The thing about facebook

i took Soo out on a facebook date tonight.
It included watching "The Social Network", talking about facebook and spending some time on facebook.

The movie was great! Great story-telling & great casting (but that is to be expected with Aaron Sokin & David Fincher).
It reminded me how much i liked facebook when it was clean & simple - and not the mess of applications it is now.
And how much better the facebook was when it was exclusive.
But yeah, it was an intense movie, great character development, fun.


It also showed me how much facebook has changed the world... i mean, we can know things about people we barely know at all...

i do often wonder what my life would have been like if facebook was around when i was in college. i'd have 500+ more friends... i think it would have made dating easier (knowing who was single and who was somewhat interested) but also more difficult (b/c i wouldn't know how to talk to people in person).
And would i have graduated?


I'm interested in seeing what people interaction's will be like in a few years- when all they've known is facebook. Will they really know how to talk with each other? Will they go out and make new friends? Will friends really be friends - or will they stay at superficial levels.
Will freshman in college have to go out and make new friends, or just stay in their room staying in touch with highschool buddies?

i am thankful for facebook now, i have reconnected with a buddy from college who i haven't talked to in a decade and a buddy from high school i hadn't talked to in 12 years... + i can keep up with people while living a continent away!


On our date, we discussed how can facebook be detrimental to our walk with God?
And how can we use facebook to advance God's Kingdom, serve God's purposes, glorify God?

Detrimental:
1. obviously wasting time
2. similarly: turn to facebook instead of God as a default
3. could keep from actually knowing people, initiating
4. could judge people w/o knowing what is going on

for glorify God:
1. pray for people- reminds us to pray, know better how to pray
2. write encouraging notes on people's walls
3. write notes, status updates that could encourage, challenge others by talking about God's Word.
4. make people aware of prayer requests
5. write praises, make people aware of God
6. post sermons, videos
7. contact old friends, build relationships, use for Evangelism


There were a few more things we did, could have done... We prayed for people on the date. We uploaded some pictures. we talked about stuff in our information section: tv shows, books, activities...
It was pretty fun.


Back to facebook: My first 2 fb friends: Nate Racklyeft & Laura Shunta... when i first started fb when i accepted friend requests i would write a note to them to say why i considered them a friend... that stopped pretty quickly. Paul Gustafson was the first person to write on my wall.
And being on facebook as a staff was a key insider move. When i left Michigan i i said "I'm not a student, but i am on facebook."


Go watch the movie.
Go spend time with your wife and/or friends, and don't waste all your time on facebook.
And spend your time on facebook wisely and to serve God's purposes.