The Cons of Social Networking as a Ministry Tool (Part 3)

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

In concluding this series I would like to end with discussing the possible cons of using Social Networking as a ministry tool. This has been discussed for awhile among ourselves. As a whole I believe that social networking is a great means to get a message across or to bring about an awareness. However it can be over used and abused to the point that the message gets diluted. I think we really need to figure out who our audience is meant to be and  then use the most effective means to reach them.

As a case in point if we examine Facebook we all have a certain amount of friends. They stay fairly the same from week to week with maybe a few additions or subtractions. Constantly posting child packets each week to the same people over and over is not going to be productive. However posting a link to a relevant blog or article may keep the focus where it needs to be. Twitter I believe is great for the fact that we must be short and succinct in our message but again we are limited by the amount of followers we have and what their focus may be. We don't want to keep posting the same thoughts and overuse the medium. Blogs are personal in nature and can be used in many ways but we do not again want to keep the focus too limited. I have found this with my own blog and as a result I am at a crossroads with it. Either to seek to broaden the focus or to reinvent it.

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Be Still and Rest!

By Pat

Boy, life sure can be tiring. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually tiring, even exhausting at times. so much to do, so little time. Responsibilities can take over our lives in no time at all. Add to that the burdens we bear for others. We worry about and pray for our friends, families and loved ones on a daily basis. (At least, we should!) This can add to the weighed-down feeling we already have from our own lives.

Jesus promised us rest."Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28). Well, here I am, Lord! Where's my rest? I still have just as much to do, and I still feel so heavy with burdens. Help me, Lord! Bless this one, bless that one, help me get done...These things I utter as I blow through my day, frantic to get everything finished.

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Life Is Funny: Poor Teddy

By MAD21

My girls were busy playing the other day. It was the kind of fun day when the kids are really getting along and your living room looks like a giant toy box. I was working around the house and at some point I saw our poor Teddy. I'm sure it was part of the play at some point, but then she was forgotten.

I think to myself... ever have one of those days? I guess it's good that it wasn't a house!

My friend and fellow blogger Wendy at Weight..What? has a fun carnival at her blog called "Life is Funny." Every Monday we talk about something in life that we find funny. Be sure to go visit her blog to read her post along with links to other blogs who are participating.

Fingerprint Friday: Progress

By MAD21

After a long three-year process and issues with the county permitting office for the last two months, we are almost finished with the excavation and regrading of our property. I am so excited. We've been so busy with all the planning and politics, that I had forgotten what it was like to dream about how beautiful it will be when we are done. I am glad to say I've had the opportunity to do just that in the last few days. We still need to get the new fence put in and all the plants and bushes in the ground, but that's just the icing. The hardest part of the project is over.

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Tasty Bites: Kicked-Up Fried Green Tomatoes

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

There’s really only one reason I plan tomatoes in the spring – as much as I love a juicy ripe red tomato, I love fried green tomatoes even more. They have a great “tomatoey” flavor and I like to keep the breading light but spicy to really make the flavor pop. The coating for these is so simple because I always have the two main ingredients on hand, and never have to run to the store – whole wheat bread crumbs and my favorite seasoning!

What? You don’t keep crumbs in your freezer? We don’t eat the “heels” of the bread, but instead save them in a separate bag in the freezer. When I have several collected, I put them on the counter to dry out overnight or dry them out in a low oven. When they are good and dry, pulse in the food processor until finely crumbled. They keep for a very long time stored in freezer bags in your freezer.

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