Monday, January 7, 2013

#HashTags & #Confessions

A few years ago a lady in my church who is my age nicknamed me "Pastor Gadget" and we both laughed.  Since from her perspective I was the most tech savvy pastor she knew or person she knew the label made sense . Jean & her husband lived in the county and their  world was hands on and manual connections for productivity. 

         That was about 8 years ago and just recently did I finally figure out what #hashtags were and how they worked. Being a late bloomer on this latest tech term i felt like my nickname was lacking. I mean I could have googled the phrase and just figured it out. But I didn't get it and did not see the need for whatever it was about until it kept popping up everywhere. With even increasing amounts of people referring to them, using them and posting with them I kept my wonder and ignorance to myself . After all it was not something that really comes up. Even though it was part of the technology web savvy social media world of communication that I use I still got by without #'s . 

            Several times within the last few months I heard hashtags referred to on the radio and sort of thought that it helped me get it, but it was still fuzzy as I was not connecting it to the search field aspect yet.  When the QR codes came out I felt pretty savvy on that one. I was even a pioneer user on that tech tool. Matter of fact I felt pretty savvy when my associate at the time being 20 years younger then me  and very savvy had not even heard of it.  

So over the years I've always been  #pastorgadget to one lady only to discover how quickly I can become behind and obsolete within months or weeks in the eyes of probably so many others. If you are among those still ignorant of hashtags don't sweat it- it's really no biggie.

      I know some folks who have never had a computer who live  in my community. They don't have one, do not want one and lived life pretty sweet. I also know folks who live in Africa who are connected with a cellphone in the midst of the slow moving technology culture compared to the west and they connected to the entire world. How can this be and does it really matter in the light of eternity? 

         What a simple world we have and yet also how complex world we have made it for ourselves. The people who are off the technology grid so to speak are probably the ones who could survive and live off the land far better than those who are wired to the 9th devise and try to keep up.  
     SO what really matters? Does it matter that you and I know about. hashtags and QR codes or that We know how to pray and worship the creator of us all? Does it matter that I can breakdown on the road and call for help to have the road service assistant find me with the GPS on the phone or that I could wait until a stranger comes by to assist who sees the need? They actually both can be good. 

      I use  hashtags and QR codes  , I got laptops, iPads  and smartphones. I've got color copiers and flash drives - I can use a Dropbox or Instagram app on about my life online- But what really matters is that I know Jesus and Jesus knows me. Yes #Jesus matters more than keeping up or lagging behind in cultural trends.  I can blog or pray- I can enter a prayer request on my prayer app or just get on my knees pray clear through without even a bible. 

I really don't mind that old title pastorgadget, but I'd rather be known as pastorprayer or scripture dude then to ever have to try to keep up with this world that spins so fast with all the latest tags , tech tools and toys that I can't even seem to keep up with.  

  When it comes to spiritual matters don't wait until its too late - ask the questions while you can. Google Him while He can be found. Jesus is one #hashtag question not enough people are asking about that makes the most eternal difference of all. Without him there is no hope. Without him you will never be found. Tag yourself with #Jesus this year so others find HIm too. 

  #lovingjesus
#prayingmore2013 #resolution2seekhimmore 
#salvation 
#savior #comingking 




No comments: