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    The previous article, Ripped Boxer Shorts and All, generated an awesome amount of response. I had no idea people would respond so positively to an article that displayed my struggling humanity.

    For some reason, many people believe a minister has some kind of “edge” on spirituality not available to the average church member. Tiger Woods can put a spin on a golf ball and send it higher and straighter than other golfers. There are no Tiger Woods in ministry, no human can put a spin on a prayer and send it higher and straighter than other Christians. We don’t have a special Bible that has all the REAL answers in the back — those same answers available to us from scripture are available to you or anyone else who will read and study with an open heart and mind.

    After reading and praying about your response, I came to a clearer understanding of what we respond to in our Christian walk each day. We seek a perfect God in an imperfect world, and we joyfully recognize others who are seeking that same God in imperfect ways. Paul’s comment that we “have this treasure in jars of clay” is always true. We can love the jars of clay, too. The used, worn jars of clay have a rugged beauty all their own. In future articles, I will continue to write to encourage you, exalt Christ and His Word, and share some real life experiences on this faith journey we have undertaken together. We jars of clay have to stick together!

    Technology is driving everything from the stock market to our daily lives. Is it good or bad? It’s both. Is it a help or a hurt? It’s both. How can technology threaten our faith? How can technology assist our faith? Let’s address these questions.

    I was out of town last week and got in late in the evening. I was tired and beat from an exhausting trip. After a quick shower, I hit the sack. Before I knew it, the alarm sounded, and our family got up and got busy! My son’s bus was late, the phone rang off the wall, I had more tasks than I could accomplish, and most of them had to be done that day. We had one car in the repair shop and I had appointments all day. I thumbed through the bills that we’d received in the last few days, and kept them on my mind all morning. After my son’s bus came, my wife and daughter were off to school, and I rushed to get ready to go to the office. Then it hit me: I had not jogged this morning. “So what! Big Deal! Is that your biggest problem, that you don’t have time to JOG?” I can imagine some of you may be asking that question. So, let me explain.

    I used to be fit and trim. Now I have what I call “furniture disease” — that is, my chest has dropped down to my drawers. I have gained weight, and it’s tough to take it off. One of the joyful things of my youth was the joy of running. A few months ago, I dropped 120 bucks on a pair of running shoes by Brooks, called “The Beast.” These shoes are advertised as being designed for the “heavier runner”! I then began a slow climb out of the Valley of the Flab. I jog 20 minutes nearly every morning. In fact, I haven’t missed a morning in a month or so. It’s a commitment I’ve made to myself and I mean to honor it. I put on “The Beast” (no relation to the Beast in the book of Revelation), and headed through the living room.

    “Where are you going?” my wife asked.

    I told her I planned to jog.

    “Well that’s fine, but you have a single calling you back on your cell phone within 15 minutes, and it sounds urgent. And our son’s teacher is going to call your other cell phone in ten minutes with instructions on where to pick up some special supplies he’ll need today, and I am late for work. Bye!”

    My heart sank. There goes the jog. No... nope. I’m gonna jog. I’ll just take both cell phones with me, one in each hand, and I will JOG! So that’s what I did. And as I puffed along swinging a cell phone in each hand, I came up with a new scripture written just for today: “Technology Giveth and Technology Taketh Away.” There’s something wrong with a guy jogging with two cell phones.

There’s something wrong with a guy jogging with two cell phones.

    Technology is a great boon to modern life, yet there is a flipside. Cell phones give portable accessibility, to the loss of privacy. Computers give a way to relate to others, to the loss of face to face interaction. Every technological advance comes at a price. I love my cell phones. I love my digital voice recorder. I love my laptop computer. I’m thankful to live in an age of technological advances. As a Christian, however, I must assess the impact of technology on my faith journey. Let me suggest some guidelines for assessing the value of technology in our lives:

1. How can this gadget help me in my walk with God? Obviously, you are using a computer right now to read this. A computer connected to the Internet can be a huge source of Christian information, help, and encouragement. Be proactive and identify ways any new technology can help your faith.

2. Does this gadget cost me time I need to grow in Christ? The Christian walk is not a sprint, it’s a lifelong marathon. God’s voice can be drowned out by too much junk and noise in our lives. Creating a time for meeting with God is essential. Often gadgets end up taking more time than they save. Will this gadget take up too much time? Will it help me spend time with my Father?

3. Does this gadget pull me away from real encounters with real people? We all need some real human interaction. God made us that way, and there are no substitutes for being a real person, and dealing with real people. It is sad to live an isolated life when the world is full of people! Of course you need a break from those folks, just like Jesus did. At the same time, we really do need each other.

4. Does this gadget serve me well, and does it help me serve others? Select the technology that works best for you, and that best helps you serve others, too. Christ calls us to serve Him by serving others. Let’s use all available means to do that.