The Last Time I Talked To My Mother...

I miss Lufkin. There, I said it, okay? I miss it. Miss the people, miss the places, miss Abe Martin Stadium.

Okay, I don't miss Abe Martin Stadium. (I already have a church, okay?)

So, when I get a call, it's a good thing. I love seeing "DAD" or "PAPA" or a similar ID. This past week, my phone rang and I noticed "MOM" on the screen.

Naturally, I answered it, glad to speak to my mother. Would she be just checking in? Would she be heading up to Tyler soon to spend some time with my children? Was she calling to tell me she loved me?

No.
None of these.

ME: "Hey, mom."

MOM:

"Hey, can you help me publish my 25 Random Things?"

Congratulations, Facebook. You've arrived.


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"The Last Time I Talked To My Mother" is actually a regular series over at Melissa's blog. Melissa is one of my wife's best friends and she's a fantastic writer. I'd encourage you to check out her stuff...it's really great.

THANK GOD FOR FACEBOOK

I'm not trying to be insensitive here.
I like Facebook groups...heck, there's a group out there for anybody.

But I gotta' admit that seeing the above picture at a group called:

STOP LIVE DOGS FROM BEING USED AS SHARK BAIT,
I laughed.

Is that wrong?
I'm not doubting that live dogs are used to bait sharks.
Okay...maybe I'm doubting a little bit.
But, really?
Is this common?
How did I miss this travesty?
Anybody heard of this?

Okay, animal lovers. THIS is the post where you can go nuts and call me all kinds of horrible names.
Have I just missed the whole "dogs as shark bait" controversy?

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

I Love Working Here..

A lot of folks (Tyler and otherwise) have asked how we're liking Bethel. Our answer is always the same.

WE LOVE IT.

One of the most fun things so far about working here has been making these little short video clips to send to our people (via Facebook, the blog, etc.) We've tried some goofy stuff so far, but this most recent one takes the cake. I couldn't believe how great my co-workers were about shooting something like this and every time I watch it I'm grateful for these very fun (and funny) people that God's placed in my life.



Bethel Encourages Its Congregation from bethel bible on Vimeo.

Facebook...

Working super-hard promoting Remnant today. Think I accidentally sent our YouTube promo video to everybody twice. Oops.

Gonna' be a good one this week. Kate's back to lead worship and we're gonna' have one of our church members there taking pictures. (Hope folks show up.)

Currently, we're using a blog, a big email group, Facebook events, YouTube videos and we talk about it all the time.

Anybody got any other creative ways to spread the word? Come on...you're all a bunch of marketers at heart. Let's brainstorm!

Sacrifice Is Alive And Well (Depending On Who You Ask)

As a proud member of the Facebook nation, I was recently shocked at how many Facebook profiles I saw that said something like this:

I'm giving up Facebook for Lent.

I know there's something to be said/discussed/debated about a culture that is so entrenched in an internet network that they feel the need to "give it up," but that's not really my specific point here.

No, what I found most interesting (and encouraging) is that these folks are at least recognizing something that's taking their time and attention. Again - we can certainly discuss the year-round implications of Facebook addiction at another time - but I think that any time we see people, especially students, willfully recognizing the need for sacrifice, it's a good thing.

Maybe you think Facebook is evil. Maybe you think blogs are gigantic waste of time. Maybe you are offended at the thought of spending as much time on the computer as a typical high school student. That's okay.

But if a kid realizes that he or she is devoting attention, class hours, spare time, creativity and opportunities to be with, you know, real people, I think we should applaud that kid.

I want to be like that kid - I want to look honestly at my life and ask:

"What's stealing my time from me? What's taking precious hours of meditation and worship and fellowship from my life?"

And I want to do something about it.

It may not seem much to a lot of us...but for a lot of kids, giving up Facebook is a big deal...and I rejoice with them in their commitment.