In his book Permission to Feel, scientist Dr. Mark Brackett cites research of interviews with 22,000 teenagers about their feelings related to school and 3/4ths of the words were negative: tired, bored, and stressed topping the list. He also cites a report by UNICEF that says American teenagers rank in the bottom quarter of developed…
Social Media
8 Reasons We Have Delayed (Even Further) Getting Our Daughters Phones
Four years ago, I wrote a post about the wrestle of giving a kid a phone, of social media among teenagers, and what Kaye and I were planning our approach would be with our daughters. Kaye and I were in the midst of reading and researching and talking with other parents. Our daughters were 10…
10 Proverbs for Consuming and Contributing on Social Media
When I moved to my role as vice-president of LifeWay, my boss Thom Rainer encouraged me to use a blog and social media to connect with church leaders. It was the fall of 2011. I signed up for Twitter a month later. Several years later I signed up for Instagram. Though I was not an…
11 Ways I Am Minimizing the Downside of Using Social Media
When making a choice between two possibilities, it is wise to evaluate the risk and the reward, the upside and the downside of each possible direction. Thus, when you decide you can work hard to minimize the downsides of your decision because you made the decision with awareness of the potential pitfalls of the decision….
Compelling Quotes From “Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now”
Several years ago, Jean Twenge released a research-based book called iGen and her findings on what smart phones have done and are doing to children and adolescents grabbed my attention. After discussing the book for several months, and even interviewing Jean Twenge on a podcast, Kaye and I decided together that our daughters would not…
Thank you, Instagram, for Hiding Likes
This weekend I noticed that my Instagram posts were not keeping a running tally of likes. I was so glad to see this feature being tested. Thank you, Instagram. I cut my social media teeth on Twitter because, as some have said, “Twitter is about words and Instagram is about pictures.” And as the leader…
4 Thoughts on Mission, Church, and Technology
Every new technology provides an opportunity for gospel advancement. With the Gutenberg press, the Scripture became more accessible. With the advent of the microphone and sound system, regular preachers without booming George Whitefield voices were able to speak the good news of Jesus to more people. With radio, Christians such as C.S. Lewis were able…
Blogging, Social Media, and My New Season
After announcing the transition from my role at LifeWay to Mariners Church, several have asked me if I will continue to write/blog and have encouraged me to do so. Here is the backstory… When I was serving Christ Fellowship in Miami as executive pastor and teaching pastor, I served the broader Church in “my spare…
Links for Leaders 2/9/18
We launched a YouTube channel this week. You can subscribe by going to my channel here and clicking “Subscribe” in the upper right. We plan to post a new video each week. 10 Questions to Ask Before You Send That Email or Text—Chuck Lawless “If I accidentally hit the ‘send’ button, might I regret it?” That…
Starting a YouTube Channel: An Update and a Video
A little over a year ago Chris Martin suggested I take some of the blogs/articles I have written and turn them into five minute Facebook Live videos. For the last few years Chris has been the one to nudge me in all things social media. I agreed to give it a shot, so we started…