We in the West developed a culture that purports to be all about the “connect.” We are not really as connected as we pretend, just see how well we do when our connect to electricity is pulled. Like so many other things in our life we use power to maintain appearances. I noticed during the past three or four years the press of the “connect” we commonly practice is so overwhelming that many are choosing disconnect in the midst of the flood of too much information.
For instance, I have a friend who was recently ill. I called my friend to check in and to see if there was something I could do to be an encouragement, but had to leave a voice mail. It was a few weeks before we made contact. When, in the course of conversation, the unanswered voice mail was mentioned my friend asked me if I hadn’t kept up on Facebook. I had to admit that I had not and I felt uneasily guilty: I felt guilty for not even thinking to check on a sick friend on Facebook (how 90’s of me) and I felt guilty for feeling guilty about rejecting this popular connect point in lieu of actually hearing my friend’s voice.
I am concerned that in the cauldron of a culture that thinks itself completely connected that we have lost the ability to genuinely connect with each other…and with God.
I cannot look into the eyes of an emoticon. I cannot hug a Skype screen. I cannot properly interpret the inflection of an email. I cannot accurately nuance information presented in 140 characters or less. I was thoroughly upbraided for replying “k” in a text when “ok” was expected because “‘k’ sounds like your angry.” Really? When I express this frustration to my friends some agree, some roll their eyes, and some return blank stares as if I speak some alien language.
Rarely does anyone see the connection between the means we are currently choosing use to connect and our relationship with the God who connects with us in the hidden depths of our being. I will be suggesting some key ways we can connect to God this upcoming month at Main Street, it is my prayer that we discover together some “old” and some “new” but all significant means for the best connect ever.
I wonder what you would say to God if you wanted to connect today? Feel free to use the comment field below. Use 140 characters or less…if you dare.
TheNarrowRoadPursued 
God’s written communication to us takes the form of letters and books written written over a vast expanse of time. They bear fruit on a simple reading and bear ever more on successive passes at greater and greater depths. They bear the greatest truths only with lengthy study and a sort of “soaking” in them. A stark contrast to a mercurial Facebook status update or an extremely transitory wall post.
Although I suppose you could consider the 10 Commandments the original blog post. (Would each one fit into a single tweet? I will let the reader discover for himself!)
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before Me.-135 characters (in English…passed)
You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them;-178 characters…failed
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. -129 characters…passed
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. -43 characters…passed
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.-113 characters…passed
You shall not murder. -21 characters…passed
You shall not commit adultery. -31characters…passed
You shall not steal. -21 characters…passed
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.-55 characters…passed
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.-192 characters…failed.
If we spoke Hebrew, we could keep all ten words…in English we need to rename them the “great eight” or some such thing.
My grandchildren are amazed that I survived without a TV till the age of 6 and then we only had 3 channels, black and white picture and we watched what our parents did. Our phone was a party line and you had to stay in one spot to talk because the cord was only so long and you were limited to 3 minutes. We played with each other and if we said we were bored we were given a chore to fill our time. To friends and family that were long distance (Cincinnati or Louisville) we wrote letters. Kids today text the friends who are sitting in the back seat of their car.
You are the second person in 12 hours that has told me children text each other front seat to back. I guess it is better than yelling at each other, but not so sure about the health of firing electronic strings back and forth over such a close distance.
RT@ApostlePaul: @parson9 I want 2 kno of ur love that surpasses knowledge, so I may b filled 2 the meas of the fullness of You #dailybread