I Guess I Just Got with the Program

Earlier this year I had the honor of being involved in the ordination of my good friend, Doug Widger.  If your not familiar with that rite, at one point other ministers present have the opportunity to lay hands on the new pastor and share an appropriate scripture.  As I stood waiting my turn I noticed that I was the only one holding a Bible.  The others were using various electronic devices to reference their verses.  Some had smart phones, others were using a tablet, I-pad or electronic reader. If I needed a nudge to get with the program, God provided it.  My Bible slipped from my hands and landed on the communion rail.  At that point I vowed to join the electronic revolution. I soon added a scripture app to my I-phone.  I also have a Bible available on my Kindle.  I still marvel at the convenience.  I no longer carry a Bible when I make my chaplain rounds.  I just pull up an appropriate verse on my smart phone.  Nobody has complained. I still believe it is God's inspired Word, even if the format has changed.  During Bible study I continue to use my trusted Thompson's Chain Reference NIV Bible, but I also use my phone to pull up other translations and paraphrases.  By the way, my Bible app also has two commentaries and a Bible dictionary.  Talk about convenience.

Evidently, I am not alone.  A report I read last week from The Barna Group indicated that over 70% of practicing Christians now read the Bible electronically.  Obviously, millennials are leading the way.  Even 35% of non-believing young adults read the Bible and seek information on spiritual issues electronically.  Amazing the transition in such a short period of time.  I will admit that initially I felt a little outside of my comfort zone, but I've gotten over it.  By the way, times have changed in other ways.  I wrote the first draft of this blog on my laptop, while awaiting my flight at DFW Airport.  Even more amazing: I am posting while working at a Starbucks a thousand miles away from home in suburban Detroit.  I could not have done that twenty years ago.

At times it is difficult for me as an adult to adjust to the pace of this modern electronic world, but then I think of what an wonderful gift it is.  We are not only able to read the Bible in various ways, but also share the Gospel message via social media.  Just think what Jesus could have done had he come in such a time as this.  No wait: He put us in this world to do it for Him.