Feast or Famine?

Last night my wife and I watched Episode 203 of The Endless Feast on pbs.  The episode was set in the Arkansas delta, and the accents were as wonderfully diverse as the dishes for the feast.  It was encouraging to see people who were enjoying their work and providing healthy, natural products to their community.

At the end of the episode, the various members of the community came to one long table to enjoy the meal. While I'm not criticizing the motives of the show, I must comment on the irony.  The meal was obviously fresh and delicious, and each person was rightfully proud of what she or he contributed; however, I was saddened by the absence of thanksgiving to the Creator-- from whose hand all of the food and drink was provided.  Perhaps this show is a fitting postmodern metaphor of where we are spiritually in America today-  feasting on all that satisfies for only a short time, and forgetting to invite the Invisible, Eternal, Immortal to the table.

Buzz Words

Words matter.  The words we choose often carry an impact beyond their mere meaning.  When I was a youngster in school, I was often perplexed by the way certain words or phrases were suddenly "cool" or (more accurately) over-used.  It's funny how some things don't change.

Recently, I've noticed certain words being used far more than they should and in some very unusual contexts.  For example, why are so many people using the term "drill down" in speaking about data?  Why do so many people think that starting their sentences with the conjunction "so" makes them seem smarter than the average bear? And why is everyone fascinated with the term "pipeline"?  Has the oil industry had such an impact on our language?

Perhaps I'm just on the outside of the cool circle (which has always been the case), but I prefer to abstain from trend-speak.  What buzz words have you noticed lately?

The Tower of Google

Have you seen google translate? It's amazing!  The program will instantly translate between more than 60 worldwide languages.  While the technology has the potential for significant positive benefits, I cannot help think of the Tower of Babel event (read the account here).

Could it be that this new technology could virtually undo the linguistic boundaries that God put into place?

While technological advancements can be used for good, we have to realize that in general the hearts of mankind continue to strive for self-sufficiency, self-aggrandizement, and a resistance to submitting to the authority of our Creator. Technology will continue to change, but people are people, and our hearts will only find satisfaction when we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

What do you think?