Wired!

I pick my new laptop  tomorrow so in honor of this being my last devotional on my old laptop, here is the first entry I wrote on it when it was brand new. It's from April 12, 2010.

This is my first blog on my new laptop. Last Thursday, UPS delivered a Compaq CQ60 -422DX Notebook to the Braesridge Apartments. Michael Fonville, who works with our WCS technology and media, researched and ordered it for me from Best Buy. I took it to school and Michael installed all the systems and protections that we ordered to go with the unit. On Friday night, I turned it on just to see it light up, planning to connect it to the Internet early the next day. It seemed easy, which should have been my first warning. On Saturday morning, after disconnecting all the wires from my desktop, I plugged in the DSL line to the laptop.... and nothing happened. I looked at the manual again and it looked right. I hated to do it but I called Michael for guidance, which he delivered. After hanging up, there still was no Internet, no matter what I did. I knew what I WAS NOT going to do; call Michael back. I kept repeating the same strategies to no avail. Finally, that evening, the light dawned on me that my new laptop might be more likely to work if I took the modem out of the box I where I had packed it and plugged it in to my new model. Sure enough; after a few trials and errors, the Internet came on and I was in business. It only took me about ten hours to figure it out.

You might be wondering why I needed a new computer. My Dell was four years old which I hear is about the length for effective use. It had become terribly slow, often going to a not responding mode. My tax refund this year was sufficient that I felt comfortable in earmarking part for the technology upgrade. Besides, I want to update my site daily this summer from China and this seemed the best option. I have little idea how this machine works; I'm almost afraid I'll mess it up. You see, nobody ever taught me how to use a computer. I'm self taught and my teacher is not very smart. My students tease me- VERY RESPECTFULLY- for being so backward when it comes to any modern form of communication, whether cell phone, computer, or even the DVD player. I'm improving but it's a journey proceeding at a snail's pace.

You know, what seems simple to the kids in my class and probably to you is foreign to me. Even the uncomplicated task of figuring out what wire goes where would have been solved by my students in the time it takes to type this sentence. The problem was not the power; it was the connection. We talk quite a bit about prayer in my classes and I know some of those sitting facing me feel no connection to the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. They believe in the power of prayer. They know they need to pray and they want to pray but something remains baffling to them. Jesus' men asked Him to teach them to pray and He gave them what we call the Lord's Prayer. That's a great starting point for anyone. Talk to the Lord; ask; confess; praise. I read an article tonight that asked whether FACEBOOK was hurting the church in that it supplies a sense of belonging that congregations traditionally have provided. After reading this, you won't be shocked that I know nothing about FACEBOOK either but the kids do. In this era of instant communication, some of our teenagers live on their parents' Verizon plans, talking and texting. That's the communication they know. It's part of my job to help them expand their capabilities. Now, if the Lord only had a cell phone......

Applicable quote of the day:
''There are three types of death in the world. There's heart death, there's brain death, and there's being off the network.''

Guy Almes

God bless,
Steve

Luke 18:1

http://www.hawleybooks.com/

E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com