Friday, August 1, 2014

eformation- When the Visual Landscape is Pinterest


#3 in the eformation Series

My world has always been highly impacted
 with the VISUAL clues of life.
I respond to color, shape, 
and figuring how it 
ALL FITS together.
I remember what I see best.
And we know that humans learn best
when there is the dynamic interplay of 
audio, visual, and kinesthetic exchange.
 I have been waiting
 the last ten years
for a tool that makes sense of all
 that I have attempted to
find, file and then REFIND on the internet.
Was in over my head.
Then my girls showed me Pinterest.
I was in when it was in beta format.
Organizing my likes, interests, discoveries,
and resources VISUALLY.
If you are still new to this visual social media tool-
see this-  Pinterest


What was quickly evident was that
 this visual media tool allowed me to be my 
authentic Christian self,
 in the middle of living my real life.
That is-
 all the slices and pieces that make up ME.
Relationships, family life living,
 homemaking, spiritual formation, 
travel, problem solving and redo,
Biblical resources, my reading lists,
food, leadership, women's ministry,
and every other category of topic
 that makes up 282 boards.
 I did not have to separate
 the "church" side of me,
and the "out of church" side of me.
Want to know who I am?
And who my God is?
Connie Denninger-Pinterest

My faith experiment is believing that God
 is in the business of this transformational
disciple-making on a daily,
 minute by minute journey.
All put together, in this jumble of Connie.
And as my relationship with Jesus
 is found in this daily life living,
it may be interesting enough
 to capture the attention or interest
 of another Pinterest member.
And then there is a Follow.
Wholly in- or a board or two.
And I might find someone who puts a spin
 on life that creates visual impact
 for how we live in our home.
Or combines a photo with God's Word,
 so that the image stays with me all day long.
Or creates infographics of the books of the Bible, 
 helping me to prepare to lead a Bible Study.
Or helps me choose a dinner menu
 quickly when guests are coming.

It is a fascinating dynamic
 to put "your real self"
out there for all the world to see.
 Unedited.
As Witness and Available.
Because Pinterest is also interactive.
With the whole world.
So a conversation began with a young believer
 about the best choice of a book
 to give as a gift
 because she is a sponsor for the first time.
In Manila, the Philippines.
Or a women's ministry leader is searching 
for a Bible study recommendation.
In the Ukraine.
Or a young married woman on the opposite coast
 of the United States finds encouragement
 in a challenging day. 

On this visual social media site,
 I have chosen to be an encourager,
connector, informer, curator, and creator.
I will be writing about those roles.
I have prayed to be
available here and obedient
 to the nudges of the Holy Spirit.
Not worried about numbers, or follows.
And awaiting to see what might have happened
 in the middle of the night, 
while I was sleeping,
 and God was at work.
So far, He has not disappointed.
God uses EVERY tool.

"so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
Isaiah 55:11

(updated July 9, 2019)







2 comments:

  1. Blogging and social media allows us to be encouragers, connectors, informers, curators, and creators. So true!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It was certainly the visual aspect of this post that drew me in. I'm excited to check out the pinterest group!

    ReplyDelete

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