.com, Twitter, Tumblr and LinkedIn are registered trademarks...and the use of these examples is not an endorsement of any of the above...use them responsibly, and at your own risk.

Seasons

     To every thing there is a season,  a time to every purpose under the the heavens.

(Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV)

     There are some seasons of our lives that are very difficult to walk through, but it is during those times we learn more about ourselves and who the God we worship really is. we also learn who our true friends are, and who are not. Sometimes that can be very heartbreaking, but God knows all things, and we have to remember that He truly holds our world in His hands. When we can't handle it, He can. When so-called friends walk away, He won't.

      Let's really work on trying to live the Christ-life and still think of others even when we are hurting. This world is slowly passing away, times are becoming stressful, many people are struggling with the simplest of things, but there is still something that each of us can do. It's not too much to let someone know you care, or to share what little we have with someone who has even less than we do. The 60's hit song He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother  is still very timely today. It doesn't really take that much...if you really care.  Remember, it's not always what you do, or what you say, it's the spirit that is motivating your actions.

Be Blessed...



Worshipful Season

     While we are all preparing for the holidays, remember to keep the worship of God at the center of all things. Regardless of how you choose to celebrate, don't get caught up in the busy-ness, commercialism and greed that overtakes many during this time. Find someone to bless, who cannot return the blessing and continue to seek out opportunities to share whatever you have with someone else!

Being kind to the poor is like lending to the Lord;

he will reward you for what you have done.

Prov. 19:17 (NCV)

Generous people will be blessed,

because they share their food with the poor.

Prov. 22:9 (NCV)

 

When you happen on someone who's in trouble or needs help among your people with whom you live in this land that God, your God, is giving you, don't look the other way pretending you don't see him. Don't keep a tight grip on your purse. No. Look at him, open your purse, lend whatever and as much as he needs. Don't count the cost. Don't listen to that selfish voice saying, "It's almost the seventh year, the year of All-Debts-Are-Canceled," and turn aside and leave your needy neighbor in the lurch, refusing to help him. He'll call God's attention to you and your blatant sin.

Deut. 15:7 (The Message)