Community

During the year of 2010, 250 million NEW people joined Facebook bringing the total users on Facebook at the end of 2010 to 600 million! Facebook is growing and the pressure to be there is not going away. It’s the new front porch.

Last summer I went on evening runs through my new neighborhood and it was the dogs, crickets and me outside. Everyone else seemed to be inside enjoying their family, air conditioning, computers, and televisions. I thought – I know my friends on Facebook, blogland and twitterville better than my next door neighbors!

So let me preface all that I am about to say about Facebook with this statement: Technology is neutral. It can be used for good or bad. We, the sinners, determine whether we are going to use it for good or evil.

I personally enjoy Facebook but for those who regularly participate we can find secret sins creeping in – or worse – our sinful heart is revealed for all to see. And I wonder if we should PAUSE and do some spring cleaning in this area of our lives.

I Timothy 5:13 warns young women about becoming “idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips andbusybodies, saying what they should not.” ESV Facebook is an easy place for women to become idle and busy bodies. So Let’s Ask Ourselves:

Am I using Facebook to complain about my husband, children, the weather etc?

Am I measuring my worth based on how many friends I have?

Am I portraying a fake reality?

Am I addicted to checking my page every 30 minutes?

Have I used a sharp tongue toward someone and need to apologize?

Do I have some bikini shots up from 5 years ago that need deleted? (read my modesty post here)

Am I married and flirting with a guy (other than my husband) on Facebook?

Am I married and developing a deep emotional connection with a man other than my husband on Facebook (read my post about this here)?

Am I ignoring my children or husband to hang out on the front porch?

Do I feel excluded from some of my friends when they post pictures together and get jealous?

Am I feeling envious of someone’s house, car, clothes, friendships, status, looks etc?

Am I distracted in my daily life by a Facebook debate?

Am I malicious when I respond to someone with thoughts that oppose mine?

Am I using my status updates to brag?

Am I using the information I’ve read on Facebook to gossip with friends in real life about a friend on Facebook?

Look at this extensive list of dangers that exist each time we log onto Facebook! Did you realize all the temptations that Facebook opens up for you? I honestly did not the first time I created my account. Yet – as I sat down to write this post these thoughts came pouring out of my mind in rapid fire. Why? Because I’ve either participated in the above sins or have been troubled as I have watched Christian sisters pulled into these danger zones.

Dear Christian sisters – we are followers of Christ – our Facebook accounts must reflect this! We are the salt and light of the world – our Facebook updates must look different from the rest of the worlds.

I’m not saying that every status update must be a Bible verse or hymn. BUT I am saying that our lives are not our own. We belong to Jesus and so our finger tapping must reflect his heart – not ours. Let’s let Jesus permeate everything we do – from loving our husbands and children to hanging out on the front porch. Pray for your friends, encourage them, be bold and share what you read in your quiet time, respond to friends in crisis, connect with missionaries and encourage them, pass on a blog link to a blog post you read today (hint hint lol!!!), or a youtube that speaks truth into your friend’s lives.

And a good rule of thumb to follow is – no Facebook until you’ve read THE BOOK and have had some face to face time with your Heavenly Father. You will need to be saturated in his truth to handle the onslaught of temptation and ministry that is presented to you everyday on Facebook. I’m praying for you sisters! Let’s make a difference for the glory of God on Facebook!

Walk with the King!

This is linked to Titus 2sdays, We Are That Family, Raising Homemakers and A Holy Experience.

Today’s post is a part of the “Put Your House In Order” Series. Please visit the ladies below!

Organizing With a Label Maker - Smockity Frocks
Spring Inspired Blocks Tutorial- The Casabella Project
Trail Mix With Fruit Seeds and Chocolate - Good Cheap Eats
Spring Cleaning Your Finances – Kingdom First Mom

What I Learned At The Relevant Conference 2010

It is hard for me to tap on the keyboard this morning. I am sitting in a hotel room and the Relevant Blogging Conference has just come to an end. I am very short on sleep as the company of other bloggers is too good to sleep through! And I’m trying to process all that God is doing in my heart.

I am not sure I am ready to let those emotions flow out through my finger tips quite yet but I do sit here a changed woman…

I have never come to my keyboard with such awe of God. As Ann Voskamp from “A Holy Experience” says, my keyboard is sacred. It is an altar where I come and lay down my life and offer up my blog posts as a sacrifice to God. Women Living Well is my gift to God.

Above is Ann the writer of A Holy Experience and I together.

Then there was Sally Clarkson. She very patiently listened to me as I shared my “blogging” struggles over chicken and pasta. She wisely questioned me in areas that needed challenged. She very lovingly shared her story with me and through her stories I found answers to questions I’ve carried with me for a very very long time.

She said “Our insecurities make us vulnerable.”

“My husband and children are going to be the book that people read.”

“Every season gets more full.”

“Social media is a fickle boyfriend – he’ll love you today and hate you tomorrow.”

“Just because it’s challenging doesn’t mean it’s the wrong thing.”

“If it’s God’s will for me to write less, then it’s God’s will for my readers to read less.”

“When women are alone they become a target. With each other, we will maintain our ideals.”

“You can’t give away what you don’t possess in your heart. We must maintain a full heart.”

Above is a picture of me with Sally Clarkson and my partner Angela over at GoodMorningGirls.org Tears come quickly to my eyes when I look at the sweet face of my dear friend Angela of 20 years. I do not deserve such an amazing gift of her friendship. This girl stood in my shadow all weekend long serving me. She was there holding my books, taking my picture with women, lifting me up in prayer, and listening to me chatter on, always with a smile. Her words of assurance calmed me when my nerves were running high before speaking. She was Jesus in the flesh to me and I am humbled that God would bless me with such a gift – she truly lives up to her name – she is an Angel.

And finally, we come to Sarah Mae (pictured above)…my on-line friend! She was my first blogging friend that I spoke to on the phone. She has popped out of the computer and come to real life and with her amazing vision and compassion for bloggers she (along with Dana and Jessica - who I adore by the way!) created the Relevant Blogging Conference.

This conference was not about increasing traffic to our blogs, or becoming number 1 in our niche – it was about being faithful to come to the keyboard with an offering to God. Ultimately, my calling is not to be a blogger, but to be a servant to God.

And so as I continue to ponder and treasure what God has taught me this week, I say to you my dear reader, I love you so much. Thank you for opening your hearts and your stories to me. It is not always easy to Walk with the King! As one blogger shared, sometimes our walk feels more like a hike! And so as we hike along this journey of life, I pray for you that you would not feel isolated in your love for God, your husband, your children and your home. But that you would find a warm place here where we can sit down together over the sacred keyboard and be filled up. And when our hearts are full we can overflow in obedience to God in our lives.

Walk with the King!