TMC (Too Much Connection)

The internet has changed everything. We are now connected at a level never seen before in human history. We almost don’t get to see the face of the modern teenager anymore because there is always some kind of screen in front it…thankfully though their smartphones have front-facing cameras so we can see their face on their next status update that includes a picture. Our world truly changed.

I love technology. I love gadgets. But I see inherent dangers trending us toward instability and recurring problems if we don’t take time to count the cost. Here are a couple of concerns I have…

1.       Little things are now big deals.

Before when you broke your nail or got a flat tire you may have shared that with your closest friend or family members. But now the rules have changed. Now an incident like a flat tire is broadcast via the internet through your smartphone complete with pictures to all your Facebook and Twitter connections. And then multiple posts will follow that up from your friends giving you the standard, “LOL!” or a recounting of their own story of their flat tire episode (with potential links to pictures of their incident).

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it is just doing something to us. Something not good, I believe. We don’t need help developing our own narcissism. This constant connection to our own personal audience gives us a Hollywood actor sensation. We are always on the stage performing for our beloved fans. That is not how life was meant to be lived.

2.       We turn to others before we do God.

Back in the day when you had a bad day and were really feeling blue, you might actually spend some time in prayer about it. But who has time for something like that now? I have got to post this on Facebook and then check incessantly for updates to my post. If enough comments have been made on my post then I will be freed to feel better. Or it may be affirmed that I am really a loser and no one truly cares about my having done poorly on my college exam.

The problem with the current connection we all have is that it is our new idol in many ways. It feeds us emotionally. We allow it to help us in ways that we shouldn’t.

I am all for connection. I am very connected myself. But the endless texting, the constant Facebook status updates, the Tweets…it can become so maddening.

Some who read this are not going to have any idea about what I am talking about. They glibly live their lives free of the current connections most of us face. They actually navigate their days without letting anyone else know what they had for supper or what they watched on TV that was so darn funny.

I can’t imagine how sad they must feel because they don’t have a chorus of people comforting them because they didn’t post about their bad day. Nope. They just have the Lord. How sad for them.

Ministry has changed...

Ministry has undergone lots of change in recent years. Some things are never going to change. Like helping people learn to love and live for God. That is at the heart and core of ministry.

But how that gets accomplished has changed. It used to be that a minister would simply be able to go to someone's home, knock on the door, be invited in and be able to talk to that person (or people) about the Lord. Nowadays, if you tried that, you are most likely a Jehovah's Witness or Mormon and you aren't received too kindly.

We live in the era of Facebook, Twitter and emails. Life seems more techno-centric than it was 30 years ago. People have come to rely on computers and mobile devices.

I have found that ministering in this era can be a challenge but you can still accomplish the same goal of helping people learn to love and live for God but you have to embrace new methods.

Using my account on Facebook I have been able to keep up with those that I minister to as well as encourage them in their walk with the Lord. On Facebook, I created a group on Facebook for our church members who are on Facebook to have another place of connection. Click HERE to see our church's Facebook Group Page.

From that group page, I have created special "events" that help promote and advertise various activities and sermon series we have at The Fort. I have also incorporated Twitter into this at another level of fostering more communication and connection with our church body online. We have a Twitter feed on the home page of our web site that we update to broadcast special announcements or updates.

All of these are tools. Some might argue that it contributes to the increasing isolationist direction of our culture, but I would say that we are building community on many levels. Not everyone is online. But many are.

We want to be a church that embraces all the methods we can to help people become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. We want to help people get into the Word of God.

Recently a woman was publicly executed in North Korea. Her crime? Distributing Bibles. It is noteworthy that a book most Americans take for granted and rarely read was worthy of death in a far corner of the world.

Anything I can do to get people more invested in reading the Word of God I will do!

Flutter: The New Twitter (This is Hilarious!)

Always read the Terms of Use fine print!