Wow! Civilization! What a difference fifty miles can make between whats my normal and whats not. We camped at a beautiful campground in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range.
On the way to the campground I lost my phone signal then at the campground their wi-fi system was down. I was a little dismayed because I had planned on writing on the blog and doing some research while we were away.
I often find myself being reclusive because of technology. I do take the time to get some fresh air and exercise and take care of chores, but I can see myself hanging out with my phone and computer more than people if I don't work at keeping a right balance.
When I finally resigned myself to the fact that I was on an unscheduled, unplugged, vacation, I relaxed and enjoyed the beauty surrounding me. The rocky crags overhead, the sage green waters below, the fresh, clean, breathable air. What a gorgeous place to just relax and be refreshed.
I took many walks throughout our stay and met some lovely people along the way. I was encouraged through visiting with a retired school superintendent and his wife (a retired nurse), as well as, a retired pastor and his wife (also a nurse.
It was nice to connect with people on a personal level, face to face. Seeing a persons demeanor while hearing the words and seeing the body language as we conversed added dimension to our conversations. We can miss these expressions, and body language when we are texting and using other social media communications. I am committing myself to personally reach out to someone every day even if it is just to say hello.
We don't know how many people need someone to acknowledge them with a simple greeting. We may become aware of the need to pray for more than just our circle of loved ones. (I learned the pastor's wife was suffering from the early stages of dementia.)(the other retired nurse was having trouble with her hip replacement.) Now I know to keep them in my prayers.
We are called to go about doing good like Jesus did helping out the less fortunate, healing the brokenhearted, binding up the wounds by the power of the Holy Spirit. But if we never go out to the highways and byways; never get outside of our technological bubble we can't fully meet this calling.
Let's consider the social media as an extension of our outreach to people and make sure we take time; make the time to have one on one, face to face interactions with the people that come across our paths everywhere we go.
On the way to the campground I lost my phone signal then at the campground their wi-fi system was down. I was a little dismayed because I had planned on writing on the blog and doing some research while we were away.
I often find myself being reclusive because of technology. I do take the time to get some fresh air and exercise and take care of chores, but I can see myself hanging out with my phone and computer more than people if I don't work at keeping a right balance.
When I finally resigned myself to the fact that I was on an unscheduled, unplugged, vacation, I relaxed and enjoyed the beauty surrounding me. The rocky crags overhead, the sage green waters below, the fresh, clean, breathable air. What a gorgeous place to just relax and be refreshed.
I took many walks throughout our stay and met some lovely people along the way. I was encouraged through visiting with a retired school superintendent and his wife (a retired nurse), as well as, a retired pastor and his wife (also a nurse.
It was nice to connect with people on a personal level, face to face. Seeing a persons demeanor while hearing the words and seeing the body language as we conversed added dimension to our conversations. We can miss these expressions, and body language when we are texting and using other social media communications. I am committing myself to personally reach out to someone every day even if it is just to say hello.
We don't know how many people need someone to acknowledge them with a simple greeting. We may become aware of the need to pray for more than just our circle of loved ones. (I learned the pastor's wife was suffering from the early stages of dementia.)(the other retired nurse was having trouble with her hip replacement.) Now I know to keep them in my prayers.
We are called to go about doing good like Jesus did helping out the less fortunate, healing the brokenhearted, binding up the wounds by the power of the Holy Spirit. But if we never go out to the highways and byways; never get outside of our technological bubble we can't fully meet this calling.
Let's consider the social media as an extension of our outreach to people and make sure we take time; make the time to have one on one, face to face interactions with the people that come across our paths everywhere we go.
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