TOWER OF GOOGLE?

Picture this:

You're out with friends, enjoying a lively conversation. Someone casually asks, "I wonder if it's still snowing in Colorado?" Then, three people whip out phones and start typing furiously. The conversation continues. Several minutes later, someone says, "Yes." You are puzzled but then realize your friendly banter has been "google-ized"......your conversation among friends has been over-taken with up-to-the-minute facts.

Has Google become the new Tower of Babel?

Read Genesis 11 for a Biblical account of a time when mankind tried to become smart like God. It was four generations after Noah--after God had destroyed nearly the whole earth because of mankind's sin.

Noah's descendants spoke one language and settled the region called Shinar on the plain of Babylonia, between those two famous rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. The people multiplied and developed a booming city with skilled craftsmen.

Trouble was, they got a little full of themselves and decided to build a city with a huge tower "...that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11: 4) 

This was human endeavor, full of human pride. It was self-glory instead of God-glory.

Do we do that today? The Internet allows us to wonder about nothing! Whatever question arises, there's an answer right at our thumb-tips.

Be assured, I believe in the power of knowledge, learning, and education--I'm a teacher, remember!

However, does our quest to know, understand, or explain interfere with faith and trust in God?

Adam and Eve got us into all sorts of trouble because they couldn't resist the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2:16)

Those who attempted the Tower of Babel soon came under God's discipline when he said, "Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." (Genesis 11:7) That pretty much:

• stopped the building
• caused them to scatter over the known world (something they didn't want to happen)
• gave birth to Foreign Languages 101.

I believe God instilled in each of us the ability to create, learn, discover, etc. After all, we are made in his image. However, I continually ask myself, "When do I need to know for sure and when do I trust God for what I don't know?"

 Apply the pride of "needing to know" to modern life. Where is the wonder, the mystery, the call to trust God even when we don't know his specific answers. It's a tough line to walk.


BTW: I did use Google to research the Tower of Babel....also, two very old commentaries collecting dust on my bookshelf: Halley's Bible Handbook (1962) and The New Unger's Bible Handbook (1984). I, too, have been "google-ized"!

COMFORT WORDS

Words. Words. Words.

Lyrics (words) to songs speak to me. Always have, always will.

Our family is currently walking through a serious medical situation concerning an adult son. It's been a tough time, to say the least. How am I comforted during this stressful, extremely emotional time?

• Prayer - my own, my family's, my friends'
• Bible Reading - God's promises in Scripture are real
• Love of community - family & friends: thank you for listening/praying/loving
• Sound medical practices

 
There's another source of comfort, and that is words...to Christian music.

Old hymns from my youth
Praise songs from the 1980s
Modern renditions from my very progressive church

 

 

These words of comfort come to me at unusual times: in the middle of sleepless nights, during long walks, or when I'm feeling the most frightened.

Songs that are particularly meaningful:

• I Need Thee Every Hour
• Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Sweetest Name I Know - especially the line that reads, "...fear not I am with you peace be still, in all of life's ebb and flow..."
• It is Well With My Soul
• Let's Just Praise the Lord
• God is So Good
• The Joy of the Lord is My Strength

Click here to read the lyrics of modern praise songs:

•  Oh My Soul
•  Bless the Lord
• This I Believe

My message to you: As life ebbs and flows, remember God loves you. He will walk you through whatever you must endure, he has a plan for you and your loved ones, and (as a pastor friend wrote to us), "God is God and he is good. He will never let you down and he'll never let you go!"

Take comfort in that, dear friends.

 

A Mother's Day Rerun

(I haven't posted for a while.....life has been happening, with all its ups and downs. My desire is to get back to posting regularly on this blog. After all, I handle the ups and downs better when I'm writing. However, I'm repeating a post I did last Mother's Day, because I think the thoughts have merit. Thank you for reading.)

 

 

Mother's Day Can be Difficult

Hallmark has made sure no one forgets Mother's Day. However, they've also managed to make it difficult for some people to get through it. I always cringe in church when we are instructed to stand and wish the women around us a "Happy Mother's Day."

What about those women who aren't mothers? Who have lost children? Who have lost their moms? Those who are single or those who choose not to have kids? What about those who may be estranged from their children?

I once knew a woman who never went to church on Mother's Day because it was too painful. She spent almost her entire life taking care of aging parents and in-laws. She said they were her mission in life, and there was no time for motherhood. Ouch.

What about single dads? Shouldn't we send them cards or flowers and chocolates on this day?

I feel privileged to be a mom and enjoy everything about it. But, I never want to lose my sensitivity to those who are not parents or choose not to be parents.

I wish all mothers a special blessing as they work diligently to make life good for their children. They deserve the accolades and attention of Mother's Day.

I pray all women (and men) feel God's blessing whether they're parents or not.

Maybe we should celebrate a Happy Adult Day..........

By the way:  call your mother!