Be a lighthouse

An absolutely brilliant idea came to me while I was running yesterday.  I’ve got so many great messages that singles need to hear that I put them into a book.  Why not distribute them out with photos on social media?  That way people can get some needed light in their lives without having to buy anything.

So I went looking for stock photos just as I do when preparing my blog posts.  I collected ones that seemed to work for the purpose at hand.  When one inspired a positive message in my mind (or just seemed related to one), I stopped and added it to the graphic.  This activity quickly became really enjoyable, and I got on quite a roll, spending half my day with it.  That meant some things didn’t get done as I intended they would.  But that’s okay.  After all, I have today.

Here’s the first of these graphics.  I’ll be sharing them on the Facebook page I started for my book.  So you can get these as I send them out automatically in your news feed by liking that page.  And of course, spread them around.  We all need to support one another in meeting the challenges of our lives.

And that’s exactly what this first graphic is intended to communicate.  Yes, we do need to stand on the right side of the line.  But in a world growing ever more dark, standing where we should is not enough.  We need to support other people to stand there also.

---

Far too often singles groups are viewed either as activity clubs or dating forums.  Both of these perspectives represent less effective ways of thinking and will prevent us from achieving our full potential in building Zion.  That’s because those perspectives don’t encourage us to be supportive of those who surround us.

Zion is a place where everyone looks out for everyone.  That means singles groups should be about supporting one another.  Yet too often those who participate in singles groups have their own agenda.  And that agenda -- whether filling a spot in a calendar or looking for a companion -- is ultimately centered on self.

And this isn’t just something for singles to adopt.  Our married friends can do much to support us to face the challenges of singles life without diminishing the role of the family in the gospel plan.

I talk about all this and more in my upcoming book.  You can download the first 60 pages for free.  And you don’t need to provide any information on yourself to download.  Just click on the download link at the bottom of the book page and you get the PDF.  It’s really that simple.  There really are no strings attached.

I’m following a different business model.  Some folks call me nuts for not collecting contact info that can be used in future marketing efforts.  But I’m so sick of being marketed to that I don’t want to inflict that on anyone else.

That’s also why I place a word limit on my blog posts.  In our modern world, information overload is so prevalent it could rank as the fastest growing public health concern.  I don’t want to overload anyone.  I want to provide positive strength in facing challenges and relief from problems in a way that people can easily fit what I have to offer into their already busy lives.  Sharing pieces through multiple channels seems to achieve that objective best.  That way people can pick and choose what fits best for them.

Clearly my upcoming book is a major channel.  But I also have this blog.  And now I’m moving into social media to engage other ways of spreading the message.

The gospel really is good news for those who truly embrace it.  Let’s support one another as we all journey together towards our eternal home.  You can support those in your circle of influence by liking the Facebook page for my upcoming book and then sharing the posts with those in your network.  If you haven’t done so already, then lease take a moment and do it now.