Why Facebook Isn't Evil

So, a few months ago I decided that I was going to take a one-month break from Facebook [and Twitter] in the month of November.  I decided this for many reasons - among them being the fact that November was going to be extremely busy, that I had a lot of important decisions to make during that time, and that I found that the time I spent on Facebook could probably be better used during that month doing other things.

Which means that, of course, since the Law of Amy is always in effect... in the first five days of November, the following occurred [among other things]:

• My brother [who is one of the last people that I would think might be interested in social media] got a Facebook account.
• Transitions [the young adult ministry that I work with at the Brooklyn Tabernacle] started a Twitter account.
• Pastor Todd Crews got a Twitter account.

In related news, flying pigs were reported in the tri-state area, and extremely hot places were receiving winter-weather advisories.

But seriously - it was no surprise to me that the MOMENT I left these particular social media networks, an incredible amount of exciting activity began to take place.  And despite the slight frustration of missing said activity... within about a week's time, I realized that it really wasn't all that hard to not be on Facebook.  Sure, I missed the banter with good friends and keeping up on people's lives that I wouldn't normally ever keep in contact with - but aside from that, life went on.  And a part of me wondered, "should I even come back?"

Now, I know some people who are convinced with varying levels of intensity that Facebook is evil/pointless/a waste of time/the reason why people don't pray/solely responsible for the increase in nuclear activity around the world/etc.  And I understand that, like all things, it's possible to abuse Facebook and become addicted to it, or to use in it a way that isn't beneficial to oneself or those around... one.  But, as I was pondering these things during my FB hiatus... I came to some conclusions.  So here's my personal case for why Facebook is not [innately] evil.

A few days ago, a "game" started on Facebook that people began to call "numbers."  The point was for you to put in your status a message like "Send me a number to my inbox between 1-5000 and I'll post a status telling you what I think about you."  At first glance, it looked like another one of those annoying trends/games/quizzes that I usually roll my eyes at.  But, after thinking about it for a bit, I saw the possibility for a LOT of good to come out of this... so I decided to join in [despite the fact that my usually non-conformist self was bucking wildly].

Over a 24-hour period, I received somewhere around 25 numbers.  And I was able to "publicly" encourage and speak life into 25 people with genuine words of affirmation.  I even put in a few "numbers" to some of my friends who were playing the same game so that I could receive that encouragement as well.  When it was over - I felt amazing - like I'd been able to reach so many people in such a short time just through a silly little game.

And then I thought about my experiences with Facebook/Twitter in the few years that I've been on them, and remembered when...

• ...a friend of mine reached out to me via Facebook because she was too embarrassed to talk in person about a serious problem she was having.  Through Facebook, God helped me to be able to encourage her and now she's back serving the Lord with passion.
• ...I tweeted a verse to a friend of mine who wrote back almost immediately saying "I really needed that today - thanks."
• ...I reconnected with a college friend who wasn't serving the Lord and had the opportunity to dialogue with that person for a few months about my own faith and how God had changed me.
• ...I was browsing through Facebook and saw a status come up from a friend of mine who seemed to be going through it - and it reminded me to pray for them and check in to see if all was okay.

It's not that social media was the ONLY way those things could have happened - but that's where it DID happen - because that's where those people were.  And those moments are the reasons why I decided to come back after my month-long break, and why I think Facebook and Twitter can be amazing tools that the Lord can use to impact lives, and why I don't regret playing "numbers" earlier this week.

I'm commanded to do EVERYTHING that I do to the glory of God [1 Corinthians 10:31] - and that includes my tweets and status updates.  I'm commanded to "make the most of every opportunity, redeeming the time" [Ephesians 5:16] - and that means using Facebook as part of my mission field and the "territory" that the Lord has entrusted to me.

Am I happy I went on break?  Absolutely - it was needed at the time and also a good self-check to make sure that nothing in my life was getting the in the way of my relationship with God.  But am I happy to be back?  Absolutely.  And as long as I'm able to continue to use it to build up/encourage/testify/make connections/bring a smile to the faces of those around me with my craziness... then "back" is where I'll stay.

"I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some" [1 Cor 9:22b]

 

Ocean Geekage

I wasn't intending on writing about this today - had something else in mind - but after I read something in the Bible this morning I just had to.

Have you ever had a Bible geek-out moment?  When you're reading your Bible on, say, the 2 train... and all of a sudden you just get to something SO cool or amazing or something pops out that you've never seen before... and your mouth drops open and you instinctively look up to see who's around you that you can share this moment with... and no one cares... so you just have a little geek-out party in your seat? 

If not, I highly recommend giving it a try sometime.

[And the best part is, those geek-out moments are usually things that are ONLY cool to you anyway, so even if someone were to actually listen to you, they totally wouldn't get it.]

So I'm reading Psalm 98 this morning and I get to the end where it says this [and it's the psalmist talking about praising God]:

Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.  Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing for joy. [Psalm 98:7-8]

Now, you're sitting there saying ".......o....kay...." and looking expectantly at me so that I can explain the really cool part, which just proves my parenthetical statement made above.  But here's the thing - for whatever reason, I absolutely LOVE images of nature praising God.  Especially when it talks about bodies of water.

Sorry for the sidebar, but who on EARTH decided on the phrase "body" of water?  That's ridiculous.

But seriously, I am self-proclaimed, unashamed ocean freak.  I absolutely adore the ocean.  Which is ironic, because I don't like actually going INTO the ocean [for many reasons, among them riptides, sharks and jellyfish - and before you call me a wuss, YOU come face-to-face with a Bermudian Portuguese Man-of-War].  But I can sit and watch the ocean forever.  Pictures of the ocean, videos of the ocean, movies about the ocean... bring 'em.  The ocean is just so huge and so powerful - I don't know, I guess I can't completely explain why I love it so much, I just do.

So a few years ago, I was reading another Psalm that said this:

The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves [Psalm 93:3]

And I remember that I just got this image in my head of somewhere out in the middle of the Pacific, no land or people or boats or anything in sight... and the ocean just decides that it wants to praise God.  So the waters just come together and form the hugest wave ever formed - taller than any wave that human eyes have ever seen - and then it just CRASHES down in praise to God.  The power in that ocean - and the fact that even it is under complete submission to the LORD is just bananas.

So when I read this verse this morning, I got that image back in my head... and then the rivers clapping their hands [how cool is that??] and the mountains singing... what I wouldn't give to hear a mountain straight SING.

And this is the moment where you all just nod and smile, and allow me some ocean geekage.  But does anybody else feel me on that??

 

I Am The Joneses

I tooooootally wasn't ready to have my mind blown this morning.

But before we get to that - I just have to get excited for a minute because IT IS OFFICIALLY THE CHRISTMAS SEASON!!!  I woke up on Friday, November 17th and made a beeline for my computer to pop on Christmas music [because, of course, everyone knows that it's practically sinful to play Christmas music before the day after Thanksgiving.  right????  *sigh* okay, unless you're involved in the Brooklyn Tabernacle Christmas production, in which case you're excused from September on].

But I really do geek out majorly over Christmas.  It is by FAR my favorite holiday [I'm sorry, Easter... I truly am].  I love Rockefeller Center and Advent calendars and putting up lights and the abundance of chocolate - I could go on forever.  And I love getting ready for bed on Christmas Eve and spending a long time talking with God and always feeling so close to Him on that night in particular.  I always try to imagine what it must have been like for those who first witnessed the baby Jesus and how totally amazing that must have been... and then I remember that most people missed it completely and that the only spectators were a few barnyard animals and shepherds... which gets depressing... sooooo BACK to the Christmas music!!!!  No, but seriously, then I usually just shift to thinking about Christ's return and how NOBODY'S gonna miss that one.  That usually helps.


But, despite my enamoration [new word #1] with Christmas, the thing that drives me absolutely batty is the commercialism.  Now, I know that I just said that I love Rockefeller Center - but that's more of the ambience and the "vibe" [that's for you, Kendolyn].  Same thing with store windows being decorated.  But when I walk past Bath and Body Works and I see a little advertisement that says "The Perfect Christmas" above some kind of dumb ornament, I want to either gag or throw things.  Don't get me wrong - I'm not anti-gift - it just has always bothered me that Christmas has become so Christ-less.  Family and gifts and eating together is all great - but it's not what the holiday is about... and I feel like Christ is being taken more and more out of Christmas altogether, even sometimes by those who bear His name as Christ-ones [Christians].


On the other hand... I still do love getting gifts for people, especially ones that take some creative thought :).  I had decided on this one particular gift that I was going to get for someone this Christmas - and it was a little bit more expensive than I would normally go for a gift.  But I thought it would be such a great idea, so I started doing research to see where I could get the best deals, etc.  I knew that I was going to have a little extra money next month so I could justify my purchase - and I was all set to go.  Until my mind was blown this morning.


I recently began sponsoring a child in Central America through Compassion International - and I'm really excited about it so I was playing around with their website and I stumbled on this weird-looking ad called "Who Are The Joneses?"  I clicked on it and started reading, and basically the article was talking about the phrases "keeping up with the Joneses" - which basically means comparing yourself to those around you in terms of accumulating material goods... and feeling like you have to "stay even" with them in order to feel socially accepted.


And the article flipped and said, "But, who are the Joneses really?"  And then it said this sentence that began the mind-blowing process. 

If you make $43,000 a year, you’re in the top 12% of earners in the world.

That's right.  The WORLD.

My jaw began to slowly drop, but it practically unhinged when I was transferred to a website called whoarethejoneses.org.  I was asked to put in my annual salary and, after a bit, it took me to a graph and told me that I am richer than over 90% of the people on this planet... and that I am the Joneses.  Meaning that, for the purposes of this illustration, over 90% of the world is "comparing" themselves to me.

I just sat there at my computer not knowing what to say or even think.  I know about world poverty.  I don't consider myself a spender or someone who has to have the latest whatever.  I've been to third-world countries and sat in squatter homes and read the charity:water campaigns - but somehow, that little graph made it so personal.  Not just "anyone who makes this amount of money is in this percentage."  But me PERSONALLY.  God has ordained for me... Amy... a person who never considered herself to be even close to rich... to be wealthier than over 90% of the world's people.  And this sense of responsibility just crashed down on me like a ton of bricks.  The idea of getting that expensive gift became almost repulsive, even though my intention was good.  I just started to pray and say "God - WHY did you allow me to be born here in this country of affluence?  How come I wasn't one of the billion people who don't have access to clean drinking water?  Or one of the 1.2 billion who earn less than $2 a day?"

I don't know the answer to that question.  But I do know that it isn't coincidence, and it isn't fair.  There's no reason why I should have abundance where others have lack - but yet God has placed me here.  So what do I do?  Don't know yet.  But I know that it will be something, and that I have a feeling this Christmas might be very different from Christmases past.

I am the Joneses.  Wow.

So...now you have TWO blogs??

Helloooo, world!

Well, it would probably be more accurate to say, "Helloooo, three people who still remember that I have a blog!"  Apologies are moot, I know - I've been saying "stay tuned for the triumphant return of Foolish Things Ministries" for almost exactly two years now... "coincidentally" the same time that I began working full-time at the Brooklyn Tabernacle directing our elementary children's ministry [and that's as close as I'll get to making an excuse].

So, two years later, sitting in my apartment one average Saturday morning - I believe I've fixed the problem.  I've started another blog.

Confused Bystander: "So... you haven't posted on your original blog for two years... and your solution is... to now have to manage and stay on top of TWO blogs."

ExxxxACTly.  Kind of.  See, part of the problem is that FTM has developed a personality over the years.  FTM posts are either AGA [Amy's Great Adventures] episodes... or A-Musings [random thoughts that take on a life of their own]... or epic-length essays on who-knows-what.  But, most of the time, when I think of something that I'd like to share with people - it's somewhat short, random, oftentimes puzzling and just wouldn't fit into the FTM vibe.  Hence, blog #2.  And FTM will continue to run!  Once I get back into the habit of blogging, the FTM episodes will begin to flow, I'm sure of it.

So why "stillonthewheel"?  Well, it's been just about nine years now since I really began to pursue God - and the more I grow and the more I learn... the more I realize that I'm clueless :)  The number of times that I've said to God or to myself, "wowsers, I have SOOOOOO much to learn" is too high to count!  And, while I used to buck at any sign of imperfection in myself, I've learned that doing that causes an endless cycle of frustration and zero growth.  Now, I've been able to make peace with the fact that I am a work-in-progress, and that the Christian walk will never stop being a process.  And that God never intended me to be so focused on "achieving" that I stop enjoying the exhilarating, confusing, sometimes painful faith-building process of "becoming."

And maybe... just maybe... there are some fellow "pots on wheels" out there who might need some encouragement that "works in progress" are a-okay.  Some days, these posts might be silly and spontaneous - while others might wrestle with uncomfortable questions.  But I guess that's all part of being a pot, isn't it?

I welcome you to the journey :)