I’ve never been a big fan of Country Music. Aside from the late great Johnny Cash, I guess i just don’t get it. And I don’t get how so many New Yorkers and Long Islanders in particular are so into it. So here’s my little rant. Ready? Here goes:

You are not from the south. You do not live below the Mason-Dixon line. You say ‘thing’ not ‘thang.’ You do not drive a pickup truck, you do not wear a 10-gallon hat and no one has ever shot your dog. So go listen to some Billy Joel.

There. I have spoken.

I know that country music artists sell a lot of records and pack out stadiums all over the place. In fact, I have heard that some people from our church have even put their souls in jeopardy by attending country music concerts. Dangerous stuff, man. You guys are in my prayers.

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I continue to get a pretty steady stream of good feedback on our current “Friends on Facebook” message series. In it, we’ve been discussing how our tendency towards digital communication is affecting the way we relate to each other.

This week, my pal Kara sent me a link to a lengthy (almost 9 minutes!) preview of an upcoming film recently featured at the Sundance Film Festival. It’s called Arm, and I thought it was a really amazing commentary on some of the stuff we’ve been discussing.

Take it for a spin and leave me a comment. Eeeeespecially if you see yourself in one of these characters.

Personally, I’m going to be taking a little break from digital communication this coming week but I’d love to dive into some conversation on all this stuff when I return.

Hasta,

Bert

I’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback on our current message series, ‘Friends on Facebook.’   If you don’t attend True North, we’ve been talking about how our online interactions and behaviors are changing how we think and act in real life.

The NY Times has been publishing some great stuff on this topic lately.  Here’s another article REALLY worth reading if you suspect your internet activity might be compulsive.

How are you doing with this?  Are you justifying the amount of time you spend online?  Are you telling yourself (and others) things like “I can quit any time.” ?

Read on.    And leave a comment with your thoughts on all this.

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A link to the following article was sent to me by my man Joe Vaughan, who said it reminded me of a sermon I once preached. A message on the biblical mandate to rest for one day a week. To unplug and disconnect and find stillness.

Never has that need been more pronounced. If you understand nothing else about your time on the internet – you MUST internalize the following concept: The time you spend online does not pour things into you – it takes something out of you. Unchecked, internet activity can and will leave you emotionally and spiritually bankrupt.

And yes, I do realize that I’m publishing this on the internet.

This past Sunday at True North, we began a series of messages entitled “Friends on Facebook,” and we spent some time talking about how many of us have grown to mistake digital, surface level communication for actual connection. I felt like this article was particularly relevant in light of that material. Hope you enjoy it.

Bert

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