Month: June 2017

No News Ain’t Good News

John McKeel

Sometimes it’s true, “No news is good news.” Parents worry about their children taking their first road trip. “Why haven’t they called?” they frantically ask, but, especially with kids, “No news is good news.” However “No news is good news” isn’t always true.

“Gospel” literally means “Good News” but many Christians are afraid to say anything. Sometimes the desire to be “polite” keeps us from talking about religion or politics with our friends. At other times, fear keeps us quiet. We might be afraid of saying the wrong thing or of not being able to answer a question or afraid of seeming “holier than thou” or being branded as a “Bible thumper” but “no news ain’t good news” when it concerns the Gospel.

Some people might not talk about the Good News because it really doesn’t seem all that great. Interesting perhaps, but not all that relevant. How sad! Can you imagine a young man who became a father over the weekend and not telling a soul about it at the office on Monday? Can you imagine a bride not beaming or an Olympian not wearing his gold medal?

So what is so great about the Good News? Here are three simple points I share with people. First, we aren’t alone. There is a God, and better yet, He cares about you individually! Someone once observed, “God must love a good story because he created people.” God is intensely interested in your story!

Two, we found the solution. It’s as if we just opened a box of parts and scattered them across the floor in a hopeless tumble. You look through all the pieces, bolts, nuts, wires and widgets but there are no instructions – not even a picture of the finished product. Just when we are ready to throw our hands up in despair, there is a knock at the door and in walks the factory representative with the plans and a screw driver! “Let me help,” he says. That’s good news!

Third, and this may be the most important point, the Good News is great news because it is a message of hope. Christians have no more fear of death than you do of laying your head down on your pillow at night. Our hope isn’t based on wishfully thinking or someone’s dream. It is based on an empty tomb and the promise of LIFE – now and forever.

God is real. He cares and we have hope. Now that’s Good News – but Good News isn’t Good News unless it is shared.

Would Jesus Use a Smart Phone?

RiggingJohn McKeel

“Bing.” It’s the middle of the night, but my Smartphone dings and the little blue-white screen lights up the bedroom… again. Do I check my messages or roll over and try to get back to sleep?

I’m at a restaurant enjoying a quiet dinner with my sweet wife. We’re in the middle of a wonderful conversation and the phone in my pocket begins to vibrate. It might be important, but what is more important than sharing time with my love?

The preacher makes a great point I hadn’t thought about. The Apostle Paul was in Troas and the preacher says Troas was once in the running against Constantinople to be the capital of the Roman Empire. Instinctively I reach for my Smartphone and Google …

Smartphones were invented to make our lives more efficient, but now it seems like they are sucking up more and more of our attention and time. I read an interesting study by a social scientist this week that warns – hold on a second, my iPhone just delivered a text message and my wife called at the same time. (I’m not making this up!) Any way, he warns of three specific dangers: Smartphones hurt relationships, keep us from focusing and being productive at work, and keep us from being fully present in life.[1]

All of this relates to their being a constant distraction. We become Information Junkies. The next time you are in a restaurant or coffee shop, notice how many people are texting or checking their phones instead of paying attention to the people they are with.

Now think about Jesus. Although he was the Son of God and had access to all of the knowledge in the universe, I believe when he was with people, he was wholly with them. He was moved by the widow’s tears, touched by the pain of the sick, focused on the lost.

So how can we find balance between our need for information and our need to truly be present in our surroundings and with the people we love? Recently I’ve started taking a regular “Techno-Sabbath.” That means turning off all my devices – computer, laptop, TV, Smartphone, iPad, DVD player – anything with buttons or batteries – for the day. Somehow the world continues to spin on without my input and I’m feeling much better. My stress levels go down. I’m more focused and my relationships are more meaningful without the constant interruptions and temptations to look something up. Try it! Instead of being mastered by technology, master life. Turn it off!

[1] http://www.artofmanliness.com/2016/02/22/break-smartphone-habit/