I’ve been digitizing my life – or at least files I have kept of events over the years. At some points I wish I had those days back. At other points I realize with gratitude what God has given. At all points I need to live in the present with God’s future in mind.
A quote from David Timms on living, not in nostalgia, but in the present and future:
Nostalgia can become an effort to preserve the past, rather than give thanks for the past.
Information is not always power.
Just ask any librarian.
In the digital age, wealth and power accrue to those who control the system logics by which data is exchanged. (Batstone, David. “I crave power”. Sojourners, May-June 2000, p. 10.)
I was up somewhat early today to do a podcast with Sam Reimer, a sociologist at Crandall University. His point for small churches is that our people are living in a different world! Their locus of authority is themselves. No one else. The individual picks and chooses what they will believe and act upon. Before I give away too much – consider looking at this podcast.
One of my favourite authours – whom I have read over the years starting a decade or two ago. Sage advice in this paragraph with a link to the full article.
As the story is told, renowned ethicist John Kavanaugh once traveled to India to meet with Mother Teresa for spiritual guidance and advice. He visited her ministry in Calcutta (now called Kolkata, the original Bengali name) and set up a time to speak with her. She asked him “What can I do for you? How can I pray for you?” to which Kavanaugh said, “Please pray that I might have clarity about the future and what God wants me to do.” Mother Teresa surprised him by saying, “I will not pray for you to have clarity.” Kavanaugh was taken aback. He had not expected her to refuse him like that, so he asked why not. She said to him, “You do not need greater clarity. You need greater faith. That’s what I will pray for.”
https://davidtimms.wordpress.com/2023/12/04/clarity-or-faith/