WiseReader

My son asked me to sign up, so I did. I enjoyed his updates, knowing where he was and what he was doing throughout the day.

On my second day of Twitter, I began receiving notices that others were following me. Following me! Wow! This was heady - believing that others were interested in what I was doing at any given moment of the day. It did not take long for me to realize that those following me were hoping I would return the favor. But the day I discovered the CEO of a major Christian publisher was following me, I began thinking about the whole concept behind twittering. I went to this CEO’s twitter site and was amazed to see that he was following over 9000 Twitters! Really! But his 9000 paled in comparison to the Twitter I found following 425,000 people!

Clearly no one is really “following” 9000 Twitters per day (or week for that matter). So what was this really about? When I posted a twitter questioning the validity (ability) to follow several thousand people, within seconds I had a direct message (from the inner courts of Twitter itself!) pointing me to a blog extolling the merits of tens of thousands of followers. It would raise my online profile, maybe help me promote my business (read “make lots of money”).

Now don’t get me wrong. Twitter has some fine applications. Here are a few that immediately come to mind:

Quick, efficient communication for far-flung members of a company
Family members can stay in touch
News junkies can get breaking headlines
Sports fans can track the favorite teams, athletes
You can continue the list ….

However, in my admittedly limited exposure, it seems that the vast majority of Twitterers are merely providing inane updates on their daily thoughts and activities. For example, one person I followed is a Christian leader who posts 5-8 twitters a day: “I’m getting up, looking forward to a great day at church”; “I’m running behind, racing (over the speed limit) to the airport”; “Boarding the plane, traffic ticket in hand”; “Need an attitude change before I preach tomorrow”; and the posts go on (and on, and on, and on). Once he even “treated” followers to an hourly update of his family vacation. Did I (or anyone) really need a twitter-by-twitter account of his day?

I quit Twitter because it served no useful purpose in my life. Striving to increase my followership, taking time to catalog my day in 140 character increments, or being continually interrupted in my work to read someone else’s 140 character diary was creating a growing moral issue for me. The many fine Christians who pray for, and financially support the ministry for which I am responsible have every right to believe that I am not frittering (twittering?) away my day.

When I realize how much extra-curricular activity occupies the lives of so many of us in Christian ministry - online discussion groups,  reading & writing blogs, facebook, Twitter - I have to wonder just how much ministry is actually taking place. It is not, of course, for me to judge others, and there is nothing wrong with any of the above online tools and resources. But there is one to whom we must all give account for the manner in which we used our time on this planet.

I quit Twitter because I discovered that the only “payback” was a sense of increased self-importance that comes with believing that there are people out there (maybe thousands!!) who want to know that, at this very moment, I am ….

Clearing off my desk
Writing this blog
Leaving for lunch with Richard
Driving to Home Depot to pick up deck material
Wishing I was on the golf course
Feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work undone at the end of the day
Finishing up my sermon for this coming Sunday

Maybe we need to step back from our busyness, from our intoxicated self-importance. Maybe it’s a good time to seek God’s face, asking his forgiveness for what Joseph Stowell once called the “perilous pursuit of significance.” Maybe it is time to simply do the work God called us to do in the place where He called us to do it.

Rather than pursue the fleeting attention of the world around us, maybe we ought to rejoice again in the thought that we know God, or rather that He knows us.

When it comes to Christian music, I enjoy all styles from classic hymns to contemporary choruses. As long as the lyrics are biblically sound and the musical style is appropriate to those lyrics (admittedly a subjective judgment), I enjoy listening, and if possible, singing along. 

In the last few months I’ve discovered Sovereign Grace Music, a ministry that has been around some 20 years. Where have I been!? I have three of their CD’s containing contemporary compositions with both new and old lyrics.

Of the three CD’s I own, Psalms is my favorite. It has a great rendition of Psalm 130 entitled Out of the Depths, written and arranged by Bob Kauflin. If you follow the link to the album, you can listen to samples from the CD.

In addition to a great melody line, Kauflin’s lyrics powerfully express the content of Psalm 130. See if you agree.

Verse 1
Out of the depths, O Lord, I cry to You
When I am tempted to despair
Though I might fail to trust Your promises
You never fail to hear my prayer
And if You judged my sin
I’d never stand again
But I see mercy in Your hands
Chorus
So more than watchmen for the morning
I will wait for You, my God
When my fears come with no warning
In Your Word I’ll put my trust
When the harvest time is over and I still see no fruit
I will wait, I will wait for You
Verse 2
The secret mysteries belong to You
We only know what You reveal
And all my questions that are unresolved
Don’t change the wisdom of Your will
In every trial and loss
My hope is in the cross
Where you compassions never fail

If you enjoy contemporary music that is biblically rich and uplifting, and that is attractively priced, I recommend you look at what the fine musicians and composers at Sovereign Grace Music are producing.

As Professor of Evangelism at Southeastern Baptist theological Seminary, one should not be surprised that Alvin Reid cares about the progress of the gospel. 

In “We have reached the tipping point”, Reid blogs about the current state of the Southern Baptist Convention, noting the growing unease over how many SBCers view the Cooperative Program, the growing lack of cultural engagement by SBC congregations, and concern for the SBC’s future if the status quo remains. In a telling comment, Reid says:

“Many are concerned that the center of the SBC has moved from a theological core to a methodological consensus, and that consensus has collapsed.”

I suspect that leaders within many of our evangelical denominations would make similar observations about their own groups.

The post is lengthy, covering a wide range of opinion and conviction, but Reid’s passion for a healthy, spiritual future for his denomination jumps off the page. I recommend it to you.