Was Jesus in the Grave Three Days and Three Nights or Not?

If Jesus died on a Friday afternoon and He rose again on a Sunday morning, then how does one come up with Him being in the grave for three days and three nights?

I'd like to begin to answer this question by first pointing out how Christ Himself declared that He'd be in the tomb for this period of time...

"[For] just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.'" (Matthew 12:40)

Now realizing that it's simply impossible for Jesus to lie (Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2), we must therefore approach our question from the premise that the length of time Christ was to be in the tomb (according to His own admission) was really equal to the time in question. He was truly in there for three days and nights.

And yet if a person counts the hours from that Friday afternoon (let's say around 6 p.m.~ish) to the Sunday morning (let's say real early - like five o'clock), then the best he can come up with is 35 hours. (With me?) And that's no where near the length of three complete days and nights (which we all know is 72 hours). So where is the time period Christ talked about? Friday night, Saturday day, Saturday night and Sunday morning only equals one day, two nights and a morning. That's far short of what Jesus said. So could it be that He really was wrong?

Well, I've already stated that's simply impossible according to the Word of God. So it behooves (I always like using that word) us to attack our question from another angle - actually two angles.

And those two angles are the two most commonly embraced answers used to reconcile the "three days and three nights" scenario. I present them both to you now for consideration.

TRADITIONAL VIEW

The first answer is the traditional view accepted down through the centuries and probably the one you're most familiar with. And that answer is this: When Jesus spoke of "three days and three nights" He wasn't speaking in literal terms. Rather, He was just indicating that He'd be in the grave "for parts of three days" (Wycliffe 951). Therefore Friday afternoon to Sunday morning is the period Christ was referring to in Matthew 12:40. It included parts of three days and wasn't a literal "three days and three nights."

Now how many of you know that if a person says that he works five days a week that he doesn't necessarily mean that he works five times 24 hours a day for a total of 120 hours? It could mean that, but it probably doesn't.

And how many of you also know that if a woman carries a child full-term (for nine months) that the nine months will most likely be a nine months give or take a few days and not necessarily a literal nine months exactly?

This same kind of thinking is the one behind the traditional view of "three days and three nights." Jesus really didn't mean for it to be taken literally (as 72 hours), but rather figuratively (for parts of three days). (Answer continues -> HERE)

(To read the conclusion of this post, click here.)

(Picture under the GNU Free Documentation License at wikipedia.org.)

Was Jesus in the Grave Three Days and Three Nights or Not? (conclusion)

Now that's just one answer to our question. But there's another one. And that answer is this: Jesus wasn't at all crucified on a Friday like most people believe.

EVIDENCES POINTING TO THE 72-HOUR TIME PERIOD

Now before you start to stone me for blasphemy allow me to offer you what I think are two compelling pieces of evidence backing this conclusion.

CHRIST'S OWN DECLARATION

The first one is Christ's own declaration in Matthew 12:40. According to a highly-recognized authority on the Gospels (W. Graham Scroggie), Jesus' statement there does point to a literal 72 hours in the grave contrary to what the traditional view suggests...

[When] the number of 'nights' is stated as well as the number of ['days' (as is the case in Matthew 12:40), Jesus'] expression ceases to be an idiom (a figure of speech), and [it] becomes a literal statement of fact, and there were not three 'nights' between Friday evening and Sunday morning by any [stretch of the imagination]. (A Guide to the Gospels by Scroggie, pg. 570)

So Christ had to be crucified on a different day - a day two days prior to what tradition says. Jesus wasn't killed on a Friday, but rather on a Wednesday according to this view.

TOO MANY THINGS COULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED

Now there is a second piece of evidence (this author offers it, too) that really does bolster his case for a different day. And that evidence is this: In his eyes there's no possible way that the many things the Bible says happened immediately following Christ's death could have taken place in the three short hours between His expiration (3 p.m. on Friday) to the time it's assumed that He was buried (6 p.m. the same day). Therefore, there had to be more hours involved.

More hours for Nicodemus to come back after Jesus was buried the first time to roll the stone back and re-wrap the body in a more careful way. (John 19:39-40) Let me give you a second to swallow that. This highly-recognized authority on the Gospels really does believe that's what happened among other things like (Scroggie 572-573)...

• The Jews asking Pilate to break the legs of the crucified (John 19:31)
• The soldiers breaking the legs of the two thieves and spearing Christ (John 19:32, 34)
• Joseph of Arimathea petitioning Pilate for Jesus' body (John 19:38; Mark 15:43)
• Pilate calling a centurion to find out if Jesus was dead (Mark 15:44)
• Joseph purchasing fine linen at the market (Mark 15:46)
• Joseph (with the help of friends) taking Jesus' body to the tomb and laying it there (Matthew 27:59-60)
• Women watching but not helping (Matthew 27:61)
• The rolling of a stone in front of the tomb (Matthew 27:60; Mark 16:4)
• Women returning after seeing the body laid (Luke 23:55)
• Nicodemus procuring expensive spices and making contact with Joseph (John 19:39)
• Women preparing spices themselves to use with the body (Luke 23:56)
• Women resting on the Sabbath (6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday), then visiting the tomb very early in the morning (after 6 p.m. Saturday) (Mark 16:2)
  

These are just highlights of some of what had to take place. (There is more.) Could it have possibly happened in 3 hours on a Friday afternoon (3 p.m. to 6) or was more time needed?

So we have the traditional view of Jesus being crucified on a Friday and this second view having Christ dying two days prior to that. And each one purports to fulfill the three days and three nights scenario.

The bottom line of it all: It really doesn't matter which view you embrace - it really doesn't - especially since it's a secondary issue. The only thing that really matters is that you believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

(To read the beginning of this post, click here.)

(Picture under the GNU Free Documentation License at wikipedia.org.)

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• Burden Bearer - The Conclusion
• Remembering the Passion

Daughter versus Dad [twitter infographic]

(click image to enlarge, then in new browser tab or window click again)

(To make your own, click here.)

How to Create a Free Download

I want to show you how easy it is to create a free download. The download I'm currently offering consists of tweets I send out during a Bible study on Twitter.

And so to begin with you need to come up with what you're wanting to offer as a download. Is it a list of teaching tweets (like me)? Is it an eBook? (I've done that, too.)

Whatever it is, you can type it up in a Microsoft Word doc (or use OpenOffice.org if you want your hyperlinks to work) or whatever word processing program you might have. It doesn't matter.

Next, you need to print your document to a pdf file. There are other programs, but the one that I like best is PDF995. It's a free download. You can use it to print whatever your doc file is (you can do excel files, web pages, whatever). Just go to print on your computer and choose the PDF995 printer. Click "Print," then voila! You've got your very own pdf file. Coooool.

Next, we need to put that pdf file somewhere on the web so it can be accessed publicly. The way I do it is with dropbox.com. This is a cool program (and it offers a free level) which allows you to upload files that can then be accessed by others.

What you do is, you upload your pdf file to the Public Folder in dropbox. Then you choose the document you're wanting to make public. You click "Copy public link" at the top, then "Copy to clipboard." And then voila again! Now you have the link to your free download. Just tweet it to your followers or post it to your Facebook friends.

See how easy that is? :)

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• 15 Social Media Mistakes You Might Make
• The 8 Don'ts of Twitter / Tweeting

Social Media in the Bible? [infographic]

(click image to enlarge, then in new browser tab or window click again)

Jesus Going Viral (redux)

"And a great crowd kept following Him (Jesus) and pressed Him from all sides [so as almost to suffocate Him]." (Mark 5:24; Amplified)

Twitter is such a great tool to share the Gospel of Christ. I offer a compelling case study here.

In 10 Ways to Get More Followers on Twitter [infographic], I wrote about what I called: "A campaign to reach 70,000 followers." As of the initial draft of that post it was 63,255.

I also mentioned for blog readers to look at the Twitter counter at the top of this blog to see what the number was currently. If you look today it's 70,077. I passed the 70k point yesterday evening. (To Jesus be the glory.)

And I'm following up this discussion and putting a period on it in the third of three Jesus Going Viral posts for a reason. (To read "Jesus Going Viral - Part 1," click here. To read "Jesus Going Viral - Part 2," click here.)

There has been a direct correlation (I've noticed) between the increase in followers and a skyrocketing of retweeted blog posts.

And I think the best way to explain it is by showing you a list of my most retweeted posts prior to the 70k campaign compared to what it stands at today (from 19,873 retweets total to 82,205; a 300%+ increase).

Now I think you'll agree this is definitely an example of Jesus going viral!... :)

Top blog posts based on the number of retweets:
(retweet numbers updated as of 1/8/12)

1. 12 Things Atheists Believe About God (5,949 retweets)
2. Chosen (A Dream Come True) (3,854 retweets)
3. 7 Mistakes Christian Bloggers Can Make (2,389 retweets)
4. 10 Wrong Thoughts About God (2,450 retweets)
5. One Man (1,672 retweets)
6. Held in His Arms (1,104 retweets)
7. In Case of Rapture... (787 retweets)
8. An Attitude of Worship (667 retweets)
9. On the Subject of Martyrs (560 retweets)
10. Christ Follower or Christian? (441 retweets)

Top blog posts based on the number of retweets:
(at the time of the writing of this post)

1. 12 Things Atheists Believe About God (22,800 retweets)
2. 7 Mistakes Christian Bloggers Can Make (18,900 retweets)
3. Chosen (A Dream Come True) (15,400 retweets)
4. One Man (6,614 retweets)
5. 10 Wrong Thoughts About God (6,137 retweets)
6. Held in His Arms (4,412 retweets)
7. Dangerous (2,577 retweets)
8. In Case of Rapture... (2,448 retweets)
9. 7 Lies About Abortion (1,615 retweets)
10. An Attitude of Worship (1,302 retweets)

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• 5 Reasons Why a Preacher Should Tweet
• Ten Commandments of Blogging

Jesus Going Viral - Part 2

(To read "Jesus Going Viral - Part 1," click here.)

I want to give you an example of the Gospel going viral. (viral: "becoming very popular by circulating quickly from person to person, especially on the Internet: the most memorable viral videos; a book that's gone viral." ~dictionary.com)

I have a list of some of my top blog posts based on the number of retweets (see below). At the top of the list is one entitled: "12 Things Atheists Believe About God." As of the writing of this post it has 3,100+ retweets. (Click on it to see.)

And so approximately 3,100+ people (give or take for revisits) have not only read "12 Things Atheists Believe About God" themselves, but they've thought it was valuable enough to click the retweet button and share it with their Twitter followers.

Now let's just say that each of those 3,100 people have 10 followers. That's a potential audience of 31,000. And what if they have 100 followers each? It jumps to 310,000. (Follow me?) And then what if it's 1,000 followers each that the 3,100 people have? Add three zeroes and you get: 3.1 million.

And we're talking just one blog post by one person. Now that's Jesus going viral!

Just think what you (and the Holy Spirit) can do. :)

Top blog posts based on the number of retweets:

1. 12 Things Atheists Believe About God (5,949 retweets)
2. Chosen (A Dream Come True) (3,854 retweets)
3. 7 Mistakes Christian Bloggers Can Make (2,389 retweets)
4. 10 Wrong Thoughts About God (2,450 retweets)
5. One Man (1,672 retweets)
6. Held in His Arms (1,104 retweets)
7. In Case of Rapture... (787 retweets)
8. An Attitude of Worship (667 retweets)
9. On the Subject of Martyrs (560 retweets)
10. Christ Follower or Christian? (441 retweets)

(retweet numbers updated as of 1/8/12)

"'This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.'" (Matthew 24:14)

"'And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.'" (John 12:32)

You might also be interested in:

• 15 Social Media Mistakes You Might Make
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Jesus Going Viral - Part 1

God has a weird way of doing things. Take Christ's ministry for instance. First of all, He shows up in a manger, cave, animal feeding trough. (Luke 2:7c) That's not very respectable. And then He's the Son (earthly) of a teenager and a carpenter? (Matthew 1:18-25) That's not much prestige.

And then...

He waits.

And He waits.

And He waits.

And He waits some more.

For 30 years Jesus waits to "start" His ministry. (John 2:4)

Actually, Christ was always in ministry. (Of course He was.) We just have this silly understanding (in America especially) that "real" ministry only takes place with big crowds and lots of applause and pats on the back where you're popular and everybody likes you and you're "king of the hill" with speaking engagements and traveling all over the country and world in huge demand.

But "real" ministry takes place behind the scenes (it does!) where no one sees and you're faithful and loyal and steering clear of sin and serving the least of these and not looking for praise and content with being a nobody and Jesus is everything to you.

Then and only then can God use you.

And big.

Jesus in you will be poised to go viral. (Colossians 1:27b)

Cuz your character is ready. (Luke 2:52)

(viral: "becoming very popular by circulating quickly from person to person, especially on the Internet: the most memorable viral videos; a book that's gone viral." ~dictionary.com)

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• 7 Mistakes Christian Bloggers Can Make
• Would Jesus Tweet?

My Social Media Mess Up

I messed up. (Yes, ministers do, too.) No, it wasn't a "sin" or anything like that.

Did you know there's a difference between "sinning" and messing up? Sometimes we mess up just due to our humanness. We make a mistake. We disappoint others ~ even make them angry. That's what I did with my mess up.

It was a social media mistake (my mess up was). And it drew the ire of ~ I need to leave the name of the person(s) out or it will be another (and bigger) mess up.

I know, I know. You're wanting to know what the mess up was. Isn't that just like us (me included)? We want the inside scoop. We want to be filled in on the details. But to do that, too, would be another (and bigger) mess up for me because it would point to the folks whose feathers I ruffled, also.

The bottom line is we're gonna make mistakes with social media. And if you're gonna reach for any height of influence online (or off) the fact is you're gonna do something wrong from time to time. You're gonna tweet, post a status update, ask a question, publish a blog post, etc., that, in hindsight, you probably should have thought longer before doing so.

But did you do it out of malice (if so, it is a sin ~ repent) or did you do it out of ignorance (the good kind) where, in your naivety you had no clue it was inappropriate (for lack of a softer term) in the eyes of those more on the inside than you?

I hope you were able to follow that last statement. (Read it again if you have time.) It says it all about my social media mistake. I didn't do it to hurt others. If I knew it would, I wouldn't have done it. I can say that in all sincerity.

The moral of the story? Think twice about what you're posting online (and bounce it off somebody if you're not sure). And if you are offended by what someone else does on Twitter or Facebook or Google+, etc., don't forget Jesus' words to forgive, forgive, forgive. You just might be the one that messes up next. (Matthew 18:21-22)

You might also be interested in:

• 5 Signs You Might Be Spending Too Much Time with Social Media
• F-a-c-e-b-o-o-k (an approach to sharing the love of God)

Would Jesus Tweet? (The Gospel of Innovation)

“'Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.'” (Isaiah 42:9)

God is always innovating. The simplest (yet profoundest) example is He changes whole groups of people every generation.

He's into "new." He's into "fresh." He's into "creativity." (Would you come to a church where they sang the same songs every week and listened to the same old, dry, dead sermon?)

"Borders" is gone. (I'm talking about the bookstore chain.) Primarily, it's because they couldn't innovate. (Or wouldn't.) Your church will be gone, too, if you don't "adapt."

People get nervous when you talk that way. They think you want to compromise. They think you want to water down the message. I don't want to do anything of the sort. I'm not talking about the message. (John 12:32) I'm talking about the method (of delivery).

Jesus burst on the scene and they hated Him for it. He broke the mold of doing things. (Actually, He was/is the "mold" of doing things!)

Do I think Jesus would tweet? I do. Do I think He would Facebook? I do again. Or He would have His disciples doing it from their iPhones. (Now there's a picture.)

What "new thing" is God calling you to (online or offline)?

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• 15 Social Media Mistakes You Might Make
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15 Social Media Mistakes You Might Make

This is a real quick post off the cuff. (Try it some time. Set a timer to 15 minutes and go for it. It's another style of writing similar to extemporaneous preaching which is just taking a topic and talking about it off the top of your head whatever comes.)

If there's anything I've learned in my time with social media it's this: There's a way to do social media and there's a way not to do social media. The following is a list emphasizing the latter. Some of these mistakes I've made myself. Some of the others I've heard about and steer clear of.

And so here we go with...

15 Social Media Mistakes You Might Make:
(what would you add to the list?)

1. Expect to be an overnight success
2. Post too little
3. Post too much
4. Compare yourself
5. Expect perfection
6. Spend too much time
7. Spread yourself too thin (choose wisely which networks work for you)
8. Post a ton and then disappear for a month
9. Don't use spell check (especially when blogging)
10. Judge somebody else's approach without all the evidence (to the gas chamber with you!)
11. Have too thin a skin (take it too seriously)
12. Get puffed up on yourself (don't you know I'm a guru, too?)
13. Don't spend enough time with the little guys (give them a helping hand up, too)
14. Quit too soon
15. Never start

15 minutes is up! (Well, I may have gone a little bit longer than that.) :P

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• 11 Tips About Blogging (plus one bonus)
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F-a-c-e-b-o-o-k (an approach to sharing the love of God)

I've been invited by my church to help establish their social media presence. I said, "Who me? What do I know?" :P Not really. Actually, they had no idea what I had going online with a blog and Twitter following and friend page on Facebook (along with a number of other outpost sites). What I didn't have yet was a Facebook business, "Like" page (as they're called now). And so I've just recently set out to establish one. It's named: "A Heart For God Ministries." (To "Like" it, click here or the button above left. The first 200 "Likes" are entered into a surprise drawing. I am offering to create a fan-only reveal tab for FREE on your personal Facebook business, ministry, "Like" page. Deal?)

And I must say it's been really quite fascinating (exhilarating) starting out from scratch again as a "newbie" and learning the ropes. And trying to figure out what works and what doesn't work, etc. And to plan, plan, plan and stiff arm the urge to hurry up and launch without laying any ground work. (There's a lot behind that last statement.) Facebook is definitely different than other social media sites. (Is that an "Amen" I just heard?) For one thing you have to work harder at it than Twitter. That's actually why some of the "gurus" steer clear.

With this in mind I've developed an approach to Facebook based on the acronym: F-A-C-E-B-O-O-K. It's meant for believers in Jesus Christ to consider as a launching point for their own use of Facebook and especially to reach out and share the love of God with the online community. (I will be using it for training at my church.)

And so here we go with the acronym...

F-a-c-e-b-o-o-k (an approach to sharing the love of God):

• F-un (Have it!). Self explanatory. No Scrooges/policemen allowed. :)

• A-ltar your thinking. Go to God. See what He wants you to do.

• C-reate buzz. Offer an incentive. Give people a reason to "Like" your page.


• E-xalt the Lord! Jesus said if He was lifted up, He would draw all men (and women) to Himself. (John 12:32) Lift up Christ!

• B-log (and video blog), too. Write about spiritual stuff (or put it in a video). Then post links as status updates.

• O-rganize team. Share the load with others. Delegate tasks (site management, posting updates ~ manual and auto, "Liking" other sites and commenting, etc).

• O-rganize time. Set a time (preferably daily) limit. When the time is up, you're done.

• K-indle relationships. Be a friend. Offer a listening ear and shoulder to lean on just like in offline ministry.

Of course, there's much more development and training that comes beyond the surface of these. They're just the tip of the iceberg. (Hire me and I can consult with your church?!)

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• 11 Tips About Blogging (plus 1 bonus)
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Baby Bird

My 12-year old daughter busted in my room calling for help. Her brother was outside fending off two cats that had a baby bird surrounded. I dashed out, grabbed the shovel and actually konked (lightly) one of the cats on the head as it was about to pounce. There the bird was in the middle of the yard chirping quietly. It seemed in shock.

For the better part of the next hour and a half, we tried to figure out what to do. Finally, my oldest daughter (the pipecleaner expert) fashioned together a makeshift nest. I laid the baby in it. And there it would breath its last.

Sometimes in life we do what we can and it's not enough. (It not only happens with baby birds, but with human beings, too.)

We want to help. We even help a little. But the story doesn't turn out like we hoped. Our loved one dies of cancer (etc).

It is then that we need to remind ourselves of God's sovereignty. He alone is in charge. He alone is crafting life's events after the counsel of His will. He alone is causing all things to work for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. #peace

"'Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.'" (Matthew 12:29)

To listen to "That's The Way It Goes" ♫ by Phil Keaggy (w/Randy Stonehill), click here.

You might also be interested in:

• Help For When Your Ship’s (Life’s) Falling Apart
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Serendipity

I dream. Sometimes it's about things before they happen. I was to speak at a Twitter conference. (I dreamed it!) Yesterday I did. I guess you could call it a "divine appointment." (That is what you call it!) Some people say, "Serendipity." Interpreted: It's God's plan manifesting itself (coming true).

You see, God has a calendar. You know like the one on your wall you can look at that you write things down. (Not literally.) On God's calendar (of history) He has things mapped out ~ things He's designed to happen ~ things He wants to take place / has for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

Oh sure, He has the parents we are to be born to, the country we're to live in, the schools we'll attend, the person we'll marry, kids we'll have, etc. (And sometimes He tells us about it ahead of time so we'll say, "Hey, I dreamed this.") But ultimately, the main goal of God's plan is (oh, let it get deep down inside!) ~ it's for us to meet His Son, Jesus Christ, receive forgiveness for our sins and then tell others they can know Him, too (like we do!).

So I spoke at the Twitter conference yesterday.

A gentleman told me afterwards, "I've been to tons of conferences over the years. This is the first one where God showed up."

Serendipity.

You might also be interested in:

• 5 Tips to Help You Gain 50,000 Followers on Twitter
• God Uses Twitter, Too?! (Part 1)
• God Uses Twitter, Too?! (Part 2)

11 Tips About Blogging (plus 1 bonus)

This is a quick one. In and out. I first tweeted these as a twitter series. I've added #11 and a bonus (in case you saw it). They're rules I live by as a full time Christian blogger (hobby) for the better part 6 years. (Of course, there's much more under the surface of these icebergs.)

So here you go with...

11 tips about blogging (plus 1 bonus):

#1: I pray for Jesus to energize me.
#2: I listen to my favorite music for inspiration.
#3: I let my writing “simmer” overnight.
#4: I write & write & write some more.
#5: I read & read & read some more.
#6: I press through writer’s block & brain freeze.
#7: I don’t expect perfection.
#8: I am myself & happy with it.
#9: I "try" to stay a week ahead. (Approx 3 or 4 posts.)
#10: I remember it’s Jesus I’m writing for.
#11: I write "tight." KISS: Keep it simple, silly. (I changed it to that last word. ;P)

BONUS: I understand the day aheartforgod.net gets the most visits (Saturday ~ clickable picture above) and at what time (5 a.m. Pacific USA every day ~ clickable picture on right) and capitalize on it (by tweeting blog post urls).

You might also be interested in:

• The 8 Don'ts of Twitter/Tweeting
• The 10 Commandments of Blogging

Twitter "Crushes"

Do you remember in school the "fascination" a classmate would have with a certain teacher? We called them "crushes." Right? They were an attachment, a connection (emotionally) to the instructor in the mind of a student - and for whatever reason. The instructor smiled, gave praise, paid extra attention (it may not have been extra, but seemed like it) and/or - there could be a legitimate "teacher's pet" relationship going. It could be just about anything that's at the root of a crush developing (low self-esteem, loneliness, etc., included).

I'd like to suggest it can happen with social media, too. (It's really not a large leap.) I'm focusing on Twitter in particular because it's where I spend most of my time and I believe people are most susceptible to crushes on Twitter because of the ease of listening in on and/or jumping in on conversations with people you don't really know except surfacely.

And I was thinking about giving a list of signs that you may have a "Twitter crush," but I'll leave that for another day. (Maybe you could add a "sign" in the comment section below?) Suffice it to say that Twitter crushes can be harmless. But especially as believers, we need to be careful that they don't move into the danger zone (like the devil would have).

Happy Birthday @aheartforgod (2 years)

It's my two year birthday on Twitter. (Sorry, I couldn't fit another candle on the cake.) I started "tweeting" two years ago this very day in 2008 ~ though I had no clue what "tweeting" meant at the time. (You didn't either when you first started.) Now I've done it (tweeted) more than 3o,ooo times. (The next one is always better than the last.) And I guess I could focus on and was thinking about some of the ministry heights as a Christian sharing God's love as best I know how via social media that Christ in His mercy has allowed me to reach (I can do nothing apart from Him), but aside from the almost 400,000 video blog views Twitter has helped produce and the tens of thousands of blog visits ~ it's all about the people I've met on Twitter, ministered to and become friends with from all over the world. (You've ministered to me. You've ministered to me, too!)

And I guess (there I go guessing again) if I want to say anything more on this fun day for @aheartforgod, I would say how much I enjoy and appreciate each and every of you that I've come to know and walk this Twitter journey (to the Celestial City!) with. I also want to say (who needs to hear it?) don't you ever forget how much Jesus loves you and how He has a grand purpose for you to give you an abundant life and to grant you to fulfill a greater, holy and righteous destiny in Him. And though you may struggle at times (I do, too), you have brothers and sisters in Christ that are here on Twitter to pray for you and help you and encourage you ~ laugh, hug and cry with ~ and cheer you on as well ~ whatever you need.

Thanks for the last two years, everybody. Looking forward to many more Twitter memories with you in the days ahead ~ and meeting you some day personally, especially at the coming of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13) That's the ultimate Tweetup! God bless you all! \o/ #aheartforgod

The Day The Earth Stood Still (22k followers gone)

One year ago the unthinkable happened. (July 23, 2009) No, my house didn't burn down, I didn't have a heart attack, none of those scary things. It was worse (tongue in cheek). I turned my laptop on like usual, but there was something missing. Just short of 22,000 Twitter followers to be exact. (And it wasn't even the Rapture.)

I was shell shocked. I was dumbfounded. I was beside myself. I was breathing heavily. I was in pain. (Ask my wife.)

I'd been working hard at using social media to share the Gospel and God's love as best I could. I had invested a ton of hours in gaining trust, earning the right to be heard and adding value to the community (like you're supposed to) ~ and it was all gone. Every last bit of it. It was a hard pill to swallow. (Gulp.)

The truth is it was God trying to get through to me. (He sometimes does that, you know.)

You see, I was spending too much time doing what I was doing. It was true. Did you know it's easy to do even with a (quote) "good thing"?

I actually enjoyed the new found, Heaven afforded freedom from tweeting. It helped me in another way, too. Since then, when I "lose all" in other ways, it's okay. I don't fret about it so much as I used to. (Be ready to lose it all. Some day you will.)

And so this was the day the earth stood still for me. (I like the original movie best.)

And about how the story ended? After about a week in Purgatory, the Twitter "gods" had mercy on me. They reinstated my audience. There was much supplication.

Testimony of a Video Blogger

"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14)

I have a confession to make. I'm not an alcoholic. I'm not addicted to drugs. But I am a computer geek. (There. I said it. I feel a whole lot better.) I spend large amounts of time on and in front of the computer. (More than the average person.)

And I guess this is meant to be a sort of testimony of what God has done with someone who has this propensity, loves Him with all his heart and uses how he's wired to share the Gospel of His beloved Son.

It was in February 2008 that I prayed to the Lord and asked Him to open a door of ministry online. I had effectively been out of professional ministry for about a year (after having been in it the better part of the last 15). I had no idea what God could or would do. He had a blogger (me) and a video blogger (me again) and a Bible teacher. (You can take the man out of the pulpit, but you can't take the pulpit out of the man.) And with Windows Movie Maker in hand and a newer laptop, Christ (in me) went to work.

I stepped up my vlogging. I began posting to godtube (now tangle.com) and youtube. And I hit 10,000 video blog views in 4 months (June 2008). (My wife and I celebrated.) I sought to take it to the next level. I thought, "If I can get this amount with this many posts, how much more can I get with double, triple, quadruple?"

I stepped up my vlogging again. And I hit just short of 60,000 video blog views 6 months later (Dec 2008). It was around that time that I struck gold. The online platform Twitter was rising as the latest social media star. I latched on and never let go.

The following year of 2009 ~ quite frankly I just don't know how I will ever be able to top it, but I'll try ~ in 2009 I hit just short of 180,000 video blog views for the year. (That's almost 500 per day.)

And people were/are watching (and reading the blog posts, too) from all parts of the world: The Philippines, India, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, North Korea, Venezuela, Italy, Turkey, Malaysia, The UK, Iran, Mexico, The Netherlands, Chile, France ~ on and on the list goes. (Could this be a fulfillment of Matthew 24:14? I think so.)

At the writing of this post my vlog views have just surpassed one quarter million (with thousands of visits to aheartforgod.net annually). These numbers may not compare with others in bigger markets and with bigger names, but from a nowhere town in a nowhere place they're huge.

All praise to Jesus alone. (So how might God use you?)

Why I'm Glad I'm Not Chris Brogan or Guy Kawasaki

Now at the outset I must concede the fact doesn't escape me that some will read this just because of the big names mentioned. (Ya think?) Notwithstanding I do have a sincere purpose (it's not to gain traction) and indeed am glad I'm neither CB or GK (or any other guru in the social media realm for that matter). And I'd be lying if I said I never wished I was either/or (at least early on). Don't we do that with "celebrities" in any field? We become "star struck." We see their success and daydream, "If only that was me." (Have you ever wished like that about a baseball player or Hollywood actress or somebody else? Sure, you have.) But the truth is when the glaze over our eyes fades away and we really think about it ~ you know, these two guys really have a lot of headaches that I don't have. And do I really want to check and respond to all those emails every day? (Well, sometimes they hire somebody for that.) And then there's the criticism about how and why they do what they do on Twitter and Facebook, etc. Hey, I don't have that headache either. That's cool. I can handle that. Which brings me to the simple point I wanted to make and the real "why" I'm glad I'm not Chris or Guy beyond these initial advantages. Have you figured it out? And why is it that we would not want to have available to this world and the people in it the following: who we are, what we've been made to be, what we have to offer, what we have to say? Why is it? And just think of what everyone would miss out on of the unique characteristics, perspective, personality, passion if you were somebody else other than who God made you to be? So put it out of your mind that "What if I was somebody else?" thing and just be (spell it) Y-O-U ~ you. You'll be the better for it and so will we. And isn't that really what Chris and Guy would ultimately say? (Now I'm putting words in their mouth?!) (flickr image by Sorn/CC BY-SA 2.0)