my month without facebook

thanks in part to the book 7 by jen hatmaker, part ryan calling me an addict, and part holy spirit prompting, i deleted several social media apps off my phone for the month of june (and maybe longer).  you know, the device that i have within my reach 24/7 like 91% of adults that grants me access to games, people, the world wide web, wikipedia, and other major distractions from the things that i should be focusing on.

here is the big thing i learned by cutting out most of the distractions:

i have been living a life of fake relationships.

yup, fake relationships.  and the worst part of it is, i have a rule that i have to know the people that i friend on facebook.  so it is fake relationships with people i know.

here is how it goes.  you post something cheery, or something about where you are at, or some pictures.  i think it is pretty cool and like it, or maybe in the rare case i comment on it and it goes back and forth once or twice.  the end.

and we associate without ever really associating.  we know facts without really knowing people.

in my month without facebook, if i wanted to know how somebody was doing, i had to call or text them.  i even used that same phone that i would have checked on facebook with.  pretty miraculous.  but those phone calls allowed for real conversation, and i could tell my the inflection of that persons voice if they were as good as their facebook posts made it seem.

i have to figure out what is next for me in regards to all these apps and social media, but for today at least, i am keeping them off my phone...cause technically its still june :-)

Larry Salisbury

I love it when Larry Salisbury visits our church. 

As a young boy, Larry lived a few blocks from my house in Grand Haven. He went to my church as well. Larry worked at the school I went to that was ran by my church. My dad was a deacon at the church. 

To the best I remember, all those things added up to Larry having meals at our house.  I remember a few other stories as well, like gummy rats in a paper bag.  Not the full story, but part of it at least. 

I remember spying on the adults long after I was supposed to be in bed, spying and listening.  Sleep simply was not as fascinating as the things the adults were talking about. 

Here is why I love when Larry Salisbury comes to visit my church.  I see a man who, from my childhood memories, was an average man, an average man who made a life altering decision to say yes to God.  

When Larry comes to visit, his stories are far from average.  He has gone much further than West Michigan, he has traveled the world and seen Gods beautiful creation.  Larry has seen God work mightily.  

Let me say that again, Larry has seen God work mightily.  

I am encouraged to see God use an "average man" in a mighty way.  I am encouraged to see God be faithful to this man.  

In a way, Larry is a promise to me. His life is Good News to me as well. God is alive, God is moving mightily, God uses average people. God wants to, and WILL, use me if I say yes like Larry did. 

I love it when Larry Salisbury visits our church.