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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for June 18, 2010
“A Stitch to Strengthen the Family Fabric”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
“You’ll never catch me on Facebook.”
That’s something I hear from older people a lot.
I hear things like, “I hate this text messaging, and what is all this ‘twitter’ nonsense?”
As I explained to one older gentleman this week, here is what it’s all about.
It’s about loving people.
Loving people is our high calling as Christians, and these technologies make it easier to love on people, to connect with them, to be involved in their lives.
Yes, they each have their annoying side, but it’s like anything else. You take advantage of the strengths and minimize the weaknesses.
In Sunday school, our teacher made an off-hand comment like, “What would we do without our cell phones?” Many in the class groaned with relief. They would gladly live without their cell phones.
But for me, living without cell phones would do away with many special moments, such as when my daughter went away to college in northern Illinois and would call me at the most random times, if for no other reason than to just tell me she was walking to class and it was snowing.
Little contacts like that keep people connected. We are supposed to love each other, but it’s hard to say you’re loving people if you aren’t connecting with them. Have you ever had someone tell you they love you…but they never contact you? Ever?
When I was a kid, my dad’s parents lived in California. It was a big deal when they called, and they had to keep it short due to the high cost of long-distance.
Now we have free minutes all weekend! You can talk until your phone dies!
This week some of my family members have been e-mailing each other, where one person replies to everyone else. The e-mail gets longer and longer as each person adds stories to the stack.
In the old days that wasn’t possible, but now it’s the easiest thing in the world.
On Facebook, my dad can write a status in the morning, my sisters can comment during the day, and I can chime in at night, everyone posting at their own leisure.
Father’s Day is Sunday, so let me honor my dad by saying how awesome he is at using technology to connect the family.
And it’s kind of funny, because I never thought of my dad as Mr. Technology. I never asked him why, but in recent years he’s bought a computer, a digital camera and various accessories. He signed up for e-mail and learned how to use the internet. And when Facebook came along, he hopped on for the ride.
Now I’m laughing because he told me the other day that he turns off his cell phone in the evening. Who does that? But if you want to text him during the day, great!
But my point is, Dad has become very adept at using technology to keep the family connected. For example, he found a website for family things, filled out the information, and now we get a weekly Apple family update listing all the upcoming birthdays and anniversaries. No more excuses for missing special days, thanks to Dad.
He uses the internet to research our family genealogy – and shares with us his discoveries.
He takes a ton of pictures (after all, digital pictures are “free”) and he creates photo slide shows with music and creative captions, then e-mails them to us or posts them on Facebook.
Now he is rooting through old family albums, scanning pictures (yes, he also has a scanner), and sharing those great memories that were formerly buried out of sight. Now we all can see them – and another stitch is sewn to strengthen the family fabric.
And that’s the picture I want to leave with you today. A family is like a piece of fabric. Over time it wears thin and eventually falls apart, unless diligent efforts are made to keep stitching it together.
That is what my dad does. He uses technology to add stitches that hold the family fabric together.
So Dad, with Father’s Day coming up, I want to thank you and honor you for doing this.
And the rest of you, if you tend to have a negative view of technology, maybe it’s time to stop and think about it from a different perspective.
We are called to love people, and that means connecting with people. Today’s technology makes it easy, so why not take advantage of it?
So think about this today.
In what ways can technology strengthen the fabric of your family?
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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