Technology and Prophecy

So much information...so little time.

Do you ever feel like this? I consider myself highly ignorant when it comes to technology - I actually use my cell phone to make phone calls and that's about it. Yeah, I can surf the net from my phone, but it is usually not worth the frustration of typing, erasing and retyping everything I want to google, since the letters are so small. (I know, I can turn the phone sideways and get bigger letters - still doesn't help.)

Then there's Facebook - a great way to keep up with friends. It's also a great way to make people think that you are a person you really aren't.

Email, texting, twitter - so much technology...it's hard to keep up with the innovations.

Trust me, I think all this is good, but sometimes it just gets too overwhelming for me to stay up to date. As soon as I learn a game, a new one is all the rage. And am I the only person who texts with proper grammar? Perhaps I should just embrace becoming a grandma and give up.

Well, believe it or not, I am writing this, not to discourage the use of technology, but to encourage it. I chatted with a woman today who told me she doesn't watch any news at all. She's happy being ignorant about what is going on in the world. Now, I realize that I am relatively ignorant when it comes to being hip and up to date with my technology, and I understand that technology can be deceptive, but I want to encourage you not to dig your head in the sand when it comes to current events. In this case, technology can help us watch the signs of the times.

The unrest in Egypt is a great example of this. Fifty years ago we couldn't have the up to date information that we have today - I guess even ten years ago it wasn't as lightning fast as it is today. Technology can keep us informed about world events unlike any other time in history and I don't believe this is a coincidence or just random advancement of technology.

I believe God has given us the gift of instant information and while it can keep us up to date with our friends, as well as make available with our fingertips horrifically destructive information, the internet also gives us news that has prophetic implications. For example, are you aware of the dead bird epidemic all over the world? And the dead cows? What about the latest seismic activity or the food price inflation in the middle east? Have you heard any rumors of war lately? What exactly is going on in Egypt?

As frustrating as technology is to keep up with, don't give up on it. Use it to be watchful - in Matthew 25 we are told to be alert and ready for the return of Jesus. If we dig our head in the sand and ignore the signs that Christ Himself told us to look for (and these signs are international in nature), then will we be found with our lamp empty?

Even now the Lord is moving. The day of His return is getting closer. What is He doing in Egypt and what are the prophetic implications? We should be able to answer these questions...

Together again!

Yesterday the girls got to have a visit with each other! Mary said that as soon as they were next to each other, they settled into a deep sleep - they were very comfortable together. When the nurse took Norah away for a changing and feeding, Ashley became fidgety and frowny-faced - I could tell that she was unhappy.




Here you can see Mommy and babies! Norah is a bit more yellow and Ashley's coloring is very pink. Also, Norah seems to have a rounder or more square face, while Ashley's face is very oval. Other than that, they are very similar. I think there is a lot of change that happens to newborns, so the jury is out on the identical question still...



Then, after Norah's feeding, Grandma Lori got to give Ashley a bottle. Norah is the better feeder out of the two, when it comes to bottles right now. She gets most of hers down, where Ashley can't stay awake long enough to get even half down. The doctor told Mary that this week the girls' sucking reflex will greatly improve - this will be fun to watch! When they can take 8 bottles a day for two days in a row, they get to go home. If they do 8 one day and then 7 the next, the counting starts over again - 8, two days in a row. We are a ways off of that right now, but the next week should bring great improvement. The doctor also said that the girls were doing great and were right on schedule for their development.

Thank you, Lord!




And today, Calvin got to hold the girls together - how precious! I can hardly stand it! Mary sent me this picture and I am fighting the urge to jump in the car and go see it in person...it will have to wait until tomorrow...I love the little pacifier in Ashely's mouth, and the hats crack me up! Yesterday, I went in to say good-bye to Norah and the hat was over her eyes...so cute!

That's all, for now...

One Week Old!

Today the girls are a week old, so of course, I had to go and see them. This is Norah - she was wide-eyed and raring to go when I got to the hospital. That and she had a full diaper that Grandma got to change. Oh, what joy! I seem to bring out the best in my granddaughters, because they seem to fill things up whenever I am holding them.

Anyway, I changed Norah and then she was ready for a feeding. They are still doing about 2 feedings a day with a bottle, so Mary and I arm wrestled for the right to feed Norah and...Mary won.




This was the first time Mary fed Norah - I think she's fed Ashley before, so in truth, there was no arm wrestling. This was Mary's privilege since she did all the work to get the girls here!




While Norah was being fed, I slipped over to Ashley's room to give her a squeeze and this is what I found. I think her nickname might be "Crashley" because she was crashed! (Sound asleep, for those of you who don't know what I am talking about.) She is our good sleeper...



Later I was able to give Ashley her bottle, to which she slept through most of it. I wasn't overly successful keeping her awake, but it was fun anyway. When feeding the girls, we are instructed to put them on their sides and not fill the nipple of the bottle with liquid, so that they don't get too much at once. They still have to suck to get the milk, but they can't have it too fast. After 20 minutes, whatever is not taken through the bottle is put through the tube in their nose. The nurse told me that after 20 minutes, they will start to burn more calories trying to eat than they are taking in the milk and that isn't very helpful.





Later, Grandpa got his hands on Ashley - I'm taking these pictures with my i-Phone and they make our heads look so big and our bodies look so small...not a bad thing, I guess! Does he look like a grandfather? He looks so young! Calvin went into Starbucks the other day with a soccer jacket on, and the barista asked him if he played soccer. He said yes and then she asked which high school he plays for...he explained that he was 24 and the father of twins and she was a bit shocked...both Cal and Dave look so young...




Lori showed up as we were leaving (Mary's mom) and she had Ashley as we left. She is such a beautiful grandmother! She has a gentle way about her, she's very calm, she loves Jesus with all her heart, she's got a year of experience (being a grandma) under her belt, so she is a wealth of knowledge - oh, and she's a nurse! So we are very blessed to have such a wonderful grandmother for our babies! See how proud she is of her little girl...




Right before we left, I ran back into Norah's room to snap one final picture...awwww...so precious! I think tomorrow they are going to let the girls be in the same room for a while - let Mary hold both together! They haven't been together for a week...I am sure this will make them happy!

Okay...that's all for today...

Where is your faith?

This question was asked in the boat, after the disciples had awakened Jesus in fear for their lives. He rebuked the storm and then proceeded to rebuke the disciples. (Luke8:25)

"Where is your faith?"

This question has been following me around for a few days and it's really a great question. Jesus used it in crisis counseling with His disciples, and I find it interesting that He chose to ask it after the storm settled, rather than while the storm ensued. The implication is that their faith should have been evidenced by their actions in the crisis, but what they showed was actually a lack of faith.

Remember - Jesus had made the decision to go to the other side of the lake. He was leading them. The storm ensued, and rather than trust the One who was their leader, they panicked and feared that they were going to die.

"Where is your faith?"

Trials and tribulations, suffering, pain, even persecution - these are all givens in life. If we are walking closely to our leader, following His will, then when the crisis hits, this is a time for our faith to grow, to be evidenced that our eyes are on the Master and we trust Him in all things.

But in order for our faith to be strong in the midst of a storm, we have to have confidence that we are on the right path, that we are following the will of God, that we are where Jesus wants us to be. These things will give us the strength to walk by faith, knowing that God's way is better than any other way out there.

I think this is the key to our faith in the times of crisis. The disciples were exactly where Jesus wanted them - in a boat, in the middle of a storm. When crisis hits in our lives, do we know that we are exactly where Jesus wants us to be? How can we know that?

Well, my friends, God leads through His Word. Just as the disciples were following the very words of Jesus by getting in that boat, we can follow the Word of God, as He leads us through life. His Word teaches us how to have a strong, stable marriage, what to do with our money, how to use our giftedness and talents, how to raise our children, how to care for others, how to forgive, how to invest, how to love, who to love...and the list goes on and on. The first step to being in the will of God is to be in the Word of God.

"Where is your faith?"

I think we need to ask each other this question more often, as well. It is a very telling question and a good reminder that no matter what happens in life, faith is needed and should be clearly seen as a testimony in the One who is leading us.

I think I may take down my "Don't be a glory thief" card on my computer and replace it with "Where is your faith?"

(Isn't that a cool picture?)