My wife has gone away for a few days with a friend. I am excited for her. The beach is her love. Me, I am lake kind of guy. So, the big question is what will I do with a few days of quiet on my hand. Not all that long ago, I would find plenty of things to fill my “quiet times”. These days I will probably write or sleep. And tonight after work I will be getting Jacob so all in all a good weekend is on tap.

Family. Always an amazing thing. My daughter calls her new son her “heart burster”. I have another grandchild on the way in just a few short weeks. It is one of the reason I enjoy things like my birthday party. So many that come are family to me.

I have had to revamp my thinking a lot over the years about the power of family.

Just having my wife away has posed a challenge or two. I guess, because she usually sets up the coffee at night, I did not notice that the breadcrumbs are in the same can style and appearance as the last can of coffee I looked at. Yes, you probably know where this just went. And having to pick my own programs last night… The fact is on so many levels I am a creature of habit.

As one of my friends said the other night, family shapes the culture. And I have always thought the culture was the result of people. So if you have families, your culture is shaped that way.

A lot of things try to shape our culture though. Whether it be TV, news or programs, we find ourselves inundated with messages of change and such. One of the things I have noticed over the years in church has been this.

A person gives their life to the Lord Jesus. People begin to develop a message in that person. For me it was one of “beware of the world”, and it moved me into an “us versus them” scenario. And if you do not read your Bible you will adapt that style. Add in so much of the news is polarized and requires a lot of you to resolve what is truth. The difficult part is taking your message and assimilating seemingly “good” information. Because you have a “bias” often you can only see the good in that which mirrors your message. The end result is you “pick up” along the way information that is “anti-Christian” or anti-biblical. (Following the Newtown massacre, I wrote on the political spirit of Herod in this area.)

And this brings me to Facebook. I read the complaints against Facebook. (This is the same Facebook that has lied to you, connected with PRISM and the NSA and NOW plans to record your conversations at the time of your posting…) Facebook “directs” conversations on some levels. This is a recent complaint, but a lot of it has to do with you investing in your privacy features and such. Others can go after Facebook, but I am seeing a much more difficult trend arising through it.

It is a simple one. Letting negativity creep into your life. Someone took me to task over my “pollyanna” outlook” recently. So, let me clear that up. I read the news and I know what is happening. In my 58 years I have gone through some difficult times myself. (And family was one of them!) Anyone who has known me has seen that. BUT, what value is it to bemoan the difficulties. To talk about the darkness. To let it “control” me. Paul and Silas sang songs in prison and I see no songs of joy coming forth in so many lives. Today is a day to sing! To be alive is the power of His grace. How can one see heaven on earth, when one struggles with the slightest pressure?

I am not being mean, though some may think that. But so many under the cover of “being real” are letting the enemy eat their lunch! It is less about “looking forward” and more about “looking in”. The Creator of the universe on the inside. All of heaven on the inside. (Perhaps it is time to go inside and have a party!)

I want to ask you to consider something. Go to your Facebook feed and check it out. Take your last 10 posts. Do they reflect an attitude of joy and peace? Or do they cause others to “shy away”? You will never change until you understand the need to change.

Here is another one. Would be people think you are polarizing, biased or uncaring by your most recent posts. Have you become political and not Biblical? Have you traded the leaven of the Pharisees for the spirit of Herod?

And finally, when someone at Facebook(It is true to some extent. Again, read the truth about it.) begins to “listens in” (Even if only for the 15 seconds…)what will your time with them reveal? Will it reveal peace, joy and the goodness of God?

I am not asking people to be fake. I am asking them to uncover the truth about God. (I have my own struggles to unravel.)To see what He says. To see what He has promised and what those promises are and what they mean.

Today is your day that the Lord has made…