Blessings of an Online Community

Welcome! Today is Five Minute Friday where Lisa-Jo offers a writing prompt and we write for 5 minutes. No editing and no over thinking. Today’s writing prompt: Community.

There is a community that I never knew existed. It’s not found on my block or the city where I live. It’s the online blogging community.

Supportive.

Encouraging.

Honest.

Transparent.

It’s a community that has encouraged my writing, but more than that, has encouraged friendship. Friendship that doesn’t require face-to-face meetings. We meet together on each other’s blogs, Twitter, and Facebook.

It’s a community that I didn’t want to belong to a year ago…when I didn’t know it was a community. I thought social media was individuals saying, “look at me.” But that’s not the ladies I have found. No, I have found friends.

I thought God had a sense of humor when He took me into the world of social media, but He knew. God knew what I needed and when. He knew what I would experience and where it would take me.

So, to my new encouraging friends, I say “I’m so glad to have met you and shared with you!”

To my Heavenly Father, I say, “Thank you Dad, I love you!”
For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:20 NIV)
In Christ,
Laura

23 comments:

  1. Laura,
    What a lovely way to describe the community I too have joined. There is so much encouragement and wisdom to be found here. Well said.
    Checking in from 5 minute Fridays.
    Peace and good,
    Chelle

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  2. Thank you for this post and the reminder of what a blessing the blogging community is. I have only recently started blogging and subscribing to other blogs, and what a comfort I have found in being able to connect with women from all over the world, sharing our thoughts, encouraging one another. So often I see social media being used in a negative way, but this is proof that God can use anything and all things to bring glory to Him.

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    1. Amen!! Thank you for your visit and comment. God bless!

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  3. So glad I met you, Laura, and I agree God does have a sense of humor. Like you, I never thought I would blog, but God had other plans. I recently joined Twitter...still not on FB...Blessings, Laura :)

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    1. I'm glad we were able to meet too! (I prefer Twitter over FB.)God bless Dolly!

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  4. I have met and emailed some good friends who are on line only because of distance and miles between us. We have never met but we are sisters in the Lord and sometimes that is even more special. We encourage each other and challenge each other and even pray for each other. It is good. Someday I might even try to meet a few of them.

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    1. What a blessing in your life! I am finding the same in mine. Thank you for your visit and comment today!

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  5. I'm so thankful I followed His call to this blogging community now 6 months ago, too. For I am blessed to be in your blogging community, Laura!
    Great 5 minute write, friend.
    (especially love how you added transparent. Because for those that haven't yet taken this challenge of joining a blogging community, they might not believe that!)

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    1. Thank you Nikki! I am blessed by your friendship as well!

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  6. I too have thanked God for the treasure of friendship given through blogging. Glad you feel the same way. What a surprise blessing this has been

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    1. Thank you for your visit and comment Jean! Blessings to you!

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  7. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:20 NIV) - AMEN

    You have summed up what many of us are thinking about this online community ever so beautifully Laura.

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  8. Beautiful :) So glad we all found each other amidst our online spaces. Blessings to you!

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  9. Laura - I too have been so blessed by this online community. When I began blogging three years ago, I had no idea how my life would be touched by the many sisters (and brothers) in Christ. I'm reminded of the verse where he young man asks Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" While we all live in different states - even different countries, as fellow believers we are "neighbors".

    Blessings and thanks for linking up this week.

    Joan

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    1. I love how we see God working like this! Thank you Joan for your visit and comment!

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  10. I have been so blessed through my on line community. I never knew such love and encouragement existed. So thankful you are part of that community! So grateful!

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    1. I am thankful to have met you Barbie...what a blessing!

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  11. Beautiful. He know...always. I've been amazed at my journey into blogworld, too. I've grown into a deeper walk with God through so many.

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  12. How wonderful it is to know that God is in everything little thing!

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  13. Amen, Laura. I can really relate to this post. My husband started blogging over a year before I did. He tried to get me interested in it but I was not the least bit interested. Then one day my niece, Ginger was at our house and she showed me her blog and talked about how women share things that are of interest to them and I decided to start a blog. Then I started another one, and then another one. I now have four blogs. I wasn't doing Facebook then either and since have gotten really active there. It has really changed my life. Like you I have met so many wonderful friends through the internet that I would have never met in person. It really has been a God-send. And Facebook has been such a blessing because I've reconnected with people from my past, both friends and relatives. Some I haven't seen in over 60 years. Some I have never seen but am related to. It's really great.
    Thank you for being one of those people in blogland who has blessed me.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

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