The Pros & Cons of Social Media

Could you go one week without looking at any form of social media?

It's easy to become nostalgic when thinking about the "good ole days". I always joke that I missed my rightful generation by a century. I loved reading The Little House on the Prairie series growing up. I still enjoy reading books and watching movies from that era. The world seemed to make more sense in many ways.


You don't have to think that far back, though, to recall a more simple time. My great granny, Verna Mae, lived up into her nineties. She went to be with the Lord a few years back, but she left many stories behind. She had a way with words, and she liked to talk about the ways of the mountain people. She did an excellent job at describing life as she knew it. A simple life. 

 

Pictured above is  Kentucky author, Verna Mae Slone, who devoted her pen to shattering  many of the myths about Appalachian Culture. 

   

I, myself, am a '90s kid. Don't get me wrong, I know that my childhood was a lot more fast paced than my granny's. However, I didn't grow up with touchscreen gadgets and flat screen T.Vs. During my childhood, they had just began to explore the idea of "cordless". So, I didn't grow up thinking that phones came automatically glued to the palms of the adults in my life.

Kiddos can now work technology better than most of their elders. The biggest number of children today, especially in the US, will not know what a childhood is like that doesn't include technology and the internet being at the tips of their fingers.

Which I am not jumping to say is a "bad" thing.

When you think about the education and medical fields, in particular, there is no doubt that the internet opened up doors for amazing opportunity and benefits that would have otherwise not been possible.  I think in those cases the good definitely outweighs the bad.

But what about social media?

I feel like social media is its own can of worms entirely. And I'm not so sure that the good is heavier.

The Pros   

• outreaching to others, spreading the gospel, witnessing, taking and giving prayer requests
• keeping in touch and sharing special moments with relatives and friends
• communicating quickly and easily with an individual or a large group of people
• storing photos in one easy accessible place 
• entertainment

The Cons

• major time consumer; easily addictive; creates a habitual routine 
• consumes one's attention & hinders you from being in the moment with real time people
• takes away privacy 
• creates an enticing environment for cyber bullying & gossiping
• promotes comparing and coveting 
• takes away face to face conversation and people skills

I have to admit that it can be somewhat annoying hearing the older generation's continuous complaints about our use of social media and hand held devices. We catch a lot of slack for looking down at our gadgets. And should we put them down and look across at the person next to us more often? Probably, definitely, maybe.

My mom was voicing her frustration to me one day. She was annoyed by the fact that she was in a room full of people all looking down at a device, instead of making conversation. (She hasn't jumped onto the bandwagon quite yet.) I told her that I understood her frustration, but technology wasn't going anywhere. It's a new era. Like it or not, it's here.

It does no one any good to miss how things use to be. Find the good in what we have now. While we should focus on the positives that are now available, it is also wise to take time to consider and meditate on the negative as well. Don't ignore it. Evaluate your own personal use.

I asked myself:

How much time am I spending plugged into cyberspace?
How do I feel while I'm checking my feed? Empty, angry, jealous, lonely?  Judgmental, cynical, arrogant?
Am I ignoring people that are with me in real time?
Would I let my online "friends" into my home?
Would I let them speak in my home the comments that they post online?
Do I say hurtful things?
Do I actively partake in gossip/spreading rumors by what I say?
Do I passively partake in gossip/spreading rumors by reading posts of that manner?

It's difficult to take a hard look. Attempt to be objective and honest. I, myself, did not like the answer to many of those questions. I made a resolution to limit my time on social media. Let me tell you, it isn't easy. That fact alone, gave me all the more determination. I don't want something that has the potential to be so evil have so much control and power over my life. And if you don't think you could go without it, then it does have control and power over you.

Just some food for thought.

Be a Fountain

 

Be a Fountain

The fierce, inspiring lady featured in Toyota's commercial is Amy Purdy. I stumbled upon her encouragement while browsing Instagram one day. I watched a 15 second clip of her dancing, noticed her two prosthetic legs, and could tell by the amount of zest she portrayed that she was definitely a fountain. I'm sure you've heard that expression before-- "be a fountain, not a drain." Uplift people with a never ending supply of encouragement and joy. Don't suck it out of them. Once I clicked a little further and viewed her profile, I realized that she is an inspirational speaker, had performed on Dancing with the Stars, and is a really amazing snowboarder. Those facts didn't surprise me. I knew her personality was that big after watching her for just 15 seconds.

While I was lounging on the couch with my in-laws a day before the Super Bowl, I squealed when I ran by Amy's commercial announcement. When I was asked to share what my excitement was from, I offhandedly told them that my friend was going to be in one of the Super Bowl commercials. That grabbed my father-in-law's attention as he asked, "Your friend? In one of the commercials? Really?" I then looked up from my news feed and realized what I had said.

I've never met Amy. I do not know her on a personal level. Yet, she touched me. I can tell she is someone I would want to be friends with.

I aspire to be that kind of person.

I'm sure we all have drains in our circle of people that we interact with daily. It's very easy to talk about your problems. And for some reason we are fooled into thinking that everyone else that cares to listen wants us to talk about problems. We feel sorry for ourselves and often want the world to feel sorry too. It's very easy to focus on all the yucky, bad, tiring things that come with living in a fallen world. It's easy to get caught in the cycle of bringing others down. Gossiping. Spreading rumors. Pointing out flaws and failures. Because the devil helps our minds twist the concept of bringing other's down as lifting up ourselves, which usually leaves us feeling even more empty in the long run.

Just as with gravity, down is easier than up.

My dad has a prosthetic arm. He lost his in the coal mines just before he turned 20. He's had it my entire life, and I never even fully realized until middle school. And that was only because that's when the kids around me started to realize. Sure, I knew he'd lost his real arm. I had seen him without his prosthetic. I had seen the battery on charge. I had found the collection of worn out ones under the bed. But I had never once seen my father get angry with his figurative deck of cards, even when he couldn't hold his literal one. I had never heard him ask "why me". He never uttered a single negative word in front of my sisters and I about his abilities or lack of. He doesn't consider himself "disabled". So I don't consider him to be.

Does my dad have daily issues? I'm certain. Being made of flesh, it is our human nature to have anger, confusion, and pity. Does he feel incompetent, flawed, and self-conscious? I really can't answer that. I would imagine. Wouldn't you? I know I sure would. I feel all those things, and I have all my limbs. My point is, that's not what he portrays. His countenance, perseverance, and attitude impacted my childhood in ways he'll never know. A positive, empowering impact. He is a fountain.

Sometimes I realize that I spent the day being a drain. It happens. Start again the next morning.

 

Amy Purdy's Page

A Judge Without a Gavel

"Don't judge me!" "You're not the judge of me." "No one has the right to judge, except God." You're being so judgmental." "Only God can judge me." "The Bible says not to judge one another." ...Sound familiar?

A Judge Without a Gavel

I suppose this is fitting for my 2nd post, because I am trying to set the general tone for my blog. I hope you came away from the last post understanding that I try to give other believers the freedom to follow their own convictions. I also do not see sin having rankings, meaning no one sin is greater than another sin. It is evident, to me, that we are all guilty and unworthy. Thus, in need of a Savior. 

I think the J-word starts to fly mostly among believers. Sure, there are plenty of situations where non-believers accuse Christians of judging their choice of lifestyle. They may feel like Christians are condemning them when they see nothing wrong with the way the choose to live. However, many Christians understand someone that does not claim to know Christ is obviously still lost in sin. And hopefully, they feel compassion for them. Lead by example, walk in love, and offer counsel if it is desired. The problem mostly arises when you have two people, both claiming to know Jesus, that have different viewpoints on a specific topic/way of life/etc.

And then of course, between them especially, the J-word can get muddy.

What it comes down to, is this:

John 8:7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." 

James 5:9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 

1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

Matthew 7:3 And why do you look at the speck in your  brother's eyes, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 

A gavel in a courtroom is a sign of authority. In a spiritual sense, the complete authority of judgement, the one supreme Judge of all, is the Lord God. He alone has that authority. He is the only one that can search someones heart, that can see into our beings and understand our thoughts, intentions, desires, motives, and pleas. He knows where we are at on our journey to Him. He knows if we have faith in the Son of God... or if we don't. He has the "gavel". Not this mess of flesh.

As you see from the posted scriptures above, the Bible cautions us to be very humble. It goes back to that personal relationship. We should focus on bettering ourselves, "fixing" ourselves, striving to becoming more Christ-like daily. Each of us are made up of a big mess of flesh. We will never run out of work to do on ourselves.

But at the same time...

Ken Ham states it wonderfully...

"We live in a world that increasingly strives to (supposedly) promote the idea of tolerance, but actually becomes intolerant of Christian absolutes as it does so. Ultimately, built into this "tolerance" is the concept that truth is determined by each individual, not by God."

And that's not O.K either. The secular world definitely does not hold the "gavel". However badly they wish to. When a Christan states that they believe something according to the Scriptures, to be a sin, we are often slammed with harsh comments. Unbelievers and believers alike quote scriptures, sometimes out of context, in such a way that almost silences a person trying to defend the Bible. And that is sad.

In this world, where it is becoming increasingly more popular to reject authority of any kind, secularists are succeeding in convincing a generation that there is no "right" or "wrong". Everything goes. They want us to be "politically correct" in all we do, say, and even...think. They begin to brain wash us to believe that the Bible holds no authority. That we are closed minded, judgmental, hypocritical, Bible carrying, pretend Saints. And sadly, there are some of those Christians in this world. Which doesn't make our case any easier.

What I wish & desire & pray, is that I will never be silenced. I am judging no one. I do not wish to look for arguments or proclaim my faith in such a way that turns away others. I do not wish to boast or set out to "find planks in other people's eyes". I would never throw the first stone. I have a pretty good idea (& yet probably still not to the full capacity) of just how unworthy I am.

But I do not wish to remain silent. I have chosen to accept the absolutes of God's word. I believe every word of the scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Do I understand every word? Nowhere close. But I press on. I strive to work on my own mess of flesh. I want to study and pray so that I will feel better equipped and more confident to defend my faith. But I never want to opt out. I do not choose to be the type of Christian that stays in the shadows to "keep everyone happy". I have heard many fellow believers say, "I know what I believe, but I'm just not getting into it." Well, shame on you. Christ died for us. I choose to live for Him. To advocate for Him...and his Word. Which sometimes, steps on toes. And I make no apologies for that.

With the J-word being used more than ever, it is becoming harder and harder for Christians to speak up. Don't be afraid to proclaim what you believe in a discerning and humble way...and always remember, to love.

Love one another. Walk in love.

Listen to Why Can't We by The Isaacs

Listen to Speak Life by Toby Mac

Listen to Start a Fire by Unspoken

A Blogger's Debut

Hi! Welcome to my blog. I hope my posts can be inspiring and uplifting, but I really write for my own enjoyment. It's the best kind of  therapy.

I'm a small town girl, born and raised in the hills of Eastern Kentucky. And there's no other place in the world I'd rather be.

I was saved by that amazing grace on a Easter Sunday morning. Since that moment, I walk with my Lord. And I try to walk in the spirit. I try to live in light of eternity. Everyday,  I press on....with my hope anchored in His promise of Heaven.

Philippians 4:12-13 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

A Blogger's Debut 

I've kept a journal since about 4th grade. As I grew older, my ramblings grew to be more organized. But not by much. I still journal, but now it's more of a devotional journal. I keep notes of my favorite scriptures and songs. I write some of my prayers and attempt to write a few poems. Like I said, I find it to be very therapeutic. Of course, that's because that kind of thing appeals to me. I like words. I love to read, and I often find that I have words bubbling inside of me. I feel better when they spill out. But writing may not be your thing. I think it's important to know what it is exactly that makes you feel in touch with yourself. I've never had a surplus of confidence, but I do know who I am as an individual.

I'm not very technological. It took me a while to join social media (and I still have plenty of mixed feelings about that). I have trouble getting things hooked up and signed in. I know absolutely nothing about HTML. You get the picture. But yet, I still feel this urge to blog. I've avoided it for a while mostly on the account of feeling like a fish out of water, but also because I doubt the popularity of my posts. Then I remembered why I write. Not to mention, it can't hurt to have one more inspiring and uplifting thing floating around in cyberspace. Because Lord knows there's plenty enough of the opposite. So, you've been forewarned, you will find nothing fancy here, but you just might be encouraged, and that's good enough for me.

When I was a little girl, I would become mesmerized while listening to my dad's sermons. I did not have a personal relationship with Christ yet, but I could see that he had something burning inside of him. I, too, wanted that passion (which I would later learn is called faith). I would worry (because I'm that type of person) that he would run out of sermons. Yes, that's right. I would hear and be touched by the gospel, not understanding its power, and be afraid that Dad couldn't possibly preach many more sermons that could sound that sweet. Childhood innocence at its finest. I'm relieved to now know the true power of the Gospel and understand that it is made new everyday. Praise God for that! 

I guess what I'm saying is, I won't write anything that's not already been said before. But spreading the joy of Christ never gets old. 

So, I do have some opinions/stories/thoughts that have been bubbling up inside me. But first, let me post a selfie... Not a picture. But a testimony. 

We are all unique, different individuals. (Yet, our creator knows the number of the hairs on our head! Luke 12:7) We are in different places in the world, both literally and figuratively. We are different genders, ages, and races. We come from different upbringings and cultures. None of those factors change the Gospel and what happened on Calvary. However, salvation is a very personal thing. Your walk and my walk is going to be different. God touches people with different things, at different times, and in different ways. Our convictions may be different, our denomination may be different, and the way we understand the scripture may be different. What the vast majority need to understand is that we as individuals can not change another person's understanding. That's not my intent. I couldn't do it anyways. It takes the spirit of God to work in the heart of a man. Also, it's easy to forget that your devotion towards something can be felt by another person just as powerfully towards something else. I have found that people want to bicker (and in best case scenarios, "debate") about the origins of life and its purpose, the power of prayer and its outcome, and so and so forth. There comes a point in a person's life when they choose to step out on faith. A moment in time when you give way to believing in something much larger than your mortal mind can comprehend. You place the significance of your existence in something that you can not see or prove. You live by it, you hope in it, and you would die for it. When a person has reached that point and has that faith, then no amount of debating is going to change someone's heart. Like I said, only God can do that. So then, what we as Christians need to strive to do, is walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.  We need to let our light shine and lead by example. What we say doesn't matter nearly as much as what we do day in and day out.... How we walk.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.  

Mathew 5:16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. 

It's important to keep Paul's mindset as we see it in the book of Romans.

Romans 14:1-5 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to dispute over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who us weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems everyday alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 

Paul's understanding of freedom in Christ was characterized by a deep respect for others. Christians must allow other believers the freedom to follow their own convictions.  My personal relationship with Christ and my personal convictions stand on this:

Romans 1:5-8 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

I strive to pray and walk in a spiritual mindset. Do I fail? Daily. But I press on. My point is that I am NOT a self-help person. I do not believe there is a Christian formula you can follow to have a fancy, frilly life. I do not listen to health, wealth, and prosperity preaching. I understand we live in a fallen world where we battle the flesh daily. I am also a creationist that believes we live in a young world. I do not believe in evolution. I have conservative values. I do not believe in abortions, nor do I believe in same sex unions. For that matter, I don't believe in living with someone before marriage. I don't think sin has rankings. We are all guilty. We are all unworthy. (That's why God's grace and mercy is really such a beautiful thing.) And at the same time, I do not believe that the weight of a relationship with Christ rests in "religion" or man made rules and practices. I think it should be every Christian's goal to walk in love. 

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind'. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."  

Love. Love one another. Walk in love.

There you have it. I have laid out exactly what's on my table, in a nutshell. That's what my soul rests in. If you're still interested, come back around.  

Blogs That Inspire

The link will take you to one of the most inspirational men that I know of. I would love to personally meet him and thank him for his spiritual walk with Christ in this fallen world. Check out his organization and his mission. If you can get on board, you may find his teachings and explanations very beneficial.