Posterous has fustrated me also. Both Tumblr and Posterous seemed to have so much potential for me but I have disliked both of them in the end. I will be back home for now.

There is no going back -- at least not in terms of retreat. The social universe is a fact of life, and a missiological challenge for the Christian church. We are all Facebookers now.

That's Al Mohler from a recent article here. With all due respect to Dr. Mohler, we are not all Facebookers now. I canceled my Facebook account last week. The reality of something in no way means that it should be a part of lives. Why is there no retreat? Because a bunch of people expect "hypersocializing"? Why not just shut it all off and check email twice a day and no more? 

Let's be clear: I blog, I use the internet, and I like technology. I email and occasionally make calls with Skype. Facebook has it's uses, but for most people it is entertainment. Use it if you like, but you can and maybe should shut it off. Twitter is a strange beast, but I still think it is a mental trap most of the time. Again, Twitter has it's uses, but the idea that there is no retreat from Twitter assumes that it is an essential part of life. 

The appropriate boundaries for the use of social networks will have to be individually determined. Boundaries in life are often a wisdom issue. If I could hazard a suggestion I would say that if you can't focus enough to read your Bible or George Herbert or Saul Bellow, then you should start retreating. If you can't pray anymore, retreat. If you can't be without Facebook or Twitter or email or the internet for a day then you need to take a break. 

It is the nature of love to bind itself, and the institution of marriage merely paid the average man the compliment of taking him at his word.-G. K. Chesterton

Psalm 32:11 reads:

"Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"

Who then is the righteous person? Does he obtain righteousness by obedience? No, he is the one who has confessed his sin:

"I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin." vs. 5

This person is blessed:

"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit." vs. 1-2

So confess your sins to the Lord, know you are forgiven, and rejoice and shout for joy! God has made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

We watched The Iron Giant for the first time tonight. The boys and I loved it. 

"Once upon a time in Middle-Earth, two things were different: (1) most students learned "the old logic," and (2) they could think, read, write, organize, and argue much better than they can today. If you believe these two things are not connected, you probably believe storks bring babies." (Preface)