Clay in the Hands

I have tried to really jump into the whole digital map and social media world over the last few months.  I am still learning.  It can be quite frustrating at times because, I have decided that, we are entering a new world.  For many people, not all mind you, what was once a novelty (Myspace, FaceBook, Twitter, etc.) has become a way of life.

I was talking to a friend the other day and I heard these words come out of my mouth, “I got a text message the other day and wasn’t sure what it was since it didn’t come through Twitter.”  Things are moving so quickly, but the crux of it all is that our world, like it or not, is moving to new and different forms of communication.  And I have to admit, in some ways I like it.

But I have drawn some interesting similarities between the social media realm and the church.  It would appear that there are two primary categories of media folk out there, 1) Consumers and 2) Contributors.  Consumers are those who will spend lots of time browsing and gleaning information from all the “stuff” out there in cyberworld but rarely offer any contribution back.  Contributors are those who offer content (ie. information, thoughts, etc.)  In a conversation with @mattgierhart (that is Twitter speak) he alluded to a statistic that sounded vaguely familiar.  He said that about 80% of the media folk are consumers and the other 20% are contributors.

Wow!  Sounds like the church.  Here is my challenge for you today.  Be a contributor.  That doesn’t mean you can’t consume, it just means you give something back – give something of yourself today.  The church, and in fact our world, is desperate for people to step up to the plate and take an active role in making a difference in the lives of others.  Do it today.