Five day Facebook Fast

Rather than fasting meals, I am choosing to fast Facebook for 5 days. Fasting can be a powerful way to surrender to God. For the next five days, rather than trying to connect with over 1,000 Facebook profiles, I will intentionally be connecting with God and learning more about Him.

This morning while I was still waking up, I opened my computer, checked my email, paid the power bill, then typed "facebook.c.." and realized what I was doing. I think this fast will be more challenging than I thought. The most challenging experiences tend to be the most rewarding.

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DAY ONE
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First day of no Facebook and it's been great! I think that God is challenging me to connect with people in the Lynchburg area instead of trying to maintain close connections to those in Northern VA and Texas.

Tonight I had the chance to be with my husband's students. He is a Marching Band Tech (like a coach) for the drumline. The entire marching band went to a putt putt place and it was wonderful getting to know current students and hear their stories. God allowed me to connect to a group on a deeper level than I had before.

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DAY TWO
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More professional development occuring.. wow God. There's no time for Facebook today!

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DAY THREE
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Without divulging details, today was another opportunity to connect, this time on a managerial level. I inherited a stressful situation at work that has been brewing for a number of years. I was given the responsibility of speaking with those involved and coming up with a solution. Even though conflict is not necessarily fun, getting to know my employees better is something I am very thankful for. Thanks for more connections, God!

When I came home, I found myself wanting to relax and go on Facebook to just look at pictures or maybe poke a friend or two. It was hard to resist, but I did and I am thankful for it! Facebook is a habit I am looking forward to breaking.

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DAY FOUR
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Today was no exception. I was able to move to the next level of the previous work-related situation. On a happy note, I had a wonderful evening with Jonathan :)

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DAY FIVE
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Okay, I kind of cheated today.. I logged on with the intention of, "well, I need to see what time I posted my '5 day' status update so I can know when the 5 days are up.." I logged on with the anticipating of my notifications being in the triple digits! I was quickly disappointed to see that I had 6 updates. Six! 2 people wrote on my wall, 2 people commented on a photo I commented on, and 2 people "liked" my status. God already humbled me with a broken nail, but this exceeds my cosmetic conundrum of what color to paint my fingernails.

Alas, the fast has commenced. Although I don't feel I was missed by my Facebook universe, I feel so much more connected to my city. I moved here with one friend: my husband. In two years, I have formed many relationships, but I always tried to hang onto my relationships back home without fully investing in the ones right in front of me. This fast has helped me socially, professionally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Lynchburg is a gigantic transitioning mason jar for 20 somethings. I suppose most college towns suffer the same fate. The friends I grow closest too often relocate within a year and I start the process over again with another journeyer. I'm growing out of my habit of connecting with work-based relationships and investing more into my church body. Because I work at a University, most employees my age do not stay in town for long. However, the friends of my local congregation have roots here so they are often in it for the long haul.

So here's to friends that are three dimensional!

Are you Linked?

So, I need to confess something. I'm addicted to Facebook. It's such a brilliant invention for socially driven people like me who don't like talking on the phone! I have the chance to upload photos, share great websites, and have a running blog all at the same time. Although lately, it's turned into a breeding ground of false intimacy. People I am "Facebook friends" with aren't necessarily my best buds in real life, yet they may know some details about me that my parents don't even know.

Another almost funny part about Facebook is that employers have started to look at interviewees' profiles while they are answering questions like "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?". My boss is a perfect example of this. He will interview people, find a questionable photo, flip the computer around and say "well, this doesn't look like the same person."

Don't get me wrong, I am very protective of what I put on my profile. I don't have incriminating photos that would make my mother cry. I do however tend to use this platform as a stage to show high school classmates that I'm not the same person I was. But really, who doesn't do that?

Now that I'm all grown up and have my first cubicle (look how far I've come, baby!), I have moved into another rhelm of social networking: LinkedIn. I LOVE this website. I spent hours perfecting my profile with my resume, linking to former professors, current co-workers, and future employers.

If you're looking for that extra umph to your resume, create a profile on this website. It is a brilliant way to not only connect with people you already associate with, but to get their contacts and to further get your name and your skills to hundreds of new people every day.

Here is my page: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lrmills

Check it out! Connect with me. We'll have a grand ol' time.