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

Needless to say, it’s been a while since I’ve visited this blog, let alone written anything.

Our change of address over the past 6 months is the main culprit (you can ask me for more info if you’re interested in the gory details.)  For those of you still following from home, I’ve seen 1/09 as the target date - for either re-entering the proverbial blog-o-sphere, or for bringing an official close to things.  And while I don’t extend voting rights to anyone, I welcome any opinions in the next few days on the topic.

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

Just starting using toodledo.com to help me stay on top of the “todos.” Especially with my house being a little turned-over these days as we prepare to sell/buy/move, I need a little help.

P.S. Problem is, having a to do list doesn’t tell you what do to, just tells you what needs to be done, if you catch my drift.

Share This

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.”

Share This

“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

Share This

I’ve already noted that my blogging frequency has hit an all-time low.  Thankfully (for everyone), my daughter’s innate beauty is strong enough to carry this blog in its low point.

I’m realizing that one of my main blocks in blogging has been the unfinished thought. For a while, I thought it was time, but I don’t lack time to blog, I’ve lacked the completion of my thoughts with which to make time to blog.   Anyway, having come upon this realization, I’m going to attempt to reengage my blog with my (huge archive) unfinished thoughts.  God willing, some of them will go somewhere.  But at least you’ll see where I’m starting off.

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

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…)

Share This

I’ve been in a blogging rut/funk for the past month or two. Not sure why, but just having a hard time focusing on anything to write. Not giving up on blogging, just a little stuck on content right now.

There. I said it.

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

“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

This picture is worth a thousand sermons.

Share This

It just needs to be said.  To whom? I need to start with me.

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

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

-James Sire, author

Share This