LIVING IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD

I've recently seriously contemplated limiting or leaving this virtual world out here. Some of you may remember that song 'Material Girl' back in the 80s. Come on now, we all know it. Instead of the word material, insert the word virtual. I've been feeling like a virtual person for a while. It's like that episode from Adventures in Odyssey called The Virtual Kid. This kid spends so much time on the computer that he misses out on friendships and experiencing real events. He finds meaning by creating websites and talking on chat rooms. Now I don't spend a whole lot of time on the computer. But the time I have spent on it has taken away from some very important, real life things. The biggest is relationships. Real, in-person relationships. I have had a blast getting to know people in cyberspace who share the same convictions and are passionate about the same things. It's meant so much to me considering the difficulty of finding people like that in my own physical, flesh and blood community. I remember the first time listening to the Basement Tapes and just feeling a community of spirit with those people in VA. I have felt the same thing with people at the blogs I visit. Here's the problem. Last week I got an email from someone in our Sunday School class (hereafter known as SSC) who just had a baby. They sent pictures of the blessed event and something really struck me. A lot of the pictures had other people, friends of the couple posed around them at the hospital. I felt a pang of jealousy. I thought to myself, "When do you get together with your friends?" "Do you really have any close friends?" Don't misunderstand. I do get together with friends at times. I know a lot of people in my church community. In times of family need, we have had many friends come alongside us and help out. BUT am I really cultivating a relationship with any of these people? No. I'm ashamed to say that I feel closer with some of my "friends" in cyberspace than my friends at church. And lately I have felt very awkward when talking with someone about one of y'all. I don't know what to call you. Do I really know you? Not really. Not in person. I do not discount at all the fact that many of you have prayed for me and my family and given me wise counsel. I am very grateful for that. I have just seen the shallowness of my own relationships, here, where I live. Even with my dear husband. Sometimes I don't even communicate with him about what I'm writing. That's not good. I've also seen in myself a tendency to envy other families. A while back RCJR asked if blogs change people's lives. While sharing ideas and accumulated wisdom with others is often helpful and perhaps life changing, it cannot compare with the down and dirty, day in day out work of cultivating relationships, the real, flesh and blood ones. And that is what I need to start doing.



THESE ARE THE ONES FOR WHOM CHRIST DIED

In the near future you should go to Ligonier's website and listen to Thursday's Renewing Your Mind. I only caught the last half of it but what I did hear was great. Only speaking of myself now, there's a tendency to get caught up in our little circles and pick at our little issues. Homeschooling, modest dress, worldliness in the church, etc. Pick your issue and there is definitely going to be someone out there you can criticize. This post does flow out of Carmon's recent post on Ryan Dobson but this is by no means a slam on her. She has made her motives clear on her blog. Again, only speaking of myself; I tend to latch on to these little debates. I like to go back and forth and back and forth and heap on the criticism and sarcasm. Now, most of the time my motives are passionate and pure (at least from my perspective). I am passionate about these issues and want others to see the light as well. The problem comes when I begin to look at others with an eye of criticism. When I see another believer at church, do I immediately judge them based on what I see? Yes, a lot of times I do. I am no better than Samuel when he went to see Jesse and his sons. I've been frustrated about this sin for quite some time. I've tried different things to battle it but I think RC hit the nail on the head this time. I don't remember the specifics of the message but I think he was quoting Calvin. He said when we look on other believers we need to deeply realize that this person is someone for whom Christ died. When you do that I think you successfully slay this sin of the critical spirit. We need to battle these sins. Not just turn away from them but replace the bad thought with the good one. Do you know how to kill an octopus? If you cut off one of its legs, it'll just grow back. But if you cut off its head, then you've dealt it a fatal blow. This applies to our sanctification as well.



OUR LITTLE STORM

Watch out, here comes winter storm '05 in Georgia. What does this consist of you ask? A little ice and a little sleet. LOL!!! After surviving 12 inches of snow last weekend in NY and temperatures in the single digits I'm just having to chuckle a little. Not that it's not dangerous, mind you. Ice is tricky but it sure is hilarious watching all the Southerners prepare for their little storm!

Blessings to you all.