Social media - to be or not to be

 What if "the social dilemma" on Netflix is really part 2 of a social experiment and/or social manipulation?

If the original goal was to brainwash a generation toward a certain ideation, but older and wiser people started to use the tool and share their knowledge, experience and wisdom; then perhaps you need a new experiment to see if you could get those people off social media clearing the way to influence the young.

What if "the social dilemma" documentary is more about increasing social distancing (virtually and physically) than it is about telling truth?

What if the people who "hid the truth" about social media in the beginning are now hiding their real reasons for "telling all" now?

What if the fact that someone used social media to be a BIG tool in getting elected (and that person is hated by many in the media - social and otherwise) caused them to try and figure out how to make social media a less effective tool for them in the future?

What if everyone using social media used it to be social and not political?

What if seniors, who find huge joy seeing grand children and great-grand children could no longer do that because their families decide to drop off social media.

Sure, we can go back to phone, mail, and the occasional every other year visit. I'm just not convinced that will last. Oh, there are some exceptional people that do make that work and my hat is off to them. In my experience they are the exception, not the rule. When I see the joy on my 88 year old mother's face every time she says, "Did you see what ____ posted?", I don't see social media as evil. Not that it can't be. It just isn't always that.

Here is what I know. I have not seen the documentary, I've only read about. I do not use or watch Netflix (for personal reasons). I have a great group of Facebook friends who come from all different walks of life, spiritual beliefs, political beliefs, etc. I love them all. The only ones that I've seen react to the documentary to the level that they will leave social media over it are the friends who are conservative politically, or Christian, or both. Hmmmm.

Now, do I think minors should have unlimited access to social media? NO. Do I think parents should be the biggest influence in their children's life? YES. Do I think we have lost the art of critical thinking in this country? YES.

So, if you feel the need to drop social media, that is your choice. I do not judge that decision when it is made for the right reasons and not being made based on one movie created by people who have admitted to having hidden agendas in the past and might just still have hidden agendas.

Sorry about the rant. This isn't due to one person posting about it, I've had many friends post about it. It is pent up anger due to how quickly I watch all kinds of people jump on all kinds of band wagons. Maybe in the end, I'll be the one who is wrong. And, I am in the middle of covid-fatigue and how quickly everyone's social life was radically changed, and is still not what it was. I am furious at how loved ones have been kept apart when hospitalized or in care facilities. Their failure to thrive is heart breaking.

I feel close to those I care about because I know how to pray for them, when to call them, how to celebrate with them as they share bits and pieces of real life on social media. Now, I feel like this new documentary wants to take that away too.

Personally, I gain so much emotional strength by seeing what my family and friends post (when it is actually about them and their lives) that it causes me great sadness every time I see someone I love drop out of the social media connection.

Bye, I will miss you. Some of you I know will connect with me in others ways. Thank God! But, some of you, this is our only connection.

Stress 2020 Style

So I wake up each morning with a really good attitude knowing God is in control. I have an easy time riding into work as the traffic is slightly lighter than usual, mostly due to schools being closed. I get to the office and open things up. That’s when it hits me. Nothing is as it should be. This worldwide crisis has changed everything. And, while I know this is temporary that doesn’t change the gravity of what I’m feeling. In the course of a few hours I swing from optimism to hopelessness.

Church is done online now and I’m so grateful for that. However, it’s not the same. I’ve been Christian a long time and have a strong faith. So, why then this stirring in the pit of my stomach? Why do I feel like I’m one word away from a long hard cry? And, what can I even do to change the way I feel right now?

My heart hurts for those going through a tough time in this environment. Losing a loved one and not being able to have a funeral with others who will help you carry your grief. Stuck in another country unable to come home. Being told your job is “on hold” as the place you work has to shut down. Having a loved one in an elder care facility, or the hospital, and not even being able to visit. And the list goes on. Sometimes the stories come in so fast it is impossible to process what I just heard.

That stirring in the pit of my stomach, and the need for a long hard cry, are now accompanied by an inability to concentrate, a stiff neck and sore shoulders. I work for a nonprofit, what happens when donations stop coming in? I’m closer to retirement each year and what happens now to my retirement funds with the stock market doing so poorly. In the 80's when that happened I was decades away from retirement and knew things could recover. Recently, someone asked me, “how much have you lost”? I haven’t looked. I don’t want to know.

I tell myself, “none of this surprised God” and expect that to be enough. But, to be honest, it isn’t. Does that make my faith weak? Probably. Does that make me more human than I want to be? Definitely.

Advice I’ve received from others: “Don’t watch the news”, “Don’t read news-feeds on the internet”, “Don’t stress about it, it’s out of your control”. Probably all good advice, just not practical. Ministry responsibilities require me to be on top of things, to be “in the know”. And, even if they didn’t you simply can’t get away from it.

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?” Psalm 43:5a (NLT)

Written thousands of years ago, I ask these same questions now like I’m the first person to ever have them. I forget that in the past, many dealt with circumstances that brought them to this same place I find myself in. Many times in human history, world changing events happened that caused great stress for those living through them. Yet, somehow, society went on. Often, very different from what it once was. Humans have this amazing capacity to adapt. They work through pain, grief, loss, change, heartache, famine, poverty, and much more. Some don’t make it but most do. I want to be part of the most. God willing, I can be part of the future. Perhaps, the world might be a little better when all is said and done.

For now I’m called to trust. Not in a government or a system, but in God. The God who created all things, including us fallen humans. And, for some reason He felt we were of great value. So great that He sent his only Son to die for us. Wow. If that doesn’t bring perspective then “your woods all wet”. God didn’t have to do that, He wanted to. He could have just wiped it all out and started over (the etch-a-sketch plan). But He didn’t. I am amazed once again at how loved I am by God. In fact, I just breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Everything going on in the world does not sit on my shoulders; it never did. And, God is still God. That never changes. He has broad shoulders and He is enough.

“I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again, my Savior and my God!” Psalm 43:5b (NLT)

The Psalmist made this shift so quickly. In the same verse he went from discouragement and depression to hope and praise! And guess what? Nothing in his circumstances had changed. He was still taunted by his enemies, oppressed and hunted. So, what happened here? It seems to me that he stopped looking at things from a horizontal perspective and started using a vertical one.

Father God, lift my eyes to You. Keep my focus on the eternal and not the temporal. Remind me of the great things You have down so I will anticipate with hope in the great things You are yet to do. My Savior, My Lord; be my strength when I am weak. Take me as you find me but don’t leave me there. When my head hangs low, lift my chin. The miracles in the Bible were not Your last miracles. You, Jehovah, are still in the business of performing miracles. May You heal our land. May You give hope to the hopeless. And, if I am found worthy, may You use this humble servant to help even one person who needs help right now. Not for my namesake but for Yours. AMEN

A Stormy Encounter

Yesterday on my bike ride (bicycle) I had an encounter with God. You see, it was early evening, summer, and I live in Florida. That means afternoon showers are always a possibility. Well, to be more exact, thunderstorms.

As I pulled out of the driveway to begin my 10 mile bike ride, I noticed some very black clouds to the east. But above me and to the north, south and west it was beautiful blue sky. I have learned that the direction a storm may take in Florida is, well, unpredictable. But the clouds seemed to be far off so I decided to venture out.

I was pleased with my decision as I soon discovered a strong breeze from the west going east. "That will help push those clouds away" I thought. About 2 miles into the ride I noticed the black clouds filling more of the eastern sky and even taking over some of the southern sky. Hmmm, I wondered if I should turn back. I looked west, the direction I was riding, and saw only blue sky. I kept going hoping the stormy looking clouds would be "all show and no go".

Now 5 miles out I began to wonder if I'd made the right decision. I listened to my worship music as I peddled but doubt filled my mind. The clouds were not going away. They continued to expand and even looked a little darker. I began to pray that God would allow me to finish my ride without having to find shelter. Filled with worry, and just a little fear, I focused on the blue sky that still owned the western sky. In fact, the sun continued to beat down on me as if there were no clouds in the sky at all. But every once I while I looked over my shoulder to see what was behind me.

Now heading east, because that was the only way to get back home, the sun is on my back and I no longer get to look at the blue sky. Only the looming clouds. Fear became constant. Not once did I look over my shoulder at the blue sky, I only worried about the storm. Will I make it home? Are those clouds going to expand even more? I reasoned if it got really bad I could turn around again and head west, toward blue sky. After all, I have been known to sustain almost 12 miles per hour on my bike if I had to; and there wasn't any hills; and I didn't have to go against the wind; and....

Hmmm, how fast can a storm move?

Again, I prayed. This time my thoughts reminded me of when God parted the Red Sea. Surely He could keep these clouds away. One soft blow from His lips and they could be completely gone. God knew I'd be out here, at this time, on my bike. He knew. He could even part the clouds giving me safe passage home. I only needed it to stay calm for about 30 minutes. No longer focusing on the storm but instead on God, my fear slowly faded away. Trust and faith took over. Even if the storm reached me, God would provide shelter if needed. It was 95 degrees, perhaps the clouds just look ominous, perhaps a light cool rain would come out of them. I knew in that moment that if it stormed, or if it stayed calm and I was just on the edge of the storm, God was with me. I looked at the clouds and saw beautiful white billows scattered between the black ones. With God, even in the storms of life He can reveal beauty we would not otherwise see. Beauty we would miss if we avoided the storm out of fear of the unknown, or if we focused only on the storm and not on God.

The last 3 miles of my bike ride seemed to go all too fast. The storm clouds became a source of strength as I watched them move and change, revealing even more beauty. Things I'd never seen before. All the while the sun kept shining. I thought about battles I face daily in ministry and in my personal life. Some are storms that seem like they will never end. If I focus on the storm, I miss what God is trying to show me in it. If all I can wish for is that it would be over, then I can't learn while I'm on the journey.

I arrived home safe. Not even one drop of rain fell on me. The sun never disappeared behind the clouds. The edge of the storm taught me a lot about life and God. At one point in my prayer I felt God say "Trust Me". I responded, "I trust you Lord, but do you trust me?" You see, if I only play it safe, if God never trusts me with the hard stuff, if I always avoid or try to escape the storms, am I really living for God? I pray I carry the lessons learned on this bike ride with me as I face life's storms. I pray I forge ahead with strength knowing I am never alone. I pray I seek God in the calm AND in the storm. I pray I give God reason to trust me.

Nahum 1:7
The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.

Isaiah 25:4-5
But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall, or like the relentless heat of the desert. But you silence the roar of foreign nations. As the shade of a cloud cools relentless heat, so the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled.

Psalm 91:1-6
We live within the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered by the God who is above all gods. This I declare, that he alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him. For he rescues you from every trap and protects you from the fatal plague. He will shield you with his wings! They will shelter you. His faithful promises are your armor. Now you don’t need to be afraid of the dark anymore, nor fear the dangers of the day; nor dread the plagues of darkness, nor disasters in the morning.


May you learn to trust God even more.
May you give God reason to trust you.
And, may God be your strength as you face life's storms.

The Gift

It has been a while since I wrote poem. Gary and I attend a small group with people we go to church with. The group's focus is on worship music and most (if not all) are musicians. Well, except me. I love music, I'm just not musically gifted. Over the summer we are being challenged to write a worship song, including the melody.

At our recent gathering we learned 3 original songs, written by members of our small group. I was very moved by the words of these songs and you could hear their souls in the offering. It felt like holy ground.

While, I won't be writing any music, it did motivate to get back to writing poetry. A love I've had since elementary school. The poem below is loosely based on my "life verse", Ephesians 2:10. There is also an English reference in it, we'll see who gets that. :)

The Gift

Here I am head bowed down

My head where God has placed His crown

Not my own, I belong to Him

Saved by Grace, what a gift

The gift cannot be earned, in hell I will not burn

The gift came with a cost, Christ died to save the lost

Open this gift from Christ

Salvation is inside

Eternity in Heaven

Death is not the end

The gift that can’t be earned, offered without any scorn

The gift given with pure Love, from God the Father above

You ask, what is the price?

It’s been paid by His sacrifice

Jesus, God’s only Son

Gave His all, so we could be won

The gift cannot be earned, through it we are reborn

“God’s masterpiece” we’re called, go – do good things for all

The gift that can’t be earned

The gift with no return

God offers ALL the gift

Salvation , Heaven’s lift

Amen

Barb's theory of Biblical truism

Do you ever go to the grocery store and get overwhelmed at all the choices? I do. I didn't even realize the magnitude of choice until I traveled overseas. Grocery stores there can be very small. Typically the size of a Starbucks or maybe, if you are lucky, a Panera. There is no bread aisle. There is a bread shelf. The same for cereal. But here, in the United States, we have grocery stores the size of department stores (and bigger)!

The cereal shelf IS an entire aisle. I stand there looking at the hundreds of boxes and get overwhelmed. "Why can't there just be 3 or 4 choices so I could grab one and get out of here?" It is easy to get stuck in one aisle for a long time if I am at all indecisive. I can get lured in to a new cereal just by the prettiness of the box, only to find I don't like what is inside once I get it home. Then I'm stuck wishing I had just bought what I always buy.

Occasional I discover a new favorite! What a joy that is. I enjoy every delicious bite and go back to the store to buy it again. Sometimes the store has "remodeled" and it is not in the place where I found it last time. So the search begins. Sometimes it has been discontinued, or was just a "limited time" special. In my disappointment I go back to my old favorite. But something has happened to it. The box looks different. OH NO, it is "new and improved"! I know that means it is different and I most likely won't like it any more.

Religion can be like grocery shopping. There are many choices out there. Consider these facts:

• There are roughly 4,200 religions in the world.
• One study I found states there are over 33,000 Christian denominations.
• Within the Lutheran church alone there are some 140 variations, 211 in the Baptist denomination.

The more I researched this, the more overwhelmed I felt.

I meet so many people seeking "something". Looking for "something" to believe in. Lured in to fads and popular ideas that have no depth or lasting significance. At some point in the conversation I will ask them if they have ever read the Bible. Immediately they show signs of disdain. They don't believe in the Bible. It is dismissed as fake, made up, old-fashioned, etc. I've heard it all. Yet, they willing accept evolution as fact when it is theory. They believe it is possible that there is life elsewhere in the universe when we have no scientific proof ("I saw a movie once that made a lot of sense to me.", is what I typically hear). They may believe that "mother nature" rules everything and their "aura" will be absorbed back into the earth to create energy of some type. Or, what I hear the most is, "There is something bigger than us, but it is too hard to figure it out." They are overwhelmed by all the input they have received over time and have decided NOT to pick one.

This is not limited to those who have not accepted Christianity or are "unchurched". This feeling of not knowing what to believe. Christians are just as confused. They want to believe the Bible but they don't want to appear to be uneducated. I heard that in a recent study of Christians, less than 9% have a true "Biblical" worldview. How can this be?

I have a theory. We will call it "Barb's theory of Biblical truism". Here it is:

I believe we feel like we have to know everything about everything before we will have the confidence to say something is true. I believe we (humans) have this unmet need to have all the answers before we are willing to stand firm on a Biblical world view. We have to first disprove the opposition. If we can't, well then we leave room for doubt. Sometimes I think we don't understand the true meaning of "faith". Also, sometimes we have issues with authority and to bow to God just because He is God, well, that might just be asking too much. Sometimes we just want to live life "our way".

BUT, if we spend any time in God's word, what we call the Bible. I think, God reveals truth to us in a way we can understand. Not ALL things are revealed. If they were, then why have faith at all.

Job 11:7 "Can you solve the mysteries of God? Can you discover everything about the Almighty?"

I can't. BTW, God is not looking for the religious only the faithful.

Is everything going to be okay?

We talked for hours. Though much younger than myself, she was genuine in her desire for information.

Bad choices she had made resulted in an unplanned pregnancy.

"Before facing this pregnancy, I didn't believe in abortion." (I hear this often. It is one thing to believe in something in "theory", but the 'rubber hits the road' when you have to face that belief head-on.)

I asked her why she had thought abortion was wrong and she explained it this way, "I just figured the baby shouldn't be the one to pay for the mistake."

"What's different now?", I asked.

She thought a while and then said, "Well, this time I'm the one who had unprotected sex." (That might be one of THE most honest statements I have ever heard in the counseling room.)

She talked some more. I listened. She cried, I waited. Then, I asked her about God. She believed in God, but was unable to articulate why, or even what that meant to her. She shared more about her situation, her lack of finances, her family kicking her out, etc. Again, I listened. When she was all talked out there was just silence.

I waited. No more came. When the quiet became unbearable for her and me, I leaned and said, "This is a big room. You have that whole couch you are sitting on all to yourself. What if God came in to the room and sat down next to you? What one thing would you ask Him?"

I have used this question before in a counseling situation, but this time, as soon as the words came out of my mouth I felt this dull ache in the pit of my stomach. This young woman was a thinker. What if she came up with some question that was bigger than I could answer? I could see in her eyes that she was seriously pondering the question I posed. This observation made me a little more nervous. I watched as her expression changed. In fact, everything  about her changed. She hung her head, her shoulders drooped, and I watched as tears fell from her cheeks to the floor. Then, quietly, broken only by her crying, she said, "I guess I would ask Him if everything is going to be okay."

In that moment, my fear was realized. I had no answer for her. I prayed as I waited for her tears to end.

She looked up at me without hardly raising her head from the bent over position she was in. Behind her eyes I imagined she was thinking "PLEASE, PLEASE, tell me everything is going to be okay". But that is not something I can promise her.

I leaned in toward her from the chair I was sitting on and said, "Wow! That is the most profound thing I have ever heard in response to the question I asked you. And sadly, I can't answer your question for God. But I believe, if He was here, sitting next to you on that couch, that He would put His arm around you and draw you close to His heart. I believe He would want you to feel safe and loved. As you lay your head on His shoulder, I imagine He would whisper in your ear an answer something like this, "My child, that is up to you.""

There was a time in my life when I believed that all God was doing was watching from Heaven, waiting for me to sin or make a mistake, so He could punish me. The reality is God is watching and waiting, not to punish, but to reconcile. His desire is to see us run into His arms. He won't force it, but He will patiently wait for it. And wait, and wait, and wait...

We are not promised a carefree life. But we are promised that God will be in it with us, if we let Him. I believe that even when I didn't let Him in, He still watched and waited. Loving me. Praying I would make better choices for my life. And when I finally figured that out, everything changed.

Deuteronomy 31:6 
For the Lord your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

Psalm 86:15
But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

May you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt; how wide, how deep, how long and how high God's love is for you.

May you run into His waiting arms and be blown away by His love, mercy and grace.

And may you experience a life free in Christ.

Even the demons know that

A crisis in her life is how we met. I talked with her and then asked, "do you belong to any particular religion?"

"Oh yes", she responded, "I am a Christian". 

So I asked her how she knew she was a Christian. She told me of a church service she went to once where this "tingly" feeling came over her. But her story did not end there. She was invited by a friend to visit another church. The pastor looked right at the section she was in and said "Someone in this section has a loved one who is very ill." At first she was spooked but when no one got up she knew he was talking to her. She went forward and they prayed for the loved one. Then the pastor held her hands and she felt this surge of warmth come from him and go into her hands and then her arms. He instructed her to go and transfer this "healing power" to the person who was deathly ill. So she did. When the miraculous news came that her loved one's illness had vanished she knew that God was real.

Did this really happen? I don't know I wasn't there. Can God use humans in this fashion if it suits His purpose? The Bible says He can. So is this possible? "...all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27b

But my question to her was not about, was this experience real? The question in my mind was more about "why does this make her a Christian?"  So I asked and she answered, "because, I now know God is real".

I leaned in and said "even the demons know God is real, that doesn't make them Christians".  "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." James 2:19

There was a time in my life when I would have also said I was a Christian. Simply because I was told, or taught, that I was. It was more a tradition than a reality. Something passed on to me from previous generations. I never made that choice for myself, even though I also "knew that God was real". 

So what changed for me? I had to come to the end of myself. I had to understand my personal need for a Savior. I now know I am Christian. I know I am forgiven and that some day I will be with God in heaven. Am I perfect? FAR FROM IT! But something changed the day I understood who Jesus Christ was and what He did on that cross. My life has never been the same.

Christianity is not about being better than others. It is about dying to self. Something I'm still learning. It is not about a single experience. It is about a lifetime. When a person accepts Christ as Lord and Savior, their own life should be markedly different.

I believe that what I do in the here and now has eternal consequences. My life began at conception, became meaningful at conversion, and will not end at death.

My faith has taken me to places I would never have imagined. To the edge of the cliff, to the highest mountain tops, to the deepest valleys, beside the calmest streams, across angelic meadows, and through it all I have known a peace that surpasses understanding. 

Many question the Christian faith. I think that is because it is vastly misunderstood. Humans have messed it up to the point that it is often unrecognizable. I have met lots of people who claim to be Christian, and even believe they are. Yet hate and ugliness spews from them. I cannot judge their hearts or their eternal destiny. That is between them and God. But the actions of some who loudly profess their faith, and yet live a lifestyle that looks no different than those who do not follow Christ, can become a stumbling block to an unbelieving world.

God asks His people to be "in the world" not "of it". To be "set apart". To be "holy". Christians should not just "act" different, they need to BE different. This happens on the inside and can be visibly seen on the outside. It should not repel people away, it should encourage others to seek what they have found. 

The woman I started this blog with, claimed to be Christian because of an experience. Yet, her lifestyle and her life choices did not match the faith she claims to hold. Sadly, this is not an isolated case. I see this all too often. I am not discounting "experiences". I'm just concerned that if we rely only on an experience we will easily be led away by the next experience. 

I am Christian, and I am still learning to be Christian. I am a work in progress.