What do you think about all the ways new technology has enabled us to be connected? I haven’t made up my mind. On the one hand, I’ve reconnected with quite a few people from my past through facebook. But I really don’t have much time to devote to that. I only check my fb about once a week. I’m much more open about sharing my faith now than when I was in high school (I know Jesus a whole lot better now!) so there have been opportunities to at least drop a few “faith flags” online. I can see the potential for online evangelism, plus it’s good to have an “established” and “current” relationship with them if I do happen to run into them in person.

Our youth pastor makes very good use of technology in his relationship with the teens. They will ask or tell him things online that they probably wouldn’t approach him about in person – perhaps because of time constraints or lack of privacy, but maybe too b/c of the security they feel communicating from their own home and having the time to put into words what they are feeling.

But it seems to me that some people who seem very “connected” through facebook, myspace, twitter, cell phones, texting, etc. don’t always do a very good job of connecting to the people right in front of them.

Any thoughts?

I wonder sometimes about the nature of relationships…in particular the human kind. They are, by design, reciprocal in some way (unlike, I suppose, our relationship to objects, time, space, etc.). We are designed for relationship by a relational God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) who made us in his likeness. So I wonder sometimes if we have an unlimited capacity for relationship (clearly tainted and limited by selfishness/sin) or if we diminish those relationships “in our airspace” by spreading our efforts at connection too thin? Or both?

The advice to be present in the moment…to keep showing up and pay attention to those right in front of us…seems to transcend the question, thankfully. This is something I can do.