Pastor’s eNote: Weekly Update

Technology impacts our lives at an increasing pace! It can be hard to imagine life before phones, tablets, and computers. (Yes, I am at that age where I remember the Packard Bell black-and-white TV my family owned.)

Technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way pastors and churches do their work. I use Logos Bible Software almost daily. In its latest update, it now offers to help me write sermons using its built-in AI functions. This eNote was proofread by Apple Intelligence. (Blame it for any errors!)

I often use a website for my daily prayer time. It is updated each morning and then again in the evening for daily prayer. (https://methodistprayer.org) It is an easy-to-access guide for prayer when my mind is a bit scattered.

Over the weekend, Bettina and I watched the new “Wallace and Gromit” movie on Netflix. We have long been fans of the stop-motion animation of “Wallace and Gromit.” The latest film (using no CGI) offers some careful advice about technology. (The film is a sequel to the “The Wrong Trousers” if you want to watch it before the new film.)

Essentially, the lesson is what you might expect. Technology is great but is no substitute for the warmth, grace, and care we experience in our relationships with others. Amidst our staring at screens, gaming, scrolling, or browsing, may we remember that the Holy Spirit is at work in all places and people. Life is best lived in human relationships. I hope we can all find ways to enrich our lives with others this week. This is where we will find God’s best work.

Grace to You All,

Pastor Craig Brown
(January 7, 2025)