Congratulations!
Pastor Bob & Pat
on the birth of their granddaughter
Claire Adalaide Norris
arrived June 8 2009
Faith Book
Susanne Scheppmann
"They stood where they were and read from the Book of the
Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent
another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord t
heir God." Nehemiah 9:3 (NIV)
A new addiction slipped into my life recently - Facebook. Internet
social networking slid in quietly and unobtrusively. Each day I found
myself reading and posting a bit more. I learned how to create my
visual bookshelf, so my "friends" could check out what I was reading.
I linked my blog. My time seeped into Facebook like grains of sand
slide through the hourglass.
My addiction soon took a turn for the worst. I began to put off my
personal quiet time with God until after I had Facebooked. Sadly,
scripture seemed boring next to my friends' postings. Strangely,
the mundane posts intrigued me. I had fallen under the spell of
social networking.
Then one day, I dragged myself away from my laptop. I had Bible
study that night and needed to finish my lesson. The lesson pointed
us to the book of Nehemiah. I read, "They stood where they were
and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter
of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping
the Lord their God." (Nehemiah 9:3, NIV).
Yikes! They read God's Word for a quarter of the day, then spent
another quarter of the day in confession and worshiping? These
words haunted me the rest of the afternoon. When was the last time
I spent that much time with God? How much time did I spend on the
Internet? I felt a deep conviction about my Facebook addiction.
I determined that day to read my Bible, my FaithBook, before I turned
on my computer each day. I would network with God, before networking
with my friends. When I made this decision, I saw scripture jump back to life.
God's Word spoke to me with a freshness that seemed as if He
had just posted it Himself.
The addiction stopped. Oh, I still enjoy Facebook and other social
networks, but I have learned to keep them in proper perspective.
Psalm 119:59-60 sums up my new intent: "I pondered the direction
of my life, and I turned to follow your laws. I will hurry, without delay,
to obey your commands" (NLT).
Will you join me in the commitment to spending time in God's Word
before time spent on Facebook?
Dear Lord, I recognize that I spend too much time on the computer.
Forgive my inattention to Your Word. Help me each day to place
You first in my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen..
