To maximize your Twitter output you should be using these four tools today. Right now. Immediately. (Can you sense the urgency?)
1. A Twitter client – a client takes the place of having to go to twitter.com. Most often it’s a program that runs on your computer that lets you send updates to Twitter. You can get a great list by going to http://twitter.com/downloads . A client makes it extremely easy and convenient to send updates to Twitter (also known as tweeting). Most of them are free so give them a try until you find one you like!
2. TwitApps – Twitter has gone beyond just telling people what you’re doing. It’s a true social network, meaning you’re expected to interact with other Twitter users (lovingly referred to as Tweeps or Twits). Therefore, if someone mentions you in a tweet you need to be sure you know about it (and follow up by mentioning or replying to them, if appropriate). To be sure you don’t miss any mentions you’ll want to use TwitApps. TwitApps will monitor Twitter for mentions of your username (meaning someone’s probably talking about you or to you) and email you when someone mentions you. This helps to ensure you can keep interesting conversations going. TwitApps can also give you a report when someone follows you or stops following you.
3. TwitPic – to heighten the Twitter experience for others consider using TwitPic. TwitPic lets you post a picture and a tweet at the same time. You can post a picture from either your computer or your mobile phone. Why use TwitPic? Simple: tweets with pictures are much more interesting!
4. Friends – am I calling your Twitter friends tools? I know my real friends are tools so, yeah, maybe I am. (just kidding!) Twitter works best when you follow plenty of people and chat them up when they post an interesting tweet. Using a Twitter client (mentioned in point one above) makes it super easy to reply to other Twitter users. The more you use Twitter to talk to others (rather than just about yourself), the more it becomes a true social network.
Maybe you’re not part of Twitter yet? Why wait? Go to Twitter and sign up for a free account. Then, be sure to follow me (@shawnw) and I’ll be sure to follow you back!
Already part of Twitter? Drop a comment with a link to your Twitter profile so we (we being everyone reading this article) can follow you.
Think Twitter’s a fad? Think again. @buchanan23 tweet’s this earlier today:
So, I drop him an email to get the skinny and to let him know I’m praying. Here’s the deal:
It’s my 4yr old boy. We are in the hospital right now. They are going to take a swab to test and start the meds that are supposed to stop it before it gets too bad. there is only enough mess in our city to treat 40 people for this… Well 39 now. It’s not officially swine flu until we see the results from the swab test & not sure when we’re getting those back yet. Thanks so much for the prayers.
Then, later, he tweets this:
Twitter, a fad? You decide. In the meantime, go follow @buchanan23 and keep praying for Cru.
13-14When Jesus got the news (that John was dead*), he slipped away by boat to an out-of-the-way place by himself. But unsuccessfully—someone saw him and the word got around. Soon a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was. When he saw them coming, he was overcome with pity and healed their sick.
15Toward evening the disciples approached him. “We’re out in the country and it’s getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper.”
16But Jesus said, “There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper.”
17“All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish,” they said.
18-21Jesus said, “Bring them here.” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed. -Matthew 14
*my addition
You get news that one of your best friends has died. You try to slip away to do whatever; mourn, cry your eyes out, miss him, and people who need what you have follow you to this solitary spot. You’re just trying to start getting over the loss of your friend.
For me, the story would split here. I’d tell these selfish <bleep>ers to leave me alone, don’t they know my friend just died (by losing his head, no less)?
But not Jesus. He’s “overcome with pity” and heals the sick.
It doesn’t end there. Later that day, he blesses the fish and bread that feeds the 5000. I’d still be in lockdown mode, flinging cuss words at anyone who dared get within 100′ of me.
But not Jesus. He feeds them all. And there’s leftovers.
The path to healing is not self-help but self-sacrifice. Left to my own devices, I’d shirk the sick, ignore the poor, make fun of the downtrodden and elevate myself to a status I don’t deserve.
But not Jesus.
He deserved an elevated status. Instead, he took part in his own upside down Kingdom. He became last when he deserved to be first.
And yet, you and I continue to think we deserve first.
And the crazy part I may never wrap my head around?
So does Jesus.
Father, you continue to amaze and surprise. Show me my place at the back of the line, the bottom of the barrel, so that I may truly serve, fully relying on Christ to lift me up. Thank you for remembering me. Forgive me for forgetting you. Amen.
What can I say? Tonight’s eXchange was spot-on solid as a rock. First, the “worship” part:
We opened with a medley of All We Need, Your Grace is Enough and Awesome is the Lord Most High. Solid, high-energy worship to get things started.
Our second set (post-teaching) consisted of I Will Offer Up My Life, Give Us Clean Hands/Kindness and Cannons.
We had three baptisms (woohoo!) and closed with I Stand Amazed.
The band was on it and, even when I threw them a couple curve balls as far as order in-song, they were nimble and ready to adapt. It didn’t hurt that sound was dialed in; that only helped the band open up and be a little more vulnerable on-stage.
An especially fun aside was the inclusion of Bon Jovi’s You Give Love a Bad Name as a special. This week we talked about Gossip (first week of the Taboo series) so the song was a perfect fit. Jack Fox reworked some of the lyrics (no, he didn’t make them “Christian”) to focus less on blood-red nails and more on gossip which came off great.
Jack’s team also busted out a hand-made, old-school, tried and true flannel graph so Scot could make an illustration during the teaching. When’s the last time you saw a naked Noah made of felt?
Once MCC’s media director Scott heard us rock some Bon Jovi during rehearsal he and the team scrambled to put up some chasing lights which helped with the 80s rock concert feel during You Give Love. It’s those last minute details that sometimes make the biggest impact. It was a great touch!
Last but not least Scot brought the teaching, big time. “Put down the binoculars and pick up a blanket.” Confused? The podcast will get updated this week so watch for that, great stuff to help us get centered on where Christ wants us.
Hope you have a great week. How did worship go in your church?
