Yes, Even on Social Media

I have been on Twitter since 2008. Like others, I've tweeted about education, sports, news, and politics. I never thought I'd tweet about God let alone lead a discussion. (Oops! It's called a chat with a hash tag.) My debut came on August 4 when I moderated #ChristianEducators. I have never seen a powerful moment online where people gathered to share and grow in their faith.

I am Abe and am blessed to lead you tonight! #ChristianEducators

— Abe Alarcon (@abealarcon) August 5, 2016

Having been part of this group for a year or so I noticed that it was a special place to join and express what was in my heart: a deep desire to share my faith with others for 60 minutes via tweets full of inspiring words and visuals every Thursday night.  I also discovered others with the same desire.

This past June, I was saddened to find out that the group stopped meeting. Summer vacation will compel many groups on Twitter to pause and take a break. At the same time I let my intentions be known that I would help in anyway. Immediately, Rik Rowe, one of the group leaders, invited me to lead a conversation.

Social media can be very easy because you have an opinion, you write and click away. That’s it! You’ve done your job. You shared, liked, tweeted or retweeted. Simple and easy. People of faith, people who strive to grow because they are called to grow, listen to that calling and take one step further. Yes, they take one step further even on social media. I did. I was not content with simply tweeting. I had to lead others because it had been done for me. Now it was my turn. And, I would be better for it.

I thought about all the times I tweeted about God, loving others, and service. Then I thought if that is true, really true, and if I truly believe God brought me here to this #ChristianEducators chat to learn more about myself and about others, then what am I doing for them? How am I serving them?  If service is good enough to receive, it must be good enough to offer.

Rik shared a Google doc and showed me how to lead a chat.  We spoke via Voxer, another great app used by many educators today. Rik was so detailed and explicit that it seemed effortless. He suggested I use Tweetdeck, a social media dashboard used to manage Twitter accounts. It allows you to view and send tweets and view profiles. The trickiest part was scheduling tweets ahead of time. I never knew one can do that. It was fun learning something new. At the same time, I grew nervous as the days drew close to my debut.

One thing I will always remember is how Rik stated that I should pray on the topic for discussion. He thanked me for agreeing to lead the chat and then let me be. After having read his email I went out for a bike ride. I prayed that day and listened. As I looked up, yes I do look up a lot when I ride, I recalled how many of the members of #ChristianEducators cited a famous verse from Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”  I said to myself, “That’s it! It will be based around this verse."

So, I typed up the questions and shared it with Rik. He was overjoyed and we worked out the details. I was encouraged. He was probably relieved that someone had stepped up to the plate to pinch hit smack in the middle of summer.

Minutes before the chat began I called Rik via Voxer. He gave me some final tips to moderate and told me to look at how everyone responds.

I felt overwhelmed, nervous, and happy at the same time. It was like that feeling of getting on a roller coaster for the very first time. I was strapped in and all I could do was sit back and enjoy the ride.

#ChristianEducators who joined that night were generous with their comments. They seemed to be supportive of one another and shared their love and peace of God. Some examples follow:

A1 Surrounded myself with God's natural creations and focused on Him! #ChristianEducators

— Brett Hoffman (@hoffmanteambret) August 5, 2016

A2 I'm always trying to see my burdens as blessings, for all is gift + God is great all the time #ChristianEducators pic.twitter.com/McwGRatsp7

— SJV Principal (@PrincipalSJV) August 5, 2016

A2: He encourages me through His whisper to keep fighting. #christianeducators

— Jenise Sexton (@MrsJeniseSexton) August 5, 2016

@abealarcon A2: I think when I see how much I have grown. He has really brought me a long way. #ChristianEducators

— Gena Cooley, M.Ed. (@theteachernme) August 5, 2016

A3: That's the problem w/my flesh, I don't STAY strong. However, @mikebickle taught me to "hit delete & sign back up." #ChristianEducators

— Jason Waltz (@edjawz) August 5, 2016

A4. Listen w/respect & not judge, look at the world through their eyes. Need to follow up better. #ChristianEducators

— Lynne Perednia (@Perednia) August 5, 2016

Finally, here are three things I learned after leading a chat on Twitter:

1. You can serve others via social media. 

2. People of faith will share and grow with you when the opportunity for fellowship is authentic, loving and rooted in God’s word. 

3. The Spirit of God, who is everywhere, is calling you to witness, support others, and be that light for others. Yes, even on social media.

Peace!

#ChristianEducators meet on Thursdays 9 pm ET. Join us!