Some things that are going on that I would love to share and give commentary on…
-Met yesterday with Maxie and his talk for Crash on Sunday night is gonna be spot-on. Talking about “What is Church?”, wrapping up our series “I Don’t Know Where to Start”.
-Working with our graphic designer re: our next Crash series, a Lenten one, that will begin on Valentine’s Day and run through the end of March. This new series will be about suffering.
-Very excited today for the release of the iSlate from Apple. I should be ashamed but I will be following Steve Job’s keynote more closely than President Obama’s State of the Union.
-I would watch the State of the Union, but I will be speaking to a group of students in Gilbert tonight. Excited to spend time with 100-150 jr high and high schoolers tonight, Friday and Saturday nights.
-Trying to put the final pieces together for an Ash Wednesday service on February 17th. Hoping to have details this Sunday night; it will likely be a gathering of multiple churches.
-Loved the launch of the new mini-season of Burn Notice on USA last Thursday. Other than NCIS re-runs, I probably watch Burn Notice more consistently than any other show on TV. Well, Sportscenter doesn’t count.
-Overwhelmed by how many people I am connected to are in the midst of incredible crisis in their lives. Feeling the weight of our depravity as humans but also our potential to love, encourage, and stand with one another in solidarity.
-Loved the music from the Hope for Haiti Now Telethon over the weekend. Favorite song has to be Justin Timberlake’s take on Hallelujah.
I saw the State of the Union after choir practice tonight. It was long winded and wasn’t one of the better ones. The only significant piece of news – that was actually new – was the President’s plan to double our exports. You probably had more fun where you were and based on my experience your talk was probably better than the one I saw by the President!
Burn Notice looks cool, but I am more of a Psych man. As I am writing this, I am watching the new episode on USA tonight.
I’m going to take a moment to stitch a couple of comments/opinions together from the Twitter comment and the State of Union address.
I keep remembering what one of my professors told me during a micro-econ class, “United States some day will be the worlds largest Walt Disney with the best health care.” Of course listening to US is going to double our exports had me ready to throw my shoe at the tv. When Phoenix primes (aerospace manufactures) keep reducing local jobs by off-shoring contracts to Mexico, China, India, and the list continues. With manufacturing markets shrinking yearly there isn’t much left to export.
I don’t much agree that Apple is putting the people of any church to shame. Apple believes they can produce a product that has the ability to change a life is added to my list of products which have claimed if you buy this your life will change. Did you Blackberry change your life? Does a new computer change our life? Does a new size of coffee change your life? Does any product change our lives? Who’s really in charge of our lives…God or the best sells pitch?
All I got out of last night is American Idol got pushed back which upset thousands…the president still doesn’t know what hand to put over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance and America is so broke socially, spiritually, and morally that we look like a Jerry Springer show.
Michael
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hey guys thanks for the comments. While I acknowledged the State of the Union yesterday, I do my best to keep conversation on here away from politics. I would appreciate your help in maintaining this focus. I know this is becoming increasingly hard, but those are great offline conversations.
In my Twitter post, I was referring to the fact that I have never encountered a company that is so passionate in their faith in their product as Apple. I was convicted that so often my faith and belief in the ability of God to transform a life through Jesus’ death and resurrection pales in comparison to Apple’s confidence in something like the iPad. Apple has evangelists…almost every customer becomes an evangelist. I can’t say the same thing about followers of Jesus.
Many of the things we experience have changed the way we live our lives. Cars. Mobile phones. Fast food. Debit cards. And we still follow Jesus as we use them. We ask the question, “what does it mean to follow Jesus as I _____?” in every area of our life. That’s a part of being Christ-centered. Taking every part of our life and putting it under the authority of God.
Thanks for the thoughts today. Let’s keep the conversation going.
Interesting commentary here. I’m not going to comment on anything political here as I don’t believe the intention was to start a political forum.
Michael, I wonder if your point regarding Apple and Blackberries and other products changing your life is really about that or some other concern.
As far being able to function more swiftly, efficiently and effectively in my life, certain products actually have changed my life. They help me to do things differently thus a change in my life. Creations by people are an extension of the creation of people. I think the issue could be around how we use those products that claim to change our lives and what we do with the change. To split hairs, the product itself is lifeless and can actually produce no change (most often) without your participation. The Blackberry or the iPad won’t change your life if you don’t make the choice to use one. They might not change your life if you buy one but you don’t use it the way it was designed. Your intention for using the product as well as the actual use of the product is where the change happens. My Nikon D300 has change my life and I promise you, it has changed the lives of others as well.
I like Scott’s comment: We ask the question, “what does it mean to follow Jesus as I _____?” in every area of our life.
Now, I don’t ask that question as much as I could, but it supports my point about how I intend (or not) to use said products to transform me or others.
Tony and Scott,
Respectfully I agree that there should be boundaries when it comes to politics and religion.
Tony, my concern, and I agree with you; that a product by itself is lifeless until we use it like a tool. What concerns me is how many people believe what the advertisers tell us. Similar to Maxie’s (Scott-note I spelled his name correctly this time) recent sermon and great infomercials, and more than once I have gone from see-it, want-it, need-it; like some child pointing out the candy while mother is trying to check out at the grocery store. I wasn’t the first in line to purchase the Blackberry, and forgetting it today; I swear I can feel the vibration and reach for nothing. Did the phone change my life? I’m available to more customers, friends, and spam emails.
Okay Scott…friends don’t let friends use AOL or buy Apple, I’m a PC and Windows 7 was my idea. Even at my age (oh here we go again), I’m all for the techs pushing the limits of better, faster, shiner, and on that note; I’ve been using Crest for the last 50 years and only had one cavity…is it the tooth paste or the habit of brushing? Point is, and I like the way you framed the final question out Scott, and push the question higher; how do you fit technology and God together?
Michael
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Michael,
Is your true concern around how many people believe the advertisers or that you might believe the advertisers? There is no question that history is littered with deceptive advertising and I’m sure the future will be as well. This idea doesn’t keep me from investigating and vetting products on my own. Sometimes I have to buy them and try them for myself. Sometimes, I read the reviews of others who have gone before me.
I too have gone from see it, want it, need it. Sometimes it was completely false. Other times, it wasn’t. I love finding a “technology” that I can leverage to improve how I do things for myself and for others. Without technology, we’d likely still be living in caves and drawing pictures in the dirt to communicate. Language, is a technology that has changed the lives of humans. The ability to string symbols together to make words and forming sounds with our mouth to communicate is a technology that we all take for granted because it his much like breathing. It is always just there.
Regarding Crest: I’d ask if you would have formed the habit of brushing your teeth the same way without Crest? Without any toothpaste at all?
Even though you didn’t ask me the question, I’ll give you my idea on how I fit God and technology together. I am a software programmer. I love computers and all kinds of gadgetry. I travel to Zambia on occasion to work with college students as they endeavor to make better lives for themselves and their community. Without the airplane, it would take me a very long time to get there and may even discourage me from going at all. When I am there, I teach the students various ways to leverage technologies that can improve their lives and the lives of others. I travel the area and take pictures with my expensive DSLR camera. Those photos are used in print media to tell their story and garner donations that inevitably provide food for the students to eat. I use my computer to stay connected across continents via Skype and Facebook. I use those tools to have conversations of encouragement and remind the students and the people of Zambia that we are still here and that we love them. I have frequent conversations with my friend Godfrey who is at a university in Zambia and studying to be a software programmer. We’ve had many conversations around his struggles with staying in school, wanting to give up, working through programming problems, etc. Without that technology, I wonder how successful I would be in supporting the students of Northrise.
I see a multitude of ways that God and technology fit together.
- Laptop: for far reaching communication methods and tools to write the software people use to enhance their lives and the lives of others
- iPod: allows me to listen to podcasts from Crash, Erwin McManus, etc. It also allows me to load my pictures and tell the story of Northrise University and Ndola, Zambia using the pictures to show others.
- Blackberry: Another communication tool that allows me to have a verbal or written conversation with someone. I can also read scripture from it.
- Nikon D300 camera: I snap photos to tell stories.
I see God working in my life as I use technology to serve people in ways that were impossible many years ago.
Despite the various ways I leverage these tools, they all have one thing in common: a power button. I can make the choice to turn them off and set them down at any time…or not. So, I say technology is as lifeless as your tube of Crest without someone to leverage them. They are just tools. The choice, then, is ours to leverage them in ways that honor God or in ways that don’t.
The End
Tony,
Very well written and explain article on how technology, your life, and God. The concern is for people who lead astray by advertising and religious apostates leaving a trail of emptiness behind the wake. As for me, I always makes me do a personal inventory before a purchase. Technology comes in a variety of different vessels, and as you pointed out; without the discipline of when to turn it off or brush your teeth you didn’t have control from the beginning.
Turning back to what stimulated this conversation…(Apple+Scott)/(Apple – Followers of Jesus) = X . To say the least, a quadratic of ridicules.
Michael
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Michael – I love how you started with “The End”. Don’t get that but it made me laugh. A quadratic of ridicules? I am confused my friend. But I appreciate you getting this discussion going. Hope others who watched it were challenged to think and then live their answers.
Scott,
“The End,” was the stake in the ground saying I’m pretty much done with this subject, or I thought. Quadratic of ridicules? Simply put, to put this subject to an equation equals some silliness. However, I think this does touch on some nerves. Most unlike you Scott know we are brothers of technology. I use technology from farming, banking, communications, aerospace, and Mafia Wars. What I understood before is you got rid of your Blackberry freeing yourself and now you have to have to latest toy on the market. Well……?
Wish others would get some moxy and have input.
Michael
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Michael, I think you missed the point. I am not getting an ipad or replacing my blackberry with something else. I was offering my opinion about how compelling apple freaks are in their evangelism about the change they believe apple can introduce into their lives. I believe Jesus can change your life is a way that goes light years beyond a tablet computer. God challenged me to consider if my passion and commitment to sharing my faith the way jobs shares about apple. I don’t expect everyone to agree with my take on apple (I get the vibe you are a pc guy) but I hope everyone can reflect on the question.
Yes Scott, I’m a PC and Windows 7 was my idea. What I enjoy about this was the input. More importantly how your brought it back full circle as well as you did the night during servce when you cut up the credit card. Today while at Sams Club I stood in front of a 55 inch high def tv and was blown away! Yes I wanted it…and it was a man magnet because I wasn’t the only guy watching it.
I didn’t miss you point and also understand that the church could take a lot from other businesses. Motivation, getting the word out, and more importantly taking a closure look on how to get the upper management (ministers) to listen to the culture of the community. Most of the larger churches remind me of the Titanic.
Take Care
Michael
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