Affirmation

I readily admit I was prompted this evening to write this after meeting a saint (Andrea) in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. It's a dream I shared with my wife from a couple of weeks ago.

I do a lot of interaction online. I don't have anything against people playing games, but that's not what interests me. Eight years ago when I began interacting online I did so with the express purpose of engaging in discussion and teaching. My primary reason for migrating from Interfaith Dialogue on Orkut, Craigslist, Project Experience and most of that activity to Facebook was for that same purpose.

So, I really value what I do online. Yet, there have been various times when I found myself wondering about the value of my online activity. I value affirmation. There are times when affirmations have come in the form of private messages on Facebook. I give affirmations as often as I am able to do so, that is, when I am not so blind as to overlook the need someone else may have had for that affirmation.

I have always used my own photo (shot by my daughter for a photography assignment) and my name. The exception was done more for fun where I used a picture of George Harrison and the handle "CuePond." Nonetheless, the content is as straightforward as my blog and Facebook messages. Regardless of how some of my articles may come across, the main part of which are on this blog, I am committed to conveying a message that has meaning, clarity and always open to discussion. It was early in my online interactions that I took up the name "Gil," which is the shortened form of my full name mainly as people used it to address me. So, Gil became synonymous with what I do online.

It was with this in mind that I quickly understood the dream of a few weeks ago. I woke up quickly from the dream which was nothing more than the sound of "Gil" presumably called out by the woman in the distance. There was no detail of the imagine, but the short message resonated with me. It immediately rang familiar and I associated it with my online discussions and teaching.

It was a clear, valuable affirmation of what I do online. It is ministry.

BTW, I teach a blogging class at the Round Rock city library on first Wednesday of the month. It's free.