about ranking... and about facebook....

soon and very soon, I'm going to be no1 in the google searches for stefan misaras or/and misaras stefan. I was writing about this in a post: Stefan Misaras, getting my name back, where I was noticing I was in the 1st 10; now I'm no2, with stefan-misaras.blogspot.com :) - at least in google uk. Just being behind the entry of this blog at blogflux - I needed to go and delete the previous blog entry I had on their directory.... Anyways, my rankings are going up a little... :)

now about facebook... I'm not too good at networking, never managed to stay with a forum for too long, I don't have an account on myspace(that's good!), but I like facebook :) So, I have been asked if I know all the friends in my list(>600, and growing...). Here are some of my comments about facebook in general and this issue in particular:

• On facebook, you can find and add old friends, like the ex-classmates from high school, from grammar school, from university, etc.... and you can simply find them by "people finder". Only these ex-mates alone can come up to even 100, if you remember them....
• then the current friends, the ones that are around you right now, workmates or friends....
• then there are the family members of the closer friends, the ones that you know.... on facebook you can also meet new people! Though you may know them "virtually", you can pretty much know them by either watching their pictures, writing on their wall, emailing them, chatting with them, etc.... About this now, you can either add "everyone's friends as your friends", or maybe choose some, just some, that you really want to know. I prefer the second choice....
• If you are a brother/sister in the church life, meeting with other believers, then the number grows exponentially, and the reasons to use facebook also grow - you add the brothers and the sisters, and then check out their friends, where you find other saints.... and the reasons to add them would be:
  - more fellowship and encouragement together by checking on one another, posting some good comments on the pictures, encouraging....
  - knowing the saints in the Body, being happy with them, and sharing with them....
  - being yourself encouraged - sometimes it so happens that you can't attend a meeting, or even a meeting in another part of the world - well, you see pictures and read notes of encouragement and sharing of what the other saints enjoyed, and you simply jump in...
  - you can know the saints' families and family life, and the family-type church life!
  - the young people - which we all are - are all on facebook, and it so happens that you are there too, if you are online.... why not talk to each other? Every little contact between saints can be a little simple dispensing of the Triune God!
  
• things that can damage you or discourage you(which you can counter-attack or stand against):
  - seeing that others have so many friends or posts on their wall/pictures/videos/tags, etc - jealousy.... we believers are actually one in the Body of Christ, and so we can rejoice with one another or even weep with one another... yet there is another person in us, the old natural man, that does not feel good when he's neglected: let's neglect this one, and focus on the One, Jesus Christ! He's The ONE!
  - seeing others' pictures of doing lots of fun stuff, or even some stuff that you don't think that someone should do, etc.... either to judge them or criticize them can be in us.... yet we can pray for one another. Why not use the facebook medium to know one another in order that we may remind the Lord about one another?
  - comments and posts that can either touch you - criticize you - de-appreciate you.... uhm, that's a tough one,... everyone can write whatever they want, right? And you can't delete other's comments unless it's your wall/photo/video.... I may "spiritualize" it a little, but this website, facebook, can also help you to be exposed to see what you are, and how you feel when the others expose you, and even to turn to the Lord when this happens! Why not bring this to the Lord, and remind Him? Lord, what do You think about this? And why not take it, even though it may be not correct what's being said about u? Living Christ is not limited to.... the special environments; even with the rising of new environments or realms(online or offline) we can learn to enjoy the Lord, and.... die to ourselves....
  

it may be that the negative reasons would exceed the positive ones, and humanly speaking can simply distract you away(besides taking your time) even from the enjoyment of the wonderful Person of the Lord Jesus... what then? The answer, I would say, is in the vital groups - get someone to pray with, even about this! Bring it to the Lord! The answer is not to solve the problem/bring the best reason, but to simply gain more of Christ in everything!
So let me say it: Lord, I consecrate my time spent on facebook to You for Your economy! Sanctify this time! May this time be profitable for You for the sake of Your Body! Bind any evil thing or any spoiling thing! Lord, I just love You! I love You and Your Body much more than I love any other thing!