Facebook, the Trinity, and My Birthday

Negative inevitably attaches itself to positive, and that is certainly the case with social networking.  But I choose today to laud the positive side of Facebook.  Many friends took time to pause today and grant me a virtual birthday greeting.  Words of blessing reached me from literally around the world--East Africa, Thailand, Bangladesh, South Africa, Italy, as well as many of these United States.  Amazing!  Social networking at it's best is a powerful expression of what I've told my students so many times--relationship is everything.  That's the unmistakable import of the Jesus metaphor of vine and branch in John 15.  Just as God exists in perpetual perfect relationship with Himself (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), we exist in perpetual relationship with our Lord.  What that means is that friendship holds a supreme place for each of us because we were created for relationship in that we are fashioned in the image of God.  I, for one, appreciate any means by which individuals foster relationship with one another, and I definitely appreciate the many expressions of friendship I've received today.