3 John 1:13-14 - Face-to-Face Communication

Part of me wants to blog about something I shared on Facebook a few days ago, another part of me wants to blog about something that happened just now, but the largest part of me just wants to blog about pretty much anything, as long as it's quick, so I can get to school. Random Scripture Time!

Bible or Book of Mormon? -flips coin- Bible.
Old or New Testament? -flips coin- New Testament.
There are... -checks- 27 books in the New Testament. Which one should we pull our scripture from? -rolls dice- The 25th one, 3rd John.
3rd John only has one chapter, so that part's easy. Which verse should we read? -rolls dice- Verse 13. It's short. I'll throw in 14 as well.

I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: 

But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name. 

3 John 1: 13-14

Have you ever heard of the Vlogbrothers? They were really big on Youtube a few years back. Basically, they were two brothers who lived in different states and really only communicated through texts and emails and such. Knowing that face-to-face communication was more personal than textual communication, they decided that, for an entire year, they would A) not send any textual communications to each other, and B) send a video-blog message to each other every day, alternating days on which they gave or received videos. Since, between the two of them, they were posting videos on Youtube every day and because, partway through the year, one of them wrote and performed a song about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which was all anyone was talking about at that time, they quickly gathered a large following, and the group became a dedicated force for good in the world, collectively donating millions of dollars to charities and engaging in countless worthwhile and frequently international projects. They're awesome. And it all started when two guys decided that their relationship would be strengthened more by (semi) face-to-face communication than by continuing to just text and email each other, and boy were they right!

In the verses above, John notes at the end of a letter that he could write a lot more. He "had many things to write," but he decided not to write all that because he trusted that he'd soon have an opportunity to speak to his readers face to face, and he decided that that would be better. And in many ways, it is.

With face-to-face communication, you can communicate so much more than just the words of your message. You also share the tone of your voice and your physical positions. Your emotions are more easily read in person than on paper, and if emotion is what you're trying to convey, a visit, or even a phone call, would be much more powerful than just sending someone a text or an email.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to say anything bad about texts or emails. It's really awesome that we have this technology, and we should use it for good as much as we can, including sending quick, loving notes to each other to strengthen and encourage each other. That's really good. But if you get the chance to bear your testimony or share your love with someone in person, that's even better. John had such an opportunity, and he didn't let it go to waste. On anniversaries like these, we get reminders that we might be separated from our loved ones sooner than we think, so we should share our love with each other, through any means at our disposal, as frequently as we can. But remember, words said and heard are more powerful than words written and read. If you love someone, tell them - face to face, if you can.