Apples of Gold
Radio Script for May 8, 2008
“Texting Says I Love You”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
The light turned green and here came the cars.
Except one. It just sat there.
Finally the big semi behind it blasted its horn.
I wondered if the car had died. Kind of rude to blast your horn at a poor soul whose car died.
Then it moved. As it passed me I saw the young man driving. I could be wrong, but it looked like he was feverishly sending a text message.
Sometimes I run a TV camera at church. From my perch I can look down on the congregation. And what do I see people doing during the service? Punching out text messages. One woman had the fastest thumb I’ve ever seen, and she wasn’t even looking.
Me? Yes, I text, but I’m no good at it. Last night, before church, I was trying to text my wife and walk at the same time and I about plowed into a guy. It’s the new measure of coordination, can you walk and text at the same time?
I apologized, told him what I was doing, and he said, “Well, I guess I’m just old enough that I haven’t learned it yet, and I probably won’t.”
But I hope he does. Not because I’m promoting text messaging, but because I am promoting communication.
I know some people don’t like it, the texting, the cell phones, the e-mails, the instant messaging, all of it. But I do, and let me tell you why.
It helps us stay connected. It keeps relationships alive. When there is communication there are more chances for bonding, for encouraging, for loving, for caring and helping each other.
I have some old friends who only send me “forwards.” In other words, I never hear a personal word from them, they just forward e-mails that they like.
Some people hate that, but I don’t. It’s just like seeing someone everyday and they say, “Did you see that show last night” or “Did you read that article in the paper?” No, it’s not personal. It’s just sharing life, sharing things you like. That’s an important part of any relationship, and e-mail makes it easy.
Someone asked me this week for ideas on how to bring the generations together, especially when the young people don’t seem interested in the old people. My advice was for the old people to reach out, to communicate. And the best way is for the old people to use the same communication tools as the young people.
This week my dad and my daughter were e-mailing each other. She wants Grandpa to buy her a car when she turns 16. It was just good old fashioned teasing, but done in a new way, via e-mail. That communication wouldn’t have happened if my dad hadn’t made the effort to learn how to use the internet.
My wife stays in contact with her friends back in Illinois through text messaging. I asked her why she doesn’t just call them. She said texting is better when you just want to share a little thing or two.
She stays in touch with her high school friends through e-mail. Whenever they write a message, they CC all the other friends so that everyone gets every e-mail. It’s an easy way to stay in touch, even though they are scattered across the country.
One feature I love is the cell phone picture messaging. Whenever I see something interesting, I can snap a picture of it and send it off to anyone on my contact list. The other day there was an alligator in the pond next to our station’s tower, so I took a quick picture and sent it off. When my daughter was singing on stage Tuesday night, other people could instantly see what she was doing through a simple “PIX message.”
And then there are web cams. My brother-in-law has a new baby boy. They’re in Chicago and we’re in Tallahassee, but the web cam allows us to see the baby and even talk to him. There are husbands who travel on business who use the web cam each night to stay in touch with their family.
Talking about the importance of communication between a husband and wife – even though my wife and I go to our separate jobs every day, we stay in touch with quick text messages and e-mails. Like today, when I go to the coast, I will have to take a picture and send it to my wife – so she knows I’m working as hard as she is.
The Bible tells us to love one another. And a huge part of loving one another is good communication.
Here’s what I think. I think you aren’t loving very well if you aren’t communicating very well. And with our modern technology, there is no excuse for not communicating.
“But Doug, I’m not a technology person.”
Then this proverb is for you. It’s Ecclesiastes 10:10 – “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success.”
So you can communicate the hard way – sure, go ahead and write letters if you want. Use a quill pen if want. It’s more work, but it’s still good communication. However, it’s better to sharpen the ax. And in this case, sharpening the ax means learning the new, easier forms of communication.
Do the work now, and you will make communication so much easier. Then you will communicate more, and you will actually be loving people more, which is what God wants.
I think I can boil all this down into one simple phrase, “Texting says, ‘I love you!’”
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
Interesting note, my spell checker doesn’t recognize the word “texting,” yet a Google search returns over 7 million hits on the internet.
By the way, you should not send text messages during church or while driving. And it’s rude to start texting when someone is talking to you.
And for things like Mother’s Day or, God forbid, your wedding anniversary, I don’t think a text message is going to cut it!
© 2008 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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