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By
Phillip Howle
web posted
August 19,
2015
RELIGION
– We are a
lonely
disconnected
people. When
Adam and Eve
sinned, distrust
and alienation
came into the
world. This was
evidenced by
Cain killing his
own brother,
Abel, over
jealousy.
Relationships
have been hard
ever since.
Divorce, family
drama, workplace
conflict, church
conflict,
political drama,
the list of
potential
relational
conflict never
ends.
This is the
attraction of
social media. We
get to choose
who we are
friends with. We
get to choose
what parts of
our life we
share. We can
easily unfriend
someone when a
conflict arises.
But social media
is no substitute
of real flesh
and blood life
on life
relationships.
We know this,
having a BBQ
with a smart
phone or tablet
and a Facebook
app just ain’t
hitting on much!
But this does
not stop some
people from
trying. I was
blown away by a
story I read
last week. A new
smartphone
application
allows people to
pretend they
have a
significant
other. It was
created by a St.
Louis designer
Matthew Homann.
The app called
Invisible
Boyfriend,
allows women and
men to trade
text messages
and voicemails
with a fictional
boyfriend or
girlfriend.
According to
Homann, single
women who use
the app just
want to use the
text messages
and voicemails
to convince
their friends
and family that
they are in a
relationship.
“We’re not
trying to build
something that
could fool you,”
he told Time.
“Our intention
has always been
to build
something that
helps you tell a
better story
about a
relationship
you’re not in.”
That last
sentence was
great.
But for 25
dollars a months
you have a
service that
will text you
back and forth
real messages
based on your
likes and
dislikes. They
are not computer
generated but
come from real
people who are
paid to be your
pretend
significant
other. I read
many reviews
from people who
said it was the
most meaningful
part of their
day. They said
the service
actually cared
about them and
never felt like
the person who
was texting them
was trying to
get anything
from them or use
them. (They
forget the 25
dollars a month
they pay for
this service.)
My grandmother
always told me
“to have a
friend you have
to be a friend.”
The reality is
that many times
we find
ourselves alone,
but we have not
made the effort
to get to know
people. We curse
nothing to do on
a Friday night,
all the while
another person
or family is
doing the same
thing and all it
takes is someone
inviting the
other over for
chicken wings.
Will you be the
first person?
Will you make it
a priority to
make a new
friend? Will you
go first and
invite a new
family into your
life? The
reality of the
Christian life
is that Jesus
went first. The
Bible says none
of us were
looking for
Jesus (Rom
3:10-12) but he
took the
initiative to
come to us (Rom
5:8). So invite
someone over
this week. Don’t
freak out about
your house,
their house is
not always
spotless either!
Real life is
best lived with
real people who
will bless you
and bless you
out!
Relationships
are not always
easy, but they
make life worth
living.
Ecclesiastes
4:9-12 Two are
better than one,
because they
have a good
reward for their
toil. For if
they fall, one
will lift up his
fellow. But woe
to him who is
alone when he
falls and has
not another to
lift him up!
Again, if two
lie together,
they keep warm,
but how can one
keep warm alone?
And though a man
might prevail
against one who
is alone, two
will withstand
him—a threefold
cord is not
quickly broken.”
Pastor Phillip
Have a
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story? Email
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placed in the Wandering Minds
reader comment
page.
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past articles please visit our Archives
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2015
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