Thread by @KaitlinCurtice

Recently, I heard a pastor talk about how much he doesn't like Twitter and that not much good really comes from it, and that it's an "echo chamber"
I listened closely, because, damn, I'm on here every single day, and let me tell you a few things:

1. I remember that somehow I stumbled into a conversation between @rachelheldevans and @Tish_H_Warren about authority for women/church institutions. I remember sitting in my car later that day when Rachel retweeted one of my pieces and it changed everything.

2. I remember the day @Sarcasticluther and @rachelheldevans asked me to be a speaker at the Why Christian? conference. They believed in me. They helped me find my voice for such a time as this.

3. So Twitter has literally helped me launch my career. I've found some of my favorite people on earth here. And listen, it isn't an echo chamber. I have learned from more diverse perspectives here than I thought possible, and they aren't hateful perspectives, but valuable ones.

4. I found other Indigenous voices here that I never would have found on Facebook or in Atlanta, people who have helped me sort through my own stories and experiences, and have reminded me that I'm not alone.

5. I have found the value of intersectionality here, people across career paths and beliefs making room for each other, sharing each other's work. It matters, because the world's problems are OUR problems. We must work together.

6. I have learned here that words matter. Words matter because they stoke the fire, the shkode in each of us. Our one fire must burn brightly, but in order to do that, we use our words to urge one another forward. You've all done that for me, and I hope I have for you.

7. I have learned here from women of color, LGBTQ friends, people with disabilities, who have helped me navigate difficult conversations with such grace and conviction. They are heroes.

8. I have found here that the hands of God are open far wider than I ever believed they could be, and those hands can hold all of our questions and doubts and anger. You all showed me that.

9. And on days when Twitter really does kind of suck, and it gets really overwhelming, I've found that there are ALWAYS those voices that quiet down the noise and invite me back to my center, back to sacredness (looking at you, @TheRaDR).

10. And finally, Twitter has postured me to a world of people who are doing the real work, good work out there. We are all broken and fixed and mending our scars and fighting institutions that are unjust, but we are doing it TOGETHER. We are cynics and hopefuls all in one.

So yes, Twitter can be a garbage fire (Facebook is WAY WORSE, Y'ALL) but I found my voice in this space in a way I couldn't have anywhere else, and I think some of you have, too.

Thanks for being here.
Thanks for everything.
Let's keep going.
Let's get to work.