The Original Facebook

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Facebook is so new that my spellcheck doesn’t even recognize it.  Every time I type in the word “facebook,” Microsoft Word underlines it with a red squiggly to let me know it isn’t a real word.  Ironically, MS Word doesn’t recognize the word “spellcheck” either, which also gets a squiggly—I guess it’s technically two words though with time I bet it will grammatically merge into one.

I’m sure newer versions of spellcheck won’t dare leave Facebook out.  This social media site is so ubiquitous in our world it’s hard to imagine how we twittered our time away without it.  Or is that tweeted away our time?  John Piper said of these social medial phenomenons, “One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.” Ouch.

 

There is a much older version of Facebook.  The ancient Scriptures liken themselves to a mirror that a man holds up to his face.  The apostle James uses this analogy.  As we peer into the Word of God we are immediately stunned by our own glaring imperfections.  Whoa—look at the little piece of spinach between my teeth! And those zits! But as we gaze deeper in, as we “look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,”[1] and respond with obedience, we find ourselves not hating ourselves but loving Him more. The story line of New Testament life isn’t so much our own ability to attain to godly attributes but our hearts being stretched out in desperate, clutching love for Him. 

 

A man like that, who “looks intently”—gazes, stares, captures, ponders, meditates—and then follows through with obedience on what he sees “will be blessed in what he does.”[2]

 

Take some time today to look intently into the original Facebook.  It may not offer the instant gratification of social media but it will reward you with abiding joy if you can slow down your soul long enough to peer in.  You may not immediately like what you see in the mirror, when you notice your own imperfections, but you will sense the Author’s intense love for you.  And those moments in the mirror will stir greater desire in you to seek His perfect face. 

 

Maybe so much so that you will be inspired to post a status update about it.  We’ll be twittering our thumbs waiting.




 

[1] James 1:25

 

[2] Ibid

 

 

Turning 40

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By Mike O’Quin (on his 40th Birthday)

 

When I was in my pre-teens, the pop group Air Supply was burning up the American charts with their string of love ballads.  I remember listening to their albums (the black vinyl kind, before CD’s) in my big sister’s room and I thought she was so lucky to get to go to their concert when they came to town.  She went with her boyfriend and they probably waved a lighter in the air along with thousands of fans while the Australian duo sang “All Out of Love” and “Here I Am (just when I thought I was over you).”  I didn’t get to go.  I was too young.

 

I’m not too young now.  I turn 40 today.  And on this monumental day I’m thinking about Air Supply again.  A few years back they came to town for another concert, but this time it was in Surabaya, Indonesia.  I was living there at the time, and as I saw the promotional billboards around the congested metropolis, I thought to myself, “Ah, man, I gotta see Air Supply!  How old are those dudes now?”

 

I pitched the idea to my wife and some friends and they agreed. “Ah, man, we gotta see Air Supply!”  And then they added, “How old are those dudes now?”

 

So we purchased our tickets and arrived at the Shangri-la Hotel ballroom with the expectation of a night of magical nostalgia.  Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock delivered.  Though definitely older, they still belted out their ballads with syrupy gusto.  Sometimes they couldn’t quite hit the very high notes at the end, and the younger base player had to step in and finish out their songs, but overall they still had it.  As far as I could tell they didn’t need oxygen tanks for their own air supply.

 

As I sat there in the grinning and slightly swaying audience, along with my wife, our newborn son and our friends, I kept thinking to myself, don’t these guys get sick of these songs?  I mean, how many times can someone sing “Two Less Lonely People in the World” without throwing up?   Night after night, in thousands of venues around the globe, they gather the 80’s faithful and stir up those old memories from the skating rink glory days.  Same twelve songs every single night for decades.

 

Apparently they are very bored of those same old songs.  As the lead singer crooned his way down the aisle that night, looking over the crowd of Asian faces, he noticed a clump of white faces and our cute little baby.  He was in the middle of singing, “All Out of Love,” and stopped right in the middle of his lyrics to chat with us (I’m not making this up):

 

Russell Hitchcock (singing): “I wish I could carry your smile in my heart/For times when my heart feel so low… (then suddenly talking)…Hi there, what a cute baby.  Where are you guys from?”

 

Me (stunned): “Oh, uh, hi.  Nice to meet you.  This is Jordan.  And we’re, uh, from Texas.”

 

Russell (while his partner picked up the rest of the tune):  “Oh really?  I love the states!  I have a house in Los Angeles.”

 

Me: “Oh great.  We’re enjoying the show.”

 

Russell: “Thanks.  Nice to meet you.”

 

Me: “Nice to meet you, too.”

 

Russell (singing again): “I ‘m all out of love, what am I without you /I can’t be too late to say that I was so wrong…”

 

So, yes, they are definitely, positively bored of their songs.  Willing to chat with just about anybody to get out of singing them.  But they have to keep singing them, because the paying fans demand them.  They tried to play some of their new stuff but nobody cared.  Everyone wanted to hear the oldies.  Everyone wanted to go back into those old memories and couple skate again.  Now I’m not really sure if those hundreds of Indonesians in attendance that evening ever couple skated but they sure had all of those songs memorized.

 

The great thing about walking with Jesus is that He makes all things new.[i]   He is looking toward the future with faith.  With Him you get hope, which I’ve heard defined as “the joyful expectation of the good.”[ii]  Good things are in store for you.  New things.  You don’t have to look to the past and keep trudging up the same tired songs.  He puts a new song in your mouth.[iii]

 

So I’m not depressed on my 40th birthday.  Why?  Because I’m not all out of love.  I’ve got the blessings of Jesus overflowing in my life and His song in my heart.  Future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades, to quote another 80’s band.[iv]

 

So my question to you is, are you feeling it too?  Does the feeling seem oh so right?  Oh, what are thinking of?  What are you thinking of? (forgive my corny lyrical ending and post your thoughts below).  

 

— Mike O’Quin, author of Java Wake and Growing Desperate

[i] Revelation 21:5

[ii] Sermon by Bill Johnson, I forget the title, sorry

[iii] Psalm 40:3

[iv] Timbuk3