Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are part of everyday life for teenagers. Are they harmful or harmless? This seminar will help you to think about how belonging to Jesus will impact the way that you connect online.
I recently gave a seminar across three weekend at KYCK 2014 (a Christian convention for youth) seeking to help young people consider how to think about how they behave and relate online.
This post is jam-packed with resources useful for youth, youth leaders, parents, pastors and echidnas.
DOWNLOAD MY KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
[gview file=”http://davemiers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/hashtags-KYCK-presentation.pdf” save=”0″]
A BIBLICAL FRAMEWORK
There are no bible verses that speak about hashtags, Instagram or any other social media platform. So I used the storyline of the Bible as a framework for how to think things through. I traced 4 plot points to set up a biblical framework: CREATION, FALL, REDEMPTION and RESTORATION. How does what we learn about God and people at each plot point help us to think about our use of technology?
ESCAPE TO REALITY
Movies, entertainment, celebrity culture, video games, digital media and social networks are often used to escape from reality. So the goal of this presentation was to consider how to escape to the reality that comes in knowing Jesus.
For each of the 4 plot points in storyline of the Bible I made the following points:
- #SELFIES (Creation)
- BREAD & CIRCUSES (Fall)
- THE FIGHT (Redemption)
- LEVEL-UP (Restoration)
[Click through for an explanation of each point]
12 QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
Throughout the presentation I had questions for discussion and reflection related to each of the 4 points. I think how you answer these questions will help to get to the heart of problems we may have when it comes to our use of social media. They are in the Keynote slides above, but here they are for quick reference.
In response to #SELFIES:
# How do you feel when you get less ‘likes’ than expected?
# Whose opinion do you value more online? God’s? Other’s?
# As an image-bearer of God how can you use your self to point to your Creator?In response to BREAD & CIRCUSES:
# How do you feel when you are away from the Internet for an extended time?
# In what ways do you feel enslaved to bread and circuses?
# What habits should you change to show you’re not mastered by the Internet?In response to THE FIGHT:
# What useless things are you fighting for in front of the screen or the mirror?
# How can you use the Internet to be reminded of Christ fighting for you?
# How can Christian community (online + offline) help you to fight sin?In response to LEVEL-UP:
# How much time do you waste online?
# How can you make #DWYL (Don’t Waste Your Life) a reality in your life?
# How can you use your online profile to share your eternal hope in Jesus?
DOWNLOAD MP3 OF PRESENTATION
Here are the MP3’s from each weekend. Week 1 had the best Q&A, but I was probably a little sloppier with the content. Week 2 and 3 had tighter content, but there wasn’t as much interaction. Probably go for number 3 to get the best feel for the content.
- Weekend 1 (right click to download etc)
- Weekend 2 (right click to download etc)
- Weekend 3 (right click to download etc)
MORE RESOURCES
Youth leaders and Pastors may be interested in some extensive writing and speaking I have done in this area. REDEEMING SOCIAL MEDIA has a presentation from a youth ministry conference, a series of interview with Christians using the Internet to make much of Jesus, a series of posts on how to get your ministry online and some excellent books. Worth checking out.
RELATED LINKS
>> LOOK UP // A MUST-SEE SPOKEN WORD FILM FOR AN ONLINE GENERATION
>> PARENTING IN THE DIGITAL AGE // #SYDNEY EVENT WITH TIM @CHALLIES
>> THE PASTOR IN THE DIGITAL AGE // #SYDNEY EVENT WITH TIM @CHALLIES
really demonstrated your insights in this topic.
thanks for the encouragement wilburn