FaceBook - don’t be a snob

I've had several people who are just fans of SGM tell me that they feel snubbed by some major artists on Facebook. It seems that their friend requests are denied by some artists. I think a couple of things need to be addressed about this issue.

First, Facebook is a great place for networking. I've reacquainted myself with many old friends from my earliest years in school to my earliest years in Southern Gospel Music. I've made many new friends who have come out to see us in concert. I've met new friends that I have gone to see in concert when they came close.
Other than taking up too much of my time (according to my wife), I have found Facebook to be very positive. Do I have Facebook friends who I do no know, and may never know on a personal basis? Sure, but what does it hurt, especially with the possibility of making a booking in the future, or selling a CD or two. I think we can agree that for networking, Facebook is a pretty good thing.

So the second thing I want to address is, why would artists, no matter how big or small want to offend any fans. Artists need to be careful that they are not insensitive to the people who just love your music. When they are rejected as a friend by their favorite artists, they take it very personal. You, as an artist, may not know them, but they have seen you at concerts, probably spoken to you at your product table, and those fans feel that they know you. I say let's be as polite on Facebook as we would be at the product table. Just because they are not standing right in front of you at a concert does NOT mean that they are not STILL you fans.

It’s my dog again

I'm amazed that I am constantly learning spiritual lessons from my dogs. What's with that? This time it involves his new leash.
Winston is our puppy that my kids got us for Christmas last year. Winston is a Boxer/Great Dane mix, so while he was only
10 months old at NQC, At a mere 95 pounds he can be a handful if you let him get in control. He's probably the most people
friendly dog I've ever had, so the handful is not his personality, but his size and strength.

When I take him out for walks, I keep him on a 6 foot leash and he walks very close beside my, plus I use a pincher collar,
so he is very easy to control. Just a simple tug with my fingers on the leash is enough to get my message to him. I normally
use a heavy duty 16 foot leash to take him out to do his "business". I also bought him a 26 foot leash for training purposes.
As fate would have it, just before we left for NQC, his 16 foot leash became frayed, so I took the 26 foot leash instead. Big mistake.

I guess by now, your wondering how this taught me a spiritual lesson. Well here it is. Even though I'm, well over twice the weight
of Winston, by the time he trots out 26 feet ahead of me and sees something interesting (like a bug) that he wants to investigate.
it feels like he is about to separate my arm from my body. As I'm putting my arm back into it's joint, the thought hits me. I should
have brought the shorter leash, because he is so much easier to reign in with that leash. Then my brilliant brain went to me and God.
When Winston is at the end of 26 feet, I have to really yank on that leash, just to get his attention. Now I'm sure that this is at least
uncomfortable and maybe even a little painful, not to mention that it takes much more effort on my part. Just how much of a pain am
I to God when I stray to the end of my spiritual leash.

If I'm walking close to my Master, just like being on a short leash, He doesn't have to raise his voice or yell at me, and a gentle tug
on the leash gets my attention and I follow Him with no struggle and no pain.In fact, I can look up at my Master and see His smiling face
and recognize that look that says He is proud of me. I have found that after I have walked Winston for a while on that short leash, I can
drop the leash altogether and he continues to walk right next to me, telling me that he enjoys the relationship between us walking so close
together. On the other hand, if I am walking at the end of my leash, as far away from God as I can get, when He has to pull me back in line,
either because of danger, or because I've gotten way out of His will, the force of that tug is much stronger, sometimes even hurting.

Before I get to hard on myself I have to remember that God has put trust in me to let me out on the long leash. He wants me to enjoy
as much of life as I can. I also have to remember that there is another one out there who seeks only to temp us, kill us, or destroy us.
The reason God has to tug so hard to get us back is that our attention is no longer on Him. When I am out on that long leash my back is
usually away from Him, so I am easily distracted by the bugs of life.