My personal story:
Several months ago, my wife was having severe stomach pains. So bad that we had to rush her to the ER. She was having tests run and to be honest, it was a really scary process. On my way to the ER, I twittered something like, "Please pray for @bethanygaddis. On our way to ER because she is having severe stomach pains." What happened next simply amazed me. Continue reading to find out.
Twitter has revolutionized the way that I communicate with people. Does it take the place of actual face to face communication? Sometimes, yes...but only with the people that I do not live around. You see, in my world, I am networked with hundreds of men and women who do the same thing I do: Create. Whether that be music, art, websites, businesses, etc. A lot of those are other worship leaders around the country. So, for me, it is invaluable to follow those people on Twitter. I get to know them like I never would when given a week with them at a conference. I see and experience their lives year round. So when we actually do show up for a conference or special event, we know each other better than the average stranger. We are friends. We can communicate while skipping all of the 'get to know you' formalities.
Is Twitter for everyone? No. There are some people who are content with not caring what anyone else does throughout their day. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, just a personality difference. However, there are 3 stages of Twitter acceptance and most of the world, right now, is in stage 1. Here they are:
Stage 1. It looks like a complete waste of time and “why would anyone want to know what people had for breakfast”?
Stage 2. Friends say “use Twitter” and you get an account to secure your name while you can and still think it’s a waste of time.
Stage 3. You get into a conversation with someone, pick up a new recruit, learn about some news and start saying “how did I live without this?”
FYI, these same three stages occurred in other technologies. For instance, when telephones came out, most executives assigned someone to make calls (if they had a phone at all). The same thing happened with email, Facebook, etc. It especially happened when cell phones came out. I remember saying for a long time, "I will never have one of those! Why would I want to be that accessible to people!?" Times change. People change. In fact, the only thing inevitable in this world is change.
If you don’t use Twitter, that’s ok too. Most of my friends are also in Stage 1. I even know a few that refuse to use a phone. No sense worrying about getting everybody to do things the same way. Just give people what they want, whenever, wherever, and in whatever format they desire. We all demand that today.
Social media is here to stay, it’s just a matter of being “in” or “out” of the conversation. Eventually just about everyone figured out that a cell phone was a must have. It’s only a matter of time until people figure out that Twitter, and other social media platforms, are “must haves” too.
Some people, mainly younger students, use Twitter to talk back and forth to one another. While that isn't a bad thing, it tends to neglect the rest of their followers...the people that, whether you like it or not, want to know what you are doing. One can always make their updates private if that makes you uncomfortable. But the key to Twitter is to share. It is only as personal as you want it to be. I follow a girl who only puts great deals she finds on the Internet...and she has over 10 thousand followers because of that.
From a Christian perspective, we need to know what the culture is doing and how it is shifting so that we can better relate and speak into the lives of people. A good
friend of mine said this, "The world has changed. Mayberry went straight from the VCR to managing your life and your entertainment in the palm of your hand with an iPhone in seconds flat. We need to be able to speak intelligently into the conversation as Christians." This same friend allowed his church to have a Twitter Sunday where people were encouraged to Twitter during the service as the churches Home Twitter page was plastered on the screens. He had this to say about this event:
The big screen as well as two other screens were live with the Twitter feed as people came in. Through communion, songs, message, etc. Twitter was live for our inaugural Twitter Fusion. Live and VERY present.
The conversation began light.
- “Nice shirt JVo (the worship leader),”
- “I love this song,”
- “So glad they are doing Lenny Kravitz,”
- “Somebody turn Jimmy’s guitar up,”
- “Westwinds rocks,”
- “Thank God for coffee at church”
One girl Twittered from home she was late and on her way. Ha.
And, while the light conversation was present through all of Fusion—both Fusions—there was also some great interaction with the message, restating what was said, personal struggles shared, opinions, agreement, etc.
- “to be selfless, humble”
- “The more I press in to Him, the more He presses me out to be useful”
- “sometimes healing is painful”
- “I have a hard time recognizing God in the middle of everything.”
- “It is easy to give Him credit after the fact but it is my prayer to see Him now.”
- “God is challenging us to live for Him in a culture that rejects Him—His own peers did that”
- “He has given me so much”
Both kinds of interaction were important. The “deeper” thoughts allowed people to process out loud, be affirmed by others’ responses, and have a bit of public confession.
The light talk only added to the sense of community, family, fun, and not taking ourselves too seriously.
I have an amazing friend who also happens to be my boss that coined the word "Pritter" where he preaches through his twitter updates. They are very encouraging and I love reading them! You can follow him
HERE.Rest of my Personal Story:
I kid you not, within minutes of sending that Twitter about my wife I had over 50 replies saying things like "we are praying right now" and "God be with Bethany right now and ease the pain" and "Dear Lord, please give your peace to the Gaddis' as they go to the ER" and "Lord, we all lift up Bethany to you now. May the doctors find out what is going on in your stomach". And to top it off, all of those people twittering those messages had hundreds of other people following them that were reading their prayers. So there could have been over a thousand people praying. I was humbled. I can't tell you how much of a blessing it was to see people all over the world praying for my wife at that very moment. That is true community. That is why I twitter.
In conclusion, Twitter is as useful and fun as you, the user, wants it to be. You can find and follow businesses that you are interested so they can keep you up to date on products, or you can follow friends and/or colleges to share ideas with. Or better yet, you can use it as a ministry tool.
Join the Twitter revolution now! http://twitter.com
I have 233 people following me from around the world.
You can follow me too! Just go to HERE!
