A couple of weeks ago I decided to voluntarily go on a Facebook Fast. The goal was to see what difference not going on Facebook would make on my life.

Here are a few things I learned.

First. Facebook can be a royal waste of time. When perusing Facebook out of boredom or out of habit, Facebook has the ability to suck you in and the next thing you know 30, 40, 60 minutes have gone by. And the worst part of doing something like that is you are no better for it at the end of your Facebook session than you were before. Whatever state you were in before checking in with Facebook is the state you will find yourself at the end of that session.

Second, Facebook is a fantastic tool for ministry. It was fitting that I chose to go on the Facebook fast right before I went to Russia to teach at the Moscow Presbyterian Theological Seminary for a couple of weeks. While at the seminary, I had several requests from pastors and students there who wanted to know if I was on Facebook so we could stay in touch even when I went back to the States. Facebook is an amazing tool to help folks from across the world to stay in touch. Not only that, being on Facebook would have allowed me to stay connected with the folks from my congregation while in Russia.

Conclusion: if you are looking at Facebook as a way to meet your needs (friendship needs, relational needs, spiritual needs, etc.) you will be terribly let down. Facebook can’t do that. The only way to do that is to get together with real people, face-to-face and interact. The only way to connect spiritually is to get involved with a local church with real people who are doing their best to journey through their faith life authentically.

However, if you are already starting from a position of having healthy relationships and a healthy spirituality, and you are using Facebook as a tool to stay connected with folks, Facebook really is a tremendous tool.

What a gift to be able to connect with friends from all over the world. What a gift it is to be able to pray for one another.

So, I find myself back on Facebook. But I have made a few adjustments.

1. I have over a thousand “friends” on Facebook. And because of the sheer enormity of people their posts can be daunting. So, if I have not interacted with you on Facebook through messages, comments, etc., we will remain friends but I have opted out of seeing posts from folks I do not have a personal and ongoing relationship with.
2. I am choosing to use Facebook as a ministry post. Therefore, the primary relationships I am opting for are ministry, mission, and friendship connections.

In order to reach people we’re currently not reaching, we’re going to have to start doing things that we’re currently not doing.

Some of the experiments may be things that are to our personal preference.

AND…some of the experiments that the church will engage in may not be things that are to our personal liking.

Here’s the thing…if we’re going to Christ’s church who exists to “Make Disciples, Grow Disciples, and Share the Love of Christ with All People,” we’re going to have to do things that may not be to our personal liking in order for us to accomplish our mission.

Some of us prefer the old time hymns. I think they’re great too!

Some of us prefer rock and roll. I do too.

Some of us grew up with liturgy and when we hear a great organ piece we are moved to tear. Me too.

Some of us never grew up in the church and find such music dreadfully boring. I get it.

But is worship really about meeting our needs or has God called us to worship for a cause that’s much bigger than our personal needs?

One of the resources I use for my daily devotionals is www.commonprayer.net. I found a very helpful entry that I would like to share with you.

Offering a Sacrifice of Praise

There is an old saying many Christians use: “Offer the Lord a sacrifice of praise,” referring to Hebrews 13:15. In many circles this notion of a “sacrifice of praise” almost becomes cliché. (Perhaps because worship does not often come at much cost, especially compared with the sacrifices of saints who’ve gone before us.) But when we worship with folks of various traditions, there are times when we may hear a prayer that uses language we might not naturally use or sing a song that isn’t really our style. That is part of what it means to be a member of a community as diverse as the church is. And perhaps that also helps shed some light on why it might require some sacrifice for us to give up ourselves.

When a song isn’t working for you, consider praising God, because that probably means it is working for someone else who is very different from you. Offer your worship as a sacrifice rather than requiring others to sacrifice for your pleasure or contentment. There is something to the notion of becoming one as God is one; it doesn’t mean that we are the same; it just means that we are united by one Spirit. After all, we can become one only if there are many of us to begin with.

Liturgy puts a brake on narcissism. Certainly, there is something beautiful about contemporary worship, where we can take old things and add a little spice to them, like singing hymns to rock tunes or reciting creeds as spoken word rhymes. But liturgy protects us from simply making worship into a self-pleasing act. So if a song or prayer doesn’t quite work for you, be thankful that it is probably really resonating with someone who is different from you, and offer a sacrifice of praise.

What we cannot live without:

• Air
• Water
• Food
• Shelter
• Clothing

What we cannot thrive without:

• Love
• Community
• Purpose
• Meaning
• Forgiveness

Once you secure the items on the first list, unless you discover love, find community, discern your purpose and meaning, and experience and give forgiveness, your life will remain empty.

The first list has to do with surviving and existing. The second has to do with meaning and thriving.

The greatest irony in the developed world is that the items on the first list are readily available to most, and yet we never move beyond seeking survival to living out our purpose.

As a result, far too many, live life listless, aimless, seeking one fleeting pleasure to the next.

Stop!

You were created to make a difference.

You were created for a reason.

God placed you in your particular situation, in your particular place, and with your particular gifts so that God can reach into your world, and through you, to change the world.