Most of us who use Twitter would like to think of our tweets as resembling eagles—majestic, timeless, strong.

In reality, we probably sound more like ravens—noisy, incessant, perhaps annoying.

(If you’ve lived in Southern California, particularly Lancaster, for any length of time, you’ve had plenty of opportunities to observe the common raven. Ravens are rated as the most intelligent birds, but they have a knack for making themselves obnoxious as well.)

Eagle or raven (or mocking bird, hawk, or vulture), spiritual leaders who use Twitter should be intentional about how this tool relates to their leadership.

I’ve been using Twitter for about five years now, and I’ve gone through multiple love/hate phases with it. Currently, I enjoy using it to receive updates and interact with friends around the country who are in ministry. But I’ve recently read a couple of disparaging articles regarding Twitter—both which made me pause and consider anew the effect Twitter has in spiritual leadership.

From a bird’s eye view, here are a few thoughts on Twitter and leadership: (more…)

Several weeks ago, I was privileged to lead a man to the Lord for whom I had been praying for over six months. That was on a Sunday afternoon. A couple of days later, I was preaching out of state and two time zones away. I woke up early with this man on my mind, and I texted him a Scripture verse.

Less than two minutes later, I received a response. He and his wife had just been spending time in God’s Word together and were reading that very verse when he received my text.

Despite all the pitfalls of electronic communication and social networking, this story illustrates one clear benefit: immediate and edifying communication.

Fifteen years ago, I did not have a tool that would have allowed me to have this kind of immediacy in communication. I could have sent an email with the Scripture verse and let him know I was praying for him, but it is unlikely that he would have received it at the very moment he was reading the same verse.

When Spirit-filled Christians use the technological communication tools of our day, those tools can become powerful means of encouragement, edification, and spiritual influence. (more…)