I did it.

I finally got on Facebook. That’s part of why I haven’t blogged for awhile. At first I just wanted to save face; I didn’t want to admit that I was still such a ‘net recluse. Since I signed up on Thursday night (I think), I have been spending time on Facebook rather than blogging.

It was not too hard to get it figured out. I actually uploaded a few pics. There’s still a lot more to figure out. Like who I should let onto my page, and what they should see. So many decisions.

But I do see that I can connect with friends from high school, college and other realms. I scrolled through and found a bunch of people I would like to get back in touch with. I haven’t initiated that yet, because I’m still learning the lay of the land in Facebookdom.

It was weird when I first signed up – there were a few folks who were already waiting to be my friends. At least I knew all of them, and wanted to be friends. Then the Facebookies suggested other people I might want to be friends with. It was amazing. Must have been about 40 people on the list. I knew all but one of the people, and I asked to be friends with most of them.

How did they know that I knew these people? That is a little creepy. At least they didn’t try to match me up with a bunch of weirdos or terrorists.

Now I’ll know all about my friends, and open the window into my own life.

As for Twitter, I don’t even have a texting package for my cell phone. Won’t Twitter just kill me with texting fees? Or do I have to Twitter on the phone? So much to learn.

For now, I’ll work with Facebook and begin recruiting more people to sign up. I would invite you to see my page, but I’m not sure how to do that. You can probably figure it out…

Catching Up

Soon I plan to get my Facebook account set up. Everywhere I hear about people’s Facebook pages. A friend in Florida told me last summer that I really should connect that way. Yeah, yeah, I thought. Now even my technophobe friends are signing up. Our church, reportedly, even has a Facebook page. And I thought I was so slick for blogging.

Some friends are also after me to begin Twittering – or is it Tweeting? I don’t even text much from my cell phone. But this is all the wave of the future, I understand.

Actually, I have been wanting to start a Facebook page for some time. I even tried it one time, and I never received the confirmation email. I can’t let that stop me. It seems too important to skip.

We just moved into a new house over the weekend – only a couple of miles from our last address – and so everything seems new. It may be the perfect time to begin some new techie habits. Soon I’ll be referring you to my Facebook page. Heh, Heh.

Reflective Reading

Eugene Peterson, the writer of The Message, has a unique perspective on reading God’s word.  I recently read an interview in which he describes his method of reflective reading.  Years ago, he says, he began reading the Psalms as poetry.  He recognized that the Psalms are poems, and you have to read poetry differently than prose.

 On a first reading of a poem, you usually don’t understand it, he says.  It takes ten or more readings to “get it.”  Now that makes sense to me.  I actually find that I have to read most things repeatedly.  This in-depth reading can be applied to all of scripture.  It is not reading large chunks of scripture, nor is it a technical study of background or grammar.

 He refers to an ancient method of scripture reading called “lectio divina,” which is Latin for “spiritual reading.”  This is the opposite of speed reading.  It is seeking to be immersed in the heart of God.  It is reading for transformation.  As we read a passage over and over, we focus on four elements of interaction with the Word:  listening, reflecting, praying, and obeying.

 This method of scripture study seems to lend itself to reading the Bible aloud.  It allows the Holy Spirit to take charge and speak to our hearts.  He changes us inwardly, so that we actually become more like Jesus.

 This doesn’t happen in a 15 minute devotional time squeezed in between a shower and breakfast.  Nor can it happen while we check the latest headlines and the weather.  We need to step back from the urgencies of life and take time with God.  That’s where real living is.