Please take a moment to read the following list and really take it to heart. It was written by Bill Shuler, whom I know as "Pastor Shuler" from my ORU days.
http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/03/15/shuler_regret_ten/
Have a wonderful, blessed day!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Saturday, March 7, 2009
The one-week challenge
Something has really been irritating me lately. Actually, it's been an irritation for quite some time now, but it has resurfaced again in the last month or so.
Time. Rather, the lack of time. (How appropriate, since we lose an hour of sleep tonight!)
We are always so busy, busy, busy. Our busyness has actually become somewhat of a status symbol. The busier we are, the more important we become--at least in our own eyes. Telephone conversations--or most likely, email conversations--typically go something like this:
"Hi! How are you?"
"I'm fine. How are you?"
"Fine. What are you up to"
"Oh, I've done X, Y, and Z today and have A, B, C, D, and E to do tomorrow. What about you?"
Sound familiar?
I had a friend at ORU who would challenge others to memorize Scripture. And if you passed her in the dorm or on the way to class, it was nothing for her to ask you what you were learning in the Word. This was just 15 years ago! How have we become such a self-absorbed people that we define ourselves now more by what we do than what we are learning?
I think I have an answer to that. It's an answer that most people will hate.
Technology.
Oh, sure, technology is a blessing. But if you were to honestly evaluate your life and, more specifically, your walk with the Lord, would you say that technology is a blessing or a hindrance to your walk with God? I would have to say that in my own life, technology is more of a hindrance than a blessing. I have trouble finding time to sit down and open my Bible each day, yet I don't have any trouble watching a show on HGTV, checking my email, getting on Facebook, downloading music and podcasts to my iPod, talking on my cell phone, sending text messages, looking up recipes... You get the picture. If I were to cut out one, some, or--gasp!--all of those things, how much more time would I have?
As if my own walk with the Lord weren't important enough, I also have to sit back and ask myself this question: What kind of example am I setting for my children? Am I teaching them to be busy and to place more importance of "things" than on their relationship with God? Sure, we have devotional time together in the mornings... but what about during the day? How often do they see me with my Bible open or hear me in prayer? When I think back to my own childhood, these are some of the things I remember most about my own mom. It was nothing out of the ordinary to see her with her Bible open at various times during the day, or to walk into a room and then find yourself quickly backing out because mom was praying and you didn't want to interrupt.
I want to challenge you to do something. For one week, and one week only, unplug yourself from one piece of technology for a short time each day. It doesn't matter if it is the television, if you let your calls roll to voicemail, if you turn off the iPod, or if you don't check email. But for one week, the challenge is to unplug yourself from technology and then use that time to "plug in" to God. Use that time for prayer, for reading the Bible, for worship... just make yourself a little less busy so that you do have time for God. Then come back at the end of the week and share how this challenge affected you and your family.
Let's teach our children to put more importance on the Word of God than on "things." And let's start this week!
Time. Rather, the lack of time. (How appropriate, since we lose an hour of sleep tonight!)
We are always so busy, busy, busy. Our busyness has actually become somewhat of a status symbol. The busier we are, the more important we become--at least in our own eyes. Telephone conversations--or most likely, email conversations--typically go something like this:
"Hi! How are you?"
"I'm fine. How are you?"
"Fine. What are you up to"
"Oh, I've done X, Y, and Z today and have A, B, C, D, and E to do tomorrow. What about you?"
Sound familiar?
I had a friend at ORU who would challenge others to memorize Scripture. And if you passed her in the dorm or on the way to class, it was nothing for her to ask you what you were learning in the Word. This was just 15 years ago! How have we become such a self-absorbed people that we define ourselves now more by what we do than what we are learning?
I think I have an answer to that. It's an answer that most people will hate.
Technology.
Oh, sure, technology is a blessing. But if you were to honestly evaluate your life and, more specifically, your walk with the Lord, would you say that technology is a blessing or a hindrance to your walk with God? I would have to say that in my own life, technology is more of a hindrance than a blessing. I have trouble finding time to sit down and open my Bible each day, yet I don't have any trouble watching a show on HGTV, checking my email, getting on Facebook, downloading music and podcasts to my iPod, talking on my cell phone, sending text messages, looking up recipes... You get the picture. If I were to cut out one, some, or--gasp!--all of those things, how much more time would I have?
As if my own walk with the Lord weren't important enough, I also have to sit back and ask myself this question: What kind of example am I setting for my children? Am I teaching them to be busy and to place more importance of "things" than on their relationship with God? Sure, we have devotional time together in the mornings... but what about during the day? How often do they see me with my Bible open or hear me in prayer? When I think back to my own childhood, these are some of the things I remember most about my own mom. It was nothing out of the ordinary to see her with her Bible open at various times during the day, or to walk into a room and then find yourself quickly backing out because mom was praying and you didn't want to interrupt.
I want to challenge you to do something. For one week, and one week only, unplug yourself from one piece of technology for a short time each day. It doesn't matter if it is the television, if you let your calls roll to voicemail, if you turn off the iPod, or if you don't check email. But for one week, the challenge is to unplug yourself from technology and then use that time to "plug in" to God. Use that time for prayer, for reading the Bible, for worship... just make yourself a little less busy so that you do have time for God. Then come back at the end of the week and share how this challenge affected you and your family.
Let's teach our children to put more importance on the Word of God than on "things." And let's start this week!
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