Monday, January 29, 2018

Alexa

I met Alexa about a year ago. I never realized her potential until I started asking her goofy questions. Let's stump Alexa, right? There’s something novel about adding Alexa, an artificial intelligence assistant, into one’s family.

Just ask for a song or artist and she’ll play it. Ask for a sports score and she’ll give it. Have her check your calendar, weather or traffic and she has the up-to-date information. She can even manage your HEB shopping list. Alexa can quote movies and help with the meaning of life. If you ask her about happiness, she could possibly play Pharrell’s popular song. She’s quite a talented lady and always getting smarter! 

Just think…not only can we have an addiction with our smart phones, we can now purchase a disembodied virtual assistant who can be at our beckon call. She can both change everything and affect nothing. 

With all of Alexa’s abilities, she’s a far cry from the One who knows you inside and out.  God is and will always be at our beckon call. I think we fail to turn to God simply because there are too many other things vying for our time and attention. Why talk to an invisible entity like God, when we have a smart phone in one hand and Alexa in another?

God has had and will always have sovereign will over the universe. I find the greatest peace in my life when I live knowing He is God and I am not. He doesn’t answer all my questions at the moment I ask them. God does as He pleases, not as I beg. I’ve prayed some prayers for years and years, only to receive a “no.” God used those “no’s” to draw me closer to Him. Just because God doesn’t sit like an Echo on my counter and respond aptly, doesn’t mean He’s not present and available. 

In our finite minds, we can become lost in the fake news of thinking we’re in control of things. We are not in control. God is faithful and trustworthy and longs for us to run to Him for wisdom, advice and insight. Yes, sadly, we will run to our devices for the news of the day before Him.

So, as this day begins, please know that the sovereign God of the universe rules over all things. Not only does he care for the birds of the field, but for EACH one of us. His love for you is incomprehensible. Won't you run to Him?

“The heart of man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

“O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.” 2 Chronicles 20:6

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

Monday, January 22, 2018

Digital Distractions

So, are you addicted to your smartphone? Many experts say yes! Check out Tony Reinke’s first words in his book ‘Twelve Ways Your Phone is Changing You': “We check our smartphones about 81,500 times each year, or once every 4.3 minutes of our waking lives, which means you will be tempted to check your phone three times before you finish this chapter.”  James Stewart writes  “The average user now spends fifty minutes every day- in the Facebook product line (Facebook, Messenger, Instagram) a number that continues to surge by strategic design.” (New York Times, May 4, 2016)

Do you have your phone or does your phone have you? I had to stop and think about my answer to that question! I take pictures. I keep my calendar. I text people. I write emails. I check the weather. I use my alarm. I check the news. I check facebook. I check ESPN and twitter. I can even practice Spanish on my phone!

So, grabbing our phone first thing in the morning is pretty typical for most of us. So, what is the problem with that? I love the wisdom of the seventeeth-century Christian, mathematician Blaise Pascal. In his day, he wrote “I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber.” How many of us unconsciously grab our phone with the flick of a thumb at the first thought of boredom? I certainly do!

To be without distraction is a harsh reality for many. We’re all just one ping or alert away from something that will redirect us from our heart’s greatest need. A distraction can come in many forms. We can be worried about the news or weather. We desire to be amused. We want to know what’s happening with people. We don’t want to miss out! We're bored. There's nothing wrong with any of these things, but sometimes they consume us. When was the last time you evaluated your personal digital use?

Check out some of the diagnostics questions we can ask ourselves in the digital age: (Tony Reinke, Twelve Ways Your Phone is Changing You, pp. 52)

Do my smartphone habits expose an underlying addiction to untimely amusements?
Do my smartphone habits reveal a compulsive desire to be seen and affirmed?
Do my smartphone habits distract me from genuine communion with God?
Do my smartphone habits preoccupy me with the pursuit of worldly success? 
Do my smartphone habits center on what is necessary to me and beneficial to others?
Do my smartphone habits disengage me from the needs of the neighbors God has placed right in front of me?

So, do you have your phone or does your phone have you? I encourage you to cultivate wise thinking and healthy habits with your phone. I’ve started the new year with a new goal in place to deal with my personal digital distractions. How about you?

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

Monday, January 15, 2018

The Words of a Great Man

Martin Luther King was the civil right’s most influential leader and used his ability to speak with courage about African Americans’ grievances. Sadly, King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. In 1983, Congress made the third Monday in January a federal holiday to honor King. 

Prejudice seems to be a weakness of all of us. We are prone to judge others by external characteristics rather than who they are as beautiful humans created by God. In fact, sometimes, we’re so busy judging people that judge
other people that we can’t even see that we judge too!
Martin Luther King HAD to do something. He HAD to speak up for such atrocities! He challenged the status quo, and spoke with boldness and conviction. Have you thought about his words for your own life? As we celebrate Martin Luther King Day today, thoughtfully consider some of King’s powerful quotes:

"I have decided to stick to love…Hate is too great a burden to bear."   King taught us so much about love.  Where does the burden of hate exist in your heart? With whom (individuals or races) have you withheld love? What better action could you have today, but to love ALL people?

"Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude." Forgiveness is not a popular topic. Who wants to own up to un-forgiveness? Yet, King knew, if he didn’t forgive, it would eat away at him. It's true for you and I as well.

"No person has the right to rain on your dreams."  Whom have you given too much power in your life? King knew that if we doubt ourselves, so will others. Dream! Dream BIG. Don't let the judgements and opinions of others hold you back from your convictions.

"Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase."  I want the faith of Martin Luther King. He had a great faith for a future where everyone would co-exist in love. He trusted in God, even when he didn’t see the whole picture.

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." Who wants to speak out? Speaking out can get you into trouble! For MLK, it cost him his life. But, how can we remain silent if God has called us to speak?

"If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But by all means keep moving." Where have you got stuck in life? King reminds us we can’t give up. No matter what. What is God calling you to do? Never, never give up. Make a difference.

"Courage is the power of the mind to overcome fear." King believed in God and lived for God. He stood up to his fears and was a very courageous man.  Would others see you the same way? "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

As we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, consider your own personal life and choices. May God use this great man to inspire and challenge us for a greater life.

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Hand in Hand

Zoe, our English Springer, has an endearing habit that makes even the non-dog lover take note. When guests come to our home, Zoe props herself up on the back of the couch and holds out her paw as if to say "Welcome!" Zoe gushes love on us as well. If she’s sitting next to us, you can be sure that one of Zoe’s paws are touching one of her human parents. Dog experts call this pawsy. I call it love.

I’ll never get tired of Zoe holding out her hand for me. I have to admit that sometimes it’s a bit annoying when I need both of my hands for something. But, on the other hand, I’m so thankful that she always wants a connection with the peeps in her life. 

As I consider the New Year ahead, I want to be very intentional about partnering with God in everything I do. I need God so much! My marriage, my work, my choices, my actions, my words, my relationships, and my service opportunities. I literally want to reach out and hold God’s hand as I walk through 2018. He and I walking through the year ahead....together. Why? Because I know that I can’t do 2018 alone! I need God and you do too. 

Give serious thought to these verses and notice the connection we can have with God:

“For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”  Psalm 41:13

“Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand.” Psalm 73:23

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

So often, we're too busy seeking validation from others that we miss the One who loves us most! We wander aimlessly around seeking other loves, hoping against hope that they will satisfy. We long for approval, likes and validation, all the while missing God’s voice. We can even find God’s gentle ways of reaching out to us annoying. We don’t have time for this religion stuff! We can do life on our own, thank you very much. 

I urge you to consider Zoe and her need for human touch. We need God’s touch in our lives whether we know it or not. Go ahead. Take His hand. Discover how a relationship with God can change everything about your coming year. Happy New Year!

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.