"A person finds joy in giving an apt reply - and how good is a timely word."
That verse is from Proverbs 15:23 and these two guys have written a little book with a big message that embodies that verse so well!
Growing up on the heels of globetrotting parents, Bryce Conlan had visited or lived in more than a dozen countries before age 16. Whether feeding the homeless or starting a new enterprise, his life is marked by the message of God's grace and the incredible love Jesus demonstrates for us.
After graduating from high school Bryce moved to Chicago where he pursued a degree in Audio Engineering; which to his surprise was far more engineering than audio. In 2008 Bryce began work on what would later become Big Swell Media, a full service media production company located in Chicago. Bryce loves being in front of crowds and eagerly pursues every opportunity to teach on the gospel of grace, the finished work of the cross, and healthy marriages. He lives in Chicago with his wife Dana.
As a songwriter and musician, Chuck Giacinto has penned songs with Grammy and BMI Award winners, and has performed alongside many multi-platinum artists. Today, he serves as a staff pastor and worship leader at Grace Community Church in Streator, IL.
Giacinto earned a degree in graphic design from Illinois State University and a doctorate in pastoral theology. In 2006, following time spent in China where he and wife Lynette adopted their youngest daughter, the couple formed Adoptive Music, a record label specializing in adoption-themed music. Chuck and his wife have three children and reside in Streator.
Giacinto and Conlan's book is Cloud Culture: Walking the Walk & Typing the Talk - Christian Living in the Social Media World. This little book (only 120 pages) published by Seven Leaf Press may be the most practical and timely book I've read all year; and I've read a lot of books this year! Giacinto and Conlan write with practical insight, humor and the familiarity of a long-time friend. You will laugh in one paragraph and be deeply challenged in the next. But even their "challenge" is given not in a preachy or judgmental way, but with a desire that you as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ use wisely the amazing an nearly world-wide platform of social media to connect with people and make Him known.
Below is part of an interview that was conducted with Giacinto and Conlan. Hear their heart in writing Cloud Culture:
So, what is Cloud Culture about?
Cloud Culture is about social media, but
I don’t want that to scare anybody off because this isn’t a techie,
computer-oriented book at all. We feel that social media, at its core, is about
two things: communication and relationship. We believe God designed us with a
need to know others and to be known by others and Cloud Culture, while it
addresses current social sites, is really about how to develop deep personal
relationships in this new and evolving landscape, and, ultimately, where our faith
fits into that.
So,
this is like a social media “code of conduct” per se?
Rather than a code of conduct, we want
the Church to have the vision to see the possibilities and limitless
opportunities available to us through social media. Cloud Culture is not
intended to show you how to “do” social media. We want to start a movement, a
movement that sets a foundation for relationships and communication that honors
God and allows the Gospel to seep out of our lives in a real, organic way.
Why
now?
Well, we feel this book could come out next
year or five years from now, and still be relevant in terms of its concepts,
regardless of how the landscape of social media changes. But because of the
void there has been regarding a real conversation in the Church about social
media, along with the approach we wanted to take, we felt a sense of urgency to
be on the front end of this conversation.
How
does social media look different for a Christian versus a non-believer?
In one respect it looks the same. It’s how we communicate.
It’s literally our lives and relationships on display. Where it looks different
for the Christian is that we strive to hold ourselves to a higher standard and
even consider how what we say will affect those on the receiving end of our
posts. Are they just acquaintances or people we want to impress or stay in
touch with? Or do we really SEE them, as God sees them? Are we open to reading
between the lines to see people’s need and to realize that we have been handed
these amazing tools that no previous generation could have dreamed of to
communicate with the world? Cloud Culture isn’t really a formula. However, it
is an encouragement and a reminder that you are in a relationship with God, and,
if THAT relationship is strong, it will naturally spill over into social media
in a real and genuine way that a formula can’t produce.
At
one point, you write that it’s important to realize that our words, comments,
links, and posts go out and become part of other’s daily lives—a gift and a
responsibility. Do you think most people think about this when updating their
Facebook?
No, I (Chuck) don’t. In my experience most people just shoot
from the hip. Imagine you have all of your Facebook friends and Twitter followers
in one room together and you get up in front of your audience of hundreds and
say, “Now that I have your attention, I want you all to know…I’m eating a
really good sandwich.” OK, there’s nothing wrong with that of course, but what
we want our readers to realize is the size of the audience you have at your
disposal every day. If you could say something to them all, what would it be?
And the reality is you CAN do that! Social media is literally an outlet and a
platform for you to speak directly into people’s lives every single day.
I’m
sometimes truly surprised at what people post on Facebook—even fellow
Christians. What should a Christian consider before posting a blog, a tweet, or
a Facebook status update?
Always consider your audience. One of the marks of a
Christian life is self-control and that means that sometimes we don’t say that
thing we want to say for the benefit of others. This can be wildly difficult,
and we discuss it at length in Cloud Culture. It’s so important. Another thing
to consider is context. Many of the problems, disagreements and offenses via
social media or texting come out of our abbreviated new sentence structure and
the loss of context for the reader can be painful. So we really need to take a
second and reread our postings. Taking a few extra seconds and using a few
extra words for example could bring a lot of clarity to the recipients of your
post.
In
Cloud Culture, you write that we should strive against using social media as
only a platform for voicing our beliefs and opinions. What do you think about
bloggers, and particularly those who spend the majority of their time calling
out what they believe are problems in the Church?
Well, it is certainly a place and a platform to express
ourselves, and our views, etc. That’s part of the beauty of it. My concern is
that we don’t want to get lost in all of the noise as just having another set
of opinions or beliefs among many. Ours is not just one more set of opinions
out there. It’s the Gospel of Christ. And because of that, we have to remember
what social media is about at its core…relationship and communication. So Cloud
Culture isn’t about being good at technology; rather, it’s about being biblically
grounded in terms of relationship and communication. As believers, when we’re
sincere and good at both, that will come out and resonate in a real and honest
way. As far as the problems in the Church or disagreements, we want people to
realize that what we post has a very long shelf life. Long after we may have resolved
a situation, it still lives out there. As Christians, more than anyone, we
should realize the power of our words.
You
talk about Christians being ambassadors of Christ. How does that look on a
practical level in the social media world?
(Chuck) It looks much the same as in our real lives because
that’s what people are watching unfold on social media--our lives. I’ve been
married for 21 years, and if there was no trace of my relationship with my wife
in my social media, well, that would speak to some real issues. So, how can we
conduct ourselves daily in social media and have our relationship with God
nowhere to be found? And not forced or fake, or out of a sense of duty, but a
natural reflection of the place the relationship holds in our lives.
What
are some practical ways to reach people through social media without simply
just posting daily Bible verses?
One thing we can do is work at fostering real relationships
within our networks. Another thing is to reach out with a private message when
we can see that someone is struggling. There are other ways too - less public
ways. For example, what if everyone reading this today looked at their Facebook
friends list or Twitter followers, then picked one person and prayed for them
today, and did the same tomorrow. It’s a quiet act, and maybe no one would
know, but that doesn’t negate the fact that it’s a remarkably powerful. Imagine
if we could get thousands or perhaps millions to do this on a daily basis.
In Cloud Culture, you write, “It’s a true
sign of maturity and Christian character when you can restrain yourself from
leaving remarks that will only fuel the online conversations which are neither
edifying nor productive.” How does a Christian handle this type of temptation?
You know, it’s not easy. There are certainly things worth
defending. But it does require some discernment. It’s easy enough to
misinterpret each other speaking face to face. But when typed or texted, and we
abbreviate and condense our thoughts, there is again a real loss of context, which
makes it very difficult to communicate well this way. Sometimes the most
constructive thing we can do is to choose a different path. Pick up the phone
and talk, or speak face to face. There’s an amazing amount of healing that
takes place when someone takes the time to call and resolve the issue
personally rather than the quick text message of tweet. Sometimes skipping the
new convenient route for the old fashioned one is the wisest choice.
What
do you think social media will look like in the years to come?
It’s almost impossible to know, and I’m sure someone is
already hard at work imagining and building the next big social media platform.
But I am sure of two things. First, it’s not going away. Social media only
stands to get bigger and hold a bigger place in our lives and culture. And second,
whatever form it takes, whatever it looks like, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter,
or the next big thing, it is still…at its core…ultimately about communication
and relationship…and how we “do” both. And because of that, what we are setting
out to accomplish with Cloud Culture is to lay down some principles that aren’t
limited to any current or popular platform that could be out of date or out of
business tomorrow, but instead we want to establish a standard as Christians
for how we communicate with each other, how we relate to those around us, and
ultimately how we represent the cause of Christ.
If you are a blogger, use Twitter or Facebook, Instagram, Pintrest or any other form of social media, whatever age you are, then this book is for YOU! The enemy would love to continue to use the internet to harm many (and in many cases he does). As a believer, Cloud Culture gives you a clear wake-up call to a monumental opportunity to literally reach the world for Christ.
What is your favorite form of social media to use and why?
The give away will run until Monday December 3rd. Please leave a way I can contact you in your comment in the event you win!!
Blessings,
Jennifer
That's the living room before the attack on presents.
