Those who know me, know that I ascribe to a connections theology. I stopped using the word “coincidence” in my vocabulary many years ago. Rather than attributing chance happenings to some mysterious juju, I believe that God creates connections in our life’s journey. My metaphor for these connections would be the dots on a “connect the dots” puzzle. Often, the dot, or connection, doesn’t readily solve the puzzle. We note it, some of you will say it’s a coincidence. I prefer to believe that often, God’s connections that are put before us, may not reveal their meaning for us until we can draw a line to the next connection, or dot. On rare occasions, the connection is immediately obvious.

Yesterday, as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, one of those horizontal bars showed up, suggesting people I might want to be friends with. Any Facebook user knows what I am talking about. I have a personal rule, that I only accept friend requests from friends. That is… if we are not friends in real life (outside of Facebook), then I won’t initiate a request myself, nor accept your request. I make an exception for other clergy in the Virginia Conference.

Yesterday, one of the suggestions that popped up is another clergy member of the Virginia Conference. I didn’t recognize the name, so I took a look at his Facebook profile. He is in his 4^th year of serving Jolliff United Methodist Church in Chesapeake (on Craney Island). A connection. From Francis Asbury’s journal entry of January 3-4, 1791:

We rode hard to get to Craney Island, and came within three miles by two o’clock; the people being dispersed, we came back to brother Jolliff’s [meeting house]. I had a few to hear, to whom I spoke on Romans 13:11.

On the first, official day, of our recreation of Francis Asbury’s circuit of 1791, JoAnne and I will be worshipping at Jolliff United Methodist Church. Just two years ago, they celebrated their 250^th anniversary. It was the first pushpin I placed on our map, back in October of 2024.

Can God work through a Facebook page? Why not?

Peace,
-Pastor Tim