Five minutes goes by and I get out my Iphone, open up my Facebook app and check if I have any new wall posts, hoping that someone has sent me a message or ‘liked’ my status. What did I do before Facebook? How did I stay in contact with my friends before I had them all at the click of a mouse or the tap of the keyboard?

Have you ever missed an event or not turned up to something because it wasn’t on Facebook. I even rely on Facebook to tell me when my families’ birthdays are. Social networking sites like Facebook have changed the way we live our lives. This has great implications for the church.

The pace and way of life is increasingly shaped by the technology we create and utilize. The way we communicate is often the basis for relationships, community and culture. New, powerful ways of communicating affect and transform the way we interact with each other in our schools, colleges and places of work. The internet and social networking sites, like Facebook, have a big potential to allow Christians to share our faith in new relevant way. They also have their dangers.

We can sometimes become so reliant on Facebook that we miss out on building relationships in person. Many times I get home from seeing my mates only to realize I’d forgotten how much I love spending time with them face to face. Nothing beats it.  While Facebook is a powerful tool, it doesn’t replace the quality time that comes from hanging out with your mates and doing what you love best together.

We only need to look at the bible to see that words are powerful used in the right way, at a distance or face to face. Facebook gives us the ability to be involved in many lives across many worlds. What we do with this technology will shape the future of our relationships with one another and the way we interact with God. Your status, your wall posts and your comments demonstrate who you are and what you believe in. What have you posted in the last few weeks? What does say about your life and your world? What does it say about your bond with God?

If we use Facebook as a way of challenging people’s attitude towards God then it can be a powerful tool. If we use it as replacement for relationship it becomes a poor imitation of friendship.

I read a book a while ago called “The Death of Outrage” by William Bennet. In it he discusses the impact of Bill Clinton and the failings in his morality, politics and  character. I was struck by this book, because as leaders we have choices to make. He says  ”The accomplishment of Bill Clinton is that he has made the country into one large lawyer-joke. Clinton has marked off the record of an incorrigible liar, faithless to his wife, who cannot be trusted to honor any law beyond his own interest”and the public says, “yes, but what is the problem?” (129). By the choices we as leaders make as an impact on the president set for the societies that we lead.

Today I stumbled across a very interesting project called ‘PostSecret’. In this project a 200,000 people anonymously sent in their secrets on a post card. I can’t decide if this is plain brilliance or just a sign of a much more systemic problem in our society. With the rise of Social Networking where we are given a choice of how much of our private life to reveal and the rest can be hidden. This seems the choice we make in our society and seems to unearth an issue that Bill Clinton brought to light through his actions, that we have a choice to make, just as Adam and Even had and Cain had, we can try to hide things from each other and from God. True community involves use being open and honest together. Struggling together, failing together, enjoying together and devoting  ourselves together. I look at that early church in Acts and see how they lived together and devoted themeselves to one another. This helped them grow together and become better disciples.

I am both impressed by the scale of the this project and also amazed at some of the quotes. Here are some of the postcards

• For 16 wks I prayed and begged for my baby to live. God either didn’t hear, couldn’t be bothered, or doesn’t exist. I don’t care which anymore. January 4 – my baby, God and my heart – all died.

• When I walk my dog, I pick up the trash on the side of the road. Yesterday I found $20. I felt like God was saying thanks.

• Caring for cancer patients has stopped by suicidal ideations

• I wish you knew that everytime you talk about how much you hate people who put their children up for adoption you are talking about my mom.

• Sometimes I wonder if God is real, and if he is then why did he let my dad die? And why does he talk to some people but he never talks to me, even when I talk first.

• I’m more scared to believe in God than not to.

• My parents have never been more disappointed in me as when I told the I am going to be a missionary. I have never been more disappointed.

• I’m a Christian but I’m afraid to learn too much about God because I’m afraid it won’t make sense and I’ll stop believing.

• Dear God, will you still love me if I believe in evolution? My boyfriend won’t.

• I don’t believe in God and I don’t believe in religion, but all evidence points to the fact that I was put here to love you.

What would you write? (check out JR Briggs blog for more thoughts)

I was reading an article in the guardian entitled “Why 2009 was Facebook Year” and lead to me consider the impact facebook is having on my relationships. Even by Facebook’s standards, the past 12 months have been remarkable. The site cemented its position as the world’s favourite social network, reached the verge of profitability and even exerted its influence over the race for the Christmas No.1.

With the astonishing landmark of 500 million users now in sight, internet insiders suggest that the pressure may bring more headaches to Facebook’s 25-year-old founder, Mark Zuckerberg, and his team.

“It’s definitely an interesting time,” said Justin Smith, whose Inside Facebook website has tracked the network’s ups and downs for nearly four years. “While 2009 was a year in which Facebook saw really incredible growth… we’ll see

how they manage that growth.”

There is little doubt that 2009 was the moment that the site truly exploded. In January, Zuckerberg announced the “milestone” of 150 million users worldwide. Less than a year later, the social network has more than doubled and now boasts that more than 350 million people log on each month.

Facebook has changed the way we do relationships and think about relationships. Maybe Facebook will be taken over by something new in the future just as MSN and AOL are out fashion maybe a similar thing will happen. Can we however deny that it has affected us and shaped us. It Marshall McLuhan who said to us the Medium is the Message

and he was right. The medium (facebook) has effected the message (relationship) in away that has never been seen. We all have little entourages that follow us around and “like” when we do certain stuff. We are all stars of our own world.

Facebook has affected my life. What about yours?

I saw this article “Facebook ‘sex chats’ blamed for one in five divorces” in the Daily Mail all about Facebook being blamed for a rise in divorces.  After my reading and studying of Facebook recently, I was struck by this and realise that one of the dangers of Facebook is that you can take away boundaries and allow for much more of a hidden conversation. When you don’t see people reactions you can create a different persona because you don’t see uncomfortableness or embarrassment. You are connect in away that has never been seen before. This danger is being lived out by so many people. I wonder what we can do as people to protect ourselves from our own selfish desires. Mcluhan said that when extend something we always lose something and he is right in this case too. Facebook extends our connection but it also diminishes many protect layers in our lives. Wonder what we are to do about protecting ourselves from the dangers?

So I am have been reading ‘The Church of Facebook’ recently (will blog about this later I am sure) and am struck by the meteoric rise of Facebook. Its phenomenal to think that this social network platform didn’t exist  5 years ago and now it seems to influence the whole of cultural understanding. This graph tracks the rise that has taken place over that time.

Not sure we have seen as worldwide remarkable ‘community’ growth since, the early church (as I heard someone say).

Its Friday guys and it’s time for a guest blogger.

Ever thought that because you’re in a Christian environment, your behaviour is fine because you’re among Christians; and so it doesn’t matter?

I have, and it wasn’t until a conversation I had with a friend not long ago, did I begin to realise how I was a poor example of God. I was falling hard and fast. I stopped and realised that who you are isn’t just witnessed by my friends and people I know; but it’s witnessed by God. The guilt that hit me after the conversation was massive because I knew deep in my heart that I had let God down.

First of all, I am not claiming that I was the most amazing Christian ever; I struggle all the time with things such as reading my bible everyday and my feelings towards people I meet. However, my passion for God is truly great, and I have so much love for him it is unreal!

This part isn’t me telling you guys how amazing I am now, but it is me telling you guys how amazing God is. The fact that he wants me and can see a way to use me for his purpose makes me feel incredible. So loved, and what hurts more is that he loved me so much he sent his son to die; and I continue to fail him. And that’s what it is, my failure to be like him.

A very close friend sat with me not too long after I started typing this, and she saw my guilt and disappointment I had toward myself. And what did she do? She put things into perspective, took away my self pity and reminded me that I should

“Trust in the Lord always, as he is your rock forever”

Isaiah 26:4