Facebook- Social Revolution

Tags

BBQ, causes, church, economy, Facebook, Football, friends, Krispy Kream, Obama, pastors, social revolution, war, Weight Watchers

The 60′s brought Peace, Love and Happiness.

The 70′s, Disco and designer drugs.

The 80′s and 90′s, sex, drugs and rock n roll.

2000 and the turn of the century, the New Millineum and the digital age.

As for 2008/2009, Facebook.  The simple web-site that is as addicting as a designer drug but far more time consuming. Realeased long before now but really coming to light with the 20-60 something crowd.

Facebook is a complete social revolution.  A way to connect with friends who you forgot existed or girlfriends you only occasionally thought of thanks to a photo that re-appeared in an old box when cleaning out a closet.  A place where you can share with friends your political beliefs if they care or not, while also sharing a bunch of random causes that make no sense to anyone including the sender.  You can join groups, create them, or simply become fans of just about anything pop culture.  You can add pictures and video of your family for your friends to see.  You can even post updates of what you are doing during the day.

Best of all, you can build a list of friends a mile long who you don’t even know as long as they say they are your friend.

Facebook is addicting.  But why?

Here is my theory.

Now, this is an obscure theory, but go with me here.

Over the past 20 years we have really had it pretty good.  Most of us had good jobs, were busy raising families, going to school, buying houses, and our life track was going forward pretty nice.

When things started to go a bit south with wars, a worsening economy, job losses and such, we started reaching out.  Reaching out for what is good in our lives.  Re-connecting with friends and family who bring about good memories.

And if you really look at your friends on Facebook, they rarely to ever put something bad in their lives on the page for all to see.  Most often, it is the things they love.  College Football Waves, Favorite Shows, Fun Groups and weekend updates  from the neighborhood BBQ.  Some Pro Football trash talking is always in play.  My pastor friends post cool updates from their churches and tidbits of wisdom now and then for us to live by.  Most of all, it is just fun.

So, in a nutshell….Facebook is our escape.  Our escape from the real world and what we tend to face each and every day.

I am not saying that we hide behind Facebook, just that it has become our place to live within friendship.  A digital coffee house if you would.  The spot where all is good in the world.

I recently tested this theory.  I posted a comment in my updates.  One that was negative towards a new Obama policy.  Within 2 hours I had dozens of comments defending his actions even from people who I know did not vote for him.  The next day I posted something completly positive.  Number of comments=0.  You ask, how does this tell anything…simple…people did not want the negative on the site and they jumped on it like Krispy Kreams at a Weight Watchers convention.  The positive comment…normal for them, back in the comfort zone…no need to comment.  Maybe not a statistically telling trial but as deep and accurate as most exit polls.

So, here is my question for you.

Do you think Facebook is a Social Revolution?  Do you think it is really a place we go to live in the positive and hide from reality or do you feel it is simply a place we re-connect with friends?

ps.  I personally love Facebook.  Really like catching up with old friends!

How Do You See God?

Tags

Faith, Fall, friends, Starbucks, Tennessee Titans

I have a lot of days where I drive.

In fact everyday I drive, a lot.  And this gives me a lot of Joseph time to think.  Now, I know this can be good or bad depending on your point of view, but for the most part it is fairly harmless.  Although I do come up with some really good inventions now and then!

Today, I had stopped by Starbucks (surprise) and heard two guys talking.  I couldn’t help but overhear one state that through consciousness, breath, life and feeling that he knew God was real and alive in his life.  He went on to explain that there has to be a greater power at play to allow us these gifts or we would just be a planet full of unconscious and unfeeling people.

Interesting.  I began to think to myself….How do I see God?  When do I see God?

These can tend to be dangerous questions but today I looked a little closer than normal and here is how I saw God.

I saw God in the beauty of the changing colors of the leaves.

I saw God in the laughter of children at the first school I worked in today.

I saw God in the great conversations I had with close friends while I was driving.

I saw God in the beautiful Fall day he had given us here in Nashville, TN.

I even saw God through the amazing and fun sports radio discussions on our undefeated Tennessee Titans….had to throw this in because if the Titans are 7-0, God must be a fan.

What I realized more than ever, from a simple overhearing of a guy at Starbucks, is that God is everywhere and in everything.  How amazing….and how it changes a simple view of the normally monotonous.

How do you see God?

Blog World Crosses Real World

Tags

blog, friends

What happens when you meet someone you know only from the blog world?

I got to do this for the first time.

Now, I have several people who I know well who read my blog and post comments but for the first time ever and outside person, that pciked up my blog from another source, met me for coffee.

Very cool.  We met for reasons I won’t discuss out of respect for the other blogger (because I am not sure if they would want me to discuss or not) but I found the meeting interesting.  I really love to reach out to new people and learn about them.  It is where some of my closest and dearest friends have come from.

We talked for a good hour and kind of got to know each others backgrounds, common friends and some interests.  We both come from different backgrounds and are at completely different places in our lives but found some neet common ground to have a really cool discussion.

So here is what I want to know….Has your blog world and personal world ever collided?  How did it go and what happened?  Did you find a new friend?

Thanks to my blog friend for a great discussion over a cup of coffee!

Does My Church Need Me?

Tags

church, friends, frustration, Life, volunteering

What do you do when you feel your church doesn’t care about your ideas or help?

I am currently struggling with this right now.  I love my church and all of our friends that attend as well as the staff.  And I need to state on the front end, I don’t think my church is doing this intentionally or even realize I am feeling this way.  I am not even sure it is their responsibility to know such.

My frustration comes in as of late because I have tried to do some new things to help our church and they have fallen on some deaf ears.  For one, I really wanted to set up a scholarship program for our youth where I would write 3, $500 scholarships per year to kids in the youth group who really exemplified positive character, great grades and went over and above to volunteer and demonstrate to other teens and kids what a role model should be.  Several emails and phone calls- no luck and no interest I guess.  I understand it is not a lot of money but I would figure someone could have used it.  I sent the money elsewhere.

Second, I have sent in requests several times to volunteer in different areas of the church.  Not a single time have I been contacted regarding this.

So my questions are this…Do I just attend on Sunday then go my way through the week?  Do I bother to try and re-introduce these things again to see if a better result comes about?

I am not a complainer so I do not wish to really be viewed as such.  I am just not sure where to go with this?  Very frustrated. 

Solutions wanted.