I’m a proud Facebook and Twitter user. I can appreciate Don’s decision for his household not to use social networking, but I can’t help it . . . I love it and want to use it! Heck, I’m a tweeting, blogging, facebooking Jesus-loving kind of guy. My wife also gets in on the act. You can call us a true Millennial family (whatever that means).

Yet this article in Time magazine is interesting while also disturbing. One of the lines jumped off the page at me:

“We don’t think it at all moronic to start a phone call with a friend by asking how her day is going. Twitter gives you the same information without your even having to ask.”

In other words to know all about your friend, you don’t even need to be where your friend is. You just need an internet connection. Friendship on the waves of broadband’s ocean. I’ll check your facebook status, you check mine. Isn’t that easy?

Yes, but . . .

Technology has a cost. In this case, it recreates passive connection through convenient disconnection. What can’t you do today without human interaction? Anything? You can shop (at home and in your car, or at self-checkout lines). You can date (although I’m not sure it works that well). You can start a business, get a Master’s degree, plan a vacation, apply for a job, learn any language you want, comment on someone’s social life, and gather a following of true-blue cyber disciples.

At a church conference earlier this year I missed one of the meetings due to illness, yet Twitter was there to save the day. All I had to do was log on and search for the conference name – and pow! 100s of Pastors were tweeting the speakers points, thoughts, illustrations, quotes, and even facial gestures right to my Twitter client.

Is this good? When you have a bad case of the “Mondays” – yes. When you consider God made you to connect with people and interact socially in community – no.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to tweet and facebook. I love it and you should too! But I can’t forget to make people my priority in “real” life and ministry. Jesus died for people. He loves people. Jesus lives through the hearts and minds of people.

And because people were His priority, Jesus has the most “Followers” in the history of humanity and that without a Twitter account (at least a real one). Take that Ashton Kutcher!

The lesson is simple. If you want to be a person of influence – then invest in people. Give yourself on behalf of people. Put it all on the line to help people connect with God and with . . . other people. Depression is on the rise, people feel more isolated than ever, homes are breaking down and society is losing touch with itself. People need connection. And where Twitter falls short, the church can stand tall when we care for people.

God had it right all along – “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Gen. 2:18

In forming Eve, God creates connection.

In reality, that’s what this expansion of our building is all about. To get more people connected with God. To Reach Teach and Love PEOPLE into that Kingdom.

And when we are done doing that – Jesus will come and get us so we can be . . . connected . . .

. . . where He is! (John 14:3)