| Today's MP3 I remember some years ago when my doctor said, "Nothing to worry about, Max—your condition is pretty common for folks in their mid-age!" Don't you hate it when someone reminds you? Of all the things you couldn't count on, there was one thing you could, and that was your youth. Just because you're near the top of the hill doesn't mean you've passed your peak. Your last chapters can be your best. What was intended to be an island of isolation for the apostle John became a place of inspiration, and in his final years he wrote the last book of the Bible. When J.C. Penney was ninety-five years old, he affirmed, "My eyesight may be getting weaker, but my vision is increasing." Many are anticipating the destination. I hope you are. And I hope you'll be ready when you get home. Age is no enemy. It's a mile-marker—a gentle reminder that home has never been so near! from He Still Moves Stones
  
My cellphone contract is up. So, I am a candidate for a new smartphone. A week of shopping has made me wonder: am I smart enough to buy a smartphone? HTC, iOS, WWDC, S3, Samung, G-U-L-P. How many models are there? How many options can one brain process? Carriers, updates, data plans, and sizes…someone help me! 3G, 4G, LTE, GSM, HSPA+. NFC, GPS, PPI. Dual-core, quad-core. Five megapixels, eight megapixels. Android 4.1, Android 4.2. iOS 6, iOS 7. Q10, Z10. Google Play, iTunes, iCloud. Windows Phone 8 (or is it Windows 8 Phone?). BlackBerry . iPhone 5, iPhone 5S. Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy S4. HTC One. Nexus 4. Leaves me longing for the day of wired telephones in the living room. I remember when my parents bought an extension for their bedroom. We thought we had moved ahead one century! Hang on to your hat, Alexander Bell. Changes happen so fast these days, can anyone keep up? By one estimate, there are some 37,000 smartphones on the market today. That was a month ago. Odds are the number is now 38,000. Increasing at the rate of the national debt. Are you kidding me? I am glad, really glad, that talking to God does not require a smartphone. Jesus taught us to begin our prayers by saying, "Our Father in heaven" (Mt. 6:9). More specifically, our "Abba in heaven." Abba was an intimate, tender, folksy, pedestrian term, the warmest of the Aramaic words for "father." Formality stripped away. Proximity promised. Jesus invites us to approach God like a child approaches Daddy. No special training required. No monthly plan needed. Stunning, don't you think, that the highest conversation in life requires nothing but an open heart and a "Dear Father?" How gracious of God to keep it simple. Even more gracious of Him not to require a smartphone. © Max Lucado, 2013
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