Today I went to a business luncheon. I was the youngest person there. The majority of the people there were presidents and CEO’s of their own companies. Some of them small (17 employees or so), some of them small (200+ employees). The term “small business” is much bigger than you might think. That is crazy. They were all talking about what kind of insurance and health care they offer their employees, and how some won’t take it.

I live with my parents and am on my dad’s insurance. My company is pretty much covered.

But eventually, I might be in their position. That is crazy. Of course, if you told me 5 years ago I’d be here, it would also seem crazy.

5 years, 10 years.
20 years.
Lots can happen.

And it does.

At this luncheon, I was asked to talk about what I had done for a company on its social media pages.

“How many of you have done sales and marketing?” I asked.
Everyone raised their hand.
“What is the most effective way to advertise for your company?”
“Radio,” said the radio station guy.
Everyone lolled. I laughed, but awkwardly, giving the impression I didn’t get the joke (though I did).

“…Word of mouth,” said the business advisor guy, finally. (He did a lot to salvage my reputation at that meeting, not to mention many other situations.)

“That’s right,” I continued. “And social media and email marketing afford us just one more opportunity to share something directly with a friend.”

Sometimes I know what I’m talking about. …Sometimes, I pretend.

When I know what I’m talking about, it’s usually theology or math or logic or grammar. When I don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s usually history or business, or social media.

After my little spiel, the president of an oil & gas company came up to me, asking me a question. Like a wise man does. You know, when he knows the answer already, but wants to watch your mind tick.

“I find that social media is a great way to spread awareness,” he said. “When someone on social media sees a justice issue, like, for example, what’s going on in Syria, they have a visceral reaction: ‘This is not fair. Something must be done about this.’

“But when it comes time to give to an organization that is working to alleviate the issue” — he holds his hands up and shakes his head — “people back away.

“My question for you is, ‘How do you get people, through social media, to commit to something?'”

At first, I pretended what I was talking about. After all, I’m a social media “expert.” Whatever that means. And social media is crucial for any business, regardless of industry. Right? Right. I explained how it might be good to set up some kind of event, or to just keep at it with the drip marketing, or to really push the last-minute sign-ups.

But he continued to give examples of times when social media did not produce engagement. He also shared how some of his family members’ acquaintances learn of events in his family’s life before he even does, simply by virtue of being on Facebook. And I finally realized, he was right. And I knew nothing about social media.

And though he was never on social media, he knew more about it than I did.

“My generation is the most interconnected generation in history,” I said.

“But we’re also the loneliest.

“We go to social media to find relationships. And social media can be a great tool to communicate with people like never before. But ironically, they’re the last place we find deep relationships.”

Since this talk, I’ve been thinking a lot about social media and influence and relationships and fruitfulness. I also saw this quote the other day by Pericles, a philosopher guy. It was on a card, but it hit me:

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”

Instagram or it didn’t happen.

Often I get this subconscious urge to “report” to social media. Like, at the end of the day. Or if I ever just feel like something I’m experiencing is beautiful.

This has stolen a place in my life that was once reserved for God.

It was God to whom I used to report at the end of the day. In my journals. “Dear God, here’s what happened today.” And I found fellowship with Him. He would rejoice with me, and mourn with me, and sometimes He would speak into my experiences and give me insight and wisdom, and sometimes that fellowship in itself would be enough.

Ever since social media became a thing, honestly?

My relationship with God has never been the same… in the worst way.

Well, I’m tired of that. I get sick of social media for that very reason.

It’s like my experiences aren’t legitimate
or conclusive
or finished
until I “report” them to social media.

I’m sick of that.

Why do I hesitate to sit on a beautiful hill and not take a picture, and just enjoy the moment?

Why do I get stuck on my phone or laptop late at night instead of getting stuck on a passage of Scripture that cuts to my heart, or simply resonates with me in a way that helps me make sense of things?

Jesus is a man of paradoxes. He would tell people to become less to become greater. Do do good deeds in secret if you want to be seen by God.

I miss that secret place.
Where I found intimacy with God.
Where I found real relationships with whole people,
instead of blue, blue thumbs
and pale, pale hearts
that I superimpose on people’s filtered pictures
that they feel obligated to post
to feel valued and included.

I miss that secret place, where I could take walks in the rain,
and nobody had to know.

God, bring me back to that place. Only you can rip me from the vices of social media. I know you can use social media for your glory, but I ask you will just keep it in its rightful place.

So you can have Your rightful place in my life:

The first
and the last
of my day,
and everything in between.

I want You to be my obsession.

You
and You
alone.

And nobody has to know.

This new, minimalistic blog is my anthem to being unknown. I will not share this post on all my social media channels, with great pictures and SEO and optimal posting times. Because the most valuable treasures are hidden.

My marketing at work can be loud. But here, here,
the world is quiet here.