A day without tech!

In the search for a slightly lighter topic today, let me share with you a little of what happened yesterday.

I woke up a bit late so only had about fifteen minutes to spare before I had to go out to meet someone for breakfast. Naturally, once I had completed my morning ablutions, I went to check my emails as I do every morning. My computer was already switched on so I opened up Outlook ready to receive the daily stream of 20 or so emails (probably 18 of which will be deleted without being read).

Here was where I found my first problem - no email! Instead of beginning to receive mail Outlook advised me that I had an error. A quick bit of investigation found that I also had no Internet, phone or TV - apparently the rain overnight had broken my connection to the outside world.

I had no choice at that point but to go to my breakfast meeting, logging a quick call to my Internet provider, who advised that service would be restored asap. Through the day I accessed the Internet on my phone at a restaurant using their wifi connection and made use of both my parents and sister's computers and Internet connections.

My services where restored by mid afternoon and I was once again connected to the world of technology and received my daily emails, visited my regular websites and could again make phone calls from home. That was all fine and apart from a little inconvenience my day was not affected too much, but it got me thinking "how did we ever cope without all this tech"? Even though having no Internet at home didn't stop me driving my car, talking to my family and doing my job, I felt a bit lost, like I was out of touch or was  somehow missing out.

I rely 100% for a large part of my livelihood, communication and lifestyle on computers and mobile phones and their connectivity to the Internet. Many of us feel lost without a stable broadband connection, disconnected without email and alone without access to Facebook or Twitter.


Computers and technology in general annoy and irritate most of us at least once every day but how would we ever cope and hope to live our lives without them? We communicate with our friends via email and Social media, gain information through the net, play games, listen to the radio and buy goods through these plastic boxes of technology.

We don't gossip - we tweet, we don't laugh - we LOL, we don't talk - we email or chat, instead of openning a book - we open Google. There is no doubt or way of living in denial, we rely on all this tech and cannot really function without it.

I have no clever points or moral guidance to share today - I could have said that we need to be as connected to God and learn to rely on Him as closely as we do our laptops. I could say that we can call on God 24/7 as easily as we use Facebook or that many of us have become disconnected from God and we need to log a call to His tech support and get our lives re-connected. But I'm not going to, you can make those links for yourself.

Right now I'm going to catch up on my emails and see what I've missed on Twitter yesterday.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris

God doesn't want to be your number one priority!

I'm feeling a little brave today, so I've gone for what I hope is an eye catching or thought provoking title to this blog post. The thoughts that I want to share today are not new and have been shared in many different ways, but were bought home to me anew reading a book recently.

Anyone who has spent any amount of time sat listening to people preach in church will have some time been challenged about where God falls in their priorities. And if we are put on the spot to answer I am sure most Christians would state that God is their number one priority, followed by family, then friends, church life, hobbies, work etc. This all sounds great with two fairly massive problems.

1. The reality of this priority idea, the ugly truth, is that in real life our number one priority often is not God. Take a second to think about what area of life you commit the most time, money, energy too. I almost guarantee that work or a hobby or running a family home consumes so much more of your life than God ever stands of chance of claiming.

2. The second and most important problem with this priority idea is that God doesn't want to be a priority in the first place. Putting God on a list, even if He occupies the number one slot, suggests that we can commit a finite amount of time, energy or focus to Him and then move on the next task. Anyone who knows Debbie and I will tell you we love a good list; maybe of jobs or things to do, that can be crossed off as they are achieved. In life we almost always fall into the same mindset of praying in a morning, or reading your Bible, or going to church then cross God off the list for today and then moving to the next task.

God's desire is not be at the top of a list but rather to be at the centre of our lives; the sun in our solar system that everything else revolves around. Only when we allow God to be at the centre of our families, our homes, work, church and whole life will we find balance. Only when we let God out of His compartment, take Him with us into every area of life and ask Him to fill us. To fill our homes, offices, churches and streets can we begin to realise true communion with Him.

When I plan my week I don't try and create appointments to meet with my wife, rather we are in a relationship whilst at work, whilst watching TV and eating dinner. My prayer today is that we can all realise a relationship with God that allows Him and me, God and you to be together with Him at the centre of all areas of life.

Have a great day

God bless

Chris