Reflection: #OccupyAdvent With Awareness

Looks like our conversation about using social media to re-infuse Advent with holiness touched quite a few participants. Here's a reflection from #ChSocM chat participant Mike Belmares (@Metromonk). Mike blogs at . . . MetroMonk!


Each morning, I drink my coffee and I still myself to read, write and pray. Each day brings its own anxieties and mind-filling "noise." My coffee is my time to quiet that "noise" and give to it God; to see life from a different perspective and awaken to a spiritual reality. 

Something is coming! Prepare yourselves! Prepare for Christmas!

Regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof, Americans get ready for Christmas. Way before most of us are ready, businesses quickly make us aware that Christmas is coming (and you better start saving up). I actually saw Christmas decor in one store before Halloween had even passed. While it caught me by surprise, it did it's job -- it made me aware that Christmas is coming. 

The Advent Season is that kind of reminder for believers, reminding us that Christ came and will come again. Wake up. Prepare. Be Alert. Remember. It's important to remember this always and everywhere, but the real danger -- the message behind the message -- is not to forget. 

Forgetting is the real danger. Keep your lamps burning; don't let them go out. The enemy, this holiday season -- not big business or consumerism -- is forgetting. Our fight is a spiritual one. Advent is a season of remembrance and awareness. 

"Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy?" (BCP, 302).  Advent is a time to put aside the systems of this world which can so easily distract us from and disillusion us about what really matters. May we be aware of Christ’s coming and God’s ever-present reality this Advent season.  

Wake up from slumber and shed distractions. Sit. Be still. Be aware of the coming of our Lord. Let this world and its “stuff” fade away. Feel the breath, heighten the senses. May we not forget the reason for this season. May we remember someone is coming. And just as we'd prepare our home for guests at a Christmas party; may we also prepare hearts and minds for the coming Lord. Practice Advent. 

May the peace of the Lord be with you!

Guest Post: #OccupyAdvent and the Power of Social Media

Rev. David Hansen (@Rev_David), pastor at St. John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill just outside of Brenham, Texas, gets so much done during our weekly #ChSocM chats!


This topic was introduced during our October 25 #chsocm chat: “Advent begins 11/27. What challenges to identity/brand emerge during Advent? How can social media help us meet them?”

My thoughts had been spinning around this topic ever since @MeredithGould had mentioned it earlier that day.

Much of how we think about the “holiday season” (even that phrase!) has been defined by the billions of dollars spent every year on advertising and other sales materials. But we no longer live in that world. These days, people fast-forward through commercials and increasingly rely on peer recommendations instead of slick marketing. At the same time, social media allows individuals and organizations to reach as many people as expensive TV ads.

Case in point: The #Occupy movement began on social media with Occupy Wall Street. It spread to cities all over the US and Europe before traditional news media picked it up, demonstrating how a social movement with no organization and few resources could use social media to change the conversation about the US economy and politics.

Believing social media gives church all the tools we need to change the conversation about holy days and holidays, I set up @OccupyAdvent and claimed #OccupyAdvent before we’d even finished our Tuesday chat. As of today (11/8/11) 370 tweeple following our account.

Simple goal: help churches and non-church-attending Christians use social media tools to talk about the meaning and mystery of Advent. This is an experiment of sorts.

Can church use social media to spread messages of hope? Can a campaign with zero funding and no organizational backing help people slow down and simplify this year? How can social media make a real difference?  While these questions are being asked in the context of Advent, they’ve been central to our #chsocm chat from the beginning and we're discovering new examples of "yes" every day.

Guest Post: Thoughts on Social Media and Worship (Part I)

Rev. David Hansen (@Rev_David), pastor at St. John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill just outside of Brenham, Texas, is an active participant in #chsocm. He also provides content, generates conversation, and makes me laugh via DM in between weekly chats.


Before going any further, a confession: I’ve been known to live-tweet a liturgy or sermon.

Yes indeed, that was me with my phone out, tapping away. I may have even taken a picture or two (no flash – everyone has their limits). I confess. I did it.

To be clear: this is not a confession in the sense of asking for forgiveness, but in the sense of declaring, affirming, and acknowledging. I did it and I’m glad I did it.

I’ve discovered that I am not someone who can just sit quietly and listen. It doesn’t work for me. I figured this out in college and grad school. If I sat and listened attentively – kept eye contact with my professor, didn’t allow myself to be distracted, etc. – then I totally got the material during class. As soon as I left the room, it was gone.

But if I engaged with the material somehow – during the lecture itself – it stuck with me. Occasionally this meant an engaging classroom discussion, either with the professor or classmates. More often this meant taking notes – extensive notes – notes that covered what the professor said, as well as my reactions to and thoughts about the material. If I could engage with the material while receiving it, it stayed with me.

The same is true in worship. If I just sit – worshipfully, attentively – I'll certainly get something out of it. Worship has every chance of being uplifting, grace-filled, and moving. And yet, as soon as I leave the worship space, any learning or insight begins to evaporate.

But if I engage with the worship service –take service notes on my bulletin, or tweet what moved me in the sermon, or ask a question on Facebook provoked by the sermon – then it all stays with me. I’ll be able to carry it with me beyond the worship space and into my life – and isn’t that the point?

In fact, in my tradition, we occasionally require just such behavior from worshipers. How many Lutheran pastors have required confirmation students to take sermon or worship notes? Isn’t that the same sort of engagement that happens when someone uses social media during worship?

Are there ways to do this that can be too distracting to other worshipers? Are there people just playing games on their phones? Absolutely, but some of us are able to listen better precisely because we're using our phones.

Guest Post: A Strategy for Introducing QR Codes

This guest post is by Anjanette Wiley, who can be found @anj121 or Google Plus, pushing the ceiling on Catholic communications in Raleigh, North Carolina. 

“To convert somebody, go and take them by the hand and guide them.” 

– St.Thomas Aquinas

The Seed Planter (me!) printed a QR code and pasted it to her office door. Conversations started right away, along these lines:

Curious Colleague: “What’s this thing on your door?”

Seed Planter: “A QR Code.”

CC: “What’s it for?”

SP: “Scan it and find out.”

CC: “Scan it?”

SP: “With your smart phone.”

CC: “How?”

SP: “Do you have a scanning app?”

CC: “Huh?”

SP: “Let me see your phone. We’ll download an app, and then you can scan it and discover where it takes you.”

CC: “Wow, what will you use it for?”

SP: “Me? Let’s talk about how you can use it!”

I work in a diocesan Communications Department and posted this QR code on my office door, which is located in a high-traffic area. Doing this generated a lot of interest and conversation, not only with people who are tech savvy, but also with those who have technology but don’t know its super powers.

Most had never seen a QR code.  Nor did they know they could scan things with their phone. By stimulating inquiry and providing an opportunity for hands-on demonstration, this strategy planted the potential and stimulated new ideas about how to connect print and online communications.

Guest Post: gTLDs..."dot God" for Sale?

This guest post is by Eric van den Berg (@isimediaNL), owner of the private Catholic media company ISI Media and writer of the well-received Dutch handbook Church and Internet.


On June 20, 2011 ICANN – the worldwide governing body for domain names – decided that private organizations and companies may apply for new top level domains.

A top-level domain is the rightmost part of an address, after the dot. Familiar examples are .com, .net, or .edu. The ICANN decision makes generic names like .shop, .love, .hewlettpackard and the like possible. Applicants may start submitting proposals on January 12, 2012.

Now, consider this: the ICANN decision also liberates domain extensions like .catholic, .church, .anglican, .orthodox, .islam, or even .jesus and .god. 

From the perspective of corporate identity, church branding, SEO and accessibility, these new possibilities may seem very attractive. Wouldn’t it be great to share, for example, many local Christian communities under one domain, or to brand the Roman Catholic Church under .catholic?

From economic point of view, it isn’t feasible at all. ICANN is charging $185,000, leading some observers to speculate that it’s all about generating revenue for ICANN. Plus, the $185k doesn’t include your organization’s technical maintenance and management costs, or annual fees for renewal.

Most importantly, there are ethical questions.

I shiver at the prospect of Microsoft or Starbucks owning “dot god.” Back in 2009, the Vatican vetoed the “dot god” domain. Community-based and religion-themed domains could cause "bitter disputes’ and may lead to 'holy cyber wars,'” said Msgr. Carlo Maria Polvani, member of the governmental advisory committee (GAC) of the ICANN.

Looks like questions raised then, now have to be answered: Who may own “dot god”? Which organizations may maintain a religion-themed TLD? Is a “dot godisdead” just a theoretical possibility?

In my opinion, this may – in extreme – lead to more separation or competition among Catholics (e.g. .traditionalcatholic, .liberalcatholic, .notsocatholic). And what if disputes occur and a religious organization appeals to ICANN for adjudication? Can the GAC decide on religious issues? On what grounds? Will there be verified accounts, like on Twitter?

These questions have been roughly addressed by the advisory committee in the latest draft of the guidelines. Looks like an “early warning” can be issued if an organization might infringe religion-themed domains. My question is this: will that “‘early warning” solution be enough? What’s your opinion?

Want to learn more? Watch the ICANN video here.