not good

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My Time with Screens Needs To Increase

Experts say we look at screens too much, but I’m realizing I’m not looking at them enough.

my time with screens needs to increase

I know mothers have complained about this since the invention of the television, but we’ve been staring at screens ever since.

And it has only gotten worse. 

With all the technology built into phones, people can have their eyes glued to a screen anywhere and all the time. 

There have been studies that show this is not good for us – not good for our brain development, our attention span, our eyesight and then, depending on how close we get to the screen, our health for the risk of cancer. 

But none of that worries most of us. We gravitate back to the screen after the slightest break. 

Have you ever stood in line waiting for something? How long do you study the back of the shirt of the guy in front of you before you pull out your phone and check your email, or scroll through some Instagram photos? 

The other day we had a rare occasion to have both our kids for dinner at the same time.  Everyone pulled up to the table and just before we were about to say grace, both our kids had their phones out and were looking at them.

There were no words exchanged, just a look and the phones were put away.

I guess what I’m saying is that we are always looking at screens. And with the coronavirus, we are probably spending even more time gazing into screens: TV screens, computer screens and the rest. 

But for me, I don’t think I’m looking at screens as much as I should be. 

With our new isolation reality, I’ve been doing much more online work. I preach my sermons online, lead a Bible study online, and give a once-a-week devotional online now.

This is all new to me. It’s also forcing me to look at screens more often, and specifically to look into cameras more. 

And what I’m realizing is, I’m not doing it as much as I should be. 

You see, I have notes that I use when I speak, and I have to look at my notes when I’m talking to a camera or I would be staring at the camera … but just staring and doing nothing else. 

Even when I’m preaching and the camera is way at the back of the sanctuary, it is really noticeable when I look down at my notes or look to the corner for some direction from our camera operator. 

When I do my devotionals, even though my notes are right beside the screen, you can tell when I look away. When I do that, I lose connection with the people who are watching on their own screens.

So the other day I found a cheap – actually free to me – way of making a teleprompter. 

It’s crude and a little makeshift, but it works. I’m going to use it for some of my onscreen appearances because I can look right into the camera and see my notes in front of me.

I can’t wait to have more screen time. 

Here’s the thing: Let me encourage you, during this time of virus isolation 2020, to keep yourself looking straight ahead. It is easy right now to get looking away from God and onto other things. But now, more than ever, we need to be staying focused on Christ and His Word. That’s how we can make the greatest connection with Him. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How could you connect with God more during this time? Leave your comments and questions below.

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That Decision Was Not A Good One

Bad decisions lead to more bad decisions if you don’t stop to evaluate your past decisions.

There are so many good things about Canada that I could just continually write posts about this country and never stop.

But that’s not to say that Canada doesn’t have some things that are not so good. 

Canada has been a leader in many ways over the decades, but there is an area we are not good in.

As a country, we did a lousy job picking a national animal. 

Apparently, every country has an animal associated with it – lions are a popular choice. Some have bears … big strong animals. Some countries have chosen birds – often powerful birds.  

There are some countries who have chosen animals I’ve never heard of before like the huemul, which turns out to be a type of deer. 

Oh, there are fictitious animals, too – the unicorn and the Chinese dragon.

But Canada chose for its national animal … the Beaver!  

No, not the Jerry Mathers “Leave It To Beaver”. We chose the furry, tree chopping, damn building, long-toothed beaver. 

With all the great animals we have in Canada, who in the world decided that our national animal would be the second largest rodent in the world?

If we were going with rodents, why not pick the largest rodent? 

It would figure that Canada only has the second largest rodent in the world. We had to settle for silver over gold once again. 

And what about the other animal that is associated with Canada? – the Canada goose.  

Here is a bird species that looks great when flying in “V” formation on its way to the USA for the winter, but to have them hanging around on your property is a disaster!

Canada geese must eat a lot because they leave a lot of large deposits on grass, in parks, and on golf course greens. 

Nobody wants to see Canada geese on the ground, and you better keep your eyes peeled if they are in the air! 

Who made the decision to choose animals like these to be engrained in our society and engraved on our coins as national symbols? 

If we wanted to be different or really stand out, we could have chosen Ogopogo or Sasquatch. There is a lot of mystery around these creatures, but at least they don’t do us any harm … at least as far as we know. 

A national animal is supposed to be a unifying image, chosen carefully, considering ecology and culture, among other things. 

When you think about Canada, you think of nice, polite people who are friendly and welcomed all over the world – except not so much in China right now. 

… Yet we picked animals that are a nuisance and destructive! 

I don’t know if there is any way we could form a protest group and get the government to change our national animal, but maybe we should try. 

We could choose the bunny rabbit because that’s more in line with our Prime Minister’s personality. It could be a cute, pink bunny. 

Look, our government is re-writing history in all kinds of areas; let’s re-write it in a way that makes sense. 

We need a new national animal. Sorry Beaver.

Here’s the thing: It might be difficult to change mistakes in the political realm. We have to live with them. But with God, if we are willing to own our wrong actions and decisions, there is forgiveness and a way forward, away from the past. We must first acknowledge where we’ve gone wrong and want to make a change. It doesn’t have to be difficult. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What bad decision do you need to own and then change? Leave your comments below.