It's A Bird, It's A Plane, Better Yet, It's Mr. Softee!

Here is a blast from my past, there is now a Mr Softee truck making the rounds in my neighborhood here in DFW. Why they even have a Facebook page for the group here in Texas. I grew up hearing the sound of the Mr Softee jingle (it's the same) and seeing the Mr Softee truck parked in the neighborhood (the truck has to be different, but it sure looks the same) dispensing ice creamy goodness in cones, shakes and sundaes. Let me not wax rhapsodic nor euphoric. Let me not get started.

For someone who could lose a few pounds and then some, this is not a good thing. This is a challenge that will be met by a large measure of guilt, which is matched in silky seductiveness by a twist double cone. Ah yes, it is a great country we live in. I think Mr Softee is one of the major reasons we won the cold war and the Berlin wall came down in 1989. I'm just saying.

So here's to childhood memories, especially when they can be revisited as an adult and there is little any can do to stop the indulgence in said memories.

Social Media Implosion

I blew up my Twitter account today and started over. I kept the same user name, Ancoti, but deactivated and reactivated the account, the second time I have done this. Don't ask me why, I felt I needed a fresh start.

I had to change my user name and email before I deactivated to preserve the ability to use them again, which I did. I reactivated so fast I actually think I hacked my own account and had to reset things to preserve the sanctity of my account. I started getting you have been compromised messages from twitter. Yeah, self-compromised.

So, in a twinkling of an eye, 16,368 followers were wiped off my account. I had been aggressively working my totals up to see where it would go and now they are all (or almost all, I have one follower now) gone. This is what happens when you let let an aging boomer dabble in social media. he gets bored every once in a while and wants to restart things to see which direction he will go in now.

So, it is low, low profile for a while, see who finds me, through this blog or an announcement on my facebook profile. A more rational approach to twitterlife for a bit. You really cannot follow 16,368 people effectively, but you can get that many on your account if you want. Not sure how high I could have gone, but what's the point?

So I am back after a 30 second hiatus. Roughly. Maybe a minute and a half is more like it.

Did you miss me, twitterverse?

Someone's Gotta Be In Control

A few days ago I was reading from Dr. Ken Boa's book, Handbook To Spiritual Growth (he has a really great series of these handbooks, which are fantastic to use in your walk with Christ, I highly recommend them, I have them all and keep getting the new ones as they come out) when I came across this sentence, which I posted as my thought for the day on Facebook:

Because of our security and significance in Christ, we do not need to be controlled by the opinions and responses of others

It really got me to thinking about control in my life, what are the options and who really has it. It made me think who I am wanted to be in control of my life.

As a child, it is our parents because we are not in a position nor do we have the ability to do so (yeah, like anything really changes as we get older). There are various authority figures in our life as we approach adulthood, and we chafe to get to out from under that control. We finish our schooling and the thought might enter our heads that we are free. Then we get jobs (if you had really known what a job was, you would have stayed in school). Soon, it is family obligations; spouse, kids, home mortgages and car loans. Through it all there is control over your life, control points that rub up against you and are, quite frankly more or less painful to us. Because they are all man made, even the ones we put there ourselves. And the human race has shown it has a miserable track record at properly controlling things, starting with Genesis 3.

I was that way for 40+ years until I came to Christ. And even then, there was a struggle for control of my life as I fought with my own nature to give up control to the One who gave me my life, who has given me eternal life. It is still a struggle, but at least I focus on it daily and try to turn it over to Him. (OK, I keep trying to grab it back, but hopefully less often and with a less vehement lunge at self control).

So I try each day to be secure and significant in Christ alone, and all others stand aside. It is work, but it is so worth it when I do. I would much rather have real significance and security in my life. The only way to be truly in control is in the Lord.



Technorati Tags: Ken Boa, Handbook To Spiritual Growth, Jesus, God, Lord, control, security, significance.

My Education Experiment

Being back at work after a two year break, I am trying something different this semester at seminary. An on line course, which allows me the maximum flexibility as to when I do all the work.

I just started it, having completed one unit of nine for the course. I am not sure I like it. I do like i can set my own pace, but it is just not the same as being in the class room to hear a lecture. They try for interaction, but it is a little forced and artificial because we are all doing this at dirffering times and paces. Interaction that is basically text or email driven is harder to get deeper with. Attending a chapel service on line is not the same as being there in person, you cannot draw off the strength of the faith of others sitting in front of your laptop by yourself.

It is what I needed to do this semester, but it is a poor second to being on campus. It fills a need but creates a void. It may be a generational thing, I am a boomer, we tend to lag the upcoming generations in embracing on line experiences with the same receptivity. It may be we are missing out, but somehow, it is not as rich an experience for me.

Hey, I use Twitter, Facebook and Linked In, more than I lot of my generation does. But it is not the same.

I feel a little sorry for the generation that passes the tipping point and this becomes the primary means of communication. Maybe in the past the same was said about the telephone and television.

I do not know. I am probably a dinosaur.


Technorati Tags: DTS, Dallas Seminary, education, Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, dinosaur

A Narrowly Missed Anniversary

It was one year ago tomorrow that the first post appeared on The Narrow Road. At that time I was not sure where this was going (I am still not), what I would post on (still not sure what i actually covered) and if anyone would bother to read it (I mean why, really, why?).

As I look back, it is clear to me that I have gotten the most benefit out of the blog (not being selfish, just realistic). It even inspired a project for one of my seminary classes, A Trinity of 3, a blog that got me through trinitarianism in one piece last semester. Never would have done that if I had not been doing this.

I pray that those that read this blog got some benefit out of my meanderings, I have appreciated your input and comments over the past year. It amazed me that I found something to write about every day, I have posted daily since September 24th of last year. Was not trying to set any sort of record, it was what it was.

But at this time, I feel the need for a break. So, I will be taking a sabbatical from blogging for an as of yet undetermined period of time. It is clear that I find my faith walk and reflections thereon the prime topic of my blogging, and right now I need to spend time immersed in that without thinking about writing about it.

This is a pretty rigorous social media fast. I have stopped tweeting, have already blown up my Twitter account. I have deactivated Facebook. This is the last step. A 40 day blog fast. Maybe. As far as the others, we will see if we go back.

Thank you for the past year. With the Lord's grace, I will figure out the next steps. I hope to be here again in the future.

Watching the World, 140 Characters at a Time

If you are on Twitter, you know what I am talking about. I have been tinkering with it for the past few weeks and find it interesting. I do not think I will ever be twitterfreak like some folks I know, but I am closing in on a 1000 tweets (I know, a rookie), have more followers than I have Facebook friends (it is a whole different dynamic), I have sent a twitpic or two (I think I finally figured that out) and do enjoy the faster paced communication than you get on fb.

While I am not into microblogging at the speed of sound, it is interesting to blurt out bible verses and quotes about my faith to a large group of followers and watch them occasionally retweet to an even larger audience. Doing the same with someone else's Scripture or faith tweet and making the same snowball effect happen. Putting a hash tag on a tweet to flag it for people who follow that type of action. It is definitely an in the moment type of communication and who knows who will stop by and read something I tweet about the Lord.

Am I making an impact with it? Who knows?

But it is not for a lack of trying. Follow me.

Pardon Meme - Or I was going to put a list of 25 interesting things about my life together but I kept falling asleep while I was compiling the list.

First things first. To everyone I have tagged in a meme, or a note or whatever, please accept my heartfelt apology.

Next, to all who have tagged me, thanks for thinking of me. No really, thanks. I mean it.

But here comes the next next. I am done, both tagging or responding to tags. Sorry, I do not want to play anymore. I have watched these roil through the blogosphere and Facebook pages like the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. In my mind at least, it has been that bad. (Actually, this movie reference was just to get one of those odd bits of memory flotsam jutting out of my mind and onto a page in the hope I am freed from the torment of remembering anymore. The post could have done fine without it)

I have ignored several "tags" the past few days, I apologize, I still love you all. But like I said, I am done.

I just felt that the situation called for a futile and stupid gesture be done on someone's behalf, and I was just the guy to do it. (How about that, a second movie reference). And I learned something else. In Blogger you cannot make your title longer than the one I picked. Well maybe a space or two more but that is it. I know, I tried.

It seems that many are enjoying doing this, and I say more power to you. It is just not for me. And I feel others feel the same way.

Now give me 3 reasons why I am right or wrong.

A Definition of Community

This is a recent picture of my friend wheel off of my Facebook profile. To me, it is a graphic depiction of what one intertwingled community, that of my Facebook friends, looks like. Every once and a while I look at it to try to understand how connectivity between people is building as my network grows. There are some well connected segments across the top (my church, 121 Community Church) and top right (the Kanakuk Institute) and a loner contingent across the lower right side. Not that these folks are loners, they are quite social, it is just they do not link in with others in this particular world of mine. This wheel probably says much about group dynamics and how they develop that I have not even begun to think about.

It is a picture of how community can develop over time, especially when using tools that were not available just a few years ago. The key to this type of community is working to keep it growing deeper as the on line aspect makes a surface relationship quite easy.

I think of community with God and how easy it is for me to keep my relationship with Him on the surface with the tools He has provided me. The death of Jesus for my sin allows me the access to the throne in prayer and supplication, in praise and joy 24/7. Yet if I do not reach out it will be a relationship on the surface only. To my loss and dismay.

So this wheel reminds my of that and the need to connect beyond and beneath the surface. Other than that, I like the pretty colors.

Back on the Laptop

I got my laptop cleaned and I am back in business. But as I mentioned in an earlier post, I will try not to get as emotionally attached this time.

I am back on Facebook as well, but I expect to be a lot less active than in the past. Basically, I will check it when I get a message that something has happened. Otherwise, I expect to do a lot less browsing. And Twitter is gone from my life for the time being. Cannot say I ever took to that.

It is good to sit in my office and blog again. We are creatures of habit. Unfortunately, most of my habits are bad ones.

How about you?

On What We Rely

We really are creatures of habit. Yesterday, a virus I got through Facebook blew up my laptop. I am going to have a friend who knows what she is doing help me get things restored. I have also deactivated my Facebook account for a while and who knows when I will sign back on.

So if you are a friend and cannot find me, that is why. If you receive a bizarre emal from me talking about a video and extolling the qualities of a certain part of your anatomy, I didn't intentionally or even consciously send it. That anatomy part may be as good as the message claims, I do not know nor care to find out. Sorry to burst your bubble but you will deal with it.

Now that we have that behind us, why are we creatures of habit?

I miss my laptop. I am sitting at a perfectly good desktop PC about 20 feet away from where I normally pound away on my laptop, but I miss it. It has the software I like to use loaded and awaiting me. My bookmarks are arranged just so. My resources for what I do at school and in the world at my fingertips arranged in the way on my fevered mind could conceive. I miss it.

That bothers me. Caffeine addiction I can deal with, this is not good. I do not want to be dependent on anything but Jesus. I am going to have to think about things once I get the old laptop (I have had it for over 6 months now) fired up.

I guess I kid myself into believing I have things knocked and something like this happens and I find myself knocked flat.

Let this be a lesson to me, prayer and worship be more heartfelt, reliance on the worldly be less desirous. I do not like knowing something as meaningless as losing a PC for a few days is enough to agitate me.

I am going to have to figure out a way to call myself on it in the future.

Out of Shape

I have not been blogging much the past two weeks and I feel a little out of shape. Blogging is definitely an exercise to be engaged in to stay fit and feeling up to speed about.

Absence did make the heart grow fonder, I missed it. Although I am wondering what it is the Lord is going to put on my mind to talk about going forward, I haven't a clue and I usually have some ideas floating around to start thinking through. The fact that this concerns me means I want to continue.

Funny thing is that I also have not been on Facebook much the past two weeks and I do not miss that. Absence made the heart less addicted. I will start tapering off that part of my life, not deleting but limiting to a back row. And I think I am completely off of Twitter as well. I am not the least concerned.

Strange how being away from activities can change your perspective. In this case I think it is a change for the better.

Longevity is something to work on, strive for, pursue and maintain. I got a good perspective that there are things in my life worth longevity and things that are not. I do not know if blogging has longevity, but it has staying power as of now.

See you soon, I gotta go think of something to write about.

It Is Not Easy Keeping Up

I have been sitting here this evening alternating between working on a paper for school, indulging in a little light reading (non-seminary, but please don't tell my profs!) and reflecting on how hard it is to keep up with the blogs I follow when I take a day off from reading them as I did yesterday.

I've read some good posts this evening, here are three new posts (there are others I read and consider as blog friends, but I didn't get to them or they didn't post tonight) I have read just read:

A Boomer in the Pew-Crushed in the Mortar and Pestle of God's Sovereign Will

who am I?-Is single issue voting reasonable or not?

Caffeinated Thoughts-The Sad Born Alive Truth

I consider these guys my friends although I have never met them face to face, but only through blogging, which led to Facebook connection as well. People I would never have known anything about except for this sometimes self absorbing activity of blogging. But it isn't always self absorbing, i have met people who make me better with them as friends than without.

My problem becomes that I follow so many good blogs i do have trouble keeping up with them. Well guys, I read you and enjoyed you very much tonight, thanks. For the times I do not give you the attention you deserve, I apologize (I am the social mediot after all). To the others, I apologize as well. You are all enriching my mind and my life.

Thank you.

So What Did I Miss?

I did a "media fast" yesterday. Stayed off the grid and out of touch with the world of the internet, TV, radio, newspapers, you name it.

So what did I miss?

• An 8% drop in the stock market. Boy, that never ever happens!
• A presidential debate. Man, I am sure positions were clarified and observers illuminated. Not sure how I will catch up.
• Staring at my PC screen. Enough said.

It was interesting, I had the urge to log in and log on early in the day, but that quickly passed. And then, I was fine. I used the time for more prayer and reflection. I used the time to study for my theology midterm today. Which lead to more prayer and reflection.

But it was time well spent, or maybe time not spent. Not spent immersed in myself or social media. Not spent blogging, or reading blogs, or cruising on Facebook. But time well spent reflecting on my Lord, talking with Him a little more, and a little more closely. Time very well spent.

I will do it again the next two weeks as my pastor challenged us to do.

Who knows, it may become a habit: Wednesdays without the www...

What Is God For?

My pastor gave a sermon at our church, 121 Community Church in Grapevine, TX on Sunday laying out a Christian worldview put into a biblical grid. No endorsing of candidates nor political parties, but he asked us to view the political platforms of candidates against a Christian world view to make our decisions. He asked us to consider the following grid. You could come up with a lot of different wording to lay out a Christian world view, bu this one works quite well for me.

He asked us to use the next few weeks to focus on prayer leading up to the election with a special emphasis on Wednesdays, coming to church in the evening to pray corporately. He asked that we do a media fast on the next three Wednesdays, using the time spent viewing various media in prayer instead. So I am not on the internet tomorrow, but I will post something in advance to run in my absence to fulfill a commitment to Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty. I will try to do a "media fast" the next two Wednesdays as well.

This is what he laid out as a biblical grid. I cannot give you all his talk points, the link above will take you to the church website where sermons are podcast. Here are some scripture verse (all from the NASB) to reflect on.

WHAT IS GOD FOR?

"So the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today.It
will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this
commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us."

Deuteronomy 6:24-25

God's Word is our life; Jesus Christ is our life.

• The Authoritative Nature of Scripture
  

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

God's word is s word, it is a lamp, it is the truth.

• Subjection to Governing Authorities
  

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Romans 13:1

God puts all governments in place. Submit to government up to the point it calls for disobedience to God.

• The Establishment of Justice and Restraint of Evil
  

Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. Romans 13:2-5

We need governments to restrain the evil in our hearts, not that it always does a good job.

• Careful Management of the Planet
  

The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. Psalm 24:1

It is all His, treat it like that.

• One Man and One Woman Marriage
  

The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:23-24

It is part of His plan for us and has been from the beginning.

• Wholesome Sexual Relationships
  

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Read Song of Solomon in the Bible. See the gift God gave us in sexual relations within a God approved marriage.

• The Sacredness of Life
  

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for ^]I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. Psalm 139:13-16

All life is His from the beginning, from conception.

• Selfless Giving to Resources
  

"Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." Luke 6:38

Be content with what you have and give cheerfully, in good times and in bad.

• Integrity of Leaders
  

The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. Proverbs 11:23

The integrity of our leaders will guide them, that is why they must have it.

• Humble Service to Others
  

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew 25:31-46

Meet the needs of others without them asking for help.

• Transformed Lives Through Jesus Christ
  

This one pretty much sums up what you have if you follow all the others above. I guess I would have to quote the whole Bible to get this one right. There it is, a Christian worldview through a biblical grid. No endorsements, but no condemnation either. No name calling, just loving people. No feeling superior to anyone because we are all sinners in the eyes of God. No one gets a hall pass on that one.

You may not like parts of this; you may not like any of this. But it stands up to biblical scrutiny, I like the way it lays out in our world.

Here I Stand

Things I am trying not to spend much time on:

• Watching the debates
• Watching the stock market
• Watching TV
• Staring at my laptop coming up with blog topics
  
• Facebook
• Twitter

Things I am trying to spend more time with:

• The Bible
• My wife
  
• Prayer
• Schoolwork
• Reading

Things I am not thinking about:

• If there was anything on this list, then I would be thinking about it, wouldn't I?
  

Am I Wrong?

I had no desire to watch the debate last night, I even put up a somewhat sarcastic Facebook status (something about barking seals and fish). But I have been thinking about it a bit since I realized that I had missed the debate. (You see, I even forgot there was a debate last night until it was underway).

I care about my country, I am thankful I live where I can have freedom to follow my religious beliefs, freedom to express my opinions, freedom to vote for who I want to.

Well, that last one is not entirely true. I am free to vote for who is running (although I guess there is always the write in ballot).

I am not much of a political animal, I do not particularly enjoy arguing politics, listening to politics being argued, or engaging in politics. The term politics has such negative connotations and pervades so many aspects of our lives. But only those aspects that involve more than one person, so it is limited to some extent.

I did not watch because by now I know whom I will vote for. I do not put politics into my posts, nor will I disclose my choices, except at the ballot box. (Ballot box - I have not seen one of those in quite some time, but ballot screen with flywheel selection does not have the same patriotic ring to it.

I may catch part of the future debates, may a video clip here or there. But I will probably not watch any live. I just do not have it in me. I have read enough and listened enough to form what I believe to be an informed position on the candidates without watching partisan Family Feud.

Am I wrong?

I Am A Social Mediot

I like dabbling in Social Media.

I am just not good at it. That makes me a social mediot. If I didn't try to utlilize Social media, I would just be oblivious.

I have this blog, but I am really not doing much with it; at least not for the Kingdom. I have a Feedburner (but couldn't really explain it to you).I am linked into My Zimbio, Sitemeter, Feedjit, BlogCatalog, and Technorati. I even have Technorati tags, but couldn't tell you you how to use them. I have a vimeo account, but have never used it, and probably never will.

I am on Twitter, I have it linked to Gospelr and to Facebook; but I really don't quite get it. I am even on TweetDeck. It seems I need applications to manage my applications. I thought that what all the linking was about, a common misconception of the social mediot.

I am on LinkedIn and Plaxo Pulse, adding connections, but not using it meaningfully yet.

And I realize there are dozens of other sites that I have no idea even exist, let alone how to integrate them into my life.

I am a social mediot. Someone needs to come up with an intelligence quotient for measuring how good one is with using the ever burgeoning world of social media, how fast one adapts to and masters the latest and coolest new twist. Whatever the scoring scale, I would come out as a social mediot.

Not very flattering, maybe it is the curse of most baby boomers. (I said most, not all, so I do not want to hear complaining from my boomer friends who actually know how to do this stuff well. Both of you.)

I'll get help some day and clean up my act a bit. Or someone will come alongside me and help me out.

I am a social mediot, but I am determined not to be a corpse.

To Befriend and De-friend

As a professionally trained accountant, I spent decades tracking, measuring and reporting numbers. I apparently have some talent for doing so, or else people have just been nice to me in the past; telling me that and paying me for supposedly doing that. I do not do that anymore for a living (Hi. My name is Andy, and I am an accountant), but I still in my mind measure and track numbers from time to time.

So I notice when numbers change. Like when I lose a Facebook friend. I may not know who, and I do not try to track them down and find out why (But Mom! I am your youngest son! How could you de-friend me like that! What are people going to think? What are they going to think about ME?)

But what is apparent is how easy it is to make friends in social media, and how darned easy it is to get rid of them. Click a hotlink and they are gone; and they might not even know you are gone as well. And let's be honest, you have probably been on both sides of that equation. Haven't you? I thought so.

My questions are:

• What responsibility to we have to maintain, to cultivate friendships that spring up for us solely on social media; friendships in which the chance of any face to0 face encounter is quite small?
  
• Do we run the risk of becoming quite callous in our casual friendships?
  
• Will this attitude spill over into the face to face interactions we have?

Reach Out and Stalk Someone

I recently fired up my LinkedIn account and started adding connections. With my connections, and the 2^nd and 3^rd degree connections that allows, my network now has over 234,000 people in it. Are you kidding me? I just got started and already I have a quarter of a million people to feed and care for? I do not know how I will ever keep in touch with all of them. Christmas cards do not seem a viable option. Almost none of them have ever read this blog; almost all of them never will. I have a couple of hundred Facebook friends, and with their friends, I am not sure how big the network of people I can reach, but it is probably quite large. Most of them never have nor ever will read this blog either. I am still not using my Twitter account as it was envisioned to be used, not sure I am hardwired to do so. A Facebook friend and fellow DTS student, John Saddington has also got me looking at JesusTweet and QuietTime.TV. And there is a lot more options, sites and services out there that I have not and will not even try. I need an assistant to handle my social media obligations and responsibilities. I didn't want to work this hard; I was supposed to be retired.

But what I realize is that all of this gives one the unique ability to check, at least superficially, on thousands of lives. Maybe see a few photos, scan a job history, learn likes and dislikes, make a wall post poking my nose into other folks business. In addition, I can parse out snippets of my life in status updates, photos or notes I can write (like this one). For an aging boomer, this is a brave new world. For someone trained as a financial manager, training that stressed the desirability of keeping information private, this is a strange new world.

It also makes me wonder if anyone is watching me. If they are watching my life, I feel sorry them. Should they worry? If they are watching my life, should I care? Social media is a growing and evolving field. I do not think we understand neither all the ramifications, nor all the applications yet. But it is interesting to watch. As long as we all watch and not stalk. I'll have my assistant look into that.

God Whispers

I was on Facebook with a friend the other day, and something came to me that I had not really thought about before. It dealt with how loudly God speaks to us, the nature of His speaking voice.

After all, God can trumpet from the heavens, and I think that would certainly catch my attention. A celestial voice from the clouds saying something like "Hey Andy, what WERE you thinking?" would get me to pause and reflect. But only after I stopped shaking, that is. And only after I got over the embarrassment that all the other people who heard Him were wondering what on earth I did to earn such a celestial remonstrance (Assuming they were not inwardly shivering, waiting to hear their own name boom out).

And I guess that's the point. God does not want us embarrassed, worrying about the next time we hear that heavenly trump blaring. He wants community, He wants closeness, and He wants His presence to warm us. Sitting and quietly listening is not something that today's world seems to encourage in us. Why would it, if we are not of the world, but of Him? The real challenge is marshalling all the resources that are at our disposal and directing their activity through us to Him. The real challenge is coming before Him, quietly and humbly to seek out His wisdom and His will. God wants us before Him ready to listen to what He has to say to us.

So God whispers to us because He wants us to lean in close to Him to hear what He is saying. And I have to do a much better job of listening closely, quietly and for as long as He wants me to.