That sentence seems a bit awkward, but I like it. It stays.

Hat tip: High Calling Blogs.

Merry Christmas to all readers of Paper Bridges.

Thank you for continuing to read my humble blog. May you have a blessed Christmas with your loved ones.

If Mary and Joseph had been on Facebook is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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Read the Bible in 90 Days hosted at Mom’s Toolbox. Starts July 1. I will be doing this, watch for updates here.

Bible Cafe for Women is working through the workbook Ruth: Loss, Love and Legacy by Kelly Minter as part of a Beth Moore Summer Bible study 3. I signed up for this six week study and have yet to purchase my book, so I need to do a little catching up.

Scripture Dig is a new website designed to help you dig deeper into your Bible. Daily posts on how to get the most out of Bible study, meditation on Scripture and which version is right for you. No Bible study offered right now, just getting really comfortable with the ins and outs of the Bible.

Let me know if you are going to participate in the 90 day Bible reading or with Bible Cafe. See you there!

Did I miss a resource? Online, book or website, share the link in the comments.

Bible reading resources for the summer is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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I just found the Book Blogger Hop in my Internet-rabbit-trails exploring. If you are in need of  more Kindred Spirits of the book blogger fare, click over to link up and have fun getting to know new-to-you book fans.

Blog Hop for book bloggers is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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It’s called 1 Book, 1 Twitter and as of May 5, the group is reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I think it’s fair to say this group reading project might be the largest book reading club ever. A fellow reader put together this map of those who indicated they are reading along, so you be the judge.

I’ve never anything by Gaiman before, and am now currently somewhere in Chapter 4 of the book. I will not be using this novel as a read-aloud to the kiddos (that’s my nice way of saying this novel has it’s naughty bits, be forewarned, Gentle Reader.) But I’m going to ignore the s*x, looking for the undercurrent of gods and God. I’ve already found a reference to Jesus in one of the god-characters – interesting is all I can say without spoiling the book.

Now. If only I could magically transport all the 1 Book, 1 Twitter participants into my living room for coffee and pasty and book chat, this would get only better. O, the joys of Twitter!

So if you see me with a #1b1t next to my tweet, you know what I’m talking about.

Join us? Follow @1b1t2010 on Twitter, use the hashtag for discussion.

Reading American Gods with thousands of my friends is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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I do. I don’t know how long it will take. You know, we love stories and we love narrative; we love to get lost in an author’s  world. That’s not going to go away; that’s going to thrive. But the physical book really has had a 500-year run. . . But no technology, not even one as elegant as the book, lasts forever.

That’s Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos, mastermind behind that eReader gadget known as Kindle answering the question posed by Newsweek magazine: Do you think that the ink-on-paper book will eventually go away?

Now I ask you -

Will the traditional paper book cease to exist?

Is technology that powerful?

Are we so addicted to our electronics that the eBook will send the paper book into extinction?

And do we care?

image: scrapetv.com

Are paper books dead? is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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O, happy day! A Sony Pocket Reader! I’ve been fantasizing of how awesome a Kindle would be, but at the price tag of almost $300, it’s a not happening right now. I had to read the post at 5 Minutes for Books twice to make sure I wasn’t dreaming – I was that shocked and excited. A Sony Pocket Reader! I can’t wait to try it out. Woohoo!

Have you won anything lately from a blog, Twitter or other another place in the online world? Let’s jump up and down together.

I won! I won! Ok, I’m calm now is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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Not a break from blogkeeping, just social media. Have fun in the Land of Constant Communication. I’ll be back…

Focus elsewhere is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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I’ll give a more detailed update later as to what happened, but for right now, I’ll leave you with this:

Twitter is the fastest way to communicate with a ton of people. Many thanks to everyone who responded to my call for prayer – you guys are the best. I wish I could reach though the computer and give you all a huge hug.

Yesterday afternoon is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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The Internet is a lot of things, but it is emphatically not a neutral aid. Digital social networking inoculates people against the desire to be physically present with others in real social networks — networks like a church or a meal in someone’s home. Being together becomes nice but nonessential.

What say ye, readers? Agree or disagree? Let’s discuss.

Blog book tour: Flickering Pixels (How technology shapes your faith) by Shane Hipps is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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As you know, I took an extended leave from Twitter and Facebook from late February to April 9. Not clicking over to Facebook was easy; Twitter I missed terribly. A few times I thought of breaking fast and jumping back in. The chatter, the direct messages, seeing that @ reply in the stream is a real kick in the pants.

And I was lonely. Giving up Twitter, it was like I wasn’t part of the blogging community anymore. I was still here blogging, leaving comments and reading other blogs, but I wasn’t part of the larger group, because they were all still giving their attention to Twitter (imagine that!). All my traffic coming from Twitter, dropped to almost nil. I missed that too. It reminded me of being a newbie, trying to find readers and build up traffic.

It wasn’t that long ago when we would visit blogs to meet each other, now we visit Twitter to meet virtually.

Not only that, but when one of us – and I’m talking moms who blog -  is hurt, suffering or wronged, Twitter takes up the cause. Remember Motrin Moms? Currently, twitter moms are raising money for the March of Dimes in memory of the daughter of a mom blogger. You can do that with a blog, but with Twitter, and the amazing hash tag, it’s so much easier.

So I’m back on Twitter, but this time with a better approach. For one, I’m not going back to that compulsion to constantly send tweets out regarding little snippets of life. I enjoy the word pictures of what people are doing, that’s why I like to tweet that too, but I feel a need to tip the balance toward helpful information. Links folks can use, learn and grow in knowledge.

If you follow me, you may have noticed I’ve been sending out links about women and children in crisis. The more I read about poverty, it’s connection to human trafficking and the sex trade… sad stuff there. That’s the new purpose to my tweets – getting the message out about these precious lives worth far more than the 140 characters I dedicate to them.

Blogs won’t die. But they are no longer the dominate means of social interaction for women on the web.

What do you think? Am I completely crazy or wicked smart? You have up to 140 characters to explain your opinion. Kidding – Twitter humor, of course.

Twitter is the new blog is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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At the A Woman Inspired conference, we learned, laughed, even crying together – all though our Internet access. Who says nothing good can come from cyberspace? Humph. I’d sign up again – and still go back for more. There is nothing like getting encouragement and godly teaching from like-minded sisters.

My final thoughts:

1. Even though I didn’t get to “attend” all the sessions, it’s okay, I’m not freaking out like I lost money. I can download them for listening at my leisure (read: when the kids are in bed and I won’t be interrupted too much).

2. Loved the chat feature. That really made it interactive and not just one gal lecturing at us. Lectures get dull fast, the chat was just enough to keep me engaged without getting distracted. On Monday, the chat wasn’t up yet; I’m so glad it worked for the rest of the week.

3. Twitter. Then when we weren’t listening, chatting and asking questions at the conference site, we were on Twitter with the #awi hash tag to talk even more. How very ladylike of us. Looking for ways to talk. The good thing about the extra place to chat, was that we didn’t fill the conference chat up with too much silliness. Twitter helped us get that out.

4. It wasn’t a conference, it was a Church. My favorite moment of the conference was Tuesday morning when Heather shared her concern about her MRI scheduled the next day. How amazing it was to watch these ladies encourage, pray and love all over this home schooling mama. It was beautiful. From what I remember, there was a bit of  “I’m crying” posted in the chat box (yes, I was teary too.)

Janice had a lot to say regarding depression and taking medication. Natalie told me if I practiced, I could have an accent just like hers. Shelly wrote a book I want to read. Ali and Melissa teamed up to talk blogging, and I heckled Mrs. F from the cheap seats. Too much fun! (FYI: If I tease you, I want to be your friend. I’m weird like that.)

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea – I enjoyed myself.

That’s it for me. What did you like about the conference? What didn’t you care for? Heck, let’s CHAT about the conference some more.

A Woman Inspired: final thoughts is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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That was fun! It only took 25 times, with a slight editing tweak, to not sound like a complete doofus. (I think in the final cut, I sound only slightly goofy.) There’s nothing like putting your personality onto YouTube for all of cyberspace to see.

I made this little tribute to my mom for the A Woman Inspired conference.

The A Woman Inspired conference is different than your regular conference – it’s online, a treat for those of us seeking to meet other like-minded women, but without leaving home. And it’s affordable! (I think I literally sighed with relief when I found the website. A few of the speakers are women I “know” via blogs and the Internet, so I’m tickled to be able to virtually rub shoulders with them. They inspire me too!)

Check out the web conference and I hope to “see” you there.

I am a woman inspired is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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And the same goes for Facebook, but I’ll forgo the screen shot with that one.

My goal: Less noise. More listening. To Him.

Turning down the volume is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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But here’s what I’m thinking… 

I want you to spam this blog.

Maybe you are a regular commenter to this blog with a good following of your own…

Or a newbie trying to build an audience…

I want you to drop your link in the comments with a explanation of who you are, what’s on your heart or what’s coming out of your head.

Tell us: What’s your blog about?

I want to add you to my Google Reader.

Ready?

This should be fun…

Go!

Spam this blog is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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Back to Britney: I feel bad for this young lady. She’s so young, with her mistakes and slip ups splashed across print and online tabloids. I had my share of screw ups as a twenty-something, what I call my Brainless Acts of Stupidity.

Would you like to know what they were? You would? Okay, do a Google search of my name. Go on, I’ll wait. (Hint: I”m not that muscular gal. What a hoot!)

*Monica goes to get another cup of coffee, checks email and Twitter*

What’s that? You couldn’t find anything on me? Of course not, silly, I’m not famous. No one cared a bit  about the mistakes of an average New Jersey co-ed, so my past isn’t here on the Internet. I was free to be me in private. The story of an average and unknown person won’t sell magazines. My goofiness and mistakes, certainly not as wild and over-the-top as Britney’s, will never be known to the world because everyday girls don’t inspire a media feeding frenzy.

Everyday doesn’t apply to Britney Spears because when you step onto the national stage of American consciousness, folks want to know you – the good, the bad and what you had for breakfast that morning kind of detail. I’m sure I don’t need to laundry list all Britney’s escapades here, they are well documented and well known. The last I heard, Britney Spears was the Number One name submitted to Google search.

This is our society today. We crave the intimate, tawdry details of a life behind the music, sports or movie star. And the wackier the better. The more bizarre, the more press she receives. We – and when I say we, I mean American society as a whole – pay lots of money for this privilege of having a seat front row center to the lives of the famous.

Sad, isn’t it? We are a nation with an appetite to know the sins of the famous. We know more about Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson, Britney and her kid sister Jamie Lynn and many others because of our craving to read scandal and sin.

For those of us who take the name of Christ, I can’t help but think that if we desired holiness and knowledge of the Word of God with the same fervor we do the lives of the famous, we would be all God calls us to be.

But that’s just me. I could be wrong; maybe I need to stop reading books that shine a light on the ugliness of our society.

Britney Spears and a nation of tabloid media is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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Most regular users of Twitter would agree with me, I’m sure: Twitter is a chat room and place to fish for new blog readers. It’s fun to read what other people are doing and sharing as they go though their day, but it quickly becomes an Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole of distraction.

Once you fall in, it’s difficult to get out.

Sure, I get that water-cooler effect of listening to other conversations, but that’s the majority of it – just listening, and talking to myself 90 percent of the time. I have 400+ followers, and I’m following more than 300, but out of those numbers, I have few meaningful interactions.

Just so you know it hasn’t been a total waste of time, I did encourage a mom to explore home schooling, helped another blogger to understand divine healing, and found one gal caring enough to add me to her prayer list – all through Twitter.

Yet the question remains: how many tweets do I need to weed through to find the gold?

I hate the way I obsess about Twitter too. When I’m wiping down the table after a meal, I’m wondering what I’m missing on Twitter. When I helping one of my kids with a math lesson, I think about Twitter. When I do get a free moment, I rush to the computer or my cell phone to check in. I’ve even posted during church.

See why I need to keep away from Twitter?

Maybe I should quit it outright, but I honestly don’t want to go that far. It’s a little scary to buck the trend, and quitting Twitter would be swimming against the stream. I don’t want to be the only mommy blogger not on Twitter; aren’t all the cool kids doing it?

I opened Tweetdeck Saturday morning, gave a quick hello, and that was it for the rest of the day. It’s easy to ignore Twitter during the weekend, because it gets quiet, but now that it’s Monday, I’m starting to go through a bit of withdrawal symptoms. I’m wondering what I’m missing, who is talking about what, and if anyone is missing me.

I doubt anyone is missing me.

And I think I’m okay with that. For now.

So I’m trying to figure out what to do. I despise this feeling of wanting to be part of the crowd, wanting to gather thousands of followers, to be That Popular Girl on Twitter. But obsessive behavior? Not good.

I love Twitter. I hate Twitter.

I don’t know.  What’s your take on this?

Much ado about nothing: thoughts on Twitter is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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I have two interesting finds for you today, the first is:

Bible Across America

From the website:

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, the best-selling translation with more than 300 million copies in print, Zondervan has launched Bible Across America, a cross-country RV tour. Bible Across America features an RV, piloted by a four-person team, that is traveling across the continental United States, making stops at churches, universities, retail stores and special events where people are invited to contribute a verse to complete a handwritten Bible – America’s NIV.

You can follow the tour with Twitter too.

And ROOV, an “online community that connects like-minded individuals around their shared experiences and passions within their church and city.”

I think ROOV has great potential, but for it to work, it needs lots of folks to use it. So, go check it out and add me to your friend list.

Have a great weekend!

A Bible on wheels might say, “ROOV” is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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1. I can juggle. I taught myself when I was bored one day. I can only do up to three items, maybe the next time I’m bored, I’ll learn four.
2. I studied nursing for a semester.
3. Tanked on my SATs in high school.
4. I’d love to learn to speak Gallic.
5. As a tomboy growing up, I never wanted anything to do with babies. That changed, obviously.
6. I love hot and spicy food. When we were on vacation last month, I ate a tuna sandwich with a spicy sauce on it. I think had a reaction to the sauce, because not long after, my face turned bright red, my legs and arms became covered with red splotches. Next time  we go to that restaurant, I’m eating the tuna sandwich again – the taste is totally worth it.

The Twitter Moms I tag are:

drmommy
Jentifa
mummifiedx5
TheSupermom
aspiringlife
Texasholly

Now these Twitter Moms answer the meme and tag six other tweeters. Girls, if you want to come back here and leave you link answering the meme, feel free to do so.

6 things no one knows about me – a Twitter tag game is a post from: Paper Bridges, © 2005-2010 Monica Brand

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