The Power of Social Media

What kind of "voice" does social media give to a person?

In the past few weeks, it seems like the digital world has gone mad.  Not that there haven't been numerous things in the past few years that caused a firestorm of tweets, Facebook posts, blogs and other things.  But these past few weeks have been especially busy.

We had the crazed gunman.  I'm guilty of a few posts about that.  Everyone had something to say, whether it was compassion for those who lost loved ones or those that wanted to destroy any hope of another minute on this earth for the gunman.  

We had the Chick-Fil-A stance on traditional marriage.  That brought on what seemed like thousands of opinions on it.  It brought DMs to my inbox because of things I said, mainly because of differing of views.  Some were strong, one-sided.  Others were two-dimensional.  And still others were saying "I just want everyone to shut up".

Yesterday, the flair up began again because of the horrific attacks on a temple where folks were gathered together to worship their god.  Things like "White Supremacist", "Racial Profiling" and even "Terrorist" were used.  I think there's one word we can agree on about it, and that is that it was "horrific".

All that said, how are we, who believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, supposed to use social media?  Looking back, I'm as guilty as anyone in providing a sharp sword toward those who I thought were shoving their opinions down my throat.  They probably said the same about me.  Guilty as charged, to borrow from a popular phrase.

Do we speak out about everything we can in order to point to the Gospel?  Do we just use it to keep abreast of current issues but not say much about it?  The things my head struggles with...

What did Jesus do?

If we look at the Bible, Jesus definitely had several moments where he pointed at culturally-accepted norms and pointed to the Gospel as the Way.  He even turned tables over - although that was on a group of believers inside the church.  But make no mistake, he wasn't a fairy that was on earth to make everyone as happy as they could be.  I have to imagine, though, that the world was just as screwed up in that day as it is now.  Read 1 Corinthians where Paul addresses their culture.  It wasn't pretty.  

Now there wasn't social media back then, but there was the most powerful man on earth.  Because he was God in human form.  He could've used any form to tell people the truth.  Instead, he always asked the Holy Spirit to reveal things to the people.  If you look at the Scriptures, he was in constant commune with his Father and the Spirit.  Are we?

What does this mean for us?

I guess my point, that I'm constantly going against because of my own sin, is that outside of things done through the Holy Spirit's power in us, we are always going to hit a wall.  Trying to strategically speak out against issues we feel strongly about is absolutely an honorable thing and one that Christ calls us to do.  But we should speak out, praying the Spirit to help us, and then let Him do the rest.  Constantly fighting a broken world with a broken concept that is being reputed back and forth by broken people is going to be... broken.

Can you imagine that if we, as believers, took a stand, but then took more action through a season of prayer as well?  I'd love to think that we are praying for this nation everyday, especially in its spiritual state of warfare. But I don't know that many of us are, myself included.

So let's absolutely speak out.  But remember to point to the Gospel, and remember to pray that God will do the rest.  He said that he has won the battle in our lives!  How much more can he win the battle of mankind fighting a failing desire to please itself!  We see through a narrow lens of certain things that get under our skin, but he sees a world that ALWAYS fails His perfect design.  Pray that the broken world will be reconciled to him more and more, not that one issue will just go away.  If that issue does indeed go away, this world still isn't peachy.  It's still broken.  Until he returns...

The Journey

God has been doing some work in many areas of my life.  It's been fun learning to be a dad.  With that, he's continuing to teach me how to be a husband that follows God.  Even more, he's been working on my gift of faith that my crew has seen in me throughout the past several years.

All of these things have been top of mind lately with a venture that came to fruition.  18 months ago, a friend of mine approached me about a startup that he'd been developing on the side, specifically about his first app.  At that time, it was an idea with many routes it could take.  We talked philosophy, marketing, development and a number of other topics.  This led to trips to Starbucks a few times each week.  I'm pretty sure they were tired of my hot chocolate requests when it was 90 degrees outside.

From there, it has been a ride.  We released Attune's first release.  We began the journey of helping provide small businesses with the technology solutions they needed, specifically surrounding apps and backend technology.

In the past few months, another one of our partners and very close friend went full-time with our startup as well.  He was needed to keep the details of the business running on a day-to-day basis.  He's been a massive help and really helped solidify the vision for us.

Early this year, they approached me on the need for me to go full-time.  I was seeing great times at my current marketing agency, having a ton of fun with the projects and clients I had.  So I began praying for what to do, how to do it and all of those details.

After seeking opinions, advice and feedback from numerous people, I felt like God was telling me it was time.  I asked Him for an answer to three specific prayers.  He answered them, one by one over time.  Last Friday it was evident what He wanted me to do.  I had been reading in Acts about Paul's story, his journey.  He didn't have a safe life, a guaranteed anything other than his eternity with the Father.  That is exactly what the Lord was telling me.

God has provided eternal life for us through the cross of Christ.  Eternal life.  It is reliant on him and him alone for this.  So too is our earthly life.  We can think we are providing for ourselves, but we're not.  He provides our daily bread.  It was when I understood this, and when he answered those prayers, that I let go of that "control" I had of the situation and submitted to what He was calling me to do.

Times are going to be great.  Other times will be perhaps tough.  And yet others will be just okay.  But this is what I know:  When we submit ourselves to Him, life is no longer a blind journey.  We may not know every path of the journey, but we do know that the prize is Christ and eternal life with the God of the universe.

So here's to the last few bittersweet weeks at Stratmark and to a new phase of my life.  I can provide a lot of things to Luke and to Rachael, but if they don't see me following God when he calls me to things, I've missed the most important thing of all.  It's time to put this gift of faith in action and see what He has in store for us.

Merry Christmas, Nana and Granddad!

Fatherhood at 3 Months

It seems crazy that Luke is three months old already.  I remember the night he was born like it was yesterday.  I mean, who wouldn't remember 19 hours of labor!  Although, I think my wife's memories could be filled with varied emotions compared to mine, and for good reason!

There are a few thematic things that I have learned over these past three months.  I am incredibly thankful for them.  I continue to believe that everything on this earth points back to God.  Be it a bride, a son, a house, friends, anything at all... you can learn the character of God through all of these things.

Christ's selfless life has eternally changed my life.

The biggest thing I have learned is the idea of being selfless.  As a caveat, I must note that my wife is infinitely more selfless than I, and I am often in awe of this very fact.  Before Luke was born, it seemed like life was so busy.  Truth be told, I was filling my life with as much as I could, because I could.  Now, life has been minimized to only the most important things so that I can be available for my family.  To put it as JR Vassar once taught at a men's retreat, fathers have a first shift and a second shift.  God has called me to lead this family as best I can, which requires a selfless mindset so that I can take care of my family.  Things that used to matter... simply don't matter anymore.  When exhausted, all I can turn to is Christ's example on the cross, where he bore all my sin, was pummeled, put to death.  All for me.  If I can't be committed to my family, I'll never begin to comprehend Christ's selflessness on the cross for all who call on his name.

A baby thirsting for milk and us as Christians.

Luke is a happy boy.  Unless you pull the milk away, then he is pretty frustrated until he gets more!  He wants to make sure we give him a full stomach so that he can be healthy.  What could our lives be like if we truly sought after the Word, prayed and had a dialog with God everyday, striving for more and more so that we can grow in our spiritual health?  He's given us apps for goodness sake... yet we still find other things to do that offer no growth at all!  Those things are okay, but our concern with our spiritual health must increase to be like a baby with his milk.

The simplest things seem to make parents the happiest when it comes to a baby.

Rolling over.  Smiling.  Laughing.  Burping.  Sleeping.  Sleeping 8 hours.  This list meant almost nothing to me before Luke was born.  Now, if any of these things happen, it's worth banking it as a story for later with family and friends.  The seemingly simplest things are like the greatest thing in the world!  What if this was the case for what we can be like when God provides for us.  Be it a blessing of a relationship, engaging in meaningful conversation with someone, rain, or even the very breath we breathe... what if we wanted to tell God about our gratitude for all of our blessings?  Can you imagine if we thanked God and praised him for every small thing, rather than just for the large things like a new job, friendship, etc?

Luke has brought so many blessings and so many insights to God's love for me.  I hope I can teach him more and more about the Lord so that he can fully experience the life God has for him.

I'm a lucky man.

Here's a video I made that highlights our first three months with Luke.  We are incredibly blessed.

First month of fatherhood

Luke is now more than one month old. There have been thousands of memories in the last month, yet it seems like it has flown by so fast. I expect that Rach and I will be saying that for the rest of our lives now. We've learned so much about parenting, especially since both of us were pretty much going with the flow without much knowledge of how to do a lot of things.

The instant he was born, our lives changed forever. We lived 10 years of our lives as a couple that could do whatever, whenever, wherever and however. It was just the two of us, excluding obvious family things when we were dating in school. The point is that nobody was dependent on us.

As we began the journey of parenthood, we began to fully understand that Luke, as innocent and seemingly perfect as he is, is completely dependent on us. Whether it's food, sleep, cleaning him up or anything, he relies completely on us. As I began to think on this, God revealed a few things to me that are more present than ever.

God supplies our every need. Even when we don't know it.

Luke's life consists of eat, sleep and poop. His playtime includes a fun little mat and some crazy songs that his mom and dad make up as they go. It's such a simple life, yet he's so extraordinarily happy. What if, even when we are in a tough spot or are waiting on an answer from God on something we think we need, we just thank God for what he's given us and live extraordinarily joyful? Instead of thinking God's going to provide X, Y or Z at A, B or C time in our life, what if we just thanked him for the thousands of blessings he's provided.

The Father knows what he is doing.

We have one son. Even with that, we sometimes panic at a strange noise or when we think we've done something wrong that could "mess things up". Think about the God of the Universe, where there have been billions of lives throughout history. And HE controlled and controls every one of them! He has never made a mistake! How unbelievably limited are we that with Luke alone we are so analytical to be sure we do things correctly. The Lord, at least from what I understand, doesn't have to analyze your situation. He knew your entire being BEFORE you were born!

His love is unconditional, eternal, sacrificial and indescribable.

God, in his infinite love for us, sent his only son to die a horrific death on a cross so that you and I could be made right with Him. In my constant temporary desires and things in me that will take his stuff without thanking him for all of it, he still loves me. He doesn't love me for anything that I've been able to accomplish in my whopping 26 years of life. He doesn't love me because I'm a good person. He provided love before I ever knew Him. In fact, I was sinning against Him, yet, according to Romans 5, he loved me while I was yet a sinner. I can only hope that our love for Luke resembles this as best as possible.

We have experienced so many things in this first month of Luke's life. I've seen a lot of beautiful places in God's creation, but I'm convinced that the gift of life is the most beautiful creation there is. Looking back ten years ago, I never thought the day of being a dad would ever come. Now that it has, I hope to enjoy every day of it.

Below is a glimpse at Luke's first month of life!

Approaching Fatherhood

Tomorrow marks just 5 weeks from our official due date in August. It has always felt like it's coming, like life is about to hit a new stage for me, my family, my wife and, ultimately, a new life in Luke. But when I look at the date, it is just 5 weeks away! So far away, yet so amazingly close!

It's been about a two year journey for my wife and I. I look back at the events that occured with all of this, and I am amazed at God's provision in my life. He kept saying "You're not quite ready yet, Ben", when I was saying "God, I feel like you're telling me it's time". He said "Keep your faith, son". I kept saying "But I just want to stop if it's not going to happen". I will never forget what a friend, coincidentally named Benjamin, told us one day in a completely unrelated discussion.

We talked about the hope that is spoken of in the Bible. Too often, I think we confuse "hope" with something that God will provide us here on earth, a better life or something like that. But, the hope that is spoken of in the Bible is his gift of eternal life, the ultimate promise. It all relates to Christ. There is no hope without Him.

I'll never forget when I just laid it out with a few men, asking them to pray for me as I just wanted to know that God was in control of us having a baby. I'd always had the gift of faith, so this was seen as something completely unusual. The next day, the very next day, I was on a highway in North Dallas with hundreds of cars around me when I spun completely out of control. I crossed three lanes, then another six lanes, doing a 360 and another 180. I ended up facing oncoming traffic... on a highway!

It was at that moment that he made it known. If he could save me from a massive accident on one of the most dreadful highways called 635, how much more can he oversee in my life! I didn't deserve to be spared of an accident. Much more, he has saved me from my wretched self through Christ on the cross!

Now, God blessed us with a son. He has called us to be parents, to work for his Kingdom through parenthood among many other ways. I can't wait. I have a feeling that Luke may be an athlete. I am confident that he'll love his Momma, hopefully his Daddy. But all I can do is lay his salvation at the foot of the Cross and hope that God reconciles Luke to Himself as he has Rachael and I.

So here's to waiting another 5 weeks. It's been a journey. Reflect on the memories behind us. Strive to be the best we can be for what's ahead. But, most importantly, lay it in God's hands to show us all that we need.

He knows your paths, even when you don't

In two and a half weeks, it will mark the 10 year anniversary of the first time I saw Rachael, my bride, my wife, mother of my child. As I was thinking about the past ten years, where I was and where it has come, I'm in complete awe of God's work.

Ten years ago, I was a moron. I was the athlete, the sports-obsessed maniac. I was 16, too cool for many. I was two weeks from heading to church camp, a place that always meant a ton to me as a youth. Things were pointing everywhere in my life. I didn't really have a clue of what was ahead.

Rachael was not a part of our church. She didn't go to the same school. Heck, she lived what seemed like a million miles away, at least that was my mom's initial thought... since I was a brand new driver on the road.

After a church camp, a best friend of mine was dating a girl I had become good friends with. Then, she brought a friend to church for the first time. This girl was Rachael. I remember sitting one row in front of her, trying to be cool, and thinking: "This girl's legit. I'm gonna ask her on a date one day". I did, months later, and the story unfolded from there.

Many people act amazed when I explain that Rach was my only girlfriend. I guess they either think it couldn't be possible with me, or that it's so unusual in general. I didn't know I'd meet my dreamgirl at 16. Ha, I honestly thought I was too much of a goon for anyone to understand me. But she did.

As I look back on our years together, I praise God for his providence over my life, over our lives. In 10 years, we've been through what seems like almost everything. Things clear, things unclear, but God has been over it all. He knows all. All I did was enjoy the days that God gave me, and he introduced me to this beautiful, shy girl. Then, he led us through each and every moment, showing his grace on us so that we could follow.

Whatever you are going through, God will provide. He has provided me with a gorgeous wife, a great family, unbelievable friendships, and now, a son on the way. I didn't do anything to deserve even an ounce of the blessings he has provided. He provides because he is our Father. Focus on him today, and trust that he'll lead you and provide you with what you need. There will be rough times, there will be awesome moments. What we can cling to is that God's power is above all.

He took a smart, pretty, sweet woman and brought her to a guy who was clueless about women. 10 years later, he has blessed that guy with thousands of memories that will never be forgotten, but rather enjoyed until I leave this place.

He took a woman, who had never really been to church, and took her on a ride that grew her faith exponentially each year for 10 years. He took a guy, who grew up in church, went to a church school, worked out at church, and revealed Himself to me in millions of ways, growing me FAR beyond where I was 10 years ago. He binded these two together for life, showing them more of his grace and mercy than ever before.

What a ten years this has been. I can only hope for 100 more.