A Culture of Change

A Culture of Change

One of the first things I bought when I was a newly commissioned officer was a microwave.  The thing was the size of a large table and weighed a ton.  It had a dial on it that you would turn to a variety of settings depending on what item it was being cooked.  If I had moved the timer too much, the potatoes I was cooking would explode into bits.  The machine was powerful and truly a marvelous invention of its time.  Compared to the microwaves that are now being made, this thing was truly a beast.

From the moment I walked across the platform to receive my first appointment as a Salvation Army officer to this point in time now, I am amazed at all of the things that have been invented and have come to impact all of our lives.  

A brief list could include the invention of the facsimile machine, the answering machine, music moving from vinyl to mp3 format, intermittent windshield wipers,  to name just a few.  The development of these items and much more continues to floor me.  My daily life has been affected by their creation.  Culture has changed with their birth.  

We are more comfortable with sending text, email or instant message instead of picking up the phone, writing a letter or having an actual face to face conversation.  Our attention spans have become shorter.  We attempt to multi task only finding ourselves doing a have hearted job which often goes unfinished.

The call of the redeemed is to be agents who will bring about change.   The call of love the unlovely, to feed the poor, to bring water to the thirty, to visit the sick, dying and lonely, transcends time.  We need a constant reinvention of addressing these needs as long as we have breath.

We may have all our ‘gizmo’s and gadgets a plenty’ (to quote Ariel from The Little Mermaid), but if we let them change us from being what God wants us to be in this world, then we have missed the boat.

Continue to seek ways God will stretch your soul and make you the agent of change you need to be.  Put the gadgets on the shelf for the time being and engage your heart in listening to what the Spirit is calling you to do.  Starting now until its all said and done.

Major Tim Foley

January 22, 2012