I have done a pretty crap-tastic job of the past few weeks of keeping up with this blogging thing.  Back in February leading up to and during the Progressive Youth Ministry Conference and NEXT Church Conference I posted regularly what I thought was good stuff.  But over the past few months maybe due to a toddler, thesis, or shear laziness I have dropped the ball.

It's not because I don't have anything to say.  Don't believe me?  Just ask Allison.

Today marks the 10th episode of Crackers & Grape Juice.  Editing the ramblings of Jason, Morgan, and myself has proved to be more difficult than I could have ever imagined.  It takes a lot of work to make the three of us sound intelligent for 10 minutes let alone 30-60.

I've noticed over the last 10 episode, 11 if you include the pilot, my confidence to speak up has grown as well as my self-assured confidence.  I'm not quite sure if the later is a good thing.  I'll let you know how it plays out (especially at home).

On Wednesday at our middle school youth group we talked about what it really means to live out our faith in the social media area.  We decided that what most people think of social media as isn't really social media.  Check out the definitions my students came up with:

Social = an interaction between people

Media = a means of communication

Social Media = communication between people

What my students taught me Wednesday evening is that the conversations we are having via Facebook & Twitter aren't really communication.  We are shouting at each other in 140 characters about the hot topic issues of the day (Donald Trump's hair, Gorillas, Bearnie's lack of hair, and the latest Kardashian nude selfie) and missing out of the real issues we are facing (global instability, refugee crisis, decline in the local church, and much more).

I am more convinced today more than ever that we need a new conversation.  A conversation where we talk about the things that matter and LISTEN to one another.  I don't mean listen so that we can fire back with a quick response or jab, but actually listen.  Imagine how different our disagreements would be if we really listened to one another.  Imagine how our view of those guys would change if we understood where those guys were coming from.

We cannot have a one-sided conversation anymore.  The one-sided nature of our public discourse is what has led us to a lot of the conflict we experience on Facebook and Twitter, at the water-cooler, or even in our homes.  It's time we actually talk to one another.

I want to invite you to be part of real social media.  Let's start some real communication between real people.

Use the Speakpike, Got a Comment?, the icon at the bottom-right of the screen to leave me a message about something you're passionate about.  I want you to be a guest on Crackers & Grape Juice, where we will talk about it, have a real conversation and I can guarantee that more people will hear that conversation than will hear a sermon in the average United Methodist Church this coming Sunday (I'm being serious, we have the analytics to prove it).

In the meantime, enjoy episode 10 of Crackers and Grape Juice.  This is part 2 of our conversation with Fleming Ruthledge.  We cover God's wrath, apocalyptic theology, and even how great I look with my headphones on.

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Click the image below and subscribe to the Crackers & Grape Juice Podcast. We promise to provide you with theological conversations without stained glass language. In the queue we have interviews with N.T Wright, Scot McKnight, Astro-Physicist Paul Wallace,  and even a live event at the VA Conference of the United Methodist Church’s Annual Conference.