16 September 2009

Real Social Network


With the proliferation of online social networking sites, I wonder if offline social networking has become passe? My hunch is "no" because Debbie and I spent 3 hours on Friday night talking, eating, and playing games with 6 other people from church. We talked about Facebook, but we didn't all get on our computers and post on each other's walls - we looked across the table at the real people gathered in that home and broke bread together. It was great!

I'll be honest, I spend quite a bit of time online each day checking Facebook, Twitter, and my Google Calendar. However, I deal with real people in my ministry daily. I come home to a real wife and daughter everyday. I may use social media to reach out to people in my church, but there comes a time when I have to step away from the computer and talk to people face-to-face. Unfortunately, Facebook has not yet developed a "conflict resolution" app where all I need to do is click a button and my most troublesome church members get zapped into oblivion.

What if church provided the missing interaction that social networking sites just can't offer? Would you come? Would you invite your friends? Would it give you a new understanding of God and Jesus?

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