Twitter and the Kingdom of God

There was a time when I said that I thought that Twitter was pointless. Do we really need a play-by-play update from every person regarding their daily activities? Even though I had my doubts regarding Twitter, I decided to give it a try. Now that I've been "tweeting" for a couple of months, I have a few thoughts about why I think Twitter can be a good thing. Specifically, I think that Twitter can be used in the service of God and His Kingdom.

Twitter and Prayer - First, after receiving tweets from friends and family, I've sensed the need to pray for them in that moment. It's amazing the things that people are willing to share with the world--struggles, pain, frustrations, fears, anxieties. Use the insights gain from tweets in order to pray for others.

Twitter and Scripture - Second, I've been been encouraged by some of the tweets that I received--especially from ESV. Everyday I receive a tweet from ESV that contains a bible verse. The timing of some of these tweets has been amazing--comfort, conviction, encouragement. One day I had just gotten angry with one of my daughters--not the righteous kind of anger. In the middle of my sinful actions I received a tweet--"Let everyone be slow to anger..." It was as though God Himself had sent me a text message. I was convicted immediately and sought to be reconciled with my daughter. Not only could you sign-up to receive Bible-verse-tweets, but you could send out Bible verses, quotes, probing thoughts through Twitter.

Twitter and Community - Third, Twitter has helped me keep in touch with people even when I didn't have time to personally call, email, or see them. Of course, Twitter should not replace community, but it can help us keep connected with those that we love.

So, do you tweet? Why or why not? Can you think of some ways that Twitter (or other social networks/tools) can be used to expand the kingdom of God? Leave a comment.

(And in case you wanted to know, you can follow me at www.twitter.com/EMAshley)