What is Wrong with our Definition of Social Media?

The word “medium” has a number of definitions and uses in the noun form. It is of intermediate nature, a conduit, an intervening substance through which a force acts or an effect is produced. Most of us understand what it means to be social, to engage in relationship, companionship and community. Did you know that “media” is the plural form of “medium”? Thus the ubiquitous term, Social Media, when sifted to its elements could be defined as: Multiple intervening forces and methods through which interdependent community is created.

Ironically, but not unexpectedly given our human condition, we have constructed a paradoxical antonym. We have jettisoned the componential elements of social media in favor of a zeitgeist driven terminology characterized by layers of technological strata infused with elements and, of course pictures, of our personality, education and life experience. Our hearts, deceitful by nature, are spiritually skewed production factories in which majestic facades and false realities flow effortlessly off the assembly line. The advent of the cloud and wireless tethering for our mobile toys has allowed our heart’s facade operation to go global. And though it seems like a normal course of development, we were not designed for isolation and electronic interface. God crafted the relational appurtenance of human nature to reflect the depth and interdependence of His triune nature.

Righted by grace, the canvass of our hearts can display a masterpiece marked by community, love and the companionship of people doing life together. Unfortunately we often condense our relational and conversational properties into a 140 character Etch-a-Sketch. Despite the intrinsic communicative promises of this so-called social media we consume, it rarely delivers anything greater than distraction and shallow interactions. The medium has become the message instead of the messenger.

Instead of utilizing social media to enhance real relationships, the social media constitutes the depth of the relationship. I fear we have transferred privacy settings and password protection into the fabric of our hearts. Unless we understand what our social network should be, the only person others will ever know is a carefully crafted and conflated avatar. Simple, but not easy.

(Yes, I know you got here because I tweeted and wrote this in an online weblog. Technology is not the enemy, but it can certainly be a barrier to deep friendships.)

The Servant is a Follower and The Follower is a Servant

One of the great sources of joy for a Christian arrives in a very unlikely package.  It is the joy found in serving.  This providential paradox consists of a textured and abiding fulfillment packaged beneath the trappings of old-fashioned labor. Modernity presents the illusion that joy can be found only in leisure and recreation.  Ministry work requires sacrifice; a setting aside of personal time and energy to work without monetary compensation for the benefit of others.  Ministry work requires effort; the embrace of physical and mental challenges that require energy and focus. So ministry work is not unlike regular work at its fundamental core.  Yet there exists a deep layer of spiritual connectedness to Christ found only in Christian service. Read Jesus’ words recorded in John 12:26:

If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. ESV

What do we learn? The servant is a follower and the follower is a servant. A disciple and his work are inseparable.  Not only is service a part of our spiritual nature, it carries the promise of personal reward from our heavenly Father. A trophy, a crown, a commendation of service, some verbal recognition in heaven, maybe a plaque that says “Christian of the month for August 2011”? I don’t know what the honor from the Father looks like, but everyone knows what being honored feels like.

To be honored by the God who created the universe is not only amazing, but humbling. We join in church service to worship him, and yet he gives us a place of recognition because we serve him. And we serve him because we are followers. And we are followers because he chose us.  What a great and mighty and humble and sovereign God we serve!

As a pastor at Salem Chapel I am privileged to work with many tireless volunteers and servants.  For those who work day after day, week after week, I love them and can’t thank them enough. I love to see people serve where they are gifted and to experience the joy of labor. To be involved in the local ministry work of your church is much more than volunteering for a good cause, but an opportunity to be involved in the things that please God. Yes, a church always has roles to be filled and needs to be met. But more importantly, your personal need to serve Jesus is greater than the church’s organizational need for workers. This is another paradox. Each church needs your help, but it is you that miss out if you don’t serve.

Consider your gifts. Consider your calling. Serving others is work, but it is rewarding work. It is a source of spiritual joy that can never be found in recreation. The servant is a follower and the follower is a servant. Simple, but not easy.

Is Your Phone Making You Dumb?

My brother-in-law, Paul, is a smart guy, and I think I know why. His phone is from the early 90’s. Seriously, George Washington sold him his Nokia on Ebay. When Paul and fam dropped in a week ago, we ribbed him mercilessly for extending an antenna to text. Not to mention the 20 minutes it took to send a text without a Qwerty board or even the once-cool-now-ancient T9 typing tool.

I’ve been musing about how my mind has been affected by smartphones. I obtained my first smartphone in 2004, a Nextel Blackberry with synced calendar and contact lists. Man, I thought I was the bomb (note subtle 2004 cool word reference). Can you remember when one layer of your coolness was defined by your polyphonic ringtones? Pull it back…digression…loss of attention…fuzzy focus. And, we’re back….Now I don’t think I could function without the Iphone.  I find this a touch unsettling.  Not that it’s a crime to be organized and keep up with email, but I am more interested in the reduction in ability to focus in general, remember phone numbers, appointments or even how to get to someone’s house.

I can remember the phone number and address of the house I lived in when I was seven. For Pete’s sake, I can remember the numbers to my closest grade school friends. But ask me to quote you my current friends’ numbers and I’m clueless. I simply pull their name up in my phone.

I have always prided myself in being able to drive somewhere one time and never forget the route. Yet, I’ve noticed a few times recently that I’ve forgotten how to find someone’s residence that I’ve visited a couple of times. I suppose it could be that I’m nearing 38 years of life, but I think it’s more closely related to the fact that I rely on my phone’s GPS to get me to unknown places and spend the travel time watching for turns instead of watching the environment.

There’s much to be said about the efficiency a smartphone offers and leaving space in the memory banks for “important” stuff. Perhaps the problem is not the amount of room for storage, or the access to the information (think Google’s infinite bucket of facts) but the act of processing the information that maintains mental acuity. Memorizing stretches the mind, whereas punching the number in the phone is data entry. Studying a map and testing alternate routes beefs up your knowledge base while following turn by turn instructions ensures you can follow simple cues. Congratulations on being qualified to be a lab rat.

So I don’t think my Iphone is reducing brain cells. But is my efficient workflow reducing my capability to negotiate challenges and aggregate complex information? I don’t know. Maybe I should steal Paul’s Nokia and allow the gray matter of my cerebral cortex to see some action. Simple but not easy.