I think I am pretty convinced that a Facebook birthday is one of the best gifts of this new information age. I am just a few hours into my birthday, and already I have heard from: the girl I sat next to in the flute section of our high school band; someone I scrubbed bathhouses with at a KOA campground during a college summer; my General Conference roommate; the president of my seminary; a niece in Florida; my sister in St. Louis; an assistant general secretary of the UMC (who is way cooler than her title sounds); clergy colleagues; and members of churches past and present. In other words, I have heard from friends from almost all walks and stages of my life. Wow.
It kind of feels like “This is Your Life” for normal people.
If birthdays are about celebrating where we’ve been and looking forward to the year ahead, then Facebook provides the perfect way to do just that. I may look like I’m busy at my desk today, working hard on church matters. Actually, I’m thinking about interminable high school band rehearsals made easier by surreptitious whispering. I’m remembering college summers spent cleaning up after campers. I’m thinking about churches I’ve served, and trusted colleagues who understand what this ministry thing is about. Mainly, I am thinking how blessed I have been by all of the people who have been in my life at just the right time.
I am blessed. Truly. If that’s the only thing that I’ve figured out in these 48 years, then that’s enough.
