[NOTE: This post is my bulletin article for the Central Church of Christ for this upcoming Sunday. I do not usually re-use material in this way, but I have had the idea for this post on my mind for a long time, so I decided to share it in both locations. –Adam] Just a few years ago, we never could have imagined having such a resource as social media. Though email was a big deal, the reach and impact of such sites as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is nothing short of remarkable. None of these sites is good or bad in themselves, but how they are used decides the proper…

I am writing this on Election Day 2020. Scanning social media just before I started writing, I saw post after post after post about the election (I even wrote one). It’s been that way for weeks, if not months. Additionally, there have been a slew of posts about the virus, and, in fits and starts, about social justice and unrest. If you were to think back for, say, the last 6 months, wouldn’t you agree that those topics have utterly dominated your social media timeline, as well as, likely, your face-to-face conversations? And, that’s fine. They are all huge stories and have vast importance to our personal lives as well…

Early in the pandemic in England, one wildlife park had five parrots donated within just a few days of each other. Pressed for space, the park put the five birds in the same area and the birds got along well. However, when the park recently reopened to the public, the zoo had a problem: the birds had spent the last few months alone, and had “taught” each other to use rude and profane language. So, in an attempt to keep things family-friendly, the zoo recently had to take the birds off of display. For about seven months now, we have been holed up and, even if we are out and…

It may seem to be a little (or a lot) disingenuous to see a post on social media from somebody who has fairly recently limited his exposure to social media, but that is what is going on here. Sometime in the distant past I signed up for an Instagram account and a Twitter account. I have no idea why I did that because I may check Twitter once every month or so and cannot remember the last time I “just browsed through” Instagram.   About the only social media platform I still use on a somewhat regular basis is Facebook. Not long ago, I made a significant change in how I use it. I made…

Dear Christian Facebook Friend, I was scrolling through your social media pages today. I wasn’t stalking; I just wanted to see what you shared with the world and learn more about you. (After all, we’re “friends,” right?) As I scrolled, I learned… …how you feel about masks during the pandemic. …how you feel about the President. …what you think about the Republicans and Democrats in this election year. …what your opinion is on reopening schools. …what your dog looks like. …what your reaction is to the racial protests across our nation. …that you took on a yard project last week (and it looks great, by the way). …how you are…

I am typing these words not long after sending a text to somebody who “got slammed” by some people because of a Facebook post. To be fair, some people were complementary of what was posted, but some were not. Some were even, in my opinion, very unkind. The response I received to my text indicated the motive behind the original post. In part, the text read:    I was trying to invoke critical thinking. I’m not really sure where my response to that text came from. It just kind of popped into my mind. For what it’s worth, here it is: Some should do a lot more thinking before – or instead of – being critical.…

Social media is on fire with traffic. While that is always the case, the fact that many people have more time at home is causing many to consume more social media, interact more on social media, and share more on social media. In a lot of ways, that is good. We can gain some encouragement, teach the Gospel, and simply interact with people in ways that help us be uplifted and to have some level of attachment that we are missing. However, in our flurry to post–especially about the coronavirus–we can begin to share things that not only fail to help, they can be downright dangerous. The thing is, though,…

There is a story that makes the rounds from time to time about a preacher who was frustrated because some people were no longer worshiping regularly. They were also not contributing financially as they once had done.   One of the members knew of his frustration and volunteered to write a letter to each of these people. While the man had a good heart, he was also not known to be very tactful. Along with that, it was known that he was not very highly educated.   Because of the preacher’s frustration and because he had done all he knew to do, he decided to give the man the names of the people and…

When I was a kid, I collected baseball cards. I enjoyed opening packs, trying to build certain sets, and getting cards of my favorite players. While I didn’t do it often, I also enjoyed trading cards. Sometimes, even if I “lost” the trade financially, I ended up with a card I really wanted, so it was worth it. We all understand the meaning of trading and of losing a deal. It hurts when you think you have made a good trade only to realize you got crushed, and maybe by someone who manipulated you into a bad deal. What is worse, though, is when we intentionally choose the lesser over…