Have you seen the meme that features the two crusty old men from the Muppets commenting on the “new generation?” It says, “How to frighten the new generation: put them in a room with a rotary phone, an analog watch, and television with no remote. Then, leave directions on how to use them in cursive.” In that same room, I would also add a Rolodex, card catalogue, a microfiche machine, a mimeograph machine, and a reel-to-reel projector. All kids growing up in my generation used these things in school.
And while we’re at it, let’s make it really confusing and throw in a Rand McNally atlas.
Today is National Read A Road Map Day and I had to laugh. We learned how to do that in late elementary and perfected the skill in 7th-8th grade. For certain generations, celebrating a day like today is like celebrating National Alphabet Day. However, I often forget that there are many who have grown up in a GPS world and have never needed an actual atlas. Why reinvent the wheel?
The earliest road map has been traced back to 1675, created by Britania Atlas. Back in the day, people were actually aware of their surroundings and knew the difference between north, south, east, and west. The legend was more than a story of mythical proportions from the past. It was the key to understanding various symbols and lines used on the map. As the centuries passed, so did the quality of the maps. More and more information was available and we relied on the atlas when planning a trip.
I will be 100% honest with you about something. I haven’t picked up an actual atlas for at least 25 years – maybe longer. My first GPS was a Garmin. Many others used a TomTom. Today, it’s Google maps all the way! I don’t even own an atlas. It’s way too convenient to say, “Hey Google, give me a map to _____” and in a second, the fastest route has been mapped.
Let’s be honest about something else. With all this technology, we have actually become DUMBER, not SMARTER. What’s going to happen as AI begins to do more of our thinking for us? We’ve become a stymied society. And I think all this modernization is having another adverse effect that’s far worse.
In John 1:1, 14, we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” And 1 John 1:1 tells us, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.” The closest we can physically get to handling the “Word of life” is to handle the Word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 reminds us, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Would any soldier want to go into battle with a virtual sword? Of course not. They want their hands to touch the fine steel and to feel the grip of the handle in their hands. However, Christianity has become so modernized that we’ve gone electronic. You say, “What’s wrong with that?”
Your phone is your PHONE. Your tablet is your TABLET. It’s not your BIBLE. On those devices, it’s called a Bible APP. There is something uniquely special and sacred to hold a Book that IS the Bible – and that’s all it is. It doesn’t try to be anything else. It is the Word of God, God’s love letter.
How has this dumbed down the church? It’s amazing how many people have no clue how to find the books of the Bible! How many books of the Bible are there? How many New Testament books? Old Testament books? Is the book of Hezekiah Old Testament or New Testament? Is it even a book in the Bible? Some of you aren’t sure 
about that and I’m not going to tell you. Go look it up!
Don’t get me wrong. I love having my Bible program on my computer and phone. I use it daily. I can see some wonderful and exciting benefits of having our digital versions of the Bible. But there is no substitute for turning the pages and handling the Word of Life in the Word of God.
Get reacquainted today with your leather bound, paper-paged Bible. Hold it in your hands. Set it in your lap. Clutch it to your chest. Hold it like it is the most precious and dearest treasure in your life. And never let it go.
Images are taken from https://pixabay.com/, https://www.pexels.com/, or https://unsplash.com/images or created in Windows Copilot. According to the websites, they are Royalty Free and free to be used for our purposes.
