This morning I spent a half-hour looking for a friend’s Facebook post about the concept of time and how we spend it ... sent to me two weeks ago. While wanting to use some of the ideas in my friend’s post for this story, nearly 90 minutes went by between the time I set out to write my post and when I actually began.
So, to get to this point right here, right now, besides finding my friend’s post I did a few other things. I perused, posted, and messaged on Facebook. In between Facebooking I perused, posted, and messaged on Twitter ... that would include tweets, re-tweets (RT) ... and some of my Facebook posts that automatically appear on Twitter.
Keep in mind that social media, which still has to be explained to many people by saying, “You know, doing things like Twitter and Facebook” to which they reply, “Oh, yeah,” but still don’t get it, is a big part of my work and volunteer life. However, it’s Sunday and I did not plan to spend the entire morning chopping and hammering on my laptop.
Driving by a church announcement sign this morning proved to be less time-consuming in the pursuit of ideas for this topic. The sign read: “The Life Between Prayers and Answers.”
Sounds like a good sermon, doesn’t it? Well, here’s my question: What is life between tweets and re-tweets?
This last week I’ve been facilitating and moderating a Facebook Fan Page for an Orange County, Calif. group that is helping to rebuild an orphanage in Haiti. It has occurred to me that “staying connected” has never been easier.
However, this connectivity poses another question. “Do we always need to be connected?”
I’ve noticed that during the administration of the MISSION HAITI page that if my idea of too much time takes place between updates from someone from the team at the orphanage, then I begin to do a little jonesing (drug culture term for craving, withdrawal). And that’s when it hit me … we don’t always need to be connected to each other.
Sure, it’s nice to know that we can Twitter and Facebook each other from the ends of the Earth. However, I believe there are times when we don’t need an update from someone. Could it be a time for something else?
Jon Varner writes in his post, Unplug, “In our modern world we do not unplug very often, we are constantly connected to the entire world. Constantly being connected has an impact on our souls. It does not allow time for reflection or for God to speak.”
The team from Haiti was giving fairly regular updates during its one-week mission still taking place. Now, with the trip just a few days from over, it seems they have broken from the regularity. By not sending a message, is the group sending a different kind of message to its “fans?” Or is God sending a message? I noticed that one of the team member’s wives recently updated her status on her Facebook profile and it simply states: “... is thankful God knows.”
Yes, indeed! God knows!
And this I know ... this particular message may have come as the result of not checking or receiving updates from friends and loved ones, and delivered by simply connecting with Him!
“Do not fret—it only causes harm.” Psalm 37:8
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Image found at Jon Varner's blog post, Unplug.
Alex Murashko is the founder of Outreach New Media.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AlexMurashkoFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/amurashko
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