Church leaders have increasingly encouraged Latter-day Saints to use technology and social media to hasten the work of salvation.
At the BYU Campus Education Week in August, Elder David A. Bednar told Latter-day Saints that their efforts to communicate gospel messages through social media channels was a good beginning, but only a small trickle. “I now extend to you the invitation to help transform the trickle into a flood….I exhort you to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth—messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy—and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood.” (Seehttps://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/to-sweep-the-earth-as-with-a-flood?lang=eng)
Many people would like to follow Elder Bednar’s counsel, but need some good ideas on exactly where to start when it comes to using the Internet and social media. Larry Richman comes to the rescue by compiling some easy, practical ideas into a book titled 101 Ways to Hasten the Work Online. It is an easy-to-read, 80-page book that has 62 color illustrations. For each idea, he provides a paragraph or two of explanation to get you started.
Brother Richman says, “We live in a rema
rkable age of technological miracles that I believe the Lord has inspired to accomplish His purposes. The Lord is hastening His work and expects members to step up the pace, open our mouths, and use our fingers to tell others about the happiness that comes through living the gospel.”
Brother Richman culled through the 1,500 articles he has written over the years for LDSMediaTalk.com to find the best ideas for hastening the work online. He then refined and updated them to create the book. He recounts that he had finished writing the book just weeks before Elder Bednar gave that landmark speech at BYU. “Just before it went to press, I quickly inserted quotes from Elder Bednar and the new guidelines about using social media that were included in the Church’s Handbook 2 in August.” (Seehttps://ldsmediatalk.com/2014/08/21/lds-handbook-encourages-personal-use-of-the-internet/)
In the introductory pages, the book defines “hastening the work” and explains why it is important. It describes how God has inspired men to invent technologies to assist in the hastening of the work in the latter days. Finally, it provides quotes from our Church leaders about using the Internet and social media to flood the earth with testimonies of the Savior and His restored gospel.
The book also has a section on Internet and social media basics. This section gives a brief overview of the Internet and provides a quick tutorial on some of the major social media channels (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Hashtags, and blogs).
Another helpful section of the book consists of tips on hastening the work online—a few matters to consider about how to interact faithfully and kindly with people online.
The new book is available in printed and ebook formats at many retailers. Seewww.HastenTheWorkOnline.com for more information. For continuing ideas on hastening the work, follow the page at www.Facebook.com/mediatalk.
