#Priorities

What is important to you?  All of us have values.  All of us ideas and attributes that are important to us and that provide our lives with meaning.  These values are often how we define our life mission to ourselves and how we are defined by those around us. 

How do you communicate those values to others?  In his book on digital ministry, David Bourgeois argues that “We are no longer in the broadcast era.  We are in the digital era. . . .This powerful ability to connect people as never before should draw us, as followers of Christ, to the Internet.  It is not about the latest gadget; it is about relationships.”[1]  We are more connected to each other than ever before. 

Therefore, what message are we sending when we send that text or that tweet?  When I send out a tweet, I have the opportunity to expand my influence rather than my image.  Priorities make up our “platform,” that concept that defines who we are.  Michael Hyatt argues that two of the principles of a platform are to have something to offer people and to be willing to generously give it away to others.[2]  In doing so, we will connect with more people who can, then, spread our influence.

I noticed recently that when I use a hash-tag with my tweets, I regularly use the same three.  When I use all three in a tweet, then I have probably had an epiphany (or my head popped off and flew around my office).  These three hash-tags are more than that, however; they define who I am and what I do.  And if you follow me, they will tell you what I am about:

·         #PresenceBeforeProclamation—This is who I am.  This is how I live.  You will not care how much I know until you know how much I care about you.  This is who I am.

·         #Preaching—This is what I do.  This is what I teach.  This is the channel through which I trust that God will continue to expand the borders of the Kingdom.  This is what I do.

·         #Productivity—This is what I am about.  This is how I define success.  There is an old proverb that asks how we can define a person unless he or she makes the world a better place.  This is what I am about.

What are your #priorities?  What is your platform?  What influence do you have on others?

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[1]David T. Bourgeois, Ministry in the Digital Age: Strategies and Best Practices for a Post-Website World (Downers Grove, IL: Praxis/IVP Books, 2013), 18-19.

[2]Michael Hyatt, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012), 202-203.