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I’m somewhat embarrassed to tell you that I now have a remote control for my car stereo.  That

actually might qualify as a dictionary definition for the words “lazy” or “decadence.” As a ‘news addict’, I chose to take advantage of the new satellite radio technology so I can get my ‘news fix’ from CNN and the 39 other news channels available at the flick of my new remote control.  Many is the time I have to reach past the radio to pick up my fancy remote

control so that I can work this new toy and not turn some Honda into a hood ornament.  I was so

intrigued by the new radio technology that I even bought stock in the company and within a few short days had made back on my investment more than enough to pay for my new fancy system. When I eventually park my ‘mobile newsroom’, my

high-speed DSL Internet connection lets me sit at my computer and tour the world in under ten minutes.  I just took a live panoramic Internet tour of a vacation resort in Mexico that I’m considering visiting and could tell if I liked what I saw from 1500 miles away, long before booking a costly flight.  In fact, when I finish this article I’ll simply email it over to Laurie at the office and then she’ll email it over to the printer in Orange County and the whole process will

probably take all of fifteen seconds.  Suddenly I

discover I’ve got mail; digital family pictures are

attached to an email and I can enjoy seeing family members thousands of miles away as they welcome a new puppy into the family.  ‘Gee, those kids have grown since last I saw them. Where does the time go?’  I quickly save the file and download it to my PDA cell phone.

 

 Surely the new technologies are amazing, but it is up to us to determine whether they’ll be a blessing or a curse.  They help us save time, but what are we

doing with the time we have.   Many of us feel that we enjoy even less free time than ever and still feel overwhelmed.  Our productivity increases, but our sense of satisfaction gets lost in the hectic pin-ball of meetings, errands and appointments that seem to comprise and dominate our days.  Somehow we

manage to spend even less quality time with each other.

 

 I recently sat through a program that took 2 ½ hours, but it may have been the most inspirational 2 ½ hours of my year.  Every bit of the program gave me

something uplifting and hopeful, reflections that were both enlightening and challenging, wisdoms that one had to ‘chew on’ while tasting and seeing that God is so truly good.  The words transcended time in that

they spoke to the truths of all times.  Harmonic voices joined in celebrating the gift of life with which we’ve been blessed and the inherent responsibilities of that blessing.  Surely, we shall overcome….

 

 It is good to be alive!  We’ve got it good at Faith; we have been blessed with all we need to serve Christ in this day and this age.  We really have no excuses.  An empowering theology based in the grace of God, TWO beautiful campuses in daily service to our

congregations and to the larger community.  A

professional and compassionate staff.   There are even plenty of empty seats on Sunday for visitors.  Granted ‘nostalgia’ gives us a fuzzy, warm feeling, but it is not the way to plan for the future.  That was then. This is now!  I maintain that those best equipped to help us see the possibilities for significant changes in this world are our seniors who have seen decades of advances and improvements and can appreciate the leaps humankind has made.  Some have seen us go from flying kites to putting humans on the moon and robots on Mars.  It is the years of ‘lessons learned’ that enable our seniors to be futurists. Isaiah called for old men to dream dreams.

 

 Another part of what makes life so special is the

people with whom we share the journey.  The

Petersons, Neva and Fabian, have been fixtures of faithfulness at LCR for over five decades.  They

apparently joined LCR just six weeks after the birth of the church and do not consider themselves charter members.  (In my mind, you can’t get much closer than that!)  They have been strong supporters of the ministry of LCR and of our newly merged church.  They share with us the vision for our new future as a church.  Soon, however, they will be relocating to Michigan to be with their children and their beloved grandchildren.  While we celebrate for their family in this precious

opportunity of being able to spend considerably more quality time together; we know that our family of Faith will again have to struggle with the loss of yet more of our beloved, longtime friends.  We’ll shed our tears, as do Neva and Fabian.  It is that strange tension of joy amidst sorrow, the bittersweet taste of letting life-long friends go.  We wish them every happiness in their new home and in their new future and we can honor them in the way we continue to build and support the fellowship we enjoy here at Faith.  It occurs to me that we’ll probably soon be talking to Neva and Fabian over these new-fangled videophones.  Will that be a blessing or a curse?  You really don’t want to see what I look like half the time when I’m talking on the phone.  So much for my torn T-shirt and my favorite bathrobe.

FALLEN FROM THE DESK OF PASTOR WAYNE