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Making Social Media Not About Me

10/24/2017

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Is it just me, or is anyone else disheartened of all the hard knocks in the world? Are you tired of reading people’s harsh words as you scroll through Facebook? Are you saddened by the lack of gospel being shared and the continuous flow of people who don’t want to follow Jesus anymore? Are you frustrated with how I take all these things and make them about me – I mean you??

I’ve been struggling with keeping a Christ-like attitude when it comes to social media. I’ve been hurt when people comment rude things on my posts sharing the gospel.  I’m tired of the lack on encouragement and the abundance of criticism. And it’s been a struggle to keep my eyes on Jesus – I want to keep stewing, replaying the rudeness, allowing my self to disengage from interactions so I can’t get hurt anymore. I have, for the first time, contemplated cutting off social media all together because of how tired I am. And I LOVE social media and the good that CAN come from it!

But social media isn’t the problem. The people on social media aren’t the problem. The problem is ME and MY lack of trusting God. I can’t control what people do and don’t say to me, but I can trust the Jesus knows me and my heart. I can still point to the good news of Jesus even if no one likes my posts.

I can also choose to speak the best about others and promote the good risks people take on social media! I’m seeing more of a trend of people’s rudeness on social media – saying things you would never say to their face in a comment or ragging on them in a post without directly using their name. When did we start thinking this is acceptable behavior?

So I am challenging myself for the month of November to make my social media not about me as much as I possibly can. Would you like to join me?

Here are some ideas on how to make you social media not about you:

1. Share something daily to point to how my life is about The One and ONLY God of the Universe, and not about me.
  • Share a picture and use the hashtag #notaboutmenovember – I used this hashtag last year, so if you would like some ideas please check them out on Instagram and Facebook·      Write a thoughtful post on Facebook (use same hashtag) – keep it as short as you can so people can take the time to read, reflect and respond.
 
  • Write one sentence on Twitter (use the same hashtag).


2. Pray for others
  • This could be going through your followers on IG or Twitter, or your friends on Facebook, and taking time to pray for them. You can even take the time to ask them through a message how you can specifically pray for them.
 
  • Simply post, “How may I pray for you today?” and pray for those who respond.
 
  • Go through hashtags that would lead to pray for people. Some ideas would be any of the #prayfor… in the U.S. alone in the past two or three months there have been so many harsh events (hurricane, devastating forest fires, shootings, rise in suicides) that there are SO MANY hurting people! And that’s just here!! Around the world there has been record floods, terrorist attacks… seriously, people around the world are being hit hard by the humanity’s sin! You could use keywords like “suicide prevention”, “brokenness”, “regret”, “love” – just be aware you may come across things that are not appropriate and to either seek accountability before you go into this or do it with someone who will also pray.
 
  • Ask God how you should pray! He knows all, He can show you how to use social media to pray for others.


 3. Promote your friends
  • Host parties or share posts from friends who do their business online! Share what you love and appreciate about them, and how you want to encourage them in their business. It’s intimidating to put yourself out there for people to scrutinize, and there could be people who are waiting for them to quit or wanting them to stop posting so they can stop seeing all those posts. But don’t be one of them! I hear all the time from people who do their work from home and online what a difference it is to have people interact with their posts. A quick “like” and short comment can bring lots of encouragement.
 
  • Write encouraging comments on someone’s wall for no reason.
 
  • You know those posts that start an argument? In the midst of the back and forth, post something encouraging about the person who posted and the heart behind the passion instead of something antagonistic.


4. Read or listen to material to think outside of yourself and share what God shows you
  • Blog posts (which MissionalWomen.com has GREAT posts from the past and will be posting more in November as well), discipleship resources, podcasts, books, sermons – whatever you can think of that will help keep your eyes on Christ.
 
  • Book suggestions : 
​​            * Not About Me by Max Lucado
            * Radical by David Platt
            * In His Steps by Charles Sheldon (fiction, but so good to help you think more about what Jesus
               would do over what you would want to do)
            * All In by Mark Batterson
            * Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper
            * Anything by Jennie Allen
            * Foxes Book of Marytrs


5. Share the gospel
  • Ask provoking questions on Twitter or Facebook and start a conversation. Read responses and see if people will engage you in a private message, or leave a comment to everyone that shares the gospel. The best is having a personal conversation so you can lead them to a point of decision personally. Example questions could be:
                      o   If Jesus were to appear in front of you and wanted to tell you one thing, what would He
​                           tell you?
                      o   Where do you put your hope?
                      o   What do you think is the reason for all the problems in the world?
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  • Share a verse image that shares the gospel on Instagram. My favorites are Romans 10:9, John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9, Romans 5:8 and Romans 6:23. You can give a brief explanation of what it looks like to surrender to Christ, put in strategic hashtags to share with certain people (examples #broken #momlife #abuse).
 
  • Create a Facebook ad to reach people around the world with the gospel. Check out this MW article to learn how! 
 
  • Get into gospel conversations on periscope and blab. Here's how.
 
  • There are more ideas, and I’m sure some that God will even show you when you ask! A GREAT book that is fairly short but packed with tons of encouragement, challenges and tips on how to use social media to share the gospel is Reach: How to Use Your Social Media Influence for the Glory of God AND you can find it in the Missional Women bookstore!!

We would love it if you used the hastag #notaboutmenovember so we can see what God is showing you!! That way we can pray for you as you step out in faith and encourage you as you make your social media life more about Jesus and less about you.
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About Leah

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Leah works with Master Plan Ministries at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. Other than watching college students' lives change, she enjoys getting her mind blown by God and His Word, watching sci fi, baking cupcakes, and spending time with her hunky husband. 
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If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right.

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Words Are Not About Me

10/22/2017

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Do you know about founding father Noah Webster? He was a man who loved God and was passionate about living for Him, and helping others to as well.  He loved to learn and ended up learning 20 languages. 20! He used his unique ability of understanding language to be about displaying God's character. (It seems he blended his Life Direction Circles well.)  He persevered for 27 years in writing the dictionary for the glory of God so he says.

He said things like "Education is useless without the Bible." and "In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed....No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people."  

His worldview/valuing Scripture above all else lead him to point to God in many words like when he was defining love, he knew it couldn't be separated from God writing in the dictionary, "The love of God is the first duty of man, and this springs from just views of his attributes or excellencies of character, which afford the highest delight to the sanctified heart. Esteem and reverence constitute ingredients in this affection, and a fear of offending him is its inseparable effect."

And here's what he says in dedication of his life long work, the dictionary:
"To that great and benevolent Being, who, during the preparation of this work, has sustained a feeble constitution, amidst obstacles and toils, disappointments, infirmities, and depression; who has borne me and my manuscripts in safety across the Atlantic, and given me strength and resolution to bring this work to a close, I would present the tribute of my most grateful acknowledgements.  And if the talent which he entrusted to my care, has not been put to the most profitable use in his service, I hope it has not been ‘kept laid up in a napkin,’ and that any misapplication of it may be graciously forgiven.1   

How incredibly inspiring! Someone who was willing to trust the Lord even though there was a chance of failure and unwilling to bury his talents.  I feel so honored to even get to hear about people like Noah.

Lord, thank you for Noah and his willingness to persevere for song long in using his unique abilities to make You known. Thank You for how You've gifted him and the inspiration and example he is for us 150 years later that writing is not about us. Oh Lord, give us perseverance to use our abilities for your glory even when it gets hard. Even when it seems doors are shut. Give us a relentless responsibility of stewarding the gifts you've given us for your glory.

About Laura

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Laura, the creator and host of Missional Women is married and has six kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries since 2002 serving with Master Plan Ministries. Laura is the Staff Women's Development Coordinator and has discipled over 150 women, led over 30 Bible studies and speaks many times a year. Laura is an author and creator of ministry tools and resources. You can find her books and resources at the Missional Women store and  connect with her on facebook,twitter, pinterest, youtube, instagram and her author site.




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Facebook Friends Are Not About Me

10/22/2017

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​Have you ever thought that "God has given you a unique group of friends to influence. He has given you the privilege to make a difference in their lives through prayer. No one else can minister to this specific group of people. God has entrusted them to you. What an awesome privilege and trust!"1


Perhaps the facebook friends that God has given us are not about us. Perhaps one of the reasons God allows us to be friends with them is to pray for them. In Using Facebook as a Ministry Tool, I talked about using your friends list as a prayer list, but Prayrlist is a tool that does all the organization for you. 

"Prayrlist is an interactive application to help you pray regularly and consistently for your friends on Facebook. (It can even help you pray for friends not on Facebook.) is meant to help you make a difference in your world through prayer! It helps you pray for your "friends and at the same time build a valuable spiritual discipline in your own life. It organizes your friend list and automatically serves you a unique prayer list each day based on your Facebook friend list."2

It's a free tool. All you need to do is log on to PrayrList and sign in with facebook. Then you decide how many friends you want to pray for a day. It breaks it down for you in terms of how many friends you pray for a day determines how fast your get to pray through your whole list of friends. What a fun thing to be able pray for everyone on your list every year, or a few times a year. 

About Laura

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Laura, the creator and host of Missional Women is married and has six kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries for 11 years serving with Master Plan Ministries. Laura is the Staff Women's Development Coordinator and has discipled over 150 women, led over 30 Bible studies and speaks many times a year. Laura is an author and creator of ministry tools and resources. You can find her books and resources at the Missional Women store and  connect with her on facebook,twitter, pinterest, youtube, instagram and her author site.




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Not About Me November

10/21/2017

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​There are so many things in this life that clamor for our attention, wooing us to live to get what we want when we want it. Can't we all use the reminder that this life is not about us, but rather about making the invisible God visible?

It's been said vision leaks so we need to be reminded often of why we really exist. As we train ourselves to think through the lens of it just not being about us, it will begin to change the way we think and act about things. 

​For the last eight years we've been doing this great little exercise to re-focus and re-center our attention and affection on Jesus. It's called Not About Me November. It's an entire month where we seek God and seek ways we need to make life more about Jesus and less about us. After all, He must become greater and we must become less. Each year it proves to have incredible soul shaping value. The exercise of saying no to our flesh and pointing to Jesus produces beautiful, meaningful fruit.

This year as we point to Jesus, we'd love for you to join us.

​

So there are a few different ways you can join the experience. 

1. You can take the challenge of posting something about (_your topic of choice)_ not being about you, but about Jesus everyday on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter... etc) or as often as works for you and use the hashtag #NotAboutMeNovember (I would be grateful if you tagged @laurakrokos and @missionalwomen so we can encourage you.)

2. Invite your people to join you. It's encouraging when there is others taking the challenge with you.  You can do it with your family (maybe with kids not online, everyone can write something on a chalkboard and talk about it at dinner or something), small group, ministry team, online group, homeschool group... the sky's the limit. 

3. And/or you can blog about something everyday, a few times a week or once a week or less and link it up on the link up. We've created a month-long linkup below  (Flag this email or make this page a favorite on your toolbar so you can keep coming back to it.)

It really is so good for your soul to see how God continually shows you things that you need the reminder that it's just not about you. AND it's so encouraging to see what others share bringing on the,  "Oh wow! That's right! I hadn't thought of that!" moments. 

​Here are a bunch of examples from previous years to get you thinking of things you could share: (Also check out Leah's examples on Instagram. She did a great job setting up the #NotAboutMeNovember hashtag last year.)
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The Not About Me Series
  • Making Social Media Not About Me
  • Curiosity is Not About Me
  • The Mission is Not About Me
  • Facebook friends Are Not About Me
  • Words are Not About Me
  • HGTV is Not About Me
  • Evangelism is Not About Me {& How to Escape the Friendship Evangelism Trap}
  • Submission is Not About Me
  • Social Media is Not About Me
  • Failure is Not About Me
  • Motherhood is Not About Me
  • Living the Christian Life is Not About Me​
  • Identity is Not About Me 
  • My Stuff is Not About me
  • Discipleship is Not About Me
  • Emotions are Not About Me
  • The Gospels Credibility is Not About Me
  • Ministry is Not About Me
  • Healthy Eating is Not About Me 
  • Orphan Ministry is Not About Me
  • Family is Not About Me
  • Making a Missional Women's Ministry is Not About Me
  • Reaching Out Isn't About Me 
  • My Time is Not About Me
  • Mess is Not About Me
  • Evangelism Isn't about Me
  • Parenting is Not About Me
  • ​Technology is Not About Me
  • Luxury and Poverty is Not About Me
  • Gluten Free is Not About Me
  • My Crock-pot is Not About Me
  • Identity is Not About Me
  • Family is Not About Me
  • Facebook is Not About Me
  • My Child's Development is Not About Me
  • Sunsets are Not About Me
  • What I know is Not About Me


​Do you blog? Join Not About Me November

For the month of November this link up will be open for you to add blog posts that talk about how it's just not about us, but about the Lord. 

Here's how it works:
1. Click the link below and following the prompts. 
2. Let your readers know by including a link at the bottom of your post (or somewhere on your side bar).

About Laura

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​Laura, the founder of Missional Women is married and has six kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries since 2002 and serve with Master Plan Ministries where she is the Women's Development Coordinator. Laura has authored 5 books, including an award winning 12 week Bible Study on First Samuel, Beholding Him, Becoming Missional, Reach; How to Use Your Social Media Influence for the Glory of God, A Devotional Journey through Judges, and Discover God's Calling for Your Life. Most recently her resource for Bible studies, The Connect Cards was released by Cru Press. You can find her on facebook, twitter, pinterest, youtube, instagram, periscope, blab and her author site.

If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right.

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When Your Simply Tired of Following

10/12/2017

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“Beep”, phone alert. Another Twitter follower. A few minutes later. “Beep,” again. I silently rejoice.
Still, truth be told, God has been convicting me lately, of social media being my idol.
 
I mean, what’s wrong when I celebrate more in the stranger who follows me, than in The One I chose to give my life to?
 
The world has enough followers, doesn’t it?
 
Facing pride, in deep conviction, I start to ask, “What does it means to be a Jesus-follower? Is it power and praise, for riches or fame? Do I follow God because its trendy, then silently celebrate when “I” am the one getting new follows?”
 
What are the examples scripture gives us of following…not some social media expert…but The One who climbed down from a perfect heaven, to spread himself, naked on a cross….For me?
 
I find, scripture teaches…
 
Deny yourself - It’s the first word I research in Matthew 16:24-26. Yet, too often I give, to get. More information, better deals, feelings of acceptance. Our world of follows can quickly turn into some invisible club we subscribe to, more than it is about deny ourselves to serve and look a little more like Jesus.
 
Do what He asks - 1 John 2:4-6 tells us, if we say we know Jesus, but don’t do what He says, we are a liar. Yet, how easy can it be to mirror anyone else, but Jesus, in this world so hungry for followers?
 
Christ alone- I go on to read about how when we truly follow Him, God calls us to have no other priority or agendas. (Luke 9:59-60)
 
Abiding, bearing, and giving - He calls us to abide in His word (John 8:31-32), bear our cross (Luke 14:25-33), and offer our possessions to the poor. (Luke 18:22-23)
 
Fully Surrendered Service - Christ also gives us the example that following God means our life isn’t ours anymore. He grabs a towel, bends low and washes His disciples feet. (John 13:12-17) Following is about giving of ourselves, living a life of surrendered, sacrificial service to the needy and our neighbor.
 
Yet, following Jesus offers us more than sacrifice, service, suffering, and denial.
 
Following a worldly stage usually just exalts or exhausts us. It can stir envy and remind us of our own inadequacies and failings. However, following Jesus offers us blessing, hope, abundant life, joy, healing and freedom.
 
l  In Him we will fulfill our calling/purpose. (Matt 4:18-20)
l  Those hungry will be satisfied, their insatiable thirst and hunger will be quenched. (Matt 8:1)
l  Healing comes when walking with Him. (Matt 12:5, Matt 19:2, Luke 7:8)
l  Following results in honor from the Father given (John 12:26).
l  Walking with Jesus offers us truth, hope, and life-giving encouragement that empowers and equips us to do everything He asks. (Luke 9:11)
 
And I am learning, worldly following may help and educate us, empower and equip us, but the Biblical following of Jesus, was a radical, upside-down, life-altering, fully submitted act in scripture.
 
And that’s what I ultimately long for, don’t you?
 
Christ-following is anything but stagnant, boring, or dis-satisfying.
 
Jesus following in scripture was a hope-filled place where those who were closest to Him got to hear astounding truth and witness incredible miracles. (John 6:2)
 
Better yet? Christ-following promises we will overcome. (Rev 17:14)
 
In scripture, it was often a response of being touched by Jesus (Luke 18:42), or some direct call from Him.
 
So, who do we want the world to follow after all? Us or Jesus?
 
Let’s pray, asking God to touch us. Let us hear His call. Let us ask Him to give us greater desire and clearer direction as we pursue His heart, seeking closer and more intimate relationship with Him.
 
The world has enough followers. Let’s start living by example, with a heart seeking solely after Him.
 

About Jen

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Though born, raised, and still living only miles from where she grew up, Jen's heart lies in the nations. Jen loves the beautiful tapestry found in the wide diversity of people, different cultures, and all nations.  Jen and her husband have been married twenty years, and have parented fifteen kids and counting; twelve foster, one adopted, and two bios.  Her multi-racial family reflects her passion for unity, desire for faith without walls, and missional mindset to share both the gospel and the power of redemption to a world desperately needing the hope found in Jesus Christ. Jen and her husband have led in a variety of ministries; including prayer, small groups, children's, and women’s.  Jen advocates for the orphan as a board member for the non-profit, A New Song; and loves doing missions work internationally, along with her family.  You can find Jen writing about faith, while challenging her readers at her blog, Rich Faith Rising, as well as at tweeting faith-filled messages @Jen_Avellaneda .  Jen is also on facebook.  
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Four Ways To Make Jesus Known on Instagram

3/24/2017

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My friend Michelle has the heart of a missionary. Sure, she’s been on short-term mission trips to Haiti, and she even used her nursing skills on the field by serving with Mercy Ships for a year overseas. But, Michelle also shares her redemption story everywhere she goes if someone will listen.
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Recently, she broke her ankle and spent a few weeks unable to venture out much. If you know Michelle, you’d realize how hard that was for her. She doesn’t slow down, and on the weekends you will usually find her hiking a trail in her new home state of Arizona.  Now that she lives half way across the country, we keep in touch via social media quite a bit. 

During her down time, Michelle started chronicling her long-rehabilitation on Instagram. She posted pictures of each new cast, and once Instagram rolled out their new “Stories” video feature, she streamed video live from her doctor’s office. I started watching her every night as I’d eat a snack on my couch after work. 

She is brave, I thought. I wonder how many people are actually watching this along with me? She is just being herself and taking us along for the ride. 

A couple of days later, I pushed play on a video of Michelle and expected her to fill me in on her progress, but instead she wanted to share her story. 

Michelle explained that a co-worker had asked her how following Jesus had changed her life, and so she testified how yielding her life to Christ had transformed her story from trauma to triumph. Asking God to forgive her sin and re-direct her life was the best decision she’d ever made. God had taken her shame and condemnation and replaced them with new-found peace and purpose. 

Michelle’s bold choice to proclaim God’s redemption in her life on Instagram has challenged me. I mean, what am I so afraid of? Why do I fear sharing my story? 

I’ve started to think about how taking brave steps of faith to use social media for God’s glory could actually save a life. I mean, Michelle works as a surgery nurse every day, but if someone gave their life to Jesus after hearing her story on Instagram, then that is bigger than any work she may do at a hospital. 

I have the healing balm that this world needs. If I don’t share it, lives are at stake. So, I’ve started to pray and ask God to help me be courageous. I want to creatively share my story on social media. 
Do you want to join me?  I’ve got a few simple suggestions.

Four Easy Ways to Share Jesus on Instagram:
  • Count God’s blessings and create a visual gratitude journal on Instagram to point to His goodness. 
  • Share Scripture verses or Christian quotes and explain how they hold meaning to you.
  • Use the video feature to pray for your social media friends and invite them to look to God with expectation. He specializes in doing the impossible. 
  • Tell your salvation story using Instagram stories just like Michelle.

Instagram isn’t just a place to share well-lighted pictures of your profile. We can use Instagram for God’s greater Kingdom purposes. 

About Lyli

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Lyli Dunbar loves teaching.  For 17 years, she mentored teenagers in the Christian school setting, and now she has serves as Associate Director of Curriculum at Trinity International University Florida. Lyli married her Prince Charming in her 40’s and has a heart for encouraging young couples and singles in God’s waiting room.  She enjoys road trips with her husband, connecting with women through Bible study, and reading way too many books. Lyli writes about life lessons and faith on her personal blog. You may also connect with her on Facebook,Twitter, and Pinterest.

If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right.

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How To be an All In Follower of Jesus in a Social Media Era

1/26/2017

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I've been thinking about what it means to be a follower lately.

Pinterest is my favorite social media platform. I have 12,000 followers there. On Twitter and Facebook my followers and fans are in the upper 3000's.

So what?

Social media gives us a different perspective on what it means to be a follower.

We're now able to get little impersonal snippets of people's lives, and believe we're connected without know much if anything real about them.

I love connecting faith and life...

So, the question that keeps running through my mind...

Is it possible we sometimes treat following Jesus the same way we follow people on social media?

A few years ago, our Bible Study Class watched a message by Pastor Andy Stanley I will never forget. He made the point that being a follower of Jesus means living each day in surrendered to becoming more and more like Him.

A follower doesn't just know about, a follower knows and follows!

Jesus showed us what following looks like. Doing what His Father told Him to do.

Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. John 5:19 (NIV)

Saying what the Father told Him to say.

For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” John 12:49-50 (NIV)

Doing the Father's will even when it's hard. 

 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. John 6:38–39 (NIV)

Wow, Jesus' way of following is very different from ours, isn't it?

Social media following includes jumping in here and there, accepting and rejecting bits and pieces of information as we choose, and following like Jesus is an all in proposition. It's surrendering every area of our lives . . . picking up our cross and following wherever God leads.

Then Jesus said to His followers, “If any of you want to be my follower, you must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me. Matthew 16:24 (ERV)

I spent too much of my life afraid of cross-carrying. I wanted to follow but I was afraid I might be asked to surrender something too hard to give. So, I held back just a little.

But holding back didn't prevent "pain" it just kept me from enjoying God's peace, joy, courage, and strength.

So, now my prayer is that God will simply give me all I need to follow Jesus. Not a here and there follower when it's easy but a cross-carrying follower who trusts God will meet my every need and make it possible for me to face life one moment at a time thankful for His forgiveness, peace, joy, hope, courage, strength, and unfailing love.
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Those blessings make all-in following the very best of all!

About Deb

Deb is a passionate blessing counter who loves to study the ways faith and life intersect. This year at Counting My Blessings, she's sharing The Relationship Project - How One Relationship Affects All Others. Deb lives in Missouri with her husband and furry child, Sadie now that all of their human children are grown and have little ones of their own. And yes, being a grandparent is the best She's hoping you will join her on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.
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3 Tips for a Blogging Ministry

10/24/2016

4 Comments

 
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After blogging for 6 years, these are three things that have helped me keep me pressing on.

​1. Pray, plan & put purpose before your eyes.
No matter if you've been blogging for many years or just started yesterday, having a plan you're confident is from God is going to give you courage and confidence to keep going when it gets hard.

God loves to plan. Isn't that cool! He has this great redemptive plan for mankind planned way before any of us even came on the scene. And He loves to lead us in our thinking, He loves to align our hearts with His. So spend time praying for your blogging ministry. A good place to start is a place of surrender, admitting you exist to make much of Him, and a willingness to hold it all loosely and cling tightly to Him.

After you do a throne check, ask Him to lead your thinking and start planning. What is your purpose? What do you need to do in order to get there? How will you know if you're on the right track? These are all great questions to ponder. (It would be wise to invest in a blog planner or get wisdom from bloggers who can help guide you through this planning stage. And I'll tell you about a great opportunity for this in a bit.)

After coming up with a plan, ask God to lead you to specific Scripture you can hold onto when it gets tough. Because He promises that in this world you will have trouble, but take courage He has overcome the world.


2. Don't go it alone. All missionaries need a team of people behind them holding the rope as they scale down into the trenches. When you dive into a blogging ministry, the need to have people praying for you is much needed. Ask God to lead you to some people you can share your hopes and discouragements with that can be praying for you. 

As well as prayer, you'll also need to walk alongside others who are in the trenches with you, people you can relate to. There is just something about being side by side someone else who has been called to the same thing to keep you pressing on. Once you find those people, try to connect with them somehow on a regular basis to share high's and low's and be encouraging and praying for each other.


3. Get wisdom. Don't fall for the tricky little lies of if you build it they will come. The Lord loves us to work for it glorifies Him. He gave work to do in the garden, before the fall. When we put effort into something He has called us to by the strength He provides us, it pleases Him and there is great reward and satisfaction for us. The Lord gives us the privilege of working hard and the working hard in and of itself is training for managing the reward of fruit. 

So, in order to avoid passivity, we need to get wisdom. Wisdom is applying what you know. So in order to know how to grow in wisdom, first you need to be a learner, to gain as much knowledge and information as you can from those who have gone before you. Proverbs tells us that those who walk with the wise, become wise. In the ministry of blogging, this means intentionally making time to spend with bloggers who are strong in the areas you need to grow in. And realistically the best way to spend time with and learn from expert bloggers is by reading their books. They have mastered a particular aspect of blogging and are willing to share that knowledge and wisdom with you, that is a gift.

The problem is, it can get pretty pricey to buy all the new books or courses that cover the topics your looking for. Which is why I am so excited about the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit! Even though I have been doing this for a long time, there is still so much to learn and grow in. And this toolkit is everything I personally need to continue to grow, but it's also a good fit for bloggers in all stages, whether they are just starting out or are an old pro.

The team at Ultimate Bundles has put together the best resources from expert bloggers like ProBlogger on ALL the topics that matter to bloggers. 

Here’s what you get:
24 eBooks
33 eCourses & audio files

5 printable packs

There are a ton of categories. Here's a peek at a few of them.
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Other topics include 
Content Creation, Monetizing, Photography and Images, Social Media, Time Management etc.

​In total, the toolkit includes over $3,500 of blogging tips, strategies, tutorials and amazingly practical information and ideas. Plus you get free bonus offers worth $1,447, with 17 tools and services to help you run your blog.

But the truly amazing part? They’re selling it for a crazy 98% off of regular price! Squeal.

I know, it sounds too good to be true, but I promise it’s not. Ultimate Bundles has been around a long time and creating these packages is really their thing (they’ve sold over 180,000 of them on all sorts of topics), so you can trust this is the real deal.

Even better, they’re all about making sure you LOVE this toolkit. There’s a full 30-day happiness guarantee, so there’s really no risk in trying it out.

The most important detail, though, is that this toolkit is available for seven days only. After Tuesday night, November 1st, the sale ends and you’d have to buy all of these products individually.
I’d hate for you to miss out, so click HERE to learn more or buy the bundle. 

And! Not only do you get to glean the wisdom of experts but it's supporting the ministry of Missional Women as we are affiliates. It reminds me of the body of Christ working together. God's so good at that!


This kit is backed by a full money-back happiness guarantee, so you can make sure it’s right for you.  Learn more or get your bundle HERE

I just bought the bundle and can't wait to dig in! I now have all I will need to continue to grow in wisdom. I hope it's a blessing to you as it is to me. Oh! And I should mention, this deal is only for 7 days. So pop on over and check it out. 
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When you Need a Break from Facebook {Or Maybe it's Not Really That}

5/18/2016

11 Comments

 
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I love cereal. It's a secret from my kids so don't tell, but sometimes my husband gets me some yummy sugar cereal and I have a wonderful little bowl after they go to bed. If there is sugar cereal in the house, it will get in my belly. Do you have anything like that? Jokingly we can say it's the yummy chocolately danishes fault or the donuts that someone left at our house that made me gain 5 pounds. But we know that really isn't true right. It's our own lack of discipline to say no to the cereal or the danish or donuts.

But you know what's crazy, I see on facebook all the time this same thing, blaming a neutral object for something we need to take the responsibility for. Friend so and so writes their opinion about politics or Jesus and that is quickly, "shoving it in my face". Or friend so and so writes a status about how they made cupcakes and it becomes, "they are bragging". Or a sweet picture of something beautiful around the house becomes, "they are not being real" or "only showing the good".

When we assume someone is bragging because they said they made cupcakes, lets call that what it is, judgment. (A little side note, God actually does call believers to judge other believers actions, but not their heart, since nobody knows the heart intentions except God.)

When we assume why someone is doing something, we are judging them. That is our problem, not theirs. Ouch right. Facebook exposes our hearts perhaps more clearly than anything else in our time. It  is like a mirror, showing us what is in our heart.

Facebook not only allows us to see what's in our heart, it also shows us what we idolize. Unfollowing people who don't agree with us, getting mad at how people say things because it's not how we would say it, assuming why someone said something they did was out of spite and aimed at you and having bad feelings toward someone because of what they posted. It's like we try to build this little personal utopia only allowing ourselves to hear from people who think and act just like us. But how can we really grow if there is no friction? Iron sharpens iron.

We don't need to cut off the thing exposing our sin but rather turn to the Lord with the sin. 

We need the Lord to change our heart and help us see Facebook as a place to serve people, not try to make it something that is all about us meeting our needs and never ruffling our feathers.

I'm not saying there is not a time for quitting Facebook, but I am saying that instead of trying to cut off the chicken pox, go to the Lord asking Him to heal the disease. By quitting Facebook (for reasons like the above), the heart issue of judgment or idolizing lack of conflict will still be there.

So rather than quit Facebook, why not confess and surrender whatever you need to to the Lord and use it as a place to serve, rather than be served. Here's some ideas.

4 Ideas of How to Use Facebook to Serve Others.
1. Pray for them. Send some friends personal messages of you praying for them (maybe even specific verses). And not praying in a mean, get em God type of way, haha. But something that would really encourage them.

2. Honor them. Brag about something they did on their wall so all their friends can see.

3. Speak truth in love. Challenge yourself to speak truth in a gracious way to others in comments but also in your status updates. The US is in a heap of trouble because Christians didn't speak up for so long. Let's not hide truth under a basket. Let's not keep the most precious things in the world from the people who need it most. It might offend people...  but seriously, who cares!!! If we are trying to please men, we can not please God. (Gal. 1:10)

4. Deal with your own heart. If you're offended at what someone posted, if you're judging someone's motives, if you're jealous of what your friend posted, take it to the Lord and don't blame anyone else. When we blameshift, we will not grow in our relationship with the Lord. Yet, when we admit and confess our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive and will begin to change our hearts.

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About Laura

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Laura's desire is to point to Jesus and lead people to be in awe of God. She is married and has six kids, two of whom are adopted. Her and her husband have been in full time ministry since 2002. She serves with Master Plan Ministries as the Director of Women's Ministries and has extensive experience leading Bible studies, discipling women and speaking to groups and is the Founder of the internationally popular blog MissionalWomen.com that helps women live on mission for the glory of God. She has written seven books/Bible studies, designed 2 popular ministry tools and has made journals for quiet times for many books of the Bible. You can find her on facebook, twitter, pinterest, youtube, and Instagram.
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If you'd like to read more from this contributor, type her name in the search box on the top right.


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Missional Women Conference Webcast 

4/14/2016

0 Comments

 
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Watch the Missional Women Conference online April 15th and 16th.
Can’t make it to the Missional Women Conference? Or, are you coming but can’t bring everyone you'd like to? No problem. We’re offering the next best thing. You can still take part by hosting or watching a FREE Live Webcast. The event will be broadcast over the internet in high-quality. It’s a great opportunity for you, your small group, your church, and your ministry team or group of friends to experience the main stage sessions.

Register Now in 3 Simple Steps

Step 1 – Let others on Twitter know about the Webcast. Click to Tweet Here.

Step 2 – Let others on Facebook know about the Webcast.

Step 3 – Visit the conference website to register for the Webcast. 


FAQ
What is a live stream/webcast? A webcast is a live video broadcast of an event transmitted across the internet. If you can watch a YouTube video, you can host a webcast.

Can I attend the Missional Women Conference?
Yes. Register on the 
Conference website.

Can I watch the webcast at home?
Yes. You can watch the webcast in your home. You will need an internet connection and a computer to watch. If you can watch a YouTube video, you can host a Missional Women Conference Webcast! Just register above and we will send you the link.

Who will be speaking at the Conference?
You can check out all the Missional Women Conference speakers on the 
Schedule tab on the conference website. 

What will the schedule be during the Conference?
See the Schedule above

Do I need to download or purchase anything before the Conference?
No.

What Do I Need to Host a Webcast?
In order to Webcast you need to make sure you have the following:
- An Internet Connection. 
- A desktop computer or laptop computer.
- An Internet Browser. 
- Updated Video Software. Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight are the two formats of software on your computer that allow you to watch videos (media delivery). 

How Do I Webcast from my Church?
Assuming you have all of the requirements listed previously, the final components include a projector and projection screen. Most likely you have a computer in your main auditorium that is used for PowerPoint or for worship lyrics. If you are able to connect this computer to the Internet then your church will have the ability to view the webcast. Just register and we will send you the link.

What web page will I go to in order to watch the webcast?
http://www.youtube.com/user/laurakrokos/live 

Can I “Save” my live streaming video for later use?
Live events are streamed, therefore, cannot be saved as a file. However, we will have the main keynote sessions as well as the seminars available to listen to on the conference website. 


I’m in a different time zone. How do I participate in real-time?
The Missional Women Conference is happening in Denver, Colorado which is mountain time. If you are in the east coat the time will be 2 hours later. And one hour earlier for those in the west coast.

Can I share this event on Facebook or Twitter?
We encourage you to share quotes and experiences of the Webcast with your social networks. Based on your event, you may even include the #missionalwomencon hash-tag. 

How Do I Webcast from my Home?
Assuming you have all of the previously recommended requirements, the final components include your TV or computer monitor. Most likely you have a computer in your home office. If you are able to connect this computer to your television, we have some helpful hints.

How do I connect my HDTV to the stream?
Streaming to your television is a good practice for both individuals and small groups due to their smaller environments.

Here is how you accomplish this.

1) Internet: Connect your laptop/computer to the Internet via a CAT-5 cable;

2) Video Connection: Plug a 15-pin VGA cable (commonly used to connect a computer tower/laptop to an external monitor) into your computer/laptop and then into your HDTV at the PC connection;

3) Audio Connection: Using a mini-audio cable, connect the audio out/headphones jack from your computer into the Audio In of your HDTV. Based on your computers settings, you may have to click on the Function 5 (F5) to see the image from your computer on your TV.

4) Adjust Your Settings: Use your manufacturer’s settings to navigate to the correct source for both your TV and your computer. You may need to resolve the resolution sent from your computer to the TV by going into the Display Settings (Mac & PC) and adjust the resolution to match the best quality of your desktop image.

5) Navigate to Live Stream: Once you have completed these steps, simply open a browser, navigate to the Live Stream page and click on the Full Screen button on the live streaming player. The TV will now be your new monitor for the event and display the broadcast in full-screen mode.

Depending on the type of computer/laptop you are using, there are many variables to this recommended setup, including use of HDMI connections, S-Video as well as wireless connections. Any of these connections should work to transfer the display from your computer to an HDTV.
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