9. “IF AN ALIEN VISITED…”
… and all they
had to see
was your
Facebook
page (or other
„public‟
profile).. What
would their
perception of
your life be?
Image: RGB Stock
10. REV PROF DAVID
WILKINSON
God is a
communicating
God: “In the
beginning was the
word”.
God is extravagant
in communication –
he is not a silent
God who has to be
tempted into
communicating
with people.
Image Credit: Durham University
18. NELSON MANDELA
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest
fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our
light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask
ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and
fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of
God. Your playing small doesn‟t serve the world.
There‟s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won‟t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to
shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory
of God that is within us. It‟s not just in some of us, it‟s in
everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others.
Image Credit: Wikipedia
19. How does one
become a
butterfly? You
must want to
fly so much
that you are
willing to give
up being a
caterpillar.
(Anon)
Image Credit: Wikipedia
20. THE LEGEND OF
BAGGER VANCE
Inside each and
every one of us is
our one
true, authentic swing
. Something we was
born with.
Something that‟s
ours and ours alone.
Something that can‟t
be learning…
something that‟s got
to be remembered.
Image Credit: Wikipedia
21. GARY COLLINS
(CHRISTIAN LIFE COACH)
If you're a
Christian, seeking to
walk in the footsteps
of Jesus, you'll
approach every
aspect of your life
from this
perspective. Your
commitment to
Christ will impact
your
marriage, parenting, l
ifestyle, values, spen
ding, time
management, vocati
on ...
Image Credit: Gary Collins website
22. STEPHEN FRY (VIA
TWITTER)
Stop wanting
wealth and
fame and start
wanting
instead to do
something well
about which
you are
passionate.
Image Credit: Wikipedia
23. KOFI ANNAN (UN)
To live is to
choose. but to
choose
well, you must
know who you
are and what
you stand
for, where you
want to go
and why you
want to get
there.
Image Credit: Wikipedia
29. WHY BE ONLINE?
@FRDAVIDCLOAKE
Whilst I cannot conclude my thinking in a wholly
positive way, I acknowledge that great use of all
of this to my own personal discipleship. I am a
broader Christian, a better informed Christian, a
more readily supported and sustained Christian
and for that I love this digital life. If that makes
me a better Christian, then perhaps its purpose
is served if a purpose exists and indeed if a
purpose is needed. However, I shall continue to
pray that someone, somewhere, can say with
absolute clarity that because of this digital
community, they came to Christ.
30. WHO MIGHT SEE IT?
God
Parents
„The kids‟
The newspaper
Your worst enemy
33. HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THE
THINGS THAT DIVIDE US?
Image Credit: Seed Resources
34. DR JOHN TOWNSEND
The best people in
the world aren‟t
those who
never fail – but
those who fail and
learn something
from it. I hope that
your goal in life
isn‟t to slide safely
into death
not having screwed
up much.
37. END ON A PRAYER
Father, Creator God, You sent your Word, Jesus Christ, to reveal
your love and compassion to the world; you have called us to be his
disciples, true images of your beloved Son, proclaiming his Gospel
to all creation. His story is now our story. Keep us faithful to what
we have received, and generous in our sharing. Holy Father, we
thank you also for the gift of the Holy Spirit whom you sent to
sanctify and bless all you have created and be the bond of love that
unites all of us with you and your Son. Send forth your Spirit upon
us now. Purify our hearts and make us attentive to your
promptings that we may be true missionaries in the digital
world. Grant us the humility to seek you above and before all other
things that all we say and do may be done in your name and for
your glory. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
http://www.ibenedictines.org/2012/10/21/a-prayer-for-the-
christian-new-media-conference-cnmac12/ // @DigitalNun
Social Media Identity For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:45) What does it mean to be a ‘child of God’ in a digital age? With our lives on display, where are we drawing our inspiration from? If we are made in God’s image, and God is a communicating God, what responsibilities does that place upon us in our public digital lives? We’ll think about what this all means by thinking about having the courage of your convictions, following your passions, and what it might mean to be authentic in lives where online/offline are mixed.
So, who am I? Bit of background, experience, etc… The words I’ve used to describe myself – giving an image of me as a whole, why Christian 3rd?
Quickly chat to someone next to you (that you don’t know) and seek to find something in common … that’s essentially social media … focus on the social, rather than the technology… What kind of connections did you make?Does it matter that they are probably not that deep? Are your lives full & varied – what passions drive you?
Today’s key verse suggested by Spring Harvest is … are we SEEING, HEARING, EXPERIENCING… if not .. If we’re not being refilled from the source, how can we share with others (in any space?)
Is it about being, doing? Is it about you/God? Is it about expectations? Is it about perceptions from others? What do you think people would be searching for online? Does it address your passions?http://www.seedresources.com/view/images/living_within_the_light_of_christ_as_children_of_god. FLIPCHART paper – words/doodles…
Ensure that what we’re thinking about is not just about individual ‘brownie points’ but bigger/community pictures…
Invite responses about which platforms they are using.. . How much it feels like display, what they think about before they place material online?Emphasise don’t want bland Bible bots (2nd session), but give some thought to what message are presenting – doesn’t matter what you’re doing, the label of Christian is still attached – what does this mean?
We may be the only Bible that some people ever see … What do your priorities appear to be? Does God seem to have a place in your life? Demonstrate life as it is, rather than how you wish it would be… Relentlessly positive? How do we also share some of the difficulties of life – be real, allow people to connect with us [some of best sermons I’ve ever heard are people telling me are how they’ve dealt with difficult times… demonstrated that they are still pursuing the answers… ]… sentences end in a question rather than in a full stop?http://www.rgbstock.com/photo/2dQMJYj/We+Are+Not+Alone
“In the beginning was the word, and the word was God…” He wants to communicate with us (2-way)…what do Jesus’ teaching then mean for our lives today? If we are made in God’s image, and God is a communicating God, what responsibilities does that place upon us in our public digital lives? Image taken from Durham University website.
We want to be salt & light in the world – how are we to be different – we’ll look at this more tomorrow, but there’s a good opportunity to look to the Bible for the kinds of behaviours we want to see online, the aspects of our lives, and our Christian lives that we want to highlight (including the difficulties!)
Discuss and feedback as part of the next slide…http://kezi.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/fruit-of-the-spirit.jpg
We’ll think about what this all means by thinking about having the courage of your convictions, following your passions, and what it might mean to be authentic in lives where online/offline are mixed. Integrity (own comments “I feel, etc.)Self-control (consider consequences of interpretation – inc revisited later) Patience (expectations for response times)Authenticity (consistent to “you”)Trust (information can be out there, don’t speak on others behalf unless permission)Non-manipulative (audience aware, do someone down, bad spin; “If you love Jesus share this”)Respect (encounter different opinions – think through reactions); Good Manners; not ‘entitled’ to respect – respect others first.. Treat as you expect to be treated“Freedom of Speech” – think carefully; LibelSelf-awareness – context; read differently – can you “hear” tone of voiceDon’t press “send” in anger …Kindness – encourage online, messages of supportTransparency – do we know the source of all this… Aliases? Who’s saying what? Accountability. Who are they?
We’ve talked about returning to ‘The Source’ to know what Jesus says, but the internet gives exposure to a great range of ideas/philosophies – and here we look at some of them … some ideas that tie into the idea that God gave us passions to follow…
It’s where the name of my business ‘Digital Fingerprint’ comes from… others talk about a ‘digital footprint’ or ‘digital shadow’ – leaving traces behind (both feel quite heavy, possibly even sinister) – a fingerprint is unique, it’s totally YOU … the YOU that God created … so how do be ‘the best YOU’ that you can be… Robb – digital skin…
Explain ‘The Jesus Arms’ at Greenbelt… (2mins) … “being comfortable in your own digital skin” [digital not a replacement for other aspects of life, but part of it…]
Are we being a caterpillar … I spend a lot of time working with people thinking about what it means to be a disciple online – by nature that will be those who are not afraid to talk about their faith online – though will do it in different ways…
When we’re engaging with others online, or accepting ourselves… accept as we are… think about what assumptions you make about others that maybe are unhelpful in trying to communicate with others…http://uminntilt.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/introverts-extroverts-change-takes-courage/
Note: digital doesn’t mean doing everything online… take 90 seconds to sit in silence, and think about what you really LOVE, are driven to do, and how that might be viewed as God-given… not looking to share, just think, take time for yourself… Talk to each other about what you enjoy…
At church or in other activities … remember what we said about being a Christian wherever you are (assuming you are) .. Not an excuse to turn up and Bible bash people, but if you spend all your time doing ‘Christian activities’ where are you engaging with the world. Think e.g. clubs, etc… share some ideas…
One of my passions is about being authentic/real online … we are real people behind those computer screens and we need to remember that in all our interactions. This does not mean we have to tell everyone everything … the same as we make decisions about what/who to share with – we do in our online communications…
… and at all times we want to remember that we are talking about ‘human beings at machines’ nor replaced by ‘human beings as machines’.
Also purpose – to encourage, challenge, think through things with each other… how do we change ourselves, our community … and our nation/global?
Think about who might read it .. And think how that might change what you write… think about your audience … (not about spending all time adapting to other people – but also need to contextualise)… DISCUSS how this might change the kind of posts you make..
Not about the numbers: Not a competition to ‘collect’ the most friends – value the quality of friendships (some, like me, will enjoy many friendships, others won’t) … but think about how you engage in those friendships – are they adding quality to your life, or cutting you off from some of the possibilities of life (aka friendships online are ‘real’, but expect to be part of the mix?)
Can be a challenge when we are all biologically designed to seek friendships with others who seem ‘most like us’ and turn on those who don’t seem to ‘fit in’ .. .but encourage with story of own decision post-redundancy..
And what about disagreements between Christians… especially in Biblical interpretation? What do you think that should look like online? Should we all be sweetness & light, or have public disagreements? Is it black and white? Is anything?http://www.seedresources.com/view/images/stripes-of-colour
AND REMEMBER… (famous author of Boundaries) Online – tend to experiment a lot – it doesn’t all work, but we need to blaze a trail, that others can build upon…
Also need to take time out to refresh ourselves … learn to delegate, learn to manage our time online, etc.. What can see as pros/cons of this? Do you have FOMO?
Final word – remember – there is always a human being at the other end of the keyboard… think before you type…Questions?