We make so many friends and acquaintances over a lifetime, especially with the advent of the internet/social media age. I made more connections in a year on message boards, through blogging, and networking in youth movements than I made through five years on one college campus. Seriously. And , if I’m honest, more of those discovered-each-other-through-the-internet relationships were deeper, more honest, and more involved than the ones with the people who smile, ask “How are you doing?” and go back to their lives, their homework, and their ambitions. But some of these other people…well, they were open, transparent and broken with me. I’ve had more opportunity to “be pastoral” and pray with, counsel, encourage and mourn with these online connections than anywhere else. It’s given me a wealth of experience. Much of it I wasn’t ready for or used to, but Jesus was bigger than my youthful incompetence. I’ve grown tremendously.