Social Media: Blessing or Cursing?

Now don’t get me wrong. I love technology. I have a Master’s in Educational Technology. I can open my garage door from anywhere just using an app on  my phone. My wife has a crock pot that can be turned on, setup, and controlled by her phone. We have smart plugs in the house. Last night we had a friendly war turning the television on and off through Alexa and our phones. (I don’t recommend it; I really isn’t good for the tv.) In Arizona we had the house thermostat and the front door able to be remotely accessed. And that’s just the beginning. There are smart houses now that set the mood with music at dinner time, turn on lights as you enter, adjust heating and cooling according to whether the room is occupied or not, and even open the garage door as it senses you come down the street.

Technology by definition, is simple a tool of applied science. It in itself is neither good or bad. It’s how we use it. I remember when I was young that many preachers would rant about the evils of tv in the home. This was really confusing for me, because my father had a tv sales and repair business. When I asked him how he felt about it, he said, “I have never sold a tv that didn’t do what you wanted it to do”. It was up to the user to control it.

One of the newest technologies to change our lives is Social Media. And like any technology it has it’s good and bad sides. There are many that would be happy if it went away completely. There are those that are addicted and overuse it continually. It’s still about how you use it. I love seeing pictures and videos of my grandchildren. They live far enough away that we would never be able to stay in touch without it. I love connecting with people around the world on various projects. The key is control. Technology is only as good as the control parameters and settings that you give it. Here’s some hints to help you manage.

1 Know your technology – In this day and age, you can Google information about settings and configuration of virtually any app. There are sites that will help you decide if an app is for you, or if some other one might be more fitting.

2. Set you apps for safe search and pay attention to privacy settings. If you are not sure, ask a trusted friend.

3. Set limits on your app time. Your phone may have settings that track usage so you can see how much time you spend every day on an app. You might be surprised.

Ultimately, Security, content and amount of use are yours to control. Choose wisely!

If You Had a Time Machine

 

Going back in time is a SiFi staple. The stories take a hundred turns, mostly because we really do not have any idea how it would really work. Would we just be observers? Could we change our destiny? If we changed enough that we never existed, would we just be back at square one again, or not exist at all? It’s probably even more complicated than that. I think the 10^th Doctor, David Tennant, summed it up quite nicely when he said, "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey... stuff". (Blink 2007)

So assuming the safest scenario, viewing but not changing, where would you go? I’m going to stick with going backward because going forward would be, well, “Spoilers”!

Here are some of my possible destinations.

1. Birth/Death of Jesus Christ

2. Machu Picchu

3. The building of the Pyramids

4. Ancient Rome

5 JFK Assassination

6. Ancient Babylon

7. 9/11 Twin Towers

8. Roswell 1947

9. Forming of the Grand Canyon

10. Ancient Atlantis

 

Interestingly enough, one poll on Reddit had the 2000s as the most chosen destination. I’m assuming it would have something to do with undoing past stupidities. I’ll admit it might seem like going back to stop ourselves from doing certain things might be inviting, but what would be the real result? If we are, among other things, a collection of our experiences, actions, & memories, wouldn’t it change who we are? Would our lives take a drastic detour? Who would be affected? It’s fun to play the “what if?” game, but I’m not sure I would want to live it out. I think I’ll join the Apostle Paul when he said, Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

The Spirit of Lawlessness

As a fisherman, I am astounded by the myriad of laws that are made just to preserve the fisheries. Well, until I see people in action. I think there is more cheating in fishing than any other sport. People say things like, “It won’t matter if I take an underside one. There are lots to go around. It’s only one. How can that hurt?” Oddly enough, there are usually very good reasons for the laws we have. Most laws have the goal of preserving the things we have for future generations. Some seem to just be there to help people from being stupid. Then there’s a few that just seem to be about control. But let’s not get political, shall we?

Years ago when I lived in Sothern California, I would always be there for the opening of lobster season. At 11:45 pm every March on the first Wednesday after the full moon, we would set up on the pier and throw out our hoop nets At midnight the nets could begin to be brought up. All lobsters had to be checked with a gauge, and any undersized ones returned to the ocean. The ones that were only 1/8” short were the hardest to release. So much so, that I finally asked one of the Fish & Game officers why there was a minimum size. He explained that this was to make sure that that lobster was assured at least one year of maturity in order to reproduce. Ah, so its’s to conserve the fishery. One the group on the pier heard that, it made it much easier to return the little guys. (They started calling me the “teacher” after that)

So what’s up with humans and their resistance to laws? I think it’s because none of us like to be told what to do. In fact I would submit that it is hard wired into us from birth, that and selfishness. Probably the two most repeated lines from children are “Mine!” And “Don’t tell me what to do!” Like selfishness, it comes standard in the normal human condition. There seems to be a pervasive idea that says, “Since it’s not hurting anyone else, what’s the big deal?” We cannot be sure no one else has or will be hurt until they are. Instead, we need to be Human 2.0, the “New Creation”. God calls us to obedience.

Whenever you come across a law that you don’t understand (or don’t like) try this.

1. Find out why the law is there in the first place?

2. Think about what caused it to be created and what would happen if it were not there.

3. If you think the law is unjust or meant to just control, there is a process for that. It might be time to contact those you have elected…

Hebrews 13:17 says, Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

What Is Your Niche?

When I was in Bible College, we would often get asked what our “life verse” was. In retrospect it was really kind of silly, nay, almost pointless. People would scour the Bible for that “perfect verse” that would define then, set them apart. Proverbs 3:5-6 was one of the most used. Ya, like you could put a whole life into one verse. Even Jesus needed two commandments to sum it all up. We’re gonna need a lot more Scripture than that.  

Enter, my friend Jim. He would unceremoniously volunteer his life verse to anyone who ask. It was 1 Chronicles 26:18, “At Parbar westward, four at the causeway and two at Parbar” (KJV). Now that’s a show stopper! Incidentally, It is often touted as one of the most obscure verses in Scripture. It is found in the middle of the area designations for the porters (gatekeepers) during King David’s reign. No one seems to know what or where Parbar refers to. It is often translated “court” in other translations like the NIV.

So what’s the big deal? Why is it even there? It shows us the importance of the individual. Each porter had a place and a certain job to do. On the surface it doesn’t seem like much. Well, that’s until someone doesn’t do their given job. Then it could be catastrophic. In war, just one weak spot could spell disaster.

In Biology we talk about habitats and niches. A habitat is where an organism lives. It could be in a tree, down a hole, under a rock, or even in the water. For the Christian, habitat is merely a location. Our Great Commission is valid anywhere we go. It’s our niche that is vitally important. A niche is basically our job or jobs in our habitat. You can even fulfil several niches concurrently. I am a father, a grandfather, a son, a brother, a husband and a teacher all at the same time. The important thing is that I do the best job I can at whatever I do.  It doesn’t matter whether you’re a pastor, a music leader, a mom, a dad, a brother, or even that favorite aunt from Toledo. God has a plan for each of us. Big or small, our duty is to be faithful.  Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful 1 Corinthians 4:2 (NIV). Are you fulfilling your niche or just occupying your habitat? Remember, there is no such thing as a small job in God’s Kingdom. All He asks is that you faithfully do your best.

Certainty of Apprehension vs Punishment

This week in one of our teacher’s meetings, one of the Admins said something to the effect of “It’s not the severity of the punishment but the certainty of punishment that is the deterrent.” Having somehow no memory of ever hearing this quote, I was put into mental processing mode. (This is where the musing comes in.) Being in education, I hear many things - some amazingly insightful, others amazingly stupid. Some seem odd on the surface and then, with a little thought, make total sense. Others sound really astute, but upon inspection fall all apart. Then there are those statements that are simply the idle sputterings of raving lunatics. This one fell into the first category. As he explained, my mind began to comprehend what he was saying. A search for the source of this quote led me to, of all places the National Institute of Justice, part of the DOJ. This is statement #1 from their web page “Five things About Deterrence”.

“The certainty of being caught is a vastly more powerful deterrent than the punishment.” https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/five-things-about-deterrence

Knowing that not everything the government says is aligned with Christian values (I’m sure that’s a shocker for you) I decided to compare it to scripture. A verse memorized in one of my college secondary education classes instantly popped into my head. ( Thank you Mr. Holland!) Ecclesiastes 8:11 reads, When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. Not exactly the same since getting caught and sentencing are two separate things, but the results are basically the same. If you are certain to get caught and sentencing is swift, it surely gives one reason to pause. Hey, even Google AI got it right this time.

Passages like Galatians 6:7 ("Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap") and Proverbs 11:21 ("Be sure of this, that the wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will escape") clearly state the idea that punishment is certain for wrong actions.

Well who’d have thought…

For the Christian it makes total sense. If we know that there is a “payday someday” then it should change the way we do things. I think this is one of the reasons so many people are against all the cameras and face recognition. They still want the possibility of not getting caught. (people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. John 3:19) Privacy is nice, and I still don’t want to end up on the evening news (unless I win an award or something) but cameras are not a big deal to me. If you live your life knowing God is watching you really do not have anything to worry about.

having your way of life honest among the Gentiles, that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:12