by Roger Reimer
challenge your thinking, and short enough for busy people to read. You can have this free tool, and it’s called Twitter®. Using the texting feature on my smart phone, I have been able
to stay connected to my grandkids, but remember our conversa- tions are brief! Staying involved in the lives of people you care about is worth the discipline of being to the point. Texting is available with most cell phone services, and I’d encourage you to use this to become an agent of encouragement. I regularly talk with friends all over the world with the added fea-
ture of video using Skype®. Tis tool is great when you want to see the other person and their expressions as you visit about what’s happening in your lives. Google Duo® is another video service that I have used with my smart phone. Just go to Google Duo, and you’ll find the easy- to-follow steps to get connected. Video is the next best thing when you can’t sit across the table and enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend. We’ve all heard about Facebook®. When I get a reminder that
Harvest Notes Join the World of Conversation
by Roger Reimer
Tink about the conversations you have each day with people on the street, at your work place, in your neighborhood, or at church. Most of them are short and to the point. During my career in healthcare, I frequently challenged my colleagues to learn to reflect their faith in short sentences that would cause the patient or family member to pause and think. In the hospital Intensive Care Unit, I would oſten offer a short prayer with family members at the bed- side of a loved one asking that we would sense God’s presence right there! Te change of outlook was amazing as those fearful family members were reminded of God’s presence and healing power. With brevity being the reality of our world, many easy-to-use
conversation tools can help us take advantage of the accessibility of busy people, yet respect their limited time. One tool guides your conversation to just 140 characters. For ex-
ample, “I think we’ve come to the point where we need to carefully examine who does our fact checking.” Or look at this short state- ment from Timothy Keller: “We’re far worse than we ever imagined, and far more loved than we could ever dream.” Good thought to
8 Fellowship Focus, March/April 2017
a friend is celebrating a birthday, I frequently say something like this, “Hey John! Trust you are having a God-filled day celebrating your birthday!” Or other times I will say, “Hi Susy! Trust you are seeing all kinds of evidences of God’s hand in your life.” I need to complete this discussion with an important reminder
that when you are communicating with those who live and serve in sensitive areas of the world, please follow their guidelines about what you need to avoid saying so you don’t jeopardize their minis- tries. Also, don’t forget to think about the difference in time zones from where you are to where your friend is. Reach Beyond, the organization we serve with, communicates
through website, podcasts, Twitter®, Facebook®, Linkedin®, Insta- gram®, blogs, texting and email. If you go to any of these places on the internet and search for
“Reach Beyond,” you will see examples of how the organization is using these avenues of social media. Many of the staff are using these same tools individually as well, so if you know the name of a missionary serving with Reach Beyond, you can find examples of them from their ministries. New avenues to connect with your friends are constantly in-
creasing, and you can’t use them all. But I’d encourage you to pick one or two and connect with those friends in your life who would really value a word or two of encouragement from you! And if you’re not sure how to get started with any of these tools, just ask one of your junior high or high school friends to help you. Tey will love to get you into their world of conversation.
Roger Reimer served as a cross-cultural missionary for 40 years in Latin America. Roger has since moved to the role of an encourager through coaching and writing.
FellowshipForward.org
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