The #hashtag: formerly known as the pound sign

#LiveFully is for all people of all ages, but there is a focus on young adults and students.  This generation of young people has more nicknames than Jeremy Lin, one of them being the “Twitter generation,” which refers to their deep engagement in social media.

Thanks to Twitter, the  hashtag (or if you’re old school, the pound sign) is a global icon with meaning that transcends any one particular culture.  There are various reasons people use the hashtag in their tweets, status updates, or now even text messages.  One major reason for the hashtag is to share the “bottom line.”  In other words people type a tweet, then hashtag their ultimate concern.

I recently tweeted “my dog has terrible gas #disgusting #help”  The bottom line of my tweet was help me get rid of my dog’s disgusting gas. Thankfully I received that help from a faithful follower.

Hashtag is also a unifier for a shared experience.  Whether it’s an event, organization, or cause, there is now a hashtag code for everything, so that different people can tweet different things and find unity in the same event.  Even t.v. shows have their own hashtag code so that people all over the world can unite around the common sitcom.

A crucial part of the #LiveFully vision is to unite a global community that believes following Jesus is the most full life.  Just as the hashtag unites people all over the world around common experiences, our goal is to unite different people from different cultures under the common conviction that Jesus is the way to #LiveFully.  History has shown us that the way to unite as Christians is not by trying to agree on 30 doctrinal statements.  The unity that Jesus prayed for his followers (John 17:23) is not going to be accomplished like this.  #LiveFully is not a church, and it does not have an extensive statement of faith.  Rather, the goal is to unite followers of Christ around three core convictions…

-Jesus alone redeems people and cultures
-the redemption of Jesus transforms every area of personal life and positively impacts every sphere of cultural life
-followers of Jesus should be most recognized for what they contribute to the world rather than what they are against in the world

If you share these convictions, then consider building this community with us.  Join the blog weekly for posts and videos that define and celebrate the full life. Share your own stories and experiences. And when you tweet about it, make sure you hashtag #LiveFully

*Image Credit: eclecticlibrarian