Hi! Yes it's been awhile! I've had several computer issues of which I wont bore you with detail.
When did it get to the point that I cant handle not having a computer for goodness sake? I mean, I made it for 30 some years with out one and now to think of not having one is unacceptable!!
All of my pictures are now in a computer, my mini video's, in the computer. They're "burned" on to disc's so I can take literally thousands of pix and put them all in one cd album. Awesome. No paper, no space taken up. And yet oddly, I rather miss getting my developed film and negatives back, rushing to the parking lot to sit in the car and get teary eyed at the pictures. Let's face it, film used to lay around awhile before it made it to the store!!
I also rather miss letters, like real letters. You could carry a letter all over the house with your coffee and read and re-read till it was dog-eared. Kinda hard to tote a lap top 'round like that, let alone a desk top!!
I guess the one thing I dont miss is the phone.....awful huh? I mean I do love chatting and hearing the voice but when you're on the phone it's "real time" like stop what you're doing and talk and listen. Oh sure, you can talk on the cordless phone and putter around ending up with a "crick" in your neck, or even the cell phone and have a car wreck, but on the phone you have to stay a bit more focused when you're "listening" to someone speak and actually have to respond, right then.
Staying focused......
God wants our undivided attention. He wants us to speak to Him and listen to Him. I mean to my knowledge you cant go to www.wannasendamessagetoGod.com and get through and if we could, how long before we would check for a reply?? God requires real time we need the real time. No noise, no computers no phones, Blackberries, Androids or Blue tooth!
My Sunday School group just finished a session on "How to Listen to God." We've been in 1 Samuel 3. The boy Samuel was fast asleep and heard a voice call out to him, he went to Eli to see why he'd called him. This happened several times before Eli commanded Samuel back to his bed with these instructions: (v.9) Go and lie down, and if He calls you, say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
Samuel needed to be still and silent so he could hear the message God was sending. It would appear later in the same chapter that Saul heard only what HE wanted to hear (can you relate?)But now it was Samuel, who had learned how to listen, commanding Saul to be silent and hear what the Lord had to say about his disobedience.
Oh if we only listened the first time......spend time in His word, be silent and learn to listen. Thank you Father for sending Your Counselor.
In His Grace
P. Hemphill