beWARM

Thank God for baby wipes!  As I left the house this morning, I hastily threw a pack into my purse, anticipating that I would need them during my babysitting time with The Divine Miss V.

They were summoned to duty soon after we got on the highway, when a malfunctioning bottle cap caused a shower of blueberry smoothie to adorn my turquoise pants. (Deciding against wearing my bluejeans was the wrong move.)

Thank heavens I wasn’t driving!

Out came the wipes, and after some frantic rubbing, only a slight tinge of blue remained (in about 5 different places!). Joey lucked out with only a single blast, which also faded considerably.

While all of this damage control was underway, all I could think of was how ridiculous I would have looked arriving at the airport with pants a la Jackson Pollock, had I not had those now-indispensable wipes. Vanity was my prevailing sentiment….but would anyone really have cared….or even noticed?

While waiting to board my flight , the concept of stain-release kept swirling in my mind.  As unwanted as they were, those blueberry polkadots seemed minor in comparison to other unforeseen circumstances – you know, the ones that can make your heart ache, or keep you from sleeping at night.

Our sophisticated technology has not yet invented a way to for us to rewind, erase, and do a “take 2” for those moments we wish had never experienced, or initiated.

Perhaps such an easy way out would rob us of our opportunities to learn and grow.

God brought some questions to mind:

Am I as concerned about my smudges within as I was about this minor spill?  And what am I doing to attempt erasure of those nagging spots – of negativity, worry, fear, you name it – whatever distractions keep me from focusing on God.

If I have ever initiated such an onslaught, what steps should I be taking to make amends and rebuild the bridges?

Since God hasn’t made us Teflon-coated (even though sometimes my brain feels that way), how can I process such encounters in a healthy and constructive way?

My dear friend Norma says that God wants us to approach all things from a place of love and mercy.

Wow, that is a big order.

But as I think further, it is only with the assistance of God’s “blotchguards” that we are able to transform hurts into joys, and seemingly indelible wounds into positive life lessons.

And  think of Jesus, whose death on the cross was the ultimate in stain-removal – our sins forgiven, forever.

How an onslaught of blue blobs took my thoughts in this direction is beyond me.

I am grateful for wipes and wonderings… and for how God helps us through our botches, blotches, and blunderings.

He never ceases to amaze me.

I am increasingly astounded at how effortlessly I can while away hours at the computer.  After being adrift in cyberspace for an extended period, my glazed  eyes can barely process the plethora of information flashing across the screen.

Though I often resolve to limit my time online, those good intentions soon become a thing of the past.

The truth is, computers and other electronic marvels dominate large chunks of our daily mind-space, whether we admit to it or not.

A recent  NPR news spot about Apple dropping Google Maps from their mobile devices got me thinking about the significance of the Apple logo. The radio commentary stated that Apple makes a practice of reworking existing products of competitors –  and improving them for their own benefit.

Make no mistake – I have nothing against Apple computers.  I am writing this post on a wonderful MacBook Air that replaced my ancient and turtle-slow PC. I am ever grateful for its lightning speed.

But my musings keep returning to that once-bitten apple and its symbolism – temptation, indulged.

According to Wikipedia, The name Apple was chosen because the company to beat in the technology industry at the time (1976) was Atari, and Apple Computer came before Atari alphabetically and thus also in the phone book. Another reason was that (Steve) Jobs had happy memories of working on an Oregon apple farm one summer. (parentheses mine)

For as innocently as the name was chosen, it is a curious coincidence that the logo so aptly reflects our cultural norms.

We live in a wanting world.

Are we not continually lured into desiring the newest iThing – or the latest software upgrade for our existing device? How does the average consumer manage to stay abreast of the latest and greatest?

And why do we continue to be desirous of what we don’t or can’t have?

Regardless of the reasoning behind it, the Apple logo accurately conveys the message of desire. Just take a bite, and you’re hooked.

And…if the taste or texture isn’t to your liking, discard it and move on to something even more delectable.

Go for the bigabytes, as they might say in Jersey.

We all have “apples”of various varieties dangling overhead, beckoning our attention. Some are merely frivolous distractions…others, soul-threatening menaces.

Can we be discerning enough to know the difference, and turn away from  harmful distractions or potentially destructive invitations?

Yes we can…but only with the help of God. He alone can provide the strength we need to resist the things that draw us away from Him.

God has gifted the technological wizards with incredible minds; we can’t even begin to imagine the  advances (or devices!) the future holds.

But God’s capabilities  far exceed our most sophisticated creations…and have eternal staying power.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13

P.S.  I think Eve would have yearned for an iPad.

Click here to read the NPR transcript.

I am concerned that face-to-face conversation will one day cease to exist.

Sometimes I have disconcerting visions of  the future, imagining a world where glassy-eyed people are glued to their electronic devices for hours on end, uttering few words – and where common courtesy is a foreign language.

On a recent hotel stay, we were astonished to see young couples at breakfast more immersed in their Kindles than each other. Or the sad face of the wife whose husband was totally consumed by his iPad screen during their entire lunch. Few words were uttered at either table.

How has enjoying the experience of being together become so devalued that we have allowed such distractions?

A recent article in the New York Times entitled The Flight From Conversation echoes my sentiments.

Author Sherry Turkle writes, We’ve become accustomed to a new way of being “alone together.” Technology-enabled, we are able to be with one another, and also elsewhere, connected to wherever we want to be. We want to customize our lives. We want to move in and out of where we are because the thing we value most is control over where we focus our attention. We have gotten used to the idea of being in a tribe of one, loyal to our own party.

Now more than ever is the time when we should strive to be truly present to those around us, appreciating their thoughts and ideas  as well as the verbal nuances of  discourse. This would certainly prevent the development of LFRC syndrome (Longing For Real Conversation).

In our electronicTalk world – iPhones, iPads, and iPods and other devices encourage us to be the center of our universe, allowing us an escape route from deep connection amidst our constant communication. We skim over the details of our lives, and then click to the next screen/channel. (and by the way, did you ever wonder about the significant use of the preface “i”… as in me, myself, and I ???)

Think of the last time you had a heart-to-heart talk with someone and how you felt afterward.  Moments such as those can never be duplicated in cyberspace.

Make time for real conversation; gift yourself with the presence of your loved ones – and seek to know them better. Turn off your phone; turn on your undivided attention.

And enjoy the beauty of shared words – live and in person.

When someone deeply listens to you
it is like holding out a dented cup
you’ve had since childhood
and watching it fill up with
cold, fresh water.
When it balances on top of the brim,
you are understood.
When it overflows and touches your skin,
you are loved.

When someone deeply listens to you
the room where you stay
starts a new life
and the place where you wrote
your first poem
begins to glow in your mind’s eye.
It is as if gold has been discovered!

When someone deeply listens to you
your bare feet are on the earth
and a beloved land that seemed distant
is now at home within you.
~John Fox

It is a few days after Easter; the last of the hard-boileds were chopped into an egg salad, the pile of chocolate treats is dwindling, and the good dishes have been stored until the next holiday.

I do hope that your Easter celebration was joy-filled – and that you enjoyed your special traditions in the company of loved ones.

We seem to mark time with the preparation and passing of holidays (which come along more quickly as we get older!)  Our Easter was wonderful…and on the Monday following, we busied ourselves with the next tasks at hand.

I found myself thinking that what Easter represents is deserving of a bit more contemplation…and reverence.

A dear friend who is now with the Lord used to describe something really important as “Huger Than Large”. And Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and return to life is just that.

As I finished up my Lenten Devotional, I thought long and hard about God’s sacrifice for us, and the absolute surrender of Jesus to His Father’s will.   How humiliating…how excruciating…how incomprehensible…and how true.

The magnitude of such an event and the resulting effects on all of mankind merit more than just  a festive church service and a special dinner. (Even a visit from the Easter Bunny can’t compare!)

We should commemorate the Resurrection every day, living with grateful hearts, sharing God’s joy with those around us.  Perhaps, after prayerful consideration, we could exhume some of the jubilance that we long for, heavily buried underneath the stress and strains of life.

Is it possible that we, too can rise to a new – and better – life?

With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God. ~Mark 10:27

Jesus’ resurrection has gifted us with the promise of new life here on earth, and of eternal life in heaven. How can we ever stop recalling this miracle, and its implications?

Let’s all try to be mindful about what God has done for us – and thank Him for giving us  His Son  – our Savior, our Friend.

Through Him is our way to newness.

Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.  

                                       ~1 Corinthians 15:22  New Living Translation

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To hear Rev.Martin Ban’s inspiring Easter message from Christ Church Santa Fe, click here.

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