Retweeting Praise, Ugly Cousin Makeouts, & Finding Purity
[one letter makes all the difference]
I try not to do it.
Try.
But let’s be honest. It feels amazing.
Yet it’s kinda like making out with a hot girl in public, yet the only problem is that everyone else sees that she’s actually your ugly cousin.
But you are blind to it
Retweeting it when someone tells you how awesome you are.
There are a few agendas here.
Let’s look at the pure ones…
1. Person tweeting about you actually thinks you are awesome and you did something that has had major impact on them.
2. You retweet because you want people to know that God is using you and your ministry.
Now let’s look at the ugly cousin ones.
1. Person tweets something awesome about you because they hope you find some vanity in it and retweet it so they up their followers…
2. You bite the bait and let people know that person x thinks you are the cats pajamas. You end the retweet with your own”I think you are awesome too!!!” which completes the public cousin makeout session full circle.
Now I like to look at pure motives.
When I have done this, and I have, I am probably batting .500 when it comes to not trying to be a DB. And the times I have wanted you to know how absolutely awesome I am is probably because someone has just ripped me a new hole and I’m pissed and wanting to feel better about myself.
Now here is the other side of the coin. When you ASSuME the worst of someone and you start making out with yourself.
Only in private.
And that is probably worse because things can go a lot farther in private.
Twitter and social media is a strange thing. It is soooooo about mememememe yet it actually helps other people.
It’s a strange world.
You share your pics on instagram and hope for 15 likes.
Yet when someone retweets some praise you act like they committed a deadly sin.
So here’s the deal.
I like to approach twitter like a conversation going on at Phillips Arena.
There are 20,000 people watching me and I’m probably not going to walk on stage and say…
“He guys!!! Thank for listening to what I have to say today. First off…Did you hear @awesomedude tell his friends I’m awesome? You know what? He is awesome too.”
That feels a bit sketchy. But it’s almost as we are on stage with a blindfold on and earplugs in.
The noise of the crowd is shut out so it feels ok to say because they are not really there.
So in this mess of a vomit post I think I want to land on a few things.
1. Making out with cousins is not ok.
2. Making out with yourself is not ok. That’s called masturbation.
3. When we look for the pure in someones heart we will more than likely find it.
4. In this social media world of memememememe, people are actually touching and changing peoples lives. Sometimes that’s hard to not shout about.
I’d love to hear your thoughts…
Now back to waiting for an awesome tweet about me…
Los
RAIN IT DOWN
pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one. Making out with yourself is not ok.
It’s gross.
So, how do you comment on this one? Is it like the ugly cousin? Are we commenting to be noticed?
Well I asked you too for one.
And we are all family here…So we are all cousins…
Great post. Ministry and social media comes with a fine line. The line of “praise me” and “praise God”. Maybe its why some people, emphasis on SOME PEOPLE, believe social media to be a narcissistic monster. I believe that is a lie of Satan because often times what he intends for evil God intends for good. Just look at Joesph in Gen 50. I just pray that God uses my blog or uses my tweeter feed to touch the heart of someone today. And yes… I praise God that He has used the awsome oops… awesome Carlos Whittaker and even his family to minister to a multitude of people.
Amen
I know you didn’t intend it this way, but I like the phrase “Awesome Oops.”
Well, I agree w/ ya on “Making out w/ cousins is not ok”. How to talk about it w/ a close friend who is dating a cousin????
Actually I’ve got two. One of them is engaged.
Brilliant
Brilliant? He is engaged with his cousin… got it?!
BUT what if your cousin isn’t related by blood… and is actually kinda cute?
Are you from Tennessee, Clark?
hahahahahaha
The beautifully funny part about this comment is no… I’m not… but my lead pastor and executive pastor ARE… Oh and Los… you da man!
Being from TN I feel I am allowed to say that…and having kissed my cousin once upon a time.
Thank you for not trying to be a DB…the world has enough.
Tell me about it. Jersey Shore
…my guilty pleasure.
2. Making out with yourself is not ok. That’s called masturbation.
haha!!
ps – good call on this post
thanks man.
I have to constantly ask myself…what is the line on building “your brand” and self promotion. It feels messy to say that, but it is hard.
How do you do this with the mindset that ultimately I am not promoting myself but God. But the allure of what men or women say about me is so great that it is easy to forget that it is not about me.
Amen.
I agree! There are so many times I go in with some double motives…i want to help out people, but I love to hear “Man, that was AWESOME.”
makes me feel great…and if folks say I don’t do that…they lie.
This is a struggle of mine.
I’ve had one friend tell me I don’t do enough to promote my work, and I’ve had another jokingly imply (but still, ouch) that I won’t shut up about it.
So how do you use these social media to share the work you feel God has given you without shoving your alleged awesomeness in everyone’s face? So far all I’ve got is try, fail, and try again.
I think if it benefits others (you giving out your skills or talking about it) then it is perfectly fine.
Why so much hate
hate?
Los,
in saying all of this: I did ADD you to my blog roll the other day
LOL!!!
This has always been a pet peeve of mine. I appreciate you taking a look at the righteous pure side of it. I honestly never see it like that. Sometimes I think that’s a major problem with Twitter, you read the words but not always the intentions or heart behind them.
I ALWAYS see shameless self-promotion. That’s my bad.
At the same time… Your arms weren’t created for patting yourself on the back. They don’t bend that way. Your just going to end up hurting yourself.
Love the blog.
Good word.
To me, it’s just like getting an email from someone giving you a compliment, and then immediately forwarding it to everyone you know.
If we want people to see God and not us and we’re actually concerned with pointing people Christ, then why would we ever RT praise for ourselves? Because we’re prideful.
I’m guilty of it. You’re guilty of it. We’re all guilty of it.
Can we do the “week of the no RT” together where we simply tweet about Christ and not ourselves?
I don’t think we could do it.
It would be like the masturbation bet on Seinfeld.
Great post Los, it’s something I’ve thought about a lot over the past year or so, and you worded it in such a borderline dbag way that didn’t make you a dbag, or the people you are talk about a dbag. Convicting on all ends!
now don’t recomment, reblog, repost this.. you’re not that cool
Los, usually you have some good stuff on here but out of love I have to point a few things out…
I see a few potential problems in the pure motives:
1. Person tweeting about you actually thinks you are awesome and you did something that has had major impact on them.
I would say as a Pastor… Leave it at that. If we have had a major impact on them that is awesome. But feeling the need to share that with everyone else is insecurity and wanting our reward here on earth. It is arrogance and idolatry.
2. You retweet because you want people to know that God is using you and your ministry.
Who cares who knows how God is using me. If He is using us, praise Him and leave it at that. Again the need to let other’s know He is using me is drawing attention from Him and to me. Because the truth is…. If there is any good thing that comes out of our ministry… it is God’s good work through grace and not ours.
We have to constantly be guarding our hearts from making ourselves and our ministry an idol.
For me, this goes not just for RT’s but also for “I just bought a homeless guy lunch!”… Some of us walk around thinking… What can I do for God so I can tweet about it (I catch myself doing this) but what we should be doing is walking around showing Christ’s love and sharing the Gospel because people are going to hell and God commands it).
In Christ and Love,
A fellow servant in the Ministry.
Really really great thoughts Bliss.
You articulated personally what was in my heart.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Except now I know you are Bliss and I see your picture therefore using your points you should have commented anonymously in order to not get a response from Josiah.
there are plenty of places in scripture where Jesus shares the Good news of what the Lord has done thru Him.
We’d lose 1/4 of the New Testament if Christ was not sharing with others what God did through Him
Responding to a post on a blog is not the same as retweeting praise for yourself.
If Bliss took my comment and RT’d it then yes, your point is valid, but in this case it’s not the same thing.
Also, there is a HUGE difference in Jesus Christ telling people He’s the Son of God and me telling people that Carlos Whittaker digs my music ministry.
Yeah, Bliss! I totally agree. Pastors I connect with best, and want to emulate, are those who have a quiet confidence about themselves, not those who promote themselves all the time! But we’re all family, so whatever! It’s just a little discouraging to see pastors and leaders in the church applaud themselves all the time. So much insecurity!
I usually like a lot of what you write bro but i gotta say, your response to bliss feels a little defensive… If God is using you, praise Him. That should be the first and last thing out of your mouth.
Not defensive. Might have read that way. Just making a point…
And you can’t like everything I write!
lol
i feel ya bro… i like the sax man!!!!
This reminds me a teaching from Kim Walker…check it out here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q66pavmT44o
She just mentions how she always kept her focus on on the Lord, and He ordered her steps. Never once had to promote herself, and never cared much, either.