February 13, 2015

WHEN the Internet is Holy... a Five Minute Friday Post


I love the #fmfparty Community that gathers on Twitter and all across the Inter Webs on Thursday nights and on Fridays... on into the next week, where we encourage and uplift... where we share prayer requests and praise reports... where we talk food and friends and we find support and kindred hearts and we are reminded that life is good and God is good and we are not alone... and then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts and our fingers do the talking tapping and we hit publish before we can second guess... we just let Him flow! 

Here is our Word Prompt for the day: WHEN

{GO}

I still can't get over last weekend... how God showed up and showed off and knit our hearts closer, tighter, made us even more kindred, as if we thought that even was possible... how He shifted and redeemed and healed and held us... and it all happened in homes and on couches together, but separated by state lines (and lines and lines, all the way from sea to shining sea... oh wait! You know what I mean!) States and Countries apart, distance untraveled and yet we were all together... bonded... (voxing!)

Yes... If:Gathering and If:Locals were happening all over the world and for whatever reason, we were all planning on watching it if we could, when we could, on our own.

But God... But the Internet...
(But Voxer!)



I decided to just put it out there on facebook, --how I was planning on watching the If:Gathering in Austin live streaming on my own... a few others chimed in that they were in the same boat and we decided then and there to watch it alone, together.  

Honestly, I thought it would be fun... there would be chatter and we'd visit a bit while drinking it in together. There would be laughter and encouragement - because that is just how we roll.

What I didn't really expect was how it felt when suddenly, the atmosphere changed and we all knew it.  We felt it when God made the internet holy and when He worked through Voxer and His Presence showed up, and His daughters were real... vulnerable and brave... and we knew - each of us - that this thread... this Gathering... this If:Voxer... it was holy ground and it was not going to end when the live stream shut down!



So we gathered Friday night... Logged on to the LiveStream page and charged up our phones...



We worshiped together, we prayed, we added people into our thread as they tweeted about watching alone or wanting to join in! 

We are Community... and we are Gathering to press in... to be reminded of truth... to be set free and set aright and turned around... to be filled up and sent out because at the heart of If:Gathering is the call to equip and unleash and oh my goodness, how there was an unleashing among us!

...and then, early Saturday morning, we did it again!




We logged on and charged up and pressed in together... we listened to messages of hope, of faith, of real-life-coming-in-hard-but-God-is-still-good-anyway! Some days we really need to remember the 'anyway' part! 

We grabbed our rocks and we wrote our Words... our next steps... we laid down our doubts and we prayed* together, "Lord we believe! Help our unbelief!"

We remembered that our God... He uses all things together for good.  "All Things" -- even our poor choices, our dark times, our struggles and battles... yes.  He uses those.

We remembered that our God... He is a redeeming God and He redeems time and He redeems hearts and hands and calls and relationships.  He redeems our faith, praise God!

And we remembered that our doubt, our fear, our knee-jerk reaction to keep quiet, to not ask for help, to slip back into shadows and lonely corners... our running from community to seclusion?  Yeah - those all have to go! 

We are meant for Community and we need each other... and when the internet is holy and God is moving, there is no need to be fake or surface.  I know many feel that internet friends are not the same... people assume people on the internet are photo-shopped and only the best version of their best days, but ya'll... when God makes it holy - none of that is true!

My internet friends are real and they dive deep and they share truth... they are beautiful and brave and I cannot wait to meet them all #inrl.


{STOP}

The Lord has been working on me lately, reminding me that much of my ministry, my call, in this season is based around the interwebs and it can feel less than, not enough, not 'real' - but let me assure you... the things that unfold online can bring freedom... can bring hope... can bring truth. And I for one am going to stop believing the lie that it is not real ministry! It counts... it counts because YOU count, dear reader! 

And He is after you... He is in hot pursuit of your heart and He will use anything and everything to grab hold of you!  He will use blogs and apps and the internet! And I am honored that maybe, just maybe, He will use me... my words... my little corner here in the world wide webisphere... to draw you closer!

* This was my Five Minute mark, but I wanted to complete my thought!




Five Minute Fridays gives us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click here to read what others have to say about "WHEN"


Oh ...the fine print: if you don't know what FMF is!  Five Minute Fridays have been hosted by Lisa Jo Baker.  This week we start gathering over at Kate Motaung's.  FMF is open to anyone, so to learn more about it - and to jump in yourself (the more the merrier!) or just to find a linky to see what everyone is writing about today - click HERE!  The idea is to simply write... for Five Minutes flat... no editing, no deep thinking - or at least REthinking, no spell check - just write! Let it flow! We all write using a prompt that Lisa posts at 10pm Thursday night (EST.)  I'm loving the community of amazing bloggers and the creativity that flows from these magical Five Minutes!

I am also linking up with the Community over at:

36 comments :

  1. Loved being a part of #voxerIF or was it #IFVoxer. In any case, it was AMAZING. What a cool God we serve. xo

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    1. Amen and Amen my friend! I love that it just keeps going! xoxo

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  2. I watched IF by myself, on my couch, sicker than a dog but oh it was so rich! Loved it.

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    1. Oh Susan, how I wish you could have joined us! Sorry you were sick but thankful you were able to lay and watch it... to rest and receive!

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  3. I loved this post. I am going to definitely make a point to mark my calender and participate in IFgathering watching party next year. It sounds wonderful. I love the friendships I have made online. Thank you for your friendship and encouragement. I hope you have a lovely weekend.

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    1. Amen Jo Rose! Internet friends are among some of the 'realest' deepest truest friendships that I have! Thankful for you as well! Happy Valentine's Day weekend! xoxo

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  4. Oh friend I love this. I cannot wait to meet so many of you InRL too. God does indeed show up through Voxer, the web, our blogs, etc.

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    1. Yes... and all the feels! Love you so, sweet friend! So glad you got to play with us! xoxo

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  6. I love that God infiltrates every area of our lives if we invite Him there! Thank you sharing this, and I love that you took the time to complete your thoughts and give home to others. The Holy Spirit really spoke through you today!

    Blessings-
    Christine

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    1. Thanks so much, friend! (And thank you for including me in your newsletter this month as well!)

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  7. That is just so incredible awesome. I got to see Friday night, but I missed Saturday :( I was so bummed.

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    1. It is just so awesome! Friday night was great... but of course, Saturday was great too! I'm sorry you missed it! I purchased the download so I could watch it again later... it's worth it if you can swing it because - Gah! So much awesome!!!

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  8. The internet can be so inspiring and I've met people through it and been blessed in many ways by it. What a sweet & wonderful time for you & friends!

    Coming by from FMF!

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  9. Sounds like I missed a lovely gathering!

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    1. So sorry you missed it! We would have loved to have you join us! It was amazing! (You can download it for a cost... it was so powerful!)

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  10. This is amazing. How I wish I could have been there with y'all!

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  11. "And I am honored that maybe, just maybe, He will use me... my words... my little corner here in the world wide webisphere... to draw you closer!" He has, Karrillee. Over and over. Visiting from FMF. Blessings.

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    1. Thanks so much, my friend! I appreciate your encouragement! (You are next on my list which means that I am already praying for you! I'll send out your card in a few days!) xoxo

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  12. Yeah. That time. Those women. Those words. That God. It was truly amazing and I am still going back and reveling in it all! Love you girl!

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    1. Me too, my friend! I hate the thought of ever having to delete that thread! ;) Love you right back! <3

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  13. Loved that time and I'm so glad that it isn't 'over.' Thank you for taking that first step of sharing.. what a blessing it became!

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    1. Amen, my friend! And speaking of 'over' - are you happy or sad or both that all those dance practices and performances are behind you now? I am praying for you as I suspect it is bittersweet! Love you, girlie! xoxo

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  14. That sounds amazing! A few years back I experienced something like that, even if in a sort of a different way. Me and a pen pal, we watched a movie together even if we weren't on the same continent. I know it's somewhat different, but I understand the connection. It is amazing. So thank God for the internet and the way it connects people. :)

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    1. It's really not that different at all, Alina! I love that you were able to do that! I think there is so much negativity and bad news about the internet, I love hearing the positive good news on how it is connecting us all! It truly is amazing! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  15. This makes me wish I'd known about it. Your enthusiasm inspires!

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    1. It was wonderful! The weekend gathering of If:Austin is available as a download to watch... I know many of us purchased it to watch again (and again!) because it was that good! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  16. It is amazing how God is using the internet to bring His people together & knit them tightly. I am so wishing I had been able to participate :) May God continue to use social media to spread His Word & bring Him glory & honor! Blessings!

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    1. Amen - Let it be, Lord! Let it be! (Oh and me too! I wish you would have been able to join in too!)

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  17. Sounds like an amazing way to meet up since being together wasn't possible. I love how the internet can bring people together and for God to work and move. It is amazing.

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  18. Now I'm going to have to check out this whole IF thing :). I have never heard of it before, but it sounds lovely. I'm always amazed at how God can use technology to work against the powers that separate us (although, why should this surprise me--He's God, after all!).

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    1. Oh my - you will be blessed! This is the second year they have had this gathering and it is live in Austin, TX or live streaming... (You know, anywhere!) I highly recommend it! You can purchase the videos to download from the last two years soon on their website ifgathering.com The messages are powerful and encouraging! And yes... we should not be surprised! ;)

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Thanks so much for stopping by! I always love to hear your thoughts! Remember to: Speak Life - Be Love - Shine On!
~Karrilee~

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