WWJT? (What Would Jesus Tweet?)

If Jesus came to Earth today and lived among us, how do you think he would use today's technology to present the Gospel?  Would He have a web site - maybe named jesuschrist.com?  Would you be able to follow Him on Twitter?  Would Jesus share His parables via blog posts?  Would He friend you on Facebook?  Would Jesus put His prophecies on His Facebook wall?  Instead of praying to Jesus, would you be able to send Him an e-mail?  Would He have a YouTube channel?

In Daniel 12:4, the man clothed in linen (most likely an angel) says to Daniel:  "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."  Without a big increase in knowledge, we wouldn't even have computers, and without some brainy person inventing it, I wouldn't be even able to make this blog post, let alone put it out on the Internet for the whole world to see.

The Internet is a great place to share the Gospel.  There are folks who might not ever pick up a book or know to look for a church.  But they know their way around the Internet, and they know how to search to find what they're looking for.  We are Jesus' hands and feet on Earth.  Since this technology is available to us, we should use it to the best of our ability to spread the Gospel.

Because of TV, people have short attention spans.  People don't have the patience to sit through long sermons or books any more, even if it's a subject that interests them. So how do we use this technology to spread the Good News?   This blog is a great example.  Even though I have some poetry on here, there are a lot of posts that are Christian in nature.  I pray that these posts would help folks understand the Bible and faith better.   If you're on Twitter, you can tweet Bible verses. Start a YouTube channel of videos of Bible based pastors and good Christian music. Or you can set up a web site. Use your imagination! 

Thanks for reading!  Have a great evening!

Diane

Citygarden in Summer

I wrote the poem below for a poetry contest.  I thought you all might enjoy it.  For more information on Citygarden, click here.

Citygarden in Summer

An oasis of green
In the midst of hot concrete sidewalks
And tall, imposing skyscrapers.
A place to cool off physically and emotionally
From the oppressive heat of the St. Louis summer.
The sculptures stand stoically, inviting viewing and discussion.
Tourists shoot photos of their children with the white bunnies.
Children frolic in the fountains
And wade in the reflecting pool.
Workers sit on the snakelike benches
And enjoy the scenery while eating their lunches.
Children and adults as well
Make melodies by dancing on the shiny square chimes.
Beautiful flowers, towering trees and bushy shrubs
Help make Citygarden an oasis of green in the hot city.

Thanks for reading!

Diane

In the storms of life

Tonight's post is on Matthew 8:23-27 (NKJV).

²³ Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. ²⁴ And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. ²⁵ Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
²⁶ But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. ²⁷ So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

When we make the decision to receive Jesus as our Savior, we "get into the boat" with Him. We set off from the shores of our old lives to go on a faith journey with God.

At first, it's smooth sailing. The seas of our faith journey are placid and the waves are gentle. But then storms come in our lives - job troubles, financial troubles, health problems, personal problems. We feel like the boat of our life is being swamped. Like the disciples, we cry out to God for help, but it seems like God's sleeping when He doesn't respond right away or He responds in a way we don't expect or want.

We are fearful of the outcome of our difficulties. We want our will to be done and not God's. That's when our faith needs to be stronger. We need to spend more time in prayer with God, to hear His voice and listen to His guidance.

Eventually, life's storms end. The seas calm once again. We look back at the storm we have gone through and see that God has been there through it with us through it all. And then we look ahead to the journey we have ahead of us and know that no matter what happens, God will be with us. We can praise Him during and after the storm.

This post reminds me of the old hymn, "Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me." Here are a couple of the verses (courtesy of Cyberhymnal.org):

Jesus, Savior, pilot me
Over life’s tempestuous sea;
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rock and treacherous shoal.
Chart and compass come from Thee;
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.

When the darkling heavens frown,
And the wrathful winds come down,
And the fierce waves, tossed on high,
Lash themselves against the sky,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me,
Over life’s tempestuous sea.

I'm going through some rough seas myself right now. I'm having difficulties at my job - I'm being falsely accused of stuff I didn't do, and I got good reviews but no raise. I'm having health difficulties as well - see the post below for details on that. I guess I need to follow my own advice, huh? I need to press in more in prayer.

Thanks for reading! See you again soon!

Diane