I have more than 1,100 friends on Facebook. Are they all really my friends? Fair question. My wife and children frequently voice their doubts that I even know that many people, much less can call that many people friends. My family has challenged me with this: “How many of those people, if they died, would […]
The Lenten season is upon us once more, and like many Christians, in an attempt to honor God’s faithfulness to his Church and in the hopes of deepening my own faith I have decided to engage in a fast of sorts. Inspired by a good friend of mine, I will for the duration of Lent […]
If you feel called to give up a Facebook for Lent this year, you aren’t alone. In social media parlance, the idea is “trending.” Before I explain my reasons for seriously curbing my Facebook use this season, let me first acknowledge that social media enables me to do my work as a writer with great […]
The path to Hell is paved with good intentions. I don’t get that. It seems to me that good intentions ought to be worth more than a ticket to Hell. Having said that, I definitely get that the good intentions I have for any number of things can always be a hellish path. Exercise comes […]
There we were, my husband and I, lounging around the living room, facing each other but not looking at each other. He was transfixed on his laptop, ear buds in place, watching something on Netflix. I was glued to my laptop, working on business stuff. Over in a corner of the kitchen, two of our […]
From: Always the Bad Guy? My husband thinks it’s OK for our 12-year-old to get a Facebook page. I say absolutely not. She has heard us arguing about this issue and tries to jump into the conversation. Next thing I know, it’s me against them, which feels very unhealthy. I think we should present a unified front […]
Some nights, when there are no clouds, I look up at the night sky hoping to see so many twinkling stars. But the lights of the city are bright where I live. They can obscure the lights of the heavens and thus make it difficult to notice anything more than the most brilliant of stars. […]
“I’m not that interested in ‘mass’ communications. I’m much more interested in what happens between this person and the one person watching. The space between the television set and that person who’s watching is very holy ground.” – Fred Rogers The traditional family unit has been negatively hit from so many directions in our world […]
ANALYSIS/OPINION: From this week’s e-mail, a message from a dad whose ex-wife doesn’t share his concerns about the influence of the culture on their high schooler and preteens: To: Marybeth From: A concerned dad How do you suggest defending against the culture’s assault on childhood when it starts coming via an “inside job”? My soon-to-be ex […]
During the early years of Facebook mania, I posted pics of my kids, events, travels, anecdotes and chanted with the universal FB voice: “Look how great I am; how amazing my life is; how many people like me!” While I really wanted to post about how great God is, a social network broadcasting my religious […]
As we prepare for the critical November elections, I find myself increasingly frustrated whenever I enter my social networking venues online. A trip to Facebook or Twitter these days often feels like a running of the gauntlet as I dodge nasty comments, unkind graphics, and attack oriented posts on both ends of the political spectrum. […]
Even though the weather in my neck of the woods as of late would seem to indicate otherwise, the calendar is telling me that summer is just around the corner. You know what that means: Beach Season! If you recall, last summer was My First Summer Without a Bikini, and honestly, I haven’t looked back […]
Most business owners hate Social Networking. I don’t blame them. They have enough to do and now there’s this gorilla in the room that refuses to be ignored. I’m going to tell you briefly how to get started in a non-stressful manner. The main thing is simply to set up a Twitter and business Facebook […]
I have to confess my initial reaction to the headline was to roll my eyes in contempt for yet another government entity that I assumed was trying to legislate good parenting. After all, it’s a trend that has gained traction of late. Some states are mandating the content of school lunches. Others have laws about […]
It’s true. I do not use Facebook. Now before you jump to any conclusions, I am not Amish and no, I did not grow up in a cave. I do not use Facebook because, quite frankly, I ‘m not sure I should be using it. Like so many things of this world, Facebook is just […]
A few years ago, I gave up Facebook for Lent. Sort of. I said I would limit myself to 15 minutes daily. I couldn’t leave for 40 days because Facebook was the means by which I communicated with teen members of 4-H (I’m a 4-H leader), and I wanted to keep an eye on my […]
Oops, somebody did it again! A friend’s page has been hacked, with links posted across dozens of their friends’ walls. What to do and how do they fix it? Stop the Hack So It Never Happens Think before you click. Even if it’s your best friend’s wall, DON’T click on a link if it promises you […]
