What kind of company?

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage. Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me? Read on to find out!

There's a Biblical principle that holds true, whether we like it or not. 

Bad company corrupts good character. 

It's from 1 Corinthians 15:33 and it goes like this,

"Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

Lots of people ARE deceived about this.  They think, "I need to be out there being a positive force in a whole lot of negative."  We have been warned!  Don't be deceived! 

All of that bad (virtual) company will corrupt you. 

Evidently, if it was easy to realize this principle was true, we wouldn't be warned not to be deceived about it! 

Don't be deceived.  If you are surrounded by bad company, it will eventually seep it's way through you and corrupt you.  It doesn't matter if your "friends" on Facebook proclaim to be Christians, they still could be bad company.  You might think you're getting re-connected with old friends, but they still could be bad company.  You might have accepted friend requests from family members or other relatives, they could still be bad company. 

And bad company will corrupt YOU.

Their negative will eventually wear down your positive.  

My friends, is it really worth it? 



Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?

 

 

What kind of Drama?

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage.  Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me?  Read on to find out!

Do you know what you find on social media? 

Drama.

And it isn't real drama either.  It's first world drama.  It's the kind of problems that people who don't have survival problems have.  (I know this, as I have been to the "Armpit of the Philippines."  It was the poorest region of that country.  There were families living in huts as small as my bathroom.)

Maybe we should ask ourselves if the drama is legitimate.  I mean, Paul had drama. 

"…in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches." 2 Corinthians 11:23-28

I was just wondering if this is the sort of thing you find on Facebook?  What's that?  It isn't?  Oh, that's right.  There's people telling each other off, showing off what they ate at the local restaurant or what they wore yesterday.  Oh yes and so-and-so doesn't like it and is mad and unfriended so-and-so.  

First world drama. 

We're Christians.  We've got bigger fish to fry. 

Leave the drama for the drama queens.  Our King needs us to be about His business.

Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?

Am I wasting time?

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage. Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me? Read on to find out!

Am I wasting time?

In the name of "me" time or "down" time or "chill" time, many people squander precious minutes and hours on social media.  God gave us our 24 hours in the first place.  He wants them to be used wisely.

Ephesians 5:16 says, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

To redeem time means buying up every moment that others throw away. In this society we are under great pressure in the direction of misuse of time and opportunity.  Everybody around us is glued to their high-tech smartphones.  Heaven forbid they miss a tweet!  They are throwing away time just to like someone's status or tag themselves in pictures.  (Pinterest freaks, you don't get off easy.  We can squander our moments by drooling and coveting the hours away.)

1 Timothy 5:13 says "At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention."

We've already talked about word sins, but the idleness is obviously a big deal too.

Proverbs 31:27 has always been a meaningful verse to me. 

"She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness."

If you're squandering your minutes and hours on social media, you will eat the bread of idleness.  You CAN look well to the ways of your household.  You CAN care for your family well.  You CAN be purposeful in your marriage.  You CAN carefully train your children.  It won't happen though when you're wasting your time on social media.  You simply won't have time for it.  You'll be too busy being idle online for something as important as that. 

Let's make drastic sacrifices to leave idleness in the dust. 



Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?

Living Too Loud

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage. Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me? Read on to find out!

As a Christian teen, the saying, "Live out loud" was something of a buzz phrase. It challenged most teens to live a level of holiness that was loudly obvious to other folks, to make culturally abnormal steps in making their lives more acceptable to God. The internet has created another phenomenon - the danger of living too loud. There are just some things in Christianity that we're supposed to be quiet about, things that just speak for themselves. Ask yourself this question:

Do I blab my good works via social media?

Matthew 6:3 says, “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing... "
We are even warned to “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven."(Matthew 6:1)

This same chapter gives guidelines for praying, fasting, giving and in general, just practicing your righteousness. Why do we need to share about the meal we made for the needy family? Why do we need to tell that we're babysitting our friends' kids to help them out? Why do we need to broadcast our involvement in a bake sale for a good cause? Why?

When it comes down to it, we've allowed Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like to ensnare us into blabbing our good works.  We've started living too loud. 

As a blogger, I want my blog to help others. If I feel His pricking in my conscience, I don't post it (even if it would've been terrific content or if I finally had an outstanding picture to go with it). That pricking in my conscience would surely mean I'd crossed from helping to blabbing. Matthew 6:1 gives a stern warning because if we start doing (sharing) things to be noticed by people (to get a few "likes?"), we've lost the Eternal reward. Let that sober thought sink in. We could be doing something that only holds a reward for here and now. That scenario alone makes my heart heavy. Be aware of the pitfall of blabbing your good works.  We're living loud, when we ought to be quiet.

I dare you to take drastic measures

to stop blabbing your good works on social media.

Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?

Winter Cabin Trip

We recently trekked to our cabin for a Winter Trip.  The Rugged Mountain Man and I did this regularly before the Blossoms came on the scene.  However, with the Little Blossoms, we felt it isn't always the best place to spend cold winter days and nights.  They didn't understand things like, "You can't go in the creek" and "You have to wear 10 lbs of clothing to go outside and do anything."  In any case, we feel like a more winter-cabin-experience-season is upon us, so we ventured!

In my mind, any cabin trip that starts with a tray full of homemade Peanut Butter Eggs is gonna be a good one!

 

Once, when the Rugged Mountain Man and I went in January, the creek was frozen over in a beautiful shade of icy aqua color.  I've never seen its match in icy creek beauty since then.  These crystals beside the "Fords of Beruna" (as we call them) were stunning.  I might've stepped right on them, but Blossom2 was astounded by the intricacy of the ice crystals.

Creekside fun!!!

Daddy supervised the older girlies' outing to the creek later on.  That's when Blossom1 and Blossom2 hacked off an ice raft and floated it down the more shallow section of the creek.  Of course, they ended up soaked, but when you've got a (large) coal stove heating a (small) cabin, drying things is no big deal.  Mommy has become much more chill about this sort of thing.  I just make sure they packed enough extra pairs of cruddy clothes for adventures such as this. 

Rory was enjoying checking out the snow-covered landscape.  While we expected there to be more snow there, we were wowed by the fact that there was still a foot of heavy slushy snow on the ground. 

Aren't these jeweled branches just exquisite?  They're God's Christmas lights!

The familiarity of these views always brings peace as I gaze and listen to the creek's gurgle, combined with the Blossoms' shouts of delight.

The Blossoms are always up for a walk down the lane. 

This is Rory's best attempt at camouflage... right before Blossom4 fell headlong in another puddle, so we headed back to the cabin to get her into dry clothes. 

It was a terrific time of cozy fires, adventure, times of discussing the Word and enjoying our family in the middle of nowhere.  Love it!!!  :)

A Body that's Busy With What?

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage. Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me? Read on to find out!

Sins of Time

 
This verse once rocked my world.  The Bible actually has something to say about how the internet allows us to daily peek into others' houses easily. 
 

"And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." 1 Timothy 5:13

 

For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.2 Thessalonians 3:11

Too often, the fruit of such an unhampered liberty is busybodying,

a thing that God doesn't take lightly.

 
Let's take a peek at the definition of busybodying.

"To bustle about uselessly, to busy one's self about trifling, needless, useless matters."
 
Oh wow.  This is social media to a T.  It's a whole lotta bustle and a whole lotta USELESS.  It's busy, busy, busy about trifles.  It's a hurry-scurry about needless and useless matters. 

"used apparently of a person officiously inquisitive about other's affairs"

Officiously means volunteering one’s services where they are neither asked for, nor needed, meddlesome.  This is Facebook, y'all.  Seriously.  We love to volunteer our advice, opinions and tips.  It's really just meddling (often well-meaning meddling, but meddling just the same.)  We want to know what's going on in other people's lives and then lend our services.  It boils down to the fact that we are letting ourselves become busybodies in the name of "helping folks."  Ouch.
 
"busy about trifles and neglectful of important matters"1. especially busy about other folks' affairs, a busybody
2. of things: impertinent and superfluous
 
The "neglectful of important matters" phrase can get every Pinterest-loving mama out there.  We've got time to pin or time to browse Instagram and drool, but somehow supper is late and the wash hasn't been folded.  Oh and that one thing that the Rugged Mountain Man asked that I get to today, yep, it isn't done.  We were too busy about trifles.  We're looking into everyone else's interests, but not turning our hearts toward home.  Impertinent and superfluous issues are sucking our energy and time. 
 
The service of our husband, care of the home and discipleship of our children falls by the wayside - a victim to social media suckers!

 Let's make it our ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to our own business and work with our hands, just as God commanded us.  (In case you're wondering why that sounds familiar, that's my paraphrase of 1 Thessalonians 4:11.) 
Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?

Mom - da - what????

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage.  Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me?  Read on to find out!

Just a little note here about something I've experienced. 

"Momdescension."

You've just experienced or spoke of a potentially embarrassing situation with one of your children.  A super messy diaper.  A potty accident in public.  A colossal fit in the library.  A child freaking out at the doctor's office.  You fill in with your own scenario. 

And an acquaintance shares how their kids never did anything like that.  Ever.  You can hear it.  They are such a better Mom than you.  You must be a quack to be experiencing such things.  Your kids have a loser for a mom.

That's Mommy Condescension or

Momdescension.

And social media is chock-full of Momdescension.  It can be as simple as puffed-up words about how great their children are.  Momdescension can be the trap of comparison.  Momdescension can be bragging.  Momdescension can be photos that show the good and never the bad or the real. 

It's talk (or photos or blog entries or statuses or tweets) that are unfit for the Lord's use.  It's words that aren't helpful for the need of the moment. 

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Ephesians 4:29

Maybe you somehow dodged the bullet when it came to poop on your favorite Packet jacket on a trip to Walmart, but is this really the time to say that?  Where is the word that is needed in that particular moment of the conversation? 

I'm sure that I have unwittingly Momdescended.  I do think that I have pretty amazing girlies, so I know it can pop out.  I've resolved to keep trying every moment to be sensitive to others and what the Holy Spirit needs me to say.  I've always loved the verse,

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."

Proverbs 25:11

 

The right word at the right time is a beautiful thing. 

Let's leave Momdescension behind.


Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?
  

What kind of words?

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage.  Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me?  Read on to find out!

Word Sins That Grieve the Holy Spirit

If asked, most of us would say flat out that we'd never gossip.  We'd never think of slander and we think we've got a pretty clean mouth too. 

 

Proverbs 20:19 says,

"He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets,

therefore do not associate with a gossip.

Do not associate with a gossip.  Wow.  That's pretty straightforward.  I appreciate how clear that is.  When you're chillin' online, are you associating with gossips?  It's just funny to me.  If I went to the park and someone started gossiping to me, I'd try my hardest to end the conversation ASAP and then move on quickly.  We gotta take those same guidelines and apply them to social media.  Don't associate.  You do what it takes not to associate.  Unfollow?  Unfriend?  Quit reading?  Hide the feed?  Do SOMETHING so you don't associate with a gossip!

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Ephesians 4:29

Unwholesome word could also be translated "rotten talk."  It even means words that are unfit for use or foul speaking.  Does my social media consumption include rotten talk?  (You know what rotten talk is.  It's the stuff that puts you in a funk for the rest of the day.  You try to get it out of your head, but you can't.  It's rotten and it's rotting your day.)  And then, the unfit for use thing.  Reading words that are totally unusable to God.  That's a big, big deal.  Foul words are included in this passage too.

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4:30

I encourage you to read your blogs, tweets and statuses, finding out what the Holy Spirit thinks of them.  So many of us have made them a big part of our day and then we wonder why we can't hear God's voice.  His voice is being drowned out by Instagram, Twitter and the like. 

The Bible has so much to say about word sins... seriously!  Stay with me.  You might be tired of listening, but we respect the Word, don't we?

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander

be put away from you, along with all malice.

Ephesians 4:31

Put away bitterness!  Put away wrath, that passion or heated moments produced from our tempers.  Put away clamor, the crying outcry or yelling!  Put away slander, that injurious speech.  Put it away! Colossians 3:8 says the same, "PUT IT AWAY."  Don't make excuses for your Facebook.  Don't poo-poo your habits.  Don't even try to be the positive force out there.  PUT IT AWAY.

 

One verse more for now. 

 ...And there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting,

which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

 

Ephesians 5:4

When studying, you see that the filthy talk encountered in the virtual world of the internet must not be in our lives!  Oh yes and silly talk.  We think nothing of silly talk.  ("It's harmless, right?") but it comes from a real root of foolishness.  Let it not be in our lives.  Coarse jesting is best described as innuendo.  Innuendo is that thing that infers.  It comes just sort of saying things that a Christian never ought to speak of.  It's bedroom talk, in public.  And just because we don't quite come out and say it, we just infer, doesn't mean it isn't wrong.  Being a part of that innuendo talk is sin too. 

I'm challenging you to do what is not socially acceptable and put it away. 

Today. 

Steps taken in an effort not to grieve the Holy Spirit are worth it.  Remember what we talked about in regards to Matthew 5:30. 

The avoidance of temptation may involve drastic sacrifices.

 
Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?  

 

Number of Words?

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage.  Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me?  Read on to find out!

Too many words?

Proverbs 10:19 says,

"When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable,

But he who restrains his lips is wise."

Any one who babbles on and on is going to have a tough time avoiding sin.  Bottom line is that most of us have trouble applying self-control to our tongue that long.  I'll be honest, I've seen Facebook feeds and statuses.  There are many words and sin is there. 

Maybe you're having a tough time swallowing this.  Mosey on over to your favorite social media outlet.  Take a good, hard look at the number of words.  The foolishness and silly talk are rampant.  The Bible is true and relevant, so where there are many words, sin is unavoidable.

Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?

Get Persian with me!

We interrupt the regularly scheduled programming for an update...  a cartoon?  a comedy?  Something like that.
I promise you folks that I truly do watch my children.  I don't actually know how to watch them any closer, like maybe don't do any work and follow them around, but hey, that's not happening.  There have been so many instances (solved and unsolved) lately that when investigated, come right down to Blossom4.  White-out all through three rooms of our house.  Marker on the window and sill (Mr. Crayola is a genius for making those washable things).  Gum in Rory's fur.  Yep, more Blossom4. 

I'm putting supper together as we speak.  I went to settle a dispute between Rory and Blossom4.  I started to walk away, thinking it was resolved, only to discover the contents of a tea bag evenly dispersed across the couch.  I was in the same room as her, people.  If Blossom4 was a cartoon character, she'd be a dainty, Pixie-type innocent version of Speedy Gonzales or Road-Runner. 

"Beep-beep!"  Vrooooooom.  Flash. 

And all I can say is now, what did she do?

I mean, the dust buster has cleaned up so many Blossom4 related messes lately that he rebelled and started spitting the messes back out.  Seriously?  I need you on my side, man!  Rather than bemoan the fate of the couch or the fact that the static is keeping most of the fragrant little pieces from being removed from that lovely micro-fiber "kid-friendly" couch, I decided that we're going all Persian here. 

C'mon on over, friends.  We'll treat you like the Queen of Persia and let you sit on a herb-and-spice perfumed couch. 

That's the reality here.  Off she goes again.  I wonder if I burnt supper...  :)

What does it make you think about?

Thanks for joining me on a journey to evaluate our social media usage.  Does the Bible really have anything to say about this internet age and how it relates to me?  Read on to find out!

What does it make you think about?

This is the first verse that comes to mind for me. 

Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

The next time you whip your iPhone out of your pocket, stop and think.  Is what I'm reading going to fall into these categories?  

Sometimes we like to use old-world type vocabulary as an excuse not to apply the verses to our daily life.  That's why I compiled a list of a few synonyms.  SO MUCH is weeded out when I take my media consumption to this list. 

Grave, decent, chaste, holy, noble, honorable, dignified, elevated, lovely, beautiful, admirable, speaking well of, praiseworthy, whatever calls down approval of God, virtuous

It weeds out the so-so.  It makes me unfollow the less than lovely Pinterest pinners.  It gives me a real reason to delete less than admirable blogs from my Feedly app. 

Let's avoid being all self-righteous here.  If you're on Facebook, but not on Twitter, don't tune me out.  If you're on Instagram and avoid Facebook like the plague, that doesn't mean you can skip out on this series.  Let's let the Holy Spirit shine His light on our habits.  Then, we'll see how very little can be described by the adjectives above. 


Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?

If your right hand...

Sometimes what's around us becomes so prevalent, that we don't even think about it anymore. 

Matthew 5:30 says, “If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

I'm not promoting self-mutilation here.  Jesus is using exaggeration to help us get the point.  According to the commentary, it goes something like this,

"The avoidance of temptation may involve drastic sacrifices like severing relationships OR the renunciation of favorite activities."

When is the last time you to make a drastic sacrifice to avoid temptation?  So many people encounter temptation when they log on to social media, and yet they are not willing to renounce their favorite activities to avoid sin.  I'm challenging you right now!  Think about a drastic sacrifice you could make to avoid temptations you encounter via social media.  Take the step.  Do it.  In the next few days, I'm going to be sharing some of the Scriptural points that God has helped me to apply to my use of social type media.  Please don't tune me out.  I know how much we all like our down time, our "me" time... our "connectedness," but is it worth sin???

Take a look at the rest of the series here:

- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
 - Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
 - Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?

What will you do now?

The Wonder of the Zippered Pouches

Hello friends! 

Coming soon, more on the things I got to share Sunday morning to our church body.  Blossom4 has needed a whole lotta extra attention lately (massive understatement of the century) and Blossom3 came down with a cold.  "Mama, just sit by me on the couch, ok?"  Yep, this mama has been doing lots of mama-ing.  Today was supposed to be a ketchup day.  My brain is still saying that I "mustard" on all my backlog!  lol  Sorry.  It's in the genes.  When you're tired, giddy or a little of each, the puns kick in.  In any case, my post will have to wait a day or two. 

However, I did want to mention that you all should head over to Angelique's blog, Where the Piggy Toes Go.  I shared before that I loved her sock bun tutorial.  This time, she spills the beans about what's in her purse.  What's so amazing is her little zippered pouches organizing system!  I was already reorganizing our travel cosmetics bag with this system.  I snagged a handful of zippered pouches from the Dollar Tree, thinking I'd have extras.  When I realized the brilliance of her system, I put it into practice in my purse.  Hurray for a mama being able to find stuff in her purse, right?!  Now, I just need to head to the Dollar Tree again!  :)

Be blessed, my friends.  Can't wait to share more thoughts with you soon.  For now, I think I'll plunge into bed...

The effective fervent prayer...

I had the privilege of preaching in our church today.  Preaching was something I did quite often when I did youth ministry ages and ages ago.  Believe me, there's no experience like preaching at one (or more) meetings a week, week in and week out, to teenagers no less!  I learned so much about going with God's flow, saying what God wanted me to say no matter what and always being full-full-full of God.  I am in a different season of life right now, a season that highlights different gifts.  Though I've already shared that I count it a privilege (and important responsibility) to preach to our Blossoms, I don't often get to share to the church body as a whole, which is a unique and humbling experience (as true God-inspired preaching ought to be).  Actually, I'm pretty sure that the last preaching opportunity I had was to preach about diving healing five plus years ago.  I was pregnant with Blossom3 at the time and had been diagnosed with Lyme disease.  I look back on that opportunity to preach and consider it golden.  It stands out in my memory as a time when I needed to sort through all the things I'd been taught, all that I'd studied and all that became more and more real to me each day as I believed God to heal me of Lyme disease.  More important than my own healing, I was believing God to care for Blossom3 inside of my womb, so that she would be born whole, with no problems or effects from Lyme disease.  Several months later, I stood in the makeshift sanctuary of our church building at the time with tears streaming down my face.  I said, "Do you remember what we prayed for, because here she is?!"  Blossom3 was a little bundle in my arms and our entire church body rejoiced together.  It was the real life version of

"The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much..."

James 5:16

There's no way I am bragging on myself.  I know the journey of faith, its ups and downs, its pitfalls and mountaintop peaks.  But no one can ever take that experience away from me.  No one.  Engrained in my memory is how I shared His Word and the Lord brought it to fruition in our lives.  Praise the Lord for that!!! 

More in the next few days on what I shared with our church body today, so stay tuned!