New and Improved

I don't consider myself a big “techno-geek”. Don’t get me wrong, I am not opposed to technology. I just don’t have an insatiable appetite for the newest and latest technological advances to come along.

Take cell phones, for example. For a long time, I wasn’t all that interested in cell phones that muti-tasked. My attitude was, I don’t need a camera that makes phone calls or a cell phone that takes pictures. In fact, considering some of the poor reception and dropped calls I’ve endured over the years, I’d happily settle for a cell phone that could just make phone calls.

But as they enhanced the features on cell phones, I began to see the wisdom in being able to text, take pictures or video and access the web from my phone. After getting Kacie an iPhone for Christmas, I’m intrigued by the variety and usefulness for over 100,000 apps, at least of few of which would undoubtedly enable me to be a more effective shepherd of the flock (I can just see Moses descending from Mt. Sinai, iPhone in hand, declaring to the Israelites upon seeing the golden calf—“I have an app for that!”). Since I’m due for an upgrade soon (Valentines Day, in case you care, Kim!), maybe an iPhone is in my future.

Of course, if I do get an iPhone soon, then you must realize that means that we are on the verge of some great new technological advance that will leave the iPhone in the dust. Because the moment I purchase some new technology, it automatically becomes obsolete. My purchase of new technology is the death knell for that technology.

Like HD TVs. I really was pretty happy with our old TV. It was a six year old RCA. It worked fine. It was the size of a small mountain, and you needed a frontloader to move it, but other than that, it was great. But then football season started, and Kim & I began wondering whether the Chiefs would look better if we could watch them in High Definition (answer: they didn’t). We decided we’d look for a good deal and buy that as our family Christmas present.

We bought a nice 46 inch Toshiba HDTV, and the picture looks great. But no sooner had we brought it home than I began reading that HDTVs are so yesterday. The wave of the future is in 3D television, glasses and all. You haven’t lived, they say, until you’ve seen Matt Cassel throw an interception in 3D. Alas, I’m late again.

The same thing happened when Kim surprised me at Christmas with a Kindle. This is an electronic book reader. It’s about the size of a paperback, and you download electronic books from Amazon. It will hold about 1500 books. Now for a book-junkie like me, that’s heaven. I can have hundreds of books available at the flip of a switch and take them all with me wherever I go. I love it.

Then last week Steve Jobs announced that Apple was coming out with the iPad (some described it as an iPhone that doesn’t make calls), and I’ve read several articles that say that this revolutionary new device will make the Kindle (you guessed it) obsolete.

Oh well, that’s the story of my life. A day late and a dollar short.

But all of this gives me a new appreciation for the Word of God. Despite the passage of nearly 2000 years since it was completed, it is still as fresh, vibrant and relevant as it was when penned. It is still sharp and powerful. It remains a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

So rest assured, that whatever gadgets, apps or devices come along, God’s Word will never go out of style.