For many, the season of Lent is about giving up something, usually something more symbolic of sacrifice than actual sacrifice. However, a recent movement for many is to take something up, instead of giving something up. For example, preparing yourself not through denial but through pushing yourself to do something that brings you closer to God. I have tried to follow that path over the last few Lenten seasons, and I will say that doing something daily is actually even harder than not doing something daily, and I’ve had as much success with one as the other. God understands that discipline is one of my weak points and that I am working on it.
One thing that has become common for people to give up at Lent is social media. For some, it is one of the harder sacrifices, and if it is indeed something that separates you from God, then by all means, learn that sacrificing it to some degree may be good for you.
On the other hand, for some of us, social media represents a way for us to connect even more with God and God’s world. Social media connects us with God’s people, educates us about the good and the ugly of God’s world and even gives us ways to do our part in changing God’s world.
For this Lent, I have decided that I personally will dedicate myself to the 2014 Lenten Meditations provided by Episcopal Relief and Development. These are daily Scripture selections followed by a brief meditation on that message. That’s just for me.
However, as the social media director at my church (okay — I kind of made up that title; I’m just the one who mostly updates the Facebook page), I thought I would then do my best to tie those scriptures and meditations to something going on in our world. I’ve always been focused on making the words of Scripture be living words, words that continue to speak about the world we live in today. I am hoping that this effort to find God’s words still alive in our world today will help not only me, but anyone I might be reaching through our church’s Facebook page.
There are a few resources available online for those doing social media for their small church during this Lenten services, and as always, you may find rich resources from faiths other than your own.
I’ve gathered just a few but please feel free to share resources you’ve found in the comments area below.
So, whether you are giving up something for Lent or taking something up, may your journey be peaceful and fulfilling.
Online resources for Lent:
Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl mobile app
http://crs.org/ricebowl-app/
Rice Bowl has been the official Lenten program of Catholic Relief Services since 1977 and now is available in convenient app form.
westminsterakron.com — “40 Quotes for 40 Days”
Look for “40 Quotes for 40 Days” to be posted on Facebook and Twitter each day during Lent, simple thoughts to keep your Lenten journey on track. Follow them at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Westminster-Presbyterian-Church/115717198457750) and @WestPresAkron on Twitter.
(Thanks to the Akron Beacon Journal Online for those two ideas: http://www.ohio.com/news/using-social-media-to-connect-to-god-during-lent-1.470077)
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Lent Devotional 2014
http://www.pts.edu/Lent_2014
Episcopal Relief and Development Lenten Meditations (free pdf download)
http://www.episcopalrelief.org/church-in-action/church-campaigns/lent
UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) Book of Lenten Devotions
http://www.wnccumc.org/news/umcor-offers-one-great-hour-sharing-book-lenten-devotions
World Relief Lent Resources
http://worldrelief.org/lent/resources
Episcopal Share: an unofficial Book of Common Prayer for Social Media
Prayers edited to fit in a variety of social media
http://episcopalshare.org/Home.html
Finally, Pinterest is always a great place for ideas as well. A simple search for the word “lent” turns up quite a few: http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=Lent
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Make a plan for blogging
"Failure to plan is a plan for failure." We've all heard that bit of wisdom a thousand times in our lives, and we shake our heads, 'yes, yes, I know.' And then we go back to our day, which normally begins with a nice goal or two and ends with us saying, 'wow - what happened?' Yep, we feel like we spend the whole day putting out fires and yet still have nothing to show for it. Like a blog post.
Ask anyone in social media and they'll mention blogging as a great way for a priest with a personality to reach out to his congregation. I mean, what does a priest do better than talk, right? And blogging is simply talking, but with written words.
But what do I say?
A great way to get started with a blog for your church is simply sharing the weekly sermon. True, many priests or pastors just have an outline of what they want to say, but if asked, they could flesh out that outline for at least one weekly post. And what a nice share for those who perhaps had to miss church that Sunday, or who were touched by one particular point and want to revisit it.
Another big word in social media right now is transparency, and this leads to another possible topic for your blog. Why not just share with the folks in your church what it is you do on a regular basis. From meetings with the bishop to serving on the ministerial alliance to that great book you're in the middle of reading right now. All those little things you do add up to a very interesting person.
In my news writing classes, to get students thinking about possible topics for a news feature, I would ask them: "What really made you mad this week?" Most of the time it was something that was common to many people (Trouble finding a parking place on campus? How about a story on the number of permits sold versus the number of parking spots available?)
Making a blog calendar
Okay, okay, those are great ideas. But, then, why can I think of nothing to write when I'm staring at this blank screen on a Saturday night. First, find a day that works best for you. Find that day now and be consistent. That is what I am doing in an effort to be a bit more consistent and productive with this blog. And, unfortunately, Saturday night seems to be the best night for me.
Then, I'm putting that plan into print. Well, coming from the newsroom, I'm calling it an Editorial Calendar. It's simply a list of every Saturday coming up over the next four months (hey, if you want to plan the whole year, go for it. Me? I find that a bit overwhelming). And, I keep it on my desktop so that I can see it on a regular basis. (Keeping daily notes on your desktop also forces you to keep that desktop organized.)
Now, I'm not good enough to have a topic for every single Saturday coming up, but I have a start. And now, when an idea strikes me, I have a place to store that idea until the next time I need a blog post.
This blog post was the first idea I had on my new calendar. So, see? It works.
Ask anyone in social media and they'll mention blogging as a great way for a priest with a personality to reach out to his congregation. I mean, what does a priest do better than talk, right? And blogging is simply talking, but with written words.
But what do I say?
A great way to get started with a blog for your church is simply sharing the weekly sermon. True, many priests or pastors just have an outline of what they want to say, but if asked, they could flesh out that outline for at least one weekly post. And what a nice share for those who perhaps had to miss church that Sunday, or who were touched by one particular point and want to revisit it.
Another big word in social media right now is transparency, and this leads to another possible topic for your blog. Why not just share with the folks in your church what it is you do on a regular basis. From meetings with the bishop to serving on the ministerial alliance to that great book you're in the middle of reading right now. All those little things you do add up to a very interesting person.
In my news writing classes, to get students thinking about possible topics for a news feature, I would ask them: "What really made you mad this week?" Most of the time it was something that was common to many people (Trouble finding a parking place on campus? How about a story on the number of permits sold versus the number of parking spots available?)
Making a blog calendar
Okay, okay, those are great ideas. But, then, why can I think of nothing to write when I'm staring at this blank screen on a Saturday night. First, find a day that works best for you. Find that day now and be consistent. That is what I am doing in an effort to be a bit more consistent and productive with this blog. And, unfortunately, Saturday night seems to be the best night for me.
Then, I'm putting that plan into print. Well, coming from the newsroom, I'm calling it an Editorial Calendar. It's simply a list of every Saturday coming up over the next four months (hey, if you want to plan the whole year, go for it. Me? I find that a bit overwhelming). And, I keep it on my desktop so that I can see it on a regular basis. (Keeping daily notes on your desktop also forces you to keep that desktop organized.)
Now, I'm not good enough to have a topic for every single Saturday coming up, but I have a start. And now, when an idea strikes me, I have a place to store that idea until the next time I need a blog post.
This blog post was the first idea I had on my new calendar. So, see? It works.
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