Something to share

~Friday for Friends~

"Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need." Ephesians 4:28 (NIV)

It's interesting that the command not to steal is followed by a reason for it - to share. It's not so we can  buy a better house, go on cooler vacations, lose ourselves in our work, or whatever. It's so that we can share. 

And we can start sharing now. 

I'm doing well?

~Saturday Stories~

I'm doing well.
What about you?
School is pretty good;
The homework load okay.
I have a couple papers due,
But it's all manageable.
Made friendships over the summer;
Continued them in the fall.
Roommates? Roommates are good.
We get along well, yes.
Just "As" and "Bs"
I probably get more sleep now
Than I did last year.
Work is manageable.
Finances look okay.
Church is supportive.
All's good, right?
Right?

If on the outside everything looks good,
That doesn't mean I feel good.
I can smile to you
And cry five minutes later.
Don't just ask me questions.
Look into my eyes,
Spend time with me,
Pour into my life.
Then feel free to ask me questions.
And pressure me for honest answers

If one falls down

~Friday for Friends~

"9 Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV)

Do you have someone to pick you up when you fall? Do you have someone you can pick up? 

Scheduled chaos

~Tuesday Thoughts~

A lot of us have either started or are about to start school or college. And that's a huge change from the somewhat-slower usually-more-fun three months of summer. There are earlier wake-ups, more scheduled days, and homework-filled evenings. While on paper it might all look neat and organized, we all know how chaotic it'll feel for the two weeks that it takes us to readjust to the new normal.

I want to encourage you - and myself - that amid this chaos and confusion we can also often find laughter and hearty congratulations on a job well done. We can look at our grades and sometimes be happy with them. We can look at something we've been training in and realize just how much better we are getting to be in them. We can spend incredulous amounts of time laughing with friends we wouldn't get to see if it wasn't for school.

So, let us enjoy this reunion of schedules and chaos. And let us do all we're supposed to. And let us do it for God's glory.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

His energy

~Tuesday Thoughts~

"Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." Colossians 1:28-29 (English Standard Version)

It's really not us being amazing and strong. It is God working through us. Praise be to God!

Too much technology?

~Thursday Thoughts~

  
Sorry I didn't post on Tuesday. Here's the "Thursday Thoughts." This was written as a response to CGP Grey's video "Humans Need Not Apply."


   Life today differs greatly from life a century or two ago. One of the biggest changes is the machines. We no longer use horses as the major source of transportation, nor do we need as many people to work in agriculture. We have made machines that drive us, that work the ground, that carry things from place to place. This all has made manual labor less in demand and mental labor more in demand. Now we might be coming to an age when even mental labor is not needed that much.

   It might seem that machines with minds and at least some of the five sense are science fiction. Indeed, there have been many predictions about them that have not come true. An example of this is the film Back to the Future. However, some things are not just objectives and goals of programmers anymore. They are reality. From self-driving cars to virtual doctors to coffee made entirely by machines in a network that remembers your favorites, we are entering an entirely new arena. As we do we need to remember that, as creatures made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), we will always be loved by Him (Romans 8:38-39). He has a plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11); we need not be afraid for He is always with us (Joshua 1:9).

   I’ll look at two professions that have a prospect to change dramatically and soon. High school teaching can be very much affected by automation. More and more classes can be done online, making the need for teachers less.  It is said that employment will increase 6% over the 2012-2022 decade, which is less than the average¹. The reasons said to be behind it were a smaller student-to-faculty ratio and an increased number of students. However, the webpage didn’t seem to take under account the numerous possibilities and challenges online learning has brought upon us. Today one teacher can teach many students without having to ever engage with them personally. This has impacted education at the college level, and we should be ready for it to impact high school also. Teachers need to understand technology and how to implement it in the classroom. Some should be ready to enter online teaching. However, as Bill Gates said, “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.”

   Writers and authors have an even smaller projected growth, only 3%². It is thought that the publishing industry will decrease. However, there are online outlets available to almost anyone from self-publishing to websites to blogs. There are, supposedly, machines that can even make creative work. However, God has made us in His image (Genesis 1:27). I believe that no machine will ever completely annihilate our creative expression of ourselves.

   New skills and abilities will be important as we enter the age of even more technology. If/when I become a teacher, I hope to learn technological skills to keep my classroom up-to-date. However, the person factor is just too important for all teachers to leave the classroom altogether, and I’m not planning on doing that. As a writer, my first priority is to produce good material. If I do not do that, there is no purpose to learning where to post it and how to promote myself. These are important things, but they are secondary.

   As we are enveloped by technology we need to remember that technology is not God. It cannot do everything. Another Bill Gates quote says, “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” Many stuff will still depend on people, and we know that everything depends on God (Romans 9:16). Everything is in his hands (Job 12:10).

References:

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014, January 8). High School Teachers : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved October 3, 2015, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/high-school-teachers.htm#tab-6
2. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2014, January 8). Writers and Authors : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved October 3, 2015, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/writers-and-authors.htm#tab-6

What about you? What do you think about the amount of technology around us? What is some other area that you feel afraid of but know that God is in control?

Proverbs 31 and the 21st century woman

~Tuesday Thoughts~

The 21st century respected woman, as portrayed in media, is a beautiful and self-sufficient one. She is always busy and on the go. She does not depend much on her husband; her financial income and status would be almost as good without him. The virtuous woman loves her children, but doesn’t have much time for them. She juggles work, child-caring, and household errands. Her growing “self-sufficiency” is also portrayed by her attitude to God: “I can do as well without Him”.

The Bible’s vision of a virtuous woman is found in Proverbs 31: 10-31. She works (vv. 13-19, 24) and cares for her family (v. 21-22, 27). However, she is not “self-sufficient.” She fears the Lord (v.30) and brings good to her husband (v. 11-12, 23). She also is “clothed with strength and dignity” (v.25), speaks wisdom (v.26), and helps the poor (v. 20). She is not necessarily beautiful (v.30).  This wife is “worth far more than rubies” (v.10) and should be praised (v.28-31).

From a secular viewpoint, many would say that the 21st century woman is much like the Bible’s virtuous one, arguing that they both work and are busy. However, the other attributes portrayed in the Bible do not match the contemporary “I'm enough by myself” attitude.

How about you? What are your thoughts on the topic?

"I will prepare" and other quotes

~Saturday Stories~

“I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” - Abraham Lincoln

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” - Winston S. Churchill

“We often miss opportunity because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work” - Thomas A. Edison

"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." - Lincoln

How about you? Which of these quotes do you like? Do you have any to share?