He concludes:

Facebook: A Tool for Ministry
If Facebook is tapping into this spiritual need then the church at large must ask the question of how this social networking site can be used to further bless people. For many people in the church, Facebook may initially seem like a threat to “real” community. But the reality is, if the church were to ignore Facebook and other social networking sites being used today, it would lose touch with a significant way that people are trying to experience community. (more…)

Share This

Mammen continues:

A Survey of Facebook Users

In an attempt to identify the effect of Facebook on relationships and community, a survey was administered to a wide range of recipients. Participants received the survey via email messages and Facebook announcements. Two hundred and seventeen people participated in the survey answering a total of eleven questions. The questions included:

1. How often do you check your Facebook?
2. How often do you update your status?
3. Where are you typically when you check your Facebook?
4. What do you use to check your Facebook?
5. How has Facebook been useful to you?
6. What are some of the downsides of Facebook?
7. What role has Facebook played in your friendships?
8. Have you made new friends on Facebook?
9. Are there people you know on Facebook that you have never met in person?
10. If you answered yes to the above question, what are the differences and similarities between the friends you know only virtually and the ones you meet up with physically?
11. Is it possible to deepen friendships on Facebook?

(more…)

Share This

A ministry friend of mine, Jerome Mammen, recently wrote an assessment of the “social-networking site” Facebook based on some research he conducted for a class he was in.  I was interested in what he discovered, and offered to post his research here.  I’ve broken it into 3 posts for your blogging pleasure:

Introduction

Since the onset of the information age, the landscape of much of the western world has changed dramatically. Computers and technological media devices which were once expected to “make life easier” have brought an entirely new set of problems to our society. According to John Drane, we are experiencing a sense of “fragmentation of neighborhoods, the corrosion of family life, and the constant disintegration of personal relationships.” Instead of creating a utopian society that runs like a well oiled machine, we find ourselves longing for relationships, meaning, and purpose. One of the main questions that we are faced with is whether or not the advancements in technology can offer any help to the predicament in which we find ourselves. (more…)

Share This

This was an interesting article that was emailed to me:

January 11, 2009
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Tax Cuts for Teachers

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Over the next couple of years, two very big countries, America and China, will give birth to something very important. They’re each going to give birth to close to $1 trillion worth of economic stimulus - in the form of tax cuts, infrastructure, highways, mass transit and new energy systems. But a lot is riding on these two babies. If China and America each give birth to a pig - a big, energy-devouring, climate-spoiling stimulus hog - our kids are done for. It will be the burden of their lifetimes. If they each give birth to a gazelle - a lean, energy-efficient and innovation-friendly stimulus - it will be (more…)

Share This

Read it here first: The latest ministry update.

Share This

This satirical commentary on athletes and their poor use of money grabbed my attention. The most bone-chilling stat - “Filing for bankruptcy is a long-standing tradition for NBA players, 60% of whom… are broke five years after they retire” - really caught my eye.

Click through or read the whole article below (more…)

Share This

A few things from the blog-0-sphere that I read through more than once:

- I work on a commuter campus, so can relate to Eddy Ekmekji’s post “Ministering in the convenience” about a recent Atlantic Monthly article about the state of community colleges or as the article labels them, colleges of convenience.

- “Give us your Black Sheep” - Jeremy Del Rio posts on the creative explosion when space is given to explore the ideas of otherwise malcontents.

- Marriage: The Public Debate - I really appreciate reading Richard Mouw’s (President of Fuller Seminary) as he articulates about the intersection of religious conviction and public policy-making in a pluralistic society, in this case, addressing the recent developments in California on same-sex unions.

- The Institute - Anthony Bradley links to story of 11-year old girl in Romania that was raped by her teenage uncle and who sought permission from the state for an abortion at 21 weeks.

Share This

As proverbial wisdom teaches:

The one who states their case first seems right,
until another comes and states theirs.

This is a controversy clash that won’t go away.

“…allowing same-sex couples to force religious individuals or organizations to act out of accord with their faith is not cost-free either. Their dignity is no less affected. Unless claims rooted in equal protection under the law are to sweep away claims rooted in freedom of religion, a more sensitive balancing approach is essential…

If past rulings are any guide, it is religious rights that are likely to be “obliterated” by an emerging popular majority supporting same-sex relationships — and it seems unlikely that the California courts will intervene. That’s a shame.”

From opinions article in LA Times, contributed by Marc D. Stern - general counsel of the American Jewish Congress and a contributor to a forthcoming book, “Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty.”

Share This

If this doesn’t prove a point, I don’t know what does.

Share This

While the following opinion may end up betraying my general apathy about America’s supposed pastime, I’ve been confused lately in reflecting on the drastic inconsistency of rationales regarding granting amnesty - one of leniency for steroid users in baseball, and one of strictness towards undocumented immigrants.

One the one side, there are multi-millionaires being (more…)

Share This

I have mixed reaction to this proposal to change this LAPD practice (Special Order 40) regarding inquiring about the immigration status of known gang members. I’m all for suppressing criminal activity - even though I question the effectiveness of blanketly deporting undocumented criminals - but I am concerned for how undocumented victims and potential witnesses might be impacted by a change in practice.

NOTE: National Geographic did a program that addresses the impact of gangs and immigration practices - World’s Most Dangerous Gang

Share This

Urban. Young Men. Students. Bonding. Incarnational. Relevant.

Based on a conglomeration of these things, I’ve been ushered into a on-the-fly introduction to hip-hop over the last month or two. In my own opinion, I’m about a decade slow (if not more) in this whole arena, but hey, the turtle beat the hare, so I’ve got a chance.

And since I’m serious about learning, I’ve attached (more…)

Share This

“In marriage God puts two people in a relationship that pushes all their unspoken beliefs and longings to the surface. This is the only way these things can be seen and dealt with… It is a very effective crucible. Sadly, half of all married Christians fail to understand this, and they jump ship.”

Russell Willingham - Author of Relational Masks

Share This

While Jen, Isa’s respite care provider, creates a ferocious giggle from Isa in tickling her, I’m closely watching the Democratic debate.  So far, I’m scoring points to Obama on healthcare and the housing crisis, and to Clinton on immigration.

Obama scored browny points by making seperate references to a child with cerebral palsy and the deplorable educational reality of children in East Los Angeles.

More to come.

Share This

That is, more involvement in their lives.  From HispanicPundit.com, this post on parent involvement in college for Latino students.

It’s no secret that parental involvement increases academic performance in elementary and secondary schools, but scant research has been conducted to evaluate the effects of parental involvement on the academic achievement of college students…. Today, 49% of Latino college students are first generation college students - which means that their parents need information and support about how to navigate the college system and help their children be successful in higher education.

Share This

“If a person hasn’t found something worth dying for, they aren’t fit to live.”

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Peace isn’t the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice.”

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“Life’s most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?”

Share This

I don’t read as much as I used (since becoming a parent). But I subscribe to the weekend LA Times. So I was bummed today when the newspaper was on my front porch, since I usually like to read the paper while I eat breakfast - all before Isa wakes up.

When I called the LA Times to see what had happened, the customer service rep informed me that my subscription had been canceled. When I asked why - since I hadn’t received anything about it being canceled & was current in my payments, she informed me that it was canceled because we are in a dangerous environment. (more…)

Share This

“The church must face challenges such as the problem of ethnocentrism: The church of Christ surpasses all boundaries, but its members tend to stay within them and avoid the challenge of multi-ethnicity. Very often the church is good in giving abstract explanations of reality, but when it comes to the practical aspects, it tends to be conservative – thus failing to turn theory into practice.”
- Israel Peter Mwakyolile, author

Share This

Kathy Hernandez has an provocative post on this. She says:

Unlike a missionary, who may help indigenous people start their own businesses as a way to be self-sufficient, these businesses are designed to make money for the church. Assuming that the church pays appropriate taxes for their for-profit arms, it sounds like a good way for a church to raise money to do other good works besides just hitting up their members. (See the Wall Street Journal article The Backlash Against Tithing for why that’s getting tougher.)

And yet, something about this rubs me the wrong way. Perhaps it’s because it dilutes the mission of the church, or because it makes the church look like an exclusive investment club. Or perhaps it seems like a risky use of funds, but then again many churches by definition are a risky use of funds. It also bugs me that the church would compete against locals whom they seek to serve.

Weigh in with your thoughts.

Share This

Funny… and moving

Share This