On the Love of God (3-part podcast series)

For Part 1: Death, Life, Angels, Rulers, click here. (1:11)

For Part 2: Things Present, Things to Come, Powers, Height, click here. (1:22)

For Depth, Anything Else in All Creation, click here. (0:59)

PART 1

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39; ESV)

For I am sure that...

Neither death: That moment when our body ceases to function we go to Jesus ~ to absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Nor life: Sometimes it's harder to live than it is to die.

Nor angels: There has been an increased outpouring of the demonic in our day.

Nor rulers: There is a darkness that has come upon the world, but we overcome him (the devil) because of the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, and we love not our life even unto death! (Rev 12:11)

PART 2

Nor things present: What are you facing today? Don't you forget -> Jesus is with you!

Nor things to come: We can be so bound to the "What if's?" Isn't it true? What if this happens? Or what if that happens? And we're consumed by the future ~ which God has promised to work all things together for our good. (Romans 8:28) Leave the future to Him. He's gotten you this far. He's not gonna abandon you now.

Nor powers: We are a weak people. We must needs become weaker still! For when we are weak, that's when we're strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Nor height: Did you watch the Felix Baumgartner jump from space at ~ what was it? ~ 90,000 plus feet. And when he stepped off that platform and he began spinning out of control he didn't know what to do. But you know what? He couldn't do anything, but Jesus was there with him. It was Jesus that helped him to a safe landing.

PART 3

Nor depth: I'm glad this one is saved towards the end. We can get so low sometimes. And what do we discover in that lowest place? Jesus is there, too.

Nor anything else in all creation: That covers everything.

...will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39; ESV)

On Blogging (3-part podcast series)

Pastor Mike on Blogging - Part 1: Purity of Voice 

Pastor Mike on Blogging - Part 2: The Devil's Goal

Pastor Mike on Blogging - Part 3: Most Important Aspect

10 Mistakes Christians Make with Social Media (plus 1 bonus)

This is a lightning fast blog post after somebody I know...  

10 Mistakes Christians Make with Social Media (plus 1 bonus):

1. Spread themselves too thin across multiple platforms (I've seen old-timers do this).

2. (Goes with 1) Don't establish a main home base (a blog is best).

3. (Goes with 2) Don't post regularly to their home base (makes it look like nobody's home).

4. Condemn the use of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest versus traditional means of communication.

5. Overlook its ability to get a message out (the Gospel) to a mass audience in a short time (i.e. video going viral).

6. Measure themselves against others rather than being themselves (who God made them to be).

7. Come on board late versus being an early adopter.

8. Forget to study the gurus and how they use it.

9. Don't capitalize on the power of teamwork by partnering with another.

10. Just broadcast (Web 1.0) versus interact, collaborate with the community (Web 2.0).

BONUS Actually undermine a fellow believer for whatever reason (jealousy?).

You might also be interested in:

• F-a-c-e-b-o-o-k (an approach to sharing the love of God)
• What Would Jesus Pin? (7 Ways to Use Pinterest for Ministry)

A Social Media Morning in the Life of Pastor Mike

I thought it would be fun just to write down for you a typical social media morning in my life and what I find myself doing as I start my day. This is just off the cuff, fresh and raw (and not necessarily in chronological order).

And so I grabbed my iPad first today and checked my HootSuite app / dashboard to see mentions and check in on my daughter. (I always do.) She responded to my DM from last night.

After that, I remembered a Twitter friend that I needed to respond to. (So I did that.)

Then I opened my Facebook app (on the iPad still) to see if there were any sign ups for the Heart Chat Spiritual Warfare Bible Study to accept and respond to. (Starts Sept 30.) None yet (it was only 3:30 am, Pacific USA after all), but Saturdays are big days for sign ups. (Did you know that the day of the week that has the most people on social media is Saturday?)

I did have a Facebook friend request from one of the Bible study members. I confirmed that. And he (this new friend) wanted me to respond to an atheist who had written on his wall. So I switched to my wife's laptop and did. Lifted up Jesus and gave a short testimony. It's the best witness.

I also checked my C. S. Lewis iPad app and made that the status update to my Facebook ministry page. ("If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.") I posted this same quote to my Google+ page. I do try to alter updates across platforms so that if I have duplicate followers, friends on different sites they don't just get the same quote. (I'm funny like that.)

I put a Bible verse on my Facebook friend page which was a duplicate from my main twitter page. ("For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt 18:20)

I also updated to the Heart Chat Spiritual Warfare Bible Study group the first of two video blogs on the full armor of God as a teaser (is what I like to call them). 

And then now I'm over here putting the finishing touch on this blog post. I will do some following on Twitter after I'm done here.

I will also tweet to the #Tworship and #HeartChat hashtags (and have been already). I'm listening to Kari Jobe on grooveshark this morning and love to send the chorus lines as they are ministering to me.

And so there you have it. A quick look at my social media morning. Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg as only you fellow social media fanatics know. :)

You might also be interested in:

• 21 Twitter Tips from Pastor Mike
• A Heart For God Google Search Story

The Power (Reach) of a Twitter Hashtag

For those of you that don't know, a Twitter hashtag is a number sign (#) combined with a word or multiple words (#HeartChat, #EscapefromEgypt, #GospelofMark).

HOW TO USE A TWITTER HASHTAG

A Twitter hashtag is a way of bookmarking a topic or conversation on Twitter. Click on or search the hashtag at Twitter Search to view recent tweets. (Check out / click on #HeartChat right now for an example.)

Of course, if a Twitter hashtag is a way of bookmarking a conversation it has to also be a way of chatting around a certain subject. And it is! Everyone participating in the chat uses the Twitter hashtag to view each others' tweets together. (A common way of doing this is by using TweetChat, typing in the hashtag there and following along.)

And probably the best thing about a Twitter hashtag is it's a great way of connecting with like-minded individuals. I've met thousands of people (and from all around the world!) that think just like me and it's been through the use of a Twitter hashtag that I've done it.

SHOULD I CREATE MY OWN TWITTER HASHTAG?

So you might ask yourself, "Should I create my own Twitter hashtag and use that?"

This is where another advantage of hashtags comes into play (that I wonder if some of us may not have even considered it?). And it has to do with "reach."

There are people with tens of thousands of followers on Twitter and some of these have a hashtag that they use, too (it may or may not be their own). And if you use that hashtag yourself, you will now be sharing your thoughts with a much larger group.

And if they're worthwhile thoughts that you're sharing (that offer value to those who are following and tweeting the hashtag), the extra added benefit is you will become acquainted with others (and they with you) and you will also enjoy the potential of gaining more Twitter followers than if you would have chosen your own hashtag (especially if you don't have a whole lot of followers yet).

Out of politeness you might introduce yourself and ask the person if he (or she) wouldn't mind you participating and using the hashtag (especially if it happens to be theirs). Also, make sure your topic and passion are compatible, first.

(By the way, you can register your own hashtag if you choose to go in that direction: Register Hashtag. For a list of Twitter hashtags, check out: Twubs Hashtag Directory and Hashtags.org.)

You might also be interested in:

• 10 Tips on How to Lead a "Live" Chat on Twitter
• 7 Mistakes Women and Men Make on Twitter (plus 1 bonus)