Seriously, it is amazing to me when i have a conversation with someone and they tell me that they are not on all of "those sites" because it is a waste of time. what exactly do you mean by that? i mean, it makes sense to me when i hear peeps in the baby boomer generation or even into gen X, sometimes into the Yers, but kids that are right out of high school? i would have to say that they need to reevaluate what it means to be relational if they want to keep up with stuff as it continues on. even the makers of facebook and twitter and others know that their sites are one step away from being out of date; some of them are more than one step past being out of date.
the other day i was talking with two nineteen year-olds. one was a guy and the other a girl. they were telling me how they each have a myspace account but that they refuse to get a facebook or twitter account. then they went on to tell me how old i am because i am still on social networking sites and that neither of them are going to be on past the age of twenty-two. i know, i laughed too. they have no idea what they are in store for in this changing world.
now, i want to be fair. both of these teens are very centered on what is going in their world to the point where they barely even care about their friends, let alone anyone else. this is what brings me to my point. in ministry we are lucky to have social networking sites and other means of communication. in the span of about two years i have connected with peeps that i have not seen in fifteen years, and everyone in between. it is awesome. it is a great way to expand ministry and get back into the lives of others that may be a potential ministry for you.
just like anything else, you need to know what you are doing and the pros and cons of stuff like this. i remember when Cobb refused to get a celly and then when he got one it expanded his ministry; that's just the type of guy he is. and if you are wise and discerning (which i hope you pray for regularly) then you will use this technology and all others to follow for the right reasons. i know that it is easy to get stuck in the cyber world and you can become disconnected. however, i know for myself it has been a ministry expander.
Cobb always told me that i need to be involved in "intentional ministry." i don't just want to be in relationship with peeps, i want to add value to them. and whether that is a tweet, response to a status update, or some silly quiz, i can learn more about others and get to know them better on a daily basis. don't let others tell you that you are wasting your time. remember, what "they" think of you will prolly bring you down. spend time in reflection and seek the counsel of those in your inner circle of confidants. the cyber world isn't scary, it's what you make it. so make it work for your ministry and give God the props.
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