Equip | @stickyJesus

Archive for the ‘Equip’ Category

16May

10 amazingly easy ways to live out your faith on Pinterest

To you, Lord, belong greatness and power, honor, splendor, and majesty, because everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you. Yours, Lord, is the kingship, and you are honored as head of all.

~Chronicles 29:11, CEB

Pinterest featue in Metro - 27th February 2012 (Photo credit: Great British Chefs)

By Tami Heim

Social media enthusiasts are enamored with the momentum of Pinterest. The number of men jumping on ‘boards’ is growing. Brand marketers are quickly and strategically infiltrating this network wherever they can. Big brands, intent on converting images into new revenue and profits streams, populate the daily flow of images.

Meanwhile, for those of us on the lookout for every opportunity to #LiveSticky, Pinterest is yet another place to share and live out our faith. On this platform every board holds the possibility of becoming a glorious reflection the God we serve.

Captivating images create conversations and conversations birth more shared experiences. Community happens, relationships form, inspiration abounds, and with a dose of intentionality, Pinterest creations introduce others to the One true Creator. Spirit-filled faith cannot be contained. It seeks to flow directly from our lives into the lives of others. On this rapidly growing social media platform, the current is strong.

10 Amazingly Easy Ways to Live Out Your Faith on Pinterest

Tags: #LiveSticky, Boards (magazine), Facebook, faith, Google +, Lord, Pin, Pinterest, social media, StickyJesus, twitter
Posted by Tami Heim. Posted in Culture, Engage, Equip, Uncategorized

10May

3 ways you could help save a life on Facebook

Open your eyes to the needs around you.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. ~Luke 12:48

by Toni Birdsong
As social media becomes more integrated into our everyday life, so too, the moral and social responsibility rises in step. Did you know there are three powerful tools on Facebook that can actually save a life? Hats off to Facebook developers who have wisely integrated the Anti-Bullying Initiative, the Suicide Referral System, and just recently, the Organ Donation Status.

By taking a few minutes to connect with each of these Facebook features and logging on with an “awakened heart,” as we’ve so often discussed on this blog and in our book, @stickyJesus: how to live out your faith online, your online time can impact that reaches beyond the everyday chatter.

While the Anti-Bullying Initiative and the Suicide Referral System can be powerful, practical ways to help Facebook “friends” in danger online, the Organ Donation Status could very well be a cultural game changer in the world of organ transplants. It’s estimated that more than 114,000 people in the U.S, nearly 10,000 people in the UK and millions more around the world are waiting for a suitable organ. Many will die waiting because there aren’t enough organ donors to meet the need.

According to officials of Donate Life America in the past few weeks of Facebook launching it’s organ donation status option, donor registration has skyrocketed and “dwarfs any past organ donation initiative.”

Tags: anti-bullying, bullying online, Facebook, ministering online, organ donation online, suicide help, suicide help online
Posted by Toni Birdsong. Posted in Culture, Equip, Uncategorized

26Mar

Phillip Randoll, Easter, and You

By Tami Heim

Who is Phillip Randoll?

It’s a question many are asking around the Nashville area. Old school mystery, intrigue, and suspense populate the posts on social media sites. They attract the curious and cause buzz to build.

Investigate all the pieces and you find a story unfolding through twitter and Facebook status updates. A blog, videos, posters, and yard signs are carefully designed to catch your attention. Cryptic messages flow with just enough information to pique your interest in the fortunate death of a man no one claims to know.

As clues surface daily, it becomes clear there’s only one way you’ll discover the Truth and the whole story about this man named Phillip Randoll…

Tags: Baptist, Christ, Easter, Easter Sunday, Facebook, God, Jesus, Phillip Randoll, Religion and Spirituality, Social Media Outreach
Posted by Tami Heim. Posted in Culture, Engage, Equip, Uncategorized

29Feb

Join @stickyJesus for a Live Chat at Patheos.com today!

After taking a brief hiatus from blogging, the @stickyJesus team is back . . . with some news. Since our book released in hardback nationwide this month, we’ve been having a blast doing interviews, guests posts, interacting with bloggers, and talking 24/7 about what it means to stand apart and #LiveSticky online.

You helped us get the word out online, and now the @stickyJesus message is finding new wings in retail stores and in direct-to-church channels, thanks to our friends at Abingdon Press, who now publish our little book.

What’s new?
Patheos Live Chat: We’re spicing things up in the months to come with guest bloggers, Q & A sessions, and kicking it all off with a live chat this week hosted by Patheos.com. Will you join us? The chat will be this week, Thurs. March 1, from 1-2, CT. Ask us questions, give us feedback, and share your personal challenges (and triumphs) in daily living out your faith in the online space!

Patheos Book Club: Being part of this diverse site has been great exposure for the gospel and this very unique platform of online evangelism. Please, join in the conversation if you’ve read the book. We’d love to see your post and add your feedback to the mix!

Store Locator: Wondering where you can get the beautiful new hardback of @stickyJesus: how to live out your faith online (Abingdon Press, Feb. 2012)? Check out these stores near you, or as always, you can purchase on Amazon.com in both hardback, ebook and Kindle. If the store nearest you doesn’t carry it—please ask them to!

In Churches: Wanna be extra sticky? Ask your pastor to carry @stickyJesus in your church bookstore. Simply give them this ISBN number: ISBN-13: 978-1-4267-4189-0 and they can easily order at the church rate from Abingdon Press.

What’s next?

We’re excited to announce we’ve got a #LiveSticky curriculum coming out in the Fall 2012 that will include a DVD that includes how-tos, individual and group study questions, and stories from bloggers in the book. It’s our prayer this curriculum will ignite the larger conversation in churches about how together we can share the gospel online—with confidence and impact!

We’ll also be speaking a ton, so stay tuned to our Media Room for more.

Again, thanks to all our #LiveSticky friends and helping us move this message forward!

Tags: book, book club, curriculum, faith, Gospel, online evangelism, Patheos
Posted by Toni Birdsong. Posted in Equip, Uncategorized

14Feb

37 ways to show love to your spouse online

Happy Valentine's Day!

Jesus said, “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it.” ~ Mark 12:1

By Toni Birdsong
We live on a broken planet; in a culture increasingly underwhelmed by vows, divorce and extramarital affairs—so Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to give a shout out to Love—God’s love for us, ours for Him, and for the gift and covenant of marriage.

As Christians living in a digital world we need to get intentional about honoring the covenant of marriage—for ourselves—and for a mislead world looking on. A Christ-centered marriage puts a “no trespassing” sign in the enemy’s face and tells everyone around you that values such as “marriage, fidelity, honor, respect, family, faith, and love” will never go out of fashion in your home.

Tags: Christians online, family, fidelity, love, marriage, romance, Valentine's Day
Posted by Toni Birdsong. Posted in Culture, Equip, Uncategorized

16Jan

7 wise ways to speak into and guide your teen’s digital life

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ~ 1 Peter 1:3

This is the third and last post in a series on parents, teens, and Facebook.

By Toni Birdsong
It takes courage to be a parent in this digital age. However, we often forget it takes more courage to be a teen.

Think back to junior high and high school. Think about the peer pressure, the competition, the cliques, and the conflicts. Now, magnify that. Imagine carrying that weight of the hallways home with you every single day.

That’s what kids today have to do. As digital natives who have grown up with mobile devices and social networks, teens must communicate and “get through” social jungles we never dreamed of.

Tags: Christian parenting, Christians online, cyberbullying, Facebook, parenting, sexting, social networks, teens, texting, wisdom
Posted by Toni Birdsong. Posted in Culture, Equip, Uncategorized

9Jan

part 2: what every Christian parent needs to know about Facebook

whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ~Phil. 4:8

This is the second in a three-part series on parents, teens, and Facebook.

By Toni Birdsong
This week we’re going to dive deeper into some savvy ways you as a parent can stay ahead of the cyber curve and help your teens enjoy the upsides of Facebook and avoid (or manage) the downsides.

The goal of this series isn’t to teach you how to spy on your teen or question every move he or she makes. The goal is to encourage you as a parent to simply get involved and equip your teen to live a godly, honorable and safe life online. Once you have a sound foundation of teaching with your teen—some of these suggestions may not apply. Every family and every circumstance will differ.

12 Facebook Tips for Christian Parents

1. Communication is key. Talk openly and often about the privilege and responsibility that comes with using Facebook (and being online) and the consequences of breaking the rules. Remember, Rules without Relationship = Rebellion. The Facebook conversation is an ongoing one—not a one-time thing, which makes Facebook an opportunity to build a deeper relationship with your teen so go for it!

Tags: Christian parenting, Christians online, cyberbully, Facebook, internet safety, social networking, teens and facebook, teens online
Posted by Toni Birdsong. Posted in Culture, Equip, Uncategorized

4Jan

What Christian Parents Need to Know About Facebook

First in a three-part series on parents, teens, and Facebook.

by Toni Birdsong
One of the most common questions I get asked by parents is if it’s okay to let their son or daughter have a Facebook page. The first thing I do is gage where they are emotionally with social media. Then I listen. To their concerns. To their hearts. It’s a really big deal. Facebook has added an unexpected—and sometimes overwhelming—dimension to parenting today.

The good news is that God has given us as parents everything we need to lead these beautiful, expressive, swift-moving digital natives He’s entrusted to our care.

To clarify, this series is written to Christian parents in general and does not address the exceptions that exist in every family.

In general my answer to the Facebook question is yes. You should let your teen have a Facebook page if and only if you intend to monitor it—consistently. For teens today, Facebook is a vital connection channel where life, friendship, art, memories, music, and conversation intersect hourly—whether parents agree with that, or even like it.

That doesn’t mean that Facebook is a free-for-all graffiti wall for kids to write or post anything they feel like. Proverb’s directive to Christian parents to “Train up a child in the way he should go” extends to the digital hallways and hangouts.

Tags: bullying, Christians online, digital natives, Facebook, How-To, internet safety, parenting, social networks, teens
Posted by Toni Birdsong. Posted in Culture, Engage, Equip

28Dec

10 simple and deliberate actions to jumpstart 2012

But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. ~ II Peter 3:13

By Tami Heim

Yes, I’m still savoring Christmas, but I know this calendar year, whether I’m ready or not, is steam rolling into the history books. For some it’ll end like a strong sprint across the finish line or, at the other extreme, it’ll wash over as a muddled mess. Either way, 2011 is ready to wave its final good-bye and that leaves you and me almost standing face to face with 2012.

During this little gap between Christmas and New Year, are you trying to get a grip and orient towards whatever is new, better, and hopeful? How are you building your bridge between the timelines of the old year and the new one coming?

Our Prayer for 2012

We pray you will grow and discover new ways to make your voice heard. We ask God to give you a sense of urgency and an intense willingness to amp up the digital expression of God’s love and life in you. May the body be the body and radiate a magnificent cyber glow, living out boldly this great faith online. The world is desperate to see God’s glory in this time and place. You, beloved Christ followers, are His chosen point of contact. We pray you embrace the assignment and live each day to make Him known in the world.

We Encourage You

Tags: Christ, Christmas, God, HolySpirit, Jesus, Lord, New Earth, New Year
Posted by Tami Heim. Posted in Christ, Equip, Uncategorized

12Dec

9 extraordinary fruits of the spirit – alive online

What will you point, click, and scatter?

By Tami Heim

There’s a design feature in the masterpiece of creation that gives a planted seed the possibility to grow strong and bear fruit. In the same way the words you post in your network conversations are digital seeds. You point, click, and scatter them daily on a cyber mission field. Each one of them has the potential to travel a trillion megabytes, land somewhere unexpected, take root, grow strong, and bear fruit.

Tags: compassion, Epistle to the Galatians, Fruit, Fruit of the Holy Spirit, God, holy spirit, HolySpirit, Jesus, Religion and Spirituality, Sowing, Spiritual gift, Word
Posted by Tami Heim. Posted in Christ, Devo, Equip, Uncategorized