Monday, July 13, 2015

The Internet: To Stay or To Go?



"But I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father." ... John 14:31


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(Disclaimer: I'm just thinking out loud here, sharing my personal temptation, and not implying anyone else should bail out of the Internet. Honest.)   


Saturday, at the town library in the books-for-sale room, I spoke with a woman who never goes online. 

She sounded pretty afraid of the whole thing, but when I mentioned buying books online for a penny (plus shipping) and that my free kindle has 900 free books, she nearly did a 180. I saw those wheels in her head spinning toward Maybe I Should Reconsider This. :)

Later I felt both pity and envy toward this woman. Oh, the kindred spirits she could have met! The encouragement she could have known, the subjects she might have learned more about. The ease of shopping for, say, postage stamps and pet food online, not to mention all those terrific book deals.

But wow, how wonderful to have been spared the myriad articles illustrating specific ways our world has become more hateful/ridiculous/scary. To have missed hundreds of cruel comments from strangers after news articles and to have never seen questionable sides of friends they'd have (probably) held back in-person. To have not been subjected to a million secrets I'd rather not have known.

Sigh. 

Oh, the temptation sometimes to bail out of this Internet world! To run from it, not screaming, but silently, back to this serene retro life I've created. To just fade away and instead, 24/7 pretend it's 1975, before the Internet, when people (seemed to) not say whatever popped into their heads.

Who knows? Maybe someday I'll do just that. Perhaps I'll play Time Warp Wife and have only 1975 (or earlier) items in my home, and dress the part, also. How uncomplicated, how luxurious that sounds to me given Today's state of affairs (and the upcoming campaigns/elections which I'm trying not to dread).

But what keeps me here other than friends and the ease of shopping? This blog. In just some days I'll have written here 11 years and God still won't let me alone regarding this most rewarding thing. Grace still places my fingers upon the keys in the way they should go.

But should God one day whisper, "It's time to minister a different way, someplace else"? Most likely I'll use that as a signal to step away quietly back to my vintage world with only occasional, necessary peeks into this electronic one. 

And because I hold things with an open hand, that will be fine. More than, really, because He will move away with me on to the next adventure--and that's what matters. That's what makes Life sweetest.








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"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."  ... Ephesians 2:10


"Turn off your email; turn off your phone; disconnect from the Internet; figure out a way to set limits so you can concentrate when you need to, and disengage when you need to. Technology is a good servant but a bad master."



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Speaking of books, after two days of picking through yard sales, I found only one thing, but oh! I was happy because it was a much cooler copy of The Boy Next Door than the one (on the left) I'd had for years: 



                                      ... and for only .50 cents.

Free Kindle Books:


Miracle Man

The Snow's Meltdown

The Ultimate Guide to Darcy Carter

Tied to Murder





8 comments:

Terra said...

Imagine being that lady you met! I have an older relative who has no knowledge of the Internet.

Tracy said...

Oh I hope you don't leave! You are so positive and encouraging!!

Elizabeth said...

I hope you never leave Debra! We need your wonderful post!

Deborah Raney said...

Me too! Because if you leave, that makes the internet that much more mean-spirited and worldly. We need voices like yours to encourage and lift us up so we, too, can go into the fray with courage and joy!

Robin in New Jersey said...

I have a feeling you will be around for quite some time! YOU are a blessing! Keep the faith!

Susan Humeston said...

Oh no you don't - I've only been reading you for a short time and I'm hooked. So you have to stay (said with my arms crossed and my toe tapping).

Dewena said...

Well I certainly understand better your current post after reading this one. I confess I have thoughts of wondering sometimes if God wants me to retire from my short career as a blogger, and mine is truthfully not a ministry as yours is, it's simply something I like to do. My thoughts sometime are more on the line of: "I have limited energy anymore, Father, is this spending it wisely?" And there may, will, come a time when it will stop. I've given my son permission to pull the plug on my blog if I get to blathering too crazy.

But I'm still waiting for that "word behind" me telling me to take a different road.

I'm glad that time is not here for you yet!

Debra said...

Terra--I do, also. My mom refuses to go online. :)

Tracy--aww, thank-you for always encouraging me!

Elizabeth--another of my great encouragers! Thanks!

Deb--wow! Thanks so very much for your powerful words.

Robin--thanks! Probably I just need to let myself take an occasional vacation from blogging without feeling guilty about it. :)

Susan--yay! I love hearing from 'new' readers. Thanks for your kind comment and I'm enjoying your blog, also!

Dewena--I could totally identify with what you said! I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. :)

Thanks, Ladies! Blessings, Debra