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…)

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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…)

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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…)

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Read it here first: The latest ministry update.

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Great Comission vs. Field of Dreams. Sort of.

A great read on Disabled Christianity, both in terms of reaching & serving those with disabilities, as well as, for that matter, anyone.

“The passage states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…” …It doesn’t say, “Sit here and wait in Galilee and people will come.” It says go to the nations.

I am confident that relates to persons with disabilities as they are just members of the nations. We should go to them as we would go to any other member of the nations and invite them in. Jesus’ command is “Go” not “Build it and they will come” or “We will serve them if they come to us.”

There is a big difference between going and sitting and waiting.”

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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.”

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I know, for some of you this is the “way - too - late - where - have - all - my - photos - of - Isa - been” edition.

Think of it like a game of peek-a-boo… (more…)

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“Jesus was not just one more character in history, however important—rather, he was and is the founder of a new history, a new humanity, a new way of being human.”
-Douglas Wilson

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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…)

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Yeah, it’s been that kind of week…
(more…)

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“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

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I have some birthday reflections to share as I prepare for my balding & gray-bearded future (someday, not today), but I wanted to link to a friend’s post on age-old question about “Why do bad things happen to good people?” I appreciate Eddy’s mind and the thoughts that he has added to this topic. Among several points, he puts forward that:

God is sovereign and is in control and has power over evil. Such a conclusion does not require (more…)

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Read more about it in this week’s update.

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Some of the young men of DEEP at CSULA Here is a copy of the latest news from my ministry with InterVarsity LaFe at CSULA.Developing World Changers

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“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

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This picture is worth a thousand sermons.

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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.

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Funny… and moving

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“Prayer is a spiritual discipline. It only works by being worked.”

-James Sire, author

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Taking Isa’s temperature
Sorry for those of you who’ve been disappointed by the no-show of your favorite little girl. Unfortunately, she has been pretty under the weather, as they say, for the past week to 10 days. Please pray for her speedy recover, at the very least so that she can return to the cute & flirtatious little girl that appears here most fridays.

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