lisadesherlia, Author at Christian Web Trends Blog: Church Websites, Design, SEO https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/author/lisadesherlia/ A look at how trends in communication technology impact individuals and organizations. Wed, 08 Feb 2023 16:09:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 Use Social Media for Life! https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/use-social-media-for-life/ https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/use-social-media-for-life/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2016 13:00:37 +0000 https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/?p=51450 Consider a new abortion alternative! What can that be? What can we come up with?

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Use social media for life!
Consider a new abortion alternative!
What can that be? What can we come up with?

Use Social Media for Life!
Options in Unplanned Pregnancies

Consider a new abortion alternative? What comes to mind when many women get dreaded news? Unplanned pregnancy news? Fill in the blanks. I wonder how many first think of the two existing options. Adoption and Parenting. It’s tough to raise children if you don’t have certain things. Transportation. Employment. A place of your own. Supportive significant others. You may want children “but not now.” You’re just not ready! Now consider adoption. You’re may know little about it. You know you’re unprepared for parenthood at this time. But place your baby in adoption? You might That feels more like “giving her up”! Adoption is permanent! You can’t get your baby back. It would be too traumatic and painful for you to consider. No wonder so many facing unplanned pregnancies find these options unattractive. One is unrealistic, the other unthinkable.

Use Social Media for Life!
Replace Abortion with Third Alternative?

Considering a new abortion alternative? Yes, lives are on the line! Many who choose abortion felt they “didn’t have a choice.” Right or wrong that was how they saw it. Yes, we have our share of “pro-life victories.” Let’s keep rejoicing about these positives. Let’s keep celebrating the moms and dads who chose life for their babies! Keep praising those who make adoption plans for their selfless choice to put their babies first. Adoption is a loving option! We need to celebrate those who choose to keep their children. Single parenting or early marriage aren’t easy! Let’s keep rejoicing in these pro-life victories. Yet daily, abortion continues to kill thousands of babies! Pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) outnumber abortion clinics. Pro-life politicians are doing more to enact pro-life legislation. What more do we need? How do we make a dent in the abortion holocaust?

Use Social Media for Life!
Two-Year Foster Care

We know about temporary foster care. Parents in dysfunctional homes have this option if they straighten out their lives. Why isn’t this widely available to those facing unplanned pregnancies? Who want children “but not now”? Who aren’t ready to parent yet? Two “either” or life-affirming choices face them. I know adoption and parenting are best for many. But many facing unplanned pregnancies don’t need an “either or” option. They want to parent but not now. They may not be ready. So
why not two-year foster care? This may save many babies from abortion. How? If parents in crisis knew there was a third option they may not feel so desperate. They may be more motivated to choose life, knowing they had more options. Isn’t two-year foster care worth seriously considering?

Use Social Media for Life!
Concerns and Objections

Concerns and objections exist. I understand these. First, the argument is that all children deserve stability. I fully agree! But wouldn’t two-year foster care be morally superior to abortion? It’s two-year foster care to protect the baby. After that time her parents would regain custody of her. If that didn’t work out she’d become available for adoption. Second, some fear this could hurt adoptive families. They ponder the nightmare scene of a birth mom coming back to reclaim her baby. Babies in this program wouldn’t be available for adoption. So this wouldn’t be an issue for these families. I know the stability will probably stay an issue for some. But when lives are on the line, two-year foster care is acceptable. Isn’t it worth it to save even more babies and moms from abortion?

Use Social Media for Life!
We Can Help

How does this work? Let’s seriously consider the idea of two-year foster care. Realize the lives are at stake. Consider that this may reduce abortions that much more. More moms and dads will choose life for their babies! Think of the lives saved. Yes, two-year foster care isn’t perfect. But neither are single parenting or adoption. All these options are based on living in an imperfect, broken world. To make this happen, we need to get the attention of Congress. We need to insist on getting heard. If you can’t appear before Congress to make your case you still can help. You can sign a petition and pass it on to others. Tell Congress to consider a new abortion alternative and legislate it!

Will you do that?

Use Social Media for Life!

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Dealing with Toxic Social Media https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/dealing-with-toxic-social-media/ https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/dealing-with-toxic-social-media/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2016 18:14:01 +0000 https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/?p=51526 How we can restore class and civility in social media after the most divisive election in history

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This is a guest post by Lisa DeSherlia. Read more about how you can guest post on Christian Web Trends here.

Make America great again! Happy days are here again!
Not my President! No hate in my country!
She won the popular vote! Get rid of the Electoral College!
Never Trumpers are traitors and sniveling crybabies!
You guys lost! Get over it, you whiners!
What kind of country do we live in?
I’m done with you! You voted against all we stand for!
Good riddance, Killary!

Dealing with Toxic Social Media
Behold the Current Hatefest

The hatefest raged during the bitter primaries. Here’s one example. Throughout the primaries to today, users have flooded the page of a Governor who had opposed the President-Elect out of principle. They have trolled him with vile epithets. Mud-slinging kept up through the general election. Both sides of a vehemently divided nation continue the toxicity. I’ve never seen anything like it! My Facebook friends have been flooding my Timeline with hateful, rage-filled, inflammatory posts. Generally, I’ve ignored them. Yet as they intensified after the shocking election results, social media has become oppressive and depressing.

Dealing with Toxic Social Media
Winners and Losers

The election results left me reeling. I’m sure all of you have strong feelings about the election results one way or another. Are you a Donald Trump supporter? I’m safe assuming that you feel happily surprised, thrilled, and optimistic about your man’s victory. You see your country being taken back! What about the whiners and sore losers? Get over it! You lost! Are you a pro-life “NeverTrump” voter or a Hillary supporter? I know that you don’t feel good. You probably feel stunned, heartbroken, scared, even devastated. What kind of country do you live in? A nation where half the people voted hate, fraud, sexual assault, and immorality? Now you are being trashed as whiners and crybabies?

Dealing With Toxic Social Media
Social Media Users, Unite

This election has been the most divisive one in history. Social media has intensified it. Users can hide behind a computer screen and sound off about anything. Election season makes it worse. Right after the election, I found myself un-friending a person who posted a hurtful comment under my post. Also, I blocked the posts of some Facebook friends from showing up in my Timeline. I simply ignore the rest. Meanwhile, the hatefest rages on. On both sides. Out of my experience, I believe that we can restore civility to our discussion and restore grace to politics.

Dealing with Toxic Social Media
Helpful Ideas

Here are ideas for restored class and civility. Remember that those who voted differently from you did so out of conviction. Like you, they faced tough electoral decisions. If your side won, don’t gloat. Please don’t write off the losing supporters as being crybabies. Instead, know that they voted out of conviction, as you did. Be kind to them. They’re hurting now. One of those whose candidate lost? Who fought to “stop Trump?” Give yourselves time to grieve. Yours was a long a hard fight, especially if you fought to “stop Trump.” Hillary Clinton did win the popular vote by a whopping 2 million. But she lost under our system because of the Electoral College. At some point, you need to accept the painful loss. It hurts to lose, especially when your candidate wins the popular vote but loses the Electoral College. It’s tough but we need to accept that we’ll have four years under a President we didn’t want.

Above all, we Christians need to remember that we dare not pin our hopes on any politician. Place hope in Jesus alone! He remains in charge no matter who wins the White House. Are you all in?

Photo by Sean MacEntee and licensed under CC-BY 2.0.

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Should Followers of Jesus Sign and Start Online Petitions? https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/should-followers-of-jesus-sign-and-start-online-petitions/ https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/should-followers-of-jesus-sign-and-start-online-petitions/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2016 12:22:36 +0000 https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/?p=50077 Can online petitions can make a difference? Here is my experience...

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This is a guest blog post by Lisa DeSherlia. Learn how you can become a guest blogger here.

Sign this petition & save the African lions!

Sign this petition to keep this murderer behind bars!

Sign this petition and protect children!

Sign this petition and fight oppression against women!

Sign this petition and get this innocent man out of prison!

The Question About Followers of Jesus & Online Petitions

I know that to many believers, online ministry in any form is not seen as a valid form of ministry in the way that traditional, offline, in-person ministry is. To many, it’s like a person just hiding behind a computer screen because that is easier than dealing with people face-to-face. To be sure, it is easy to do that because we can present ourselves in any way we want and because nonverbal communication is absent.

It has taken years for online ministry to catch up with traditional ministry. Now that it has, more and more believers, especially those who are passionate about ending abortion or guarding Western religious liberties, are using social media for ministry. One of the things they are doing is starting online petitions. Many in the prolife movement, for example, have started multiple petitions calling for Planned Parenthood to be stripped of taxpayer funds. This has come to the attention of a divided Congress. They remain in gridlock over this issue but at least it has come to their attention! Last year, many nonprofits created multiple petitions to free Meriam Ibrahim from a Sudanese prison, where she was in chains with two of her children for being a believer. She was freed from prison after eight months.

Yes, online petitions can make a difference! I know that some people do not think this is true and I have been told so much, but I know differently.

My Experience With Signing & Starting Online Petitions

I signed so many petitions since I joined Facebook years ago, that I cannot keep track of all the online petitions I have signed. The first online petition I created was to appeal to the U.S. Congress to fund autism services for all in need of them, regardless of their ability to pay. To sum it up, because of account issues, I had to re-start this petition and re-do it and it is active. Four of my online petitions pertain to reducing abortion through improving laws so it will become unthinkable. As a “no-name” person without $$$ to run ads, I have never found it easy to gather signatures. No, this post is not an effort to get petition signatures! If you are interested in signing you will need to visit my website linked below, to find out more. I certainly would gratefully accept your support on these petitions! Certainly no believer need sign or create any online or traditional petition, to follow Jesus or make a difference for Him and people. I know of people, both believers and non-believers, who refuse to sign any petitions. Period. This is their choice and they have other ways of advocating. But we have been called to speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves. Aren’t online petitions one way to do this in this high-tech age?

More Personal Experiences

When I was busy circulating my first version of my autism petition, I had some church opposition. At the time, I was in a denomination that believed and wrote into their by-laws, that pastors and leadership should not get involved in any public advocacy. The pastor stated in a sermon: “Because of our by-laws, I cannot speak into many issues that I, for one, feel very strongly about.” When I had approached him about circulating my petition among members of our large congregation, I was declined and told that allowing me to do this violated official denominational church body policy. He did sign it on his own, but the point is that the idea that believers should not mess with public advocacy, has been institutionalized in some denominations. Should it be this way? Aren’t we called to both personal service as well as public advocacy? After all, Jesus not only preached and taught, but also healed and defended the oppressed. We need both evangelism and social involvement!

Every Christian’s Calling & Online Petitions

Our primary calling is to love God and love others. This includes the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. These are to know, love, and trust God and to serve others through lives of love and words of truth. There are many, many different ways to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. We are all called differently. Just as all of us who focus on online ministry need those who focus on traditional ministry, so those of us who focus on traditional ministry need those of us who focus on online ministry. This includes creating and signing online petitions that are consistent with Biblical values.

So what has God called you to do?

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Should Christians Get Involved in Online Public Advocacy? https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/should-christians-get-involved-in-online-public-advocacy/ https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/should-christians-get-involved-in-online-public-advocacy/#comments Thu, 26 Dec 2013 12:00:13 +0000 https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/?p=46904 Is it important for Christians to speak up for those who can't speak up for themselves?

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As Christians who use social networks, maintain websites or blogs, or other online activities to serve God and others, I think we all agree on some matters. We agree that we are to do all things, offline or online, to glorify our great and awesome God. We agree that we have been called to love and serve others as He has loved us first. We desire to share Christ’s love and to let what whatever we do be the outflow of our relationship with Him. Yet, whether you mean between individuals or Christian denominations, we’re divided about how to go about some of this. Take the matter of public advocacy. Why should we Christians get involved in that? Should we?

What Is Public Advocacy?

Public advocacy is using any means, offline or online, to speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves. There are numerous forms of advocacy, including disability rights, autism awareness, crime victim advocacy, missing persons advocacy, child advocacy, sanctity of life advocacy, just to name a few. Advocacy takes many forms, from posting and sharing online posts, photos and links to bring awareness to a cause, to setting up blogs or websites, creating, sharing and signing petitions, to appearing before Congress to change laws. Many in the Church, over the decades, have advocated for unborn children and still do. This is commendable and should continue as long as abortion-on-demand remains the law of the land. But so many other forms of advocacy have been virtually totally overlooked by the Church, and left to those outside the Church. Before I begin, I know that many Christians, such as parents raising young children, single parents, among others, live lifestyles where any public advocacy is not feasible. Many of us Christians are not called to public advocacy, but many of us are.

My Own Experience

In my own experience in a former local Church, I received insight into why so many in the Church are confused about the public advocacy. A year ago, I had emailed my Pastor to examine my autism petition and to consider having our local Church support it and seek signatures from Members. He soon responded, saying that it has been written into the official Church body laws of the said denomination, for Churches to get involved in any public advocacy. I was surprised at this official Church ruling, but from my observation of so many I have attended worship services with, this should have come as no surprise. When I responded and asked him to sign as a private citizen, I found, later, that he had added his name to my autism petition, which I link to at the end of this article. My Pastor was clear about Christians and public advocacy, but many are confused, feel that they shouldn’t get involved, or may be unaware or apathetic.

Why the Confusion About Public Advocacy?

My online experience tells me that many believers are confused or even apathetic when it comes to any form of public advocacy, with the possible exception of the sanctity of life. Three and a half years ago, I set up a Facebook account to help bring awareness to cases of missing persons and crime victims. Later, I added a number of people from my local Church. Almost immediately, one person showed her displeasure at my frequent post, posting on my profile: “Lisa! Slow down your posts!” A pastor’s wide had hit “like” on that post. I found that I was quietly unfriended by many of these parish Members. I got the message: They apparently were confused or apathetic about public advocacy, thinking that Christians should or need not get involved in it at all. I became disillusioned, sad, and angry at the uninformed and even apathetic behavior of so many who could speak about God’s love for the world. But I’m convinced that it need not be that way.

So If We Want To Advocate, How Should We Go About It?

First of all, we always need to start and finish by keeping all we do in prayer. We need to never forget that in all we do, we are to glorify our Great God and serve others with what we have. We are to do the work of an Advocate with these truths in mind. We ought to stick with causes that we are passionate about and this will usually spring from our own life experiences. I stick with victims and missing persons because these can happen to anyone at any time, and with autism because of lifelong experience. We all have different life experiences and this is good! For we need advocates for various groups of people. Blogs, websites, Facebook, Twitter, petition sites, and many other online platforms offer numerous online opportunities.

How Can We Begin?

I have shared about my passion for autism and about my petition. It calls on the US President and both Houses of US Congress, to send funds to all 50 states so that autism services will be available to all who want or need services to diagnose or deal with diagnosed autism. Autistic people are just one group in need of advocacy, but I just would like to give you an opportunity to advocate. We as Christians have been called to accept, welcome and meet the needs of all people, including those with autism. (If interested, you can sign my autism petition by visiting the URL link below). Thank you for your advocacy!

You can sign my autism petition here.

Depending on what church background you grew up in, what do you think of the Christian’s role in public advocacy?

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Is Un-Friending Un-Christian? https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/is-un-friending-un-christian/ https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/is-un-friending-un-christian/#comments Tue, 10 Dec 2013 14:02:51 +0000 https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/?p=47122 To unfriend or not to unfriend, that is the question...

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Friend.

The word used to refer to be reserved only for select people in our lives. The word referred to people whom we trusted and shared our lives with, had many things in common with, including our values, did things for and with.

Today, this narrow definition of friends and friendship have shifted with social networks. With the advent of individual “profiles” of us users connecting with one another on profiles. Now, friends references anyone we connect with online, whether we call them friends, followers, circlers or anything else. We don’t have to live in the same state, in the same country or even on the same continent. We don’t have to know or even know about these users whom we call friends. We’ve come a long way, but to what?

What is the result of this paradigm shift?

Today, relationships have become commodities and disposable ones at that. The “Unfriend” and “Block” buttons have made it easy to minister to our tendency to dump relationships when sin complicates them, or communication goes awry because of our misunderstandings. All it takes is a few clicks, rather than hours of sharing and building up trust through conversation and doing things together.

Purging Friends

Frequently, in my own Facebook experience, I will see statuses like this: The user will announce that “I’m going to purge my friends list and get rid of people who don’t fit my criteria of what to do to stay on my list.” For many, it will be sharing the user’s passion or values, or keeping in touch with the user.

What does this mean? Why do we “add” people, in the first place, who may not share our passion for God our for our cause, who may not care if we live or die, and whom we don’t even know?

I think (at least it was for me) we fall for the online notion that the more, the better. While we “add” people, hoping that they will come to support our cause or come to know God, we need to bear in mind that, as offline, quality beats quantity. Whom we keep company with online will affect our attitudes and characters as surely as it does offline.

My “Unfriending” Experiences

I have used Facebook for about four and a half years. I have seen what I estimate to be well over a thousand “friends” come and go out of my networks. Many who had unfriended me were past or current fellow parishioners who apparently had little tolerance for my causes or my missing person posters. Some have deleted me because they took offense at my political or Christian posts. Many have dropped me because of misunderstandings and conflicts that led them to believe that I wasn’t a “friend.”

My latest experience of being unfriended was most hurtful because both parties dropped me for purely personal reasons. One called herself a sister in Christ; I had shared with this person sensitive things which I have never shared with any of my pastors or doctors. Yes, I lived in Missouri and this person lived hundreds of miles away, but I was convinced that I finally had found a real friend, and she seemed to feel the same way about me. We had shared a deep trust and friendship that I thought this person valued as much as I did. Yet a series of misunderstandings had put an end to it and the person, sadly, has chosen being right over unity, forgiveness and reconciliation.

To unfriend or not to unfriend, that is the question…

Yes, I know that there are times where it is wise to cut certain people out of our networks just as we should keep certain people out of our lives. People who pose a threat to our lives or the lives of others we touch, should be cut out of our lives. This makes sense even to us Christians. So we should hit the “Unfriend” or “Block” button on any user who is suspected or known to be predators or criminals.

In most cases, however, these do not include users who are merely annoying or offensive. When we “delete” people out of our networks, we end any opportunities to share God’s love and truth, and any needed future help and support, with them.

When we “delete” a brother or sister in Christ, we’re violating the principles of unity, forbearance and forgiveness. I have found getting “unfriended” by fellow Christians to be far more hurtful than any other unfriending. We ought to apply the same Biblical principles to our social networking that we do to our in-person social relationships.

For guess who is behind every computer screen and who Christ has called us to love as ourselves?

What are your thoughts on “unfriending?” Do you think we should treat Christians differently than others?

[Photo by Karpati Gabor]

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Feel Called by God To Blog For Ministry? https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/feel-called-by-god-to-blog-for-ministry/ https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/feel-called-by-god-to-blog-for-ministry/#comments Wed, 06 Nov 2013 12:00:55 +0000 https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/?p=46895 Are you one who likes to write? Why not blog for the glory of God?

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This is a guest blog post by Lisa DeSherlia.

Currently I maintain two blogs. One is for general audiences and while it’s not overtly and explicitly Christian, I do mention my Christian faith there. My blog is called My Prayer Page and I use it for ministry. Since I maintain two blogs, I spend much time examining other blogs to get ideas for optimizing my own blogs as well as to read others’ stories. The overwhelming majority of blogs that I have visited and read do not use blogging for ministry, including the personal or advocacy blogs. Yes, I realize that that a simple reason for much of this is that many of such bloggers very likely don’t subscribe to a Christian worldview.

I have seen exceptions. A Christ-centered child sponsorship nonprofit runs a blog of their own and I get its updates in my inbox almost every other day. I also use blogging for ministry for them, as they have a blogging ministry for the purpose of getting sponsors for the unsponsored children that they seek to help. One remarkable girl in my network has always used Internet activity for ministry, including blogging, though I can no longer find her blog in a search. I believe that much of the Christian Church still needs to realize that social networking, including blogging, can be used for ministry. Blogging allows us much more complete self-expression than social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Google, and other social networks. Most social networks limit characters and our ability to post and for good reasons.

Yes, I’m aware that all venues of Internet activity, including blogging, have a darker side. We’re all aware of how scammers and hackers abuse their Internet and business savvy talents to prey on unsuspecting and trusting users who desire to use online services. You may have your stories to share too. I have fallen for a number of these scams and hackers have gotten some of my social networks. We’re all aware of how bullies, predators and other criminals have turned to the Internet to hurt and harm their victims.  You may no doubt be aware of teens who have ended their lives due to bullying. You may or may not be aware of how predators have turned to the Internet to prey on the vulnerable, especially children. And yes, we’re aware of how the Internet can destroy relationships, especially marriages. For these reasons, among others, I know that pastors and other Christian leaders may counsel Christians to use the Internet sparingly or not at all. This is understandable.

However, like it or not, technology is with us to stay and we as Christians need to  “move with the times”! Even if we don’t use it ourselves, we should refrain from judging and criticizing other believers who are using blogging or social networks for ministry and to make them feel that they aren’t “really doing God’s work.” I find that blogs are more user-friendly than other social networks.  WordPress does limit us on the sort of code we can use for plug-ins; they forbid any Flash or JavaScript for security reasons. I was unable to put a widget for on a WordPress blog I haven’t been using much lately. It was for the Christ-centered child sponsorship nonprofit mentioned near the beginning of this blog. The widget was to move people to sponsor children and linked to the nonprofit’s website. Blogger is different and less limiting, though it has its own weaknesses and glitches.

I know that blogging or posting from a Christian worldview will automatically reduce the number of “followers” and readers that we may hope to get on a blog or any other social network. In this day and age where abortion, homosexuality and other Biblically unacceptable actions or lifestyles have become socially accepted, taking a Christian stand on these topics is sadly seen as “politically incorrect” and even “hateful.” Yes, we should always tell the truth in love and be gracious when we say, post or blog about unpopular or controversial topics like abortion or homosexuality. If we do not, people are justified in calling us judgmental.  On the other hand, we Christians must not cave in to this post-Christian, secular culture which tells us that to call abortion or homosexuality “sin” is “hateful” or “discriminatory.” Who would we rather have upset with us, offended people or an offended God?

My Christian blog is relatively new but I have many plans for it. I use the blog to post on any topic on which I’m informed (I avoid topics that I know little about), and it’s from a Christian perspective. My current article there is called “Christians Confront Crime and Missing Persons.” My recent one was “Christians and Halloween.” My recent post was inspired by a Christian mom in my Facebook network who uses Facebook for ministry and is unabashedly Christian in every post and photo she puts up; she doesn’t celebrate Halloween because of its occult origins and ties. Yes, we should continue to serve and minister in the traditional, face-to-face way. After all, many people don’t have Internet access or choose not to use it. Many things take place outside of the Internet. We Christians, especially in the developed world, are blessed that we have so many tools at our disposal to do God’s work. Throughout history, people did not have computers, cell phones, iPods, iPads, or any other technological gadgets. Even when I was growing up in St. Louis, Missouri in the 1960’s and 1970’s, none of these resources existed.

Christian brothers and sisters, we all can much more easily do ministry. Even those of us who are shy and sweat at the idea of sharing our faith face-to-face can find countless opportunities to share our faith online. Even with all the dark side of the Internet, it’s a great and exciting time to be a Christian. So many Christian ministries and congregations are using the Internet to extend their ministries. These opportunities especially are good for those with disabilities or others who can’t leave their homes to serve God. On the Internet, we can reach the world. On both my blogs, including my Christian blog, I have installed a Google Translate widget so just about any visitor around the world can read my material in his or her own language. We need to take advantage of our opportunities for ministry and go for it! The world is waiting.

Are you one who likes to write? Why not blog for the glory of God?

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