No, seriously! I'm working! I swear!

I have a love-hate relationship with Facebook.

Love: catching up with friends, reading fun status updates, seeing photos, joining random and entertaining groups, wasting a bit of time while still feeling semi-connected to real people.

Hate: feeling awkward about the whole 'should I or shouldn't I be friends with parishioners' question, the new layout (HATE), not having control of other people's posts which might include me, being asked to be friends with someone I don't really want to be friends with but then I feel bad about ignoring them, the new layout (did I mention that?).

I've decided that I can't be anonymous on Facebook, so I'll just accept friend invitations from parishioners (I do not, ever, request to be a friend to same), and keep my status updates church-appropriate. This is fine. I get most of my anonymity needs met on this blog. Someday that might have to change too, but for now, I think we're alright.

But here's a new, completely unforeseen, reason to be on Facebook: this weekend, I am doing a funeral for a young woman who died of cancer. Her friends have created a FB group, and they are posting all their memories and stories about her. I got an invitation to this group, and it is funeral-homily GOLD. What an amazing resource for a preacher! I never met this woman, and those funeral sermons are always the hardest: and now, from the most unexpected source, there's a ton of help.

I guess I'll stick with Facebook awhile longer. Even with the new format.