I’m not the first person to dare to leave facebook, nor will I be the last. It’s something I’ve debated for a while now, but feel like I’m armed with enough rational reasons to make my exit. January 1st will be my first day facebook-free!

I knew that being an advocate of simplicity would have some personal reverberations. This past semester I’ve written and spoke on the importance of eliminating clutter in our lives (physical, emotional, spiritual, etc…). I long to be more focused on the task of discipleship, loving my husband, and purposely invested in those the Lord puts on my heart.

Here are a few of the top reason I believe saying goodbye to facebook will help me accomplish these goals:

1. To better communicate with my closest friends.

The bandwidth my brain and heart need to function properly directly relates to the voices and connections I listen to and maintain. I’d rather intentionally and more personally keep up with those of you who I am closest too. It’s not that other friends aren’t important, but it would be impossible to even communicate once a month with all my 1,223 friends.

2. To simplify my distractions.

As if life in general didn’t give me enough to think about and ponder, I daily open my world up each larger to the lives of people I can’t manage to keep up with in a real context — even on a monthly basis. I want to spend more of my day thinking about the Lord than I do keeping up virtually with peoples, updates, etc… of others.

3. To increase personal interactions.

The written word is important, but nothing can replace face-to-face conversations and, when needed, phone calls. The Lord is present when two or three or gathered together! I want to capitalize more on this and find more ways to serve others that don’t involve a less personal form of communication. Realize that just because I’m leaving facebook doesn’t mean I don’t want to keep in touch with you — it means I want the method in which we keep up to be improved!

4. To focus less on the exterior and more on the interior.

It’s no secret that we all put our best foot forward when describing ourselves and uploading pictures on facebook. Following this model doesn’t lead to genuineness and simply contributes to putting on a mask and being who we think everyone else wants us to be. If I say I’m an advocate for being true faced, then I want to be that in all areas of my life — even online. Furthermore, facebook communications tends to be more shallow, at least in my case, than in real life. (And, I fact that I have to make the distinction that it isn’t “real life” tells me something, too!)

Please don’t hear me saying that I think being on facebook is bad, or that Christ-followers should follow my suit. Rather, I believe that facebook has many worthwhile purposes. Like any tool, it can used for good or evil. For me to be congruent with who I am and the values God has put before me, I feel it is my best interest, the best interest of my friends, and in the best interest of my walk with the Lord to make an exit.

And lastly, I’m happy to give out my email address (the one I check regularly!), my cell number, and mailing address to any one who would like it! I realize keeping up our friendship may take a little extra effort once I leave facebook. So, thanks for caring enough to find a different way to stay in touch!

Bethany and I had a chance visit to Birmingham, AL last weekend to visit our friends Addie and Donnie Newcomer. Donnie’s mother was just recently diagnosed with brain cancer, so our visit was to encourage them and lift their spirits during a tough time staying with her at the UAB hospital.

We stayed overnight with my twin brother Brett and his wife Ashley. Brett is going to school at Beeson Divinity School on Samford University’s campus to get his M. Div. while Ashley works for a local 911 department receiving emergency calls. They took us to a fantastic place–”the best sandwich you’ve ever had” as Brett described it. Mr. P’s Deli has been owned by the same family for four generations, providing Birmingham with high quality meats. The shop sells the Pilleteri’s products and seasonings, but also serves as a butcher shop in the back, and as part of it, a deli shop.

Bethany and I had taken Addie and Donnie out to Ihop only an hour or so before (which was fantastic by the way), but we still wanted to experience the amazing sandwich from Mr. P’s. We split one of these:

The Jeffro - 1/3 lb. Cajun Smoked Turkey,
Pepper Cheese & Cheddar Cheese,
Honey Mustard, on Wheat. – $6.59

I can’t oversell how amazing this sandwich was. The wheat bread was soft, thick, and warm–pliable in the hand and not too chewy or hard. Amazing. The smoked turkey was so fresh, piled on and still warm. The cheeses were fresh and complimentary to the sandwich. The honey mustard sauce was not too much, but wonderfully mixed and beautiful on the cheese and meat. What an experience. If you’re ever going through Birmingham, you MUST stop here.

Please pray for Nancy Newcomer and the whole Newcomer family as she begins her chemotherapy treatments and fights the cancer in her body.

I had been waiting for Brian and I to have the same weekday morning off. Finally, it came on Veteran’s Day. I did some research on all the free museums and historical locations within walking distance of our apartment complex. Turns out, there are plenty of places — more than we could fit into one day!

We started our morning at the Australian Bakery. The owner, truly an Aussie, served us some hot coffee, a breakfast meat pie, and some biscuits and gravy (do they really have that in Australia?).

Now, onto the National Cemetery where almost 10,00 10,000 Union solidiers are buried after Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign. It was also the proposed location of the capital of the Confederate States of America. I brought along some historical information and we walked through the gravestones and monuments.

 

 

Next stop, the Cobb County Central Library. I gave Brian and assignment: choose 1 video/vhs and 1 coffee table book. We left with Muppet Treasure Island and a Taschen book on Indian homes. (And Muppet Treasure Island is amazing, by the way!)

 

A trip to the Square wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Eddie’s Trick Shop. Coming back through the square, we saw the crowd gathered for the Veteran’s Day parade. Thank you, Veterans!

 

For Christmas last year, my mom gave us our “mr.” and “mrs.” mugs. It’s perfect for sharing our nightly cup of tea

 

 

 

Bethany: “I have found the one my heart loves.”

 

 

 

Brian: “Unloading 250 pieces of heavy cargo from a truck at work once a week is the only time I have to work out anymore.”

I love being able to walk to church. It’s as if we’re preparing our hearts for corporate worship while we walk the streets of Marietta. We feel so thankful for Stonebridge! It’s given us a great community of friends through our small group and my indoor soccer team.

On the way home were passing the 1st Presbyterian Church and noticed a Bible flapping in the wind in the middle of the road. It was narrowly being missed by cars, so when there was a break in traffic Brian bravely rescued it. A flier inside told us the owner went to the Presbyterian church we walked inside to hand it off. Turns out it belongs to one the pastors! So, that’s our random heroic act for the day — rescuing a Bible from oncoming traffic.

Our two pictures for Sunday are taken on our way to and from church…

 

 

 

 

Bethany: Tommy’s is one of the many local restaurants on the Square that we’d like to try out!

 

 

 

 

Brian: I got this hoodie in Vienna.

What a delightful day.

Once Brian came home from work we made use of what little daylight was left, and drove over to Kennesaw Mountain. It was a crisp 63 degrees, just enough to feel it in your lungs but not enough where the air burns your exposed skin. After our run, we put two steaks on the grill for dinner. And then, over a cup of tea, I beat Brian in cribbage.

Day 4:

Brian: “Going for a run in the wilderness makes me suddenly aware that I haven’t been spending enough time outdoors.”

Bethany: “For once, I hear my own breathing when I run and the leaves crunching under my feet. At last.”

A friend from grad school graciously shared some tickets with us to see In the Heights, one of the newest Broadway shows. The story of a little corner of NYC Washington Heights came alive with vibrant characters. After being in NYC ourselves over the summer, it was neat to see an aspect of the city on stage. And the Fox Theatre itself, as always, is breathe-taking!

 

 

 

 

 

And Day 3 photos…

 

 

 

Brian: It took three tries tonight.

 

 

 

 

Bethany: Lipstick in the car at the passenger mirror.

We’re on to day 2 in the photo project. Welcome to a slice of our life!

 

Brian: Sitting in the corner sometimes means you can steal another chocolate chip cookie without anyone noticing.

 

 

 

 

Bethany: Cooking and serving 7 in our tiny kitchen equals dishes. Lots of dishes.

My dear friend and artist, Janna, works at NYCAM, a faith-based art program for college students in Manhattan. Yesterday she began collecting photographs from about 35 people around the world. Each person is tasked with taking a photo of themselves for 21 days and writing anywhere from one word to one page about it. In response, Janna will create a sketch, painting, or some type of art about the image and content. It’s a novel idea and I’m curious to see the end result.

We’ll attempt to post our pictures for next 21 days — until the day before Thanksgiving. Hope you enjoy the journey with us!

Bethany: “Today we invented a game with m&ms. Without looking at the color, we tired to guess what color we were eating. Turns out they all taste the same. We lost every time.”

Brian: “Every once in a while it’s nice to walk instead of drive when you go somewhere nearby. I wish the rest of the world thought the same way.”

One of the (many) great things about marrying Brian is that we share a love for similar TV shows — one of those being, Arrested Development. It’s a genius show about a highly dysfunctional family, which accounts for good number of my should-be-studying hours in college. It haunts me in grad school as well, except this time when I hear “arrested development” it’s actually refer to the psychological disorder…

Back to the Halloween party. We had an array of character from minor roles to lead roles gather at Jonathan’s apartment. Brian and I came as Lucille and Buster, a dymanic duo comprised of a domineering mother with a drinking problem and her overly bonded adult son. Buster had an unfortunate accident with a seal once, resulting in his “I’m a monster!” claw. He also accidentally joined the army.

Appearances were made by Starla, Dr. Fishman, a Girl with Low Self-Esteem, Tony Wonder, Gob Bluth, Maybe Bluth, George Michael Bluth, and a never-nude (well, not really, but she wore cut-offs).

We enjoyed watching episodes with friends who are even greater aficionados than we are, and all lived happily ever after. The end.