Skip to main content

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.


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:





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!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My First Real Confession

In the mid 90's I was younger, slimmer and had more hair on my head. I was in grad school,  working and living on my own. Like any single young man, I had my share of relationships and encounters. My family was always supportive and I had lots of close friends. I thought life was good.  Yet, with so much going for me I was often upset, angry and frustrated with my life. Instead of addressing it in a responsible manner, I acted out. This involved self medication via binge drinking, overeating, casual sex, and lying. Whenever any one of my relationships questioned my behaviors, I chalked it up to me being immature. I used that excuse so much that I perfected it. I got away with so much. I knew I was immature but soon realized I was selfish and manipulative. It was a crazy cycle of deceit and games.  One day, I woke up after a long and uneventful Saturday night of partying and I heard a voice tell me, "Go to church."  Some people might call this exper...
2 comments
Read more

Advent 2025

 Advent 2025 I've been uncomfortable for a while now. A month ago, one of my 8th grade student's father was rounded up my ICE. He was walking to work on a Saturday morning and got picked up. By Tuesday, he was deported to his home country. My student does not want to come back to school. Her mother now has to figure out how to keep her family going. I can't imagine the challenges they face. How will their lives be without their father? How will they move on? Last week one of my 7th grade student shared with me how she has problems at home; she gets yelled at and hit by her mother. As she spoke to me, I remembered when my parents yelled, fought, and hit each other. It brought back difficult memories of pain, confusion, and lots of selfishness. I just sat there and listened as my student cried. After, I had a counselor speak to her and we got her outside help My son Jacob told me about his friend who's parents are separated and getting a divorce,  He shared how his frien...
Post a Comment
Read more

Same Old Shoes

I can always count on a pair of old brown shoes I have.  They go well with my khakis and blue or white shirts.  My favorite navy blue suit is also a great match with these shoes.  What makes them so special is the soft leather and deep brown classic professional look.  Despite costing me $175 when I purchased them, I can't seem to get rid of them.  I've changed the sole only once in 8 years! Putting them on after summer vacation ... that's right when school is not in session it means administrators can wear shorts and sneakers ... I started thinking about how educators tend to stay with what they know.  The safe.  The secure.  The same old "tricks of the trade" or the same instructional strategies. How difficult is it for us educators to get rid of something?  If its a book, a tool, a piece of furniture or perhaps a way of thinking or doing.  We don't like throwing things away.  It's not in our nature. I guess the...
Post a Comment
Read more