I initially thought I shouldn’t be writing this post.
Because–
I have a deep seated love-hate relationship with social media.
And yes, I totally get the irony of making that statement in a blog post.
But when Laura and Angi asked me to review their book about social media, I not only completely missed the email, I responded almost a month late and then proceeded to tell Laura all the reasons I’m not a great person to comment on a book that has anything remotely to do with twitter.
I am not a twitter-ninja.
Let me just put that out there right now.
Because even today, it took me 3 tries to log into my own account.
#andImakeuphashtagsforeverythingbecauseIdon’treallyknowwhattheydo.
And I frequently reply to myself. Or retweet myself. Or favorite myself.
Accidentally.
And the photo above…
Kind of my nightmare.
I feel like I’m in a constant battle with every electronic device ever marketed towards children.
And please don’t feel bad if you’re reading this and you have no clue what I’m talking about.
Because I really don’t either.
I had an iphone.
For one day.
Because I looked around and saw two dozen moms all sitting at swim lessons–
Not watching their kids.
Not talking to each other.
Furiously tapping away at their phones without even a moment of eye contact.
And I felt like I was suffocating.
So I returned it.
And I periodically consider hucking the iPad over the fence in our backyard.
And running over my husband’s cell phone with our mini van.
And shutting down every blog-twitter-facebook-linkedin-stublming-insta-EVERYTHING.
And that’s exactly why I needed to read this book by Laura and Angi.
Because we do live in an age of social media.
And our children are growing up in an age of social media…
And as Laura and Angi write:
“Social media is changing our world and the way we communicate, function logistically, and many other things. So it’s not really about if we should participate in social media, it’s a matter of being intentional to use if for God’s glory.” ~Reach pg. 13
In this book, I so appreciated their nudge to view social media as a means to a mission field.
Where through our reach–
v. to stretch out in a specified direction; to put forth; to extend
n. the number of individuals within your online influence
God can use social media for His glory, as we place our influence back in His hands and commit to entering the world of social media as a tool for sharing about God’s rescue story in our own lives.
I want to share His work in my life…
“The good, the bad, the hard (as) something the Lord allowed for the purpose of showing His heart and character. It’s all for His glory…We also need to clearly understand our mission, given by the God of the universe, before we use the tools of social media.” ~ Reach pg. 15
I especially appreciated two sections in this book–
The Pitfalls (clear and candid examples of the dangers of social media).
The Practicals (specific ways that God can use our reach to point others to Him).
“God has specifically chosen your sphere of influence for you to steward. Stewardship is just a fancy word for taking care of something that does not belong to you. Your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr do not belong to you. In fact, your very life does not belong to you. Everything we have, everything we are, is a gift from God.” ~Reach pg. 43
Turns out–
Even though I still feel a bit like I’m going to hyperventilate when I read through that list of social media options above,
This book was such a helpful book for me.
Because–
While there are many aspects of social media that concern me greatly,
Our God is a God who Redeems.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” ~Psalm 24:1
As big or as small as it may be…
I want to give Him my
Reach.
You can purchase this book at the Reach Book Website,
To download and read on your electronic device…
Or if you’re still a bit like me,
You can print it out and hole-punch it and stick it in a binder so that you can underline it and dog-ear the pages.
#yepIamstillprettyoldschool
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