Spreading the Gospel Through Social Media

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love social media. Facebook, Twitter, and of course blogging. ;) It makes it so easy to connect with people who might even live far away. It can be a very useful tool. But in fact, I recently was convicted that it can be an incredibly useful tool for spreading the gospel. I read something that really made me think. (Paraphrasing a bit) it pointed out how we have all sorts of different media where we can say absolutely anything we want, and we end up using most of that to talk about ourselves. I was challenged by this idea. Why not use these outlets to talk about Christ, God, and spread the gospel?? This idea stuck with me. I also have a good friend who uses social media (specifically Facebook and Twitter) to do this. This inspired me to do it as well. You would be amazed what just posting an encouraging status can do. It can lift up other Christians. It can help them have the courage to speak out as well. It can be a witness to unbelievers. It can possibly help them see Christianity in a different way. It can help you to stay focused on God as well. It helps you to be thinking of something more than yourself. It might be a small thing, but you never know how big God will make it as He uses you. Try it; you might just be amazed.

The 2012 James 4:8 Challenge

Wow. My first blog post of 2012. How exciting. It is also my first blog post since Thanksgiving, I'm a little ashamed to admit. Well I just wrote out a new list of goals today, and one of them is to post on here at least once a week. So, Lord willing, you'll be seeing a little more of me. Of course I will continue to post about random (or not-so-random) things that arouse my interest...but if you ever have something you'd just love for me to write about- let me know!! :)
Well it is 2012. A new year. A new beginning for some people. This year I have challenged some of my friends, and myself, with something I am calling the James 4:8 Challenge. I would like to challenge you as well. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Do you desire to be closer to God? I know that I do. Well then we must draw near to Him. Two really big ways to do this are reading His Word and spending time in prayer. So this year, I challenge you to do just that! Read His Word EVERY day. Pray EVERY day. If you are already doing those things, that is great! I challenge you to spend even MORE time in His Word and prayer this year. I guarantee you if you are digging deep into His Word and pouring your heart out to Him, your relationship with Him will deepen. So this year it is my personal commitment to spend more time in the Word and prayer! I hope you will as well!
P.S. If these are areas you struggle in, you may find a daily Bible and a prayer journal to be immensely helpful. Some friends of mine have started a Facebook group called "Bible Study on FB". It is a group where believers post scriptures and discuss them. If you are interested, check it out!

Saving Your First Kiss for Marriage Page

Hello readers. I hope this post finds you all doing well and staying strong in the Lord. :) You know, God is just so amazing. And He really does work in very wonderful ways. In 2010 I started a Facebook fan page called "Saving Your First Kiss for Marriage." I did this as a way for like-minded people to come together and encourage one another. And it worked! If you believe in saving your first kiss for marriage, all you have to do is click "like" and you are instantly connected to thousands of people who hold fast to wonderful values of purity. I have watched this page grow from only a few fans to literally thousands of fans. I remember watching in excitement as the page reached 100 fans. Today there are 12,577 fans. That is just mind-blowing to me. When I started it, I was the sole administrator. Since then I have had to add two additional administrators to help me take care of all the extra traffic! God has used and grown this page in amazing ways. One thing I did not expect from this page was persecution. But many times when believers unite, Satan tries to deter them. This was no exception. People who do not value purity get on the page to try to make fun, ridicule, and discourage others. My fellow administrators and I do our best to field these comments and people, removing what is necessary to keep everyone encouraged. This does not, however, mean that we remove everything that we do not agree with. Oh no. In fact, having people challenge my point of view has helped me grow so much. Now not only do I know what I believe, but I can defend it too; and I have many times. So if you're looking for some encouragement, or just a lively discussion, please check out the page on Facebook.

"As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man." -Proverbs 27:19