facebook was created to help you share and connect with the people in your life. One of the concerns people have when being on-line is security. How secure is the information that I am putting out there? I want to share and connect with those in my life, but not share all this information with those not in my life. I was actually talking to someone last Sunday about that. This person’s sister, I think, had her identity stolen, so they were hesitant to put information onto internet places like facebook. It is a very real concern and something to check into.
facebook has at least two places to learn tips about being safe and secure on their website. They have a facebook Security Page and their Safety Center. You can find information there about security issues, but also what to do about on-line bullying or what to do when someone you don't know keeps trying to contact you.
On-line security issues are important. They keep your information safe and they help keep you safe. To stay safe we have to make choices about whether to use on-line places like facebook, but we also have to decide what information we put on-line and who we allow to see it.
In our Christian faith there are choices we have to make when it comes to who we associate with and who we are connected to as well. You could say these are security issues. There are choices you need to make about who you are connected to in your life. The people you connect to are people you will influence and they are people who will influence you.
Paul shares with us in 2 Corinthians 6:14 "not to be yoked to unbelievers." He is saying that we need to be wise in the people we connect with and the influence they will have on us. Being yoked to someone means you are connect to them, like two animals yoked together to plow a field or pull a cart.
Let me be clear, this does not say not to associate with unbelievers, but it says don't be so connected to an unbeliever that will influence the direction of your life. (I personally would say if you are not associated with any unbelievers, then you are living too safe.)
I know this can be a difficult lesson for us to learn. It is hard to be honest with ourselves that a friend that we are close to is someone that might lead us away from God's calling in our lives. We feel we are strong enough to stand against their influence when we may not be that strong in our faith. We also do not want to let go of them for fear of what might happen to them. It is a hard choice to make.
What I want to suggest is that if you have a person that is really close to you and they do not know Jesus, pray about what God wants you to do in that relationship. God may encourage you to take a break from that relationship to gain strength and understanding of your calling. Perhaps God will lead you to have a honest conversation with that person. Letting them know how much you care about them and how God has made a difference in your life and you want that for them as well. Spending time in prayer about that relationship can make a huge difference in both of your lives.
Just as on-line security issues are important, so are the choices you make when it comes to who you connect with in your life. Take seriously the choices of who you allow yourself to be yoked to. Be wise and honest about the relationships you have and pray God will be present in those relationships.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
facebook: Forgot your password?
To get into your facebook account you will always need to remember your user name and password. Your user name is easy because it is your email account that you use to connect with facebook. Your password can be whatever you decide, which can make it more random. Thinking about keeping these straight made me realize that we live in a password crazy world and it can get confusing.
I probably could not list from memory all of the places I use a password. My debit card has a PIN number. My social security number is used as a password sometimes. Both my cell phone and home phone accounts have passwords when I call customer service. I have accounts with Amazon.com, Christian Book Distributors, E-bay, Pay Pal, and many other on-line places that require passwords. It can be tough to remember all of those passwords and the proper user name that goes with them.
I thank God that our Christian faith does not have any passwords. There are not secret words or phrases that are needed to experience the love and grace of God. (I do believe there is power in the name of Jesus, but I would not call it a password.)
But the idea of forgetting your password means that you belong on facebook and have an account, but you have forgotten what gets you to your account. This made me think about the passage of Scripture from Revelation 2:1-7. This passage is about a church that was doing good work, but they had forgotten their first love. They had been in love with God and that had led them to endure hardships and work for God's kingdom, but somewhere along the way they forgot. They kept doing what they were doing before, but they forgot the reason they were doing it. In that passage they are called to remember and come back to their first love.
So I want to remind us as Christians that we too need to remember our first love. We need to remember the first time God let us know His presence. Remember the first time you knew God loved you.
For me it was 18 years ago at a camp called Wesley Woods near Indianola, Iowa. As I think back to that time I remember the joy, peace, and passion that filled my life as I realized the God of the universe loved me. As imperfect as I am, God loves me. Remembering that renews my excitement for sharing God's love even today.
Remember the first time you felt God's love. Not to live in the past of the glory days, but to be renewed and to serve and love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength today for His glory. Don't ever forget that God loves you.
If anyone wants to share their first experience with God just comment on this blog. It might help others to remember.
I probably could not list from memory all of the places I use a password. My debit card has a PIN number. My social security number is used as a password sometimes. Both my cell phone and home phone accounts have passwords when I call customer service. I have accounts with Amazon.com, Christian Book Distributors, E-bay, Pay Pal, and many other on-line places that require passwords. It can be tough to remember all of those passwords and the proper user name that goes with them.
I thank God that our Christian faith does not have any passwords. There are not secret words or phrases that are needed to experience the love and grace of God. (I do believe there is power in the name of Jesus, but I would not call it a password.)
But the idea of forgetting your password means that you belong on facebook and have an account, but you have forgotten what gets you to your account. This made me think about the passage of Scripture from Revelation 2:1-7. This passage is about a church that was doing good work, but they had forgotten their first love. They had been in love with God and that had led them to endure hardships and work for God's kingdom, but somewhere along the way they forgot. They kept doing what they were doing before, but they forgot the reason they were doing it. In that passage they are called to remember and come back to their first love.
So I want to remind us as Christians that we too need to remember our first love. We need to remember the first time God let us know His presence. Remember the first time you knew God loved you.
For me it was 18 years ago at a camp called Wesley Woods near Indianola, Iowa. As I think back to that time I remember the joy, peace, and passion that filled my life as I realized the God of the universe loved me. As imperfect as I am, God loves me. Remembering that renews my excitement for sharing God's love even today.
Remember the first time you felt God's love. Not to live in the past of the glory days, but to be renewed and to serve and love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength today for His glory. Don't ever forget that God loves you.
If anyone wants to share their first experience with God just comment on this blog. It might help others to remember.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
facebook: Friend Request
The way people connect on facebook is through friend requests. A friend request is a message sent to another person letting them know you want to connect with them through facebook. The other person then gets to decide if they want to confirm or ignore the friend request.
In John 15 Jesus speaks in a way similar to that of a friend request. In this chapter Jesus says that he calls us friends. He also says that we did not choose him, but he chose us. So you could say he sent the first friend request to us. Then it was up to us to confirm it or ignore it.
Once he have confirmed the friend request from Jesus he says we are to love each other. Loving other people can be a large calling and has many possible ways to be lived out. One way to live it out is to reach out in love and make friends.
We were created for community, and yet there are many lonely people in this world. There are people who have friends and yet they do not feel loved by them. There are also people who may say they have no friends. God calls us to love the lonely. One way to do that is to become their friends. Maybe that can happen through facebook or maybe it will happen face to face. The way you become a friend is not important, but the important thing is that you make friends.
Jesus says that we are his friends and his friends love people. So let's continue to love all people, but keep an eye open for the lonely. You could make a difference in their life simply by talking with them and getting to know them.
In John 15 Jesus speaks in a way similar to that of a friend request. In this chapter Jesus says that he calls us friends. He also says that we did not choose him, but he chose us. So you could say he sent the first friend request to us. Then it was up to us to confirm it or ignore it.
Once he have confirmed the friend request from Jesus he says we are to love each other. Loving other people can be a large calling and has many possible ways to be lived out. One way to live it out is to reach out in love and make friends.
We were created for community, and yet there are many lonely people in this world. There are people who have friends and yet they do not feel loved by them. There are also people who may say they have no friends. God calls us to love the lonely. One way to do that is to become their friends. Maybe that can happen through facebook or maybe it will happen face to face. The way you become a friend is not important, but the important thing is that you make friends.
Jesus says that we are his friends and his friends love people. So let's continue to love all people, but keep an eye open for the lonely. You could make a difference in their life simply by talking with them and getting to know them.
Monday, July 26, 2010
facebook: It's free and anyone can join
If you go to www.facebook.com and are looking to become a member of facebook you will see that it says there "It's free (and always will be)." It is free to get your own personal facebook page. It does not cost you a thing.
A month or so ago this phrase was different. I assume it was changed because there was a message going around on facebook that it was going to stop being free. If I remember correctly the message said that on July 15, 2010 they were going to start charging a monthly fee for facebook. This got some people riled up and I saw several petitions for a free facebook going around. Either that worked or the message was just a rumor and was never really going to happen.
The phase was changed to "It's free (and always will be)" to calm those worries about having to pay for facebook. The previous phrase was "It's free and anyone can join." I like that one a little better than the new one.
It's free and anyone can join applies to our faith as well. Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." Basic translation: Our relationship with God is a free gift. We cannot do anything to earn it or deserve it.
Yet we try to earn it or deserve it. We try to be good enough before coming into God's presence, but God loves us as we are. We can simply come to him to have that relationship. Once we are there I believe God works on our hearts, but that is work for God to do in us and not for us to do to ourselves.
So, our faith is free, but don't forget that anyone can join. I hope you have joined and if not God freely offers you an invitation. All you need to do is receive the gift of a relationship with him.
If you have already joined then I want to remind you that anyone else can join. There are people around you that need an invitation from you to join. I believe God calls people, but often he does that through us. We need to go to anyone and invite them into the family of God. Remind them it is free and let them know how a relationship with Christ has impacted your life. Spread the word, faith in Christ is free and anyone can join.
A month or so ago this phrase was different. I assume it was changed because there was a message going around on facebook that it was going to stop being free. If I remember correctly the message said that on July 15, 2010 they were going to start charging a monthly fee for facebook. This got some people riled up and I saw several petitions for a free facebook going around. Either that worked or the message was just a rumor and was never really going to happen.
The phase was changed to "It's free (and always will be)" to calm those worries about having to pay for facebook. The previous phrase was "It's free and anyone can join." I like that one a little better than the new one.
It's free and anyone can join applies to our faith as well. Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." Basic translation: Our relationship with God is a free gift. We cannot do anything to earn it or deserve it.
Yet we try to earn it or deserve it. We try to be good enough before coming into God's presence, but God loves us as we are. We can simply come to him to have that relationship. Once we are there I believe God works on our hearts, but that is work for God to do in us and not for us to do to ourselves.
So, our faith is free, but don't forget that anyone can join. I hope you have joined and if not God freely offers you an invitation. All you need to do is receive the gift of a relationship with him.
If you have already joined then I want to remind you that anyone else can join. There are people around you that need an invitation from you to join. I believe God calls people, but often he does that through us. We need to go to anyone and invite them into the family of God. Remind them it is free and let them know how a relationship with Christ has impacted your life. Spread the word, faith in Christ is free and anyone can join.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
facebook: What's on Your Wall?
Your wall on facebook is the public viewing area of your facebook page. What is put on your wall is there for anyone to see. If you want to send a private message you can use the instant messaging piece of facebook or send a message like an email to their facebook account. The wall is for the whole world to see, unless you have it set for just your friends to see. But still all the people connected to your life will see what is on your wall.
Your wall has your past status updates. It has your recent pictures posted. It has videos you saw and liked.
By reading someone’s wall you can begin to get an idea of that person’s identity. At least you can begin to see what has their attention, where their focus is. You can also start to learn what is important to that person.
So what’s on your wall? This question could be directed at your facebook wall if you have one. What is the general mood of your status updates? Are they negative, complaining, and making fun of others? Or are they positive, encouraging and sharing about God’s blessings in your life? Are your pictures and videos appropriate?
This question can also apply to your life. If someone looked at your life what would they see gets your attention? What would they see is important to you?
I think about myself when I say my wife and family are my top priority and then I find myself scheduling meetings in place of family time. I may say they are important, but is that really what is seen? I finally decided to schedule family time that cannot be rescheduled because I don’t want to just say my family is important, but I want to live that way.
Look at your wall. Look at your life. Do they show who God has called you to be? If you see changes that need to take place do not put up a false self just to make it look good to the outside, but rather ask God to transform your heart. Once God works on your heart it will move to the exterior. It will be seen in your life and on your wall.
Your wall has your past status updates. It has your recent pictures posted. It has videos you saw and liked.
By reading someone’s wall you can begin to get an idea of that person’s identity. At least you can begin to see what has their attention, where their focus is. You can also start to learn what is important to that person.
So what’s on your wall? This question could be directed at your facebook wall if you have one. What is the general mood of your status updates? Are they negative, complaining, and making fun of others? Or are they positive, encouraging and sharing about God’s blessings in your life? Are your pictures and videos appropriate?
This question can also apply to your life. If someone looked at your life what would they see gets your attention? What would they see is important to you?
I think about myself when I say my wife and family are my top priority and then I find myself scheduling meetings in place of family time. I may say they are important, but is that really what is seen? I finally decided to schedule family time that cannot be rescheduled because I don’t want to just say my family is important, but I want to live that way.
Look at your wall. Look at your life. Do they show who God has called you to be? If you see changes that need to take place do not put up a false self just to make it look good to the outside, but rather ask God to transform your heart. Once God works on your heart it will move to the exterior. It will be seen in your life and on your wall.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
facebook is a major part of our world today. Over 400 million people use this social networking website launched just 6 years ago. So I thought we would look at pieces of facebook and see what it might teach us about our faith. For the next several weeks I will use something from facebook to start our thinking about how God wants us to live.
The idea is that facebook can be your virtual face. It could be your on-line personality. You choose what your face or personality looks like depending on what you post as your status, what pictures you put up, and all the other things you do on facebook.
2 Corinthians 3:18 says that we have unveiled faces that reflect the Lord's glory. This means that our faces are to reflect God, and I would say that is our real face and our virtual face. We are called to reflect the love, mercy and grace of God in all we do and even what we might put on facebook.
Most of the time I believe many of us have veiled faces. We veil our faces to cover up what is really going on inside of us. We worry that if people really knew what we were thinking or what was going on in our lives that they would judge us, shame us or not want to be friends with us. So we veil our true selves and put on a false face. I think we all do this from time to time to protect ourselves.
However, I believe God wants us to show our true face. God wants us to be real with each other. God desires for us to just be ourselves. Our gifts and talents are wonderful to share, but our weaknesses and struggles are also a part of who we are. If we all were honest and real with each other, we could know better how to serve and love each other. This would allow us a better opportunity to show Christ to each other.
My question to you then is; does your face reflect the Lord's glory? Are you real? Are you the same person on facebook as you are in person? We were created in the image of God, so when we live as God intended we will reflect the Lord's glory.
This is what we will be working on over the next few weeks. We will use facebook to show us ways to transform our faces to truly reflect the Lord's glory.
The idea is that facebook can be your virtual face. It could be your on-line personality. You choose what your face or personality looks like depending on what you post as your status, what pictures you put up, and all the other things you do on facebook.
2 Corinthians 3:18 says that we have unveiled faces that reflect the Lord's glory. This means that our faces are to reflect God, and I would say that is our real face and our virtual face. We are called to reflect the love, mercy and grace of God in all we do and even what we might put on facebook.
Most of the time I believe many of us have veiled faces. We veil our faces to cover up what is really going on inside of us. We worry that if people really knew what we were thinking or what was going on in our lives that they would judge us, shame us or not want to be friends with us. So we veil our true selves and put on a false face. I think we all do this from time to time to protect ourselves.
However, I believe God wants us to show our true face. God wants us to be real with each other. God desires for us to just be ourselves. Our gifts and talents are wonderful to share, but our weaknesses and struggles are also a part of who we are. If we all were honest and real with each other, we could know better how to serve and love each other. This would allow us a better opportunity to show Christ to each other.
My question to you then is; does your face reflect the Lord's glory? Are you real? Are you the same person on facebook as you are in person? We were created in the image of God, so when we live as God intended we will reflect the Lord's glory.
This is what we will be working on over the next few weeks. We will use facebook to show us ways to transform our faces to truly reflect the Lord's glory.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Free
Galatians 5:13-14 says, "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
This passage is an important reminder after we celebrated our countries independence yesterday. We heard this message in our ecumenical service yesterday morning. The message is that our freedom is not meant only for our personal gain, but is meant to lead us to love others. One way we love others in our freedom is to invite them into the freedom we have in Christ.
I was impressed by my 6 year old son yesterday. We had many people come to our house during the 4th of July parade because the parade route goes right by our house and we are near the beginning where the candy throwers are still generous. I think we had 14 kids running around the house playing together. There were a few times parents needed to intervene, but overall the kids were very good.
I was impressed with Jamison because most of the kids at one time or another played with his Lego's. He really likes his Lego's and can be protective of them from time to time. However, he never was protective yesterday and actually he wanted each kid to build something and take it home. He wanted to give away his Lego's. He thought that each person took joy in the hard work of building their own Lego creation and they should get to take it home to enjoy, but then bring it back some time.
The freedom we have in Christ should lead us to the same kind of expression. Because we have joy in our freedom, we should want to offer it to others. When we see someone struggling or hurting we can share the freedom of Christ with them. We can give to them something that has changed our lives. Let's be about spreading the freedom of Christ all over this world as we express God's love for His people.
This passage is an important reminder after we celebrated our countries independence yesterday. We heard this message in our ecumenical service yesterday morning. The message is that our freedom is not meant only for our personal gain, but is meant to lead us to love others. One way we love others in our freedom is to invite them into the freedom we have in Christ.
I was impressed by my 6 year old son yesterday. We had many people come to our house during the 4th of July parade because the parade route goes right by our house and we are near the beginning where the candy throwers are still generous. I think we had 14 kids running around the house playing together. There were a few times parents needed to intervene, but overall the kids were very good.
I was impressed with Jamison because most of the kids at one time or another played with his Lego's. He really likes his Lego's and can be protective of them from time to time. However, he never was protective yesterday and actually he wanted each kid to build something and take it home. He wanted to give away his Lego's. He thought that each person took joy in the hard work of building their own Lego creation and they should get to take it home to enjoy, but then bring it back some time.
The freedom we have in Christ should lead us to the same kind of expression. Because we have joy in our freedom, we should want to offer it to others. When we see someone struggling or hurting we can share the freedom of Christ with them. We can give to them something that has changed our lives. Let's be about spreading the freedom of Christ all over this world as we express God's love for His people.
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