Earlier in the year, I got a library card from the Mobile Public Library so I could check out e-books from them. They send me an email once a month or so informing me about new things happening at the library. I got an email today that said they were now providing free magazines online. I could check out digital magazines and read them on my electronic devices. I needed to have Zinio to do this.
If it were not my year of "firsts," I probably would have put this off and maybe never done it. When I saw that, I thought it would be fun to be able to do that. I also had doubts about whether I could actually make this work or not. My tech skills are pretty low. I wondered if it really was free or not. But hey, methinks, it's a year of "firsts" so go for it.
Go for it, I did. I am glad so say that I have read articles from a couple of different magazines today. The laptop was fairly easy to navigate and get my magazines. The phone app was a bit more difficult. I was about to give up on it, but then I thought about the blog and really wanted to be able to report that I had magazines on my phone. I have magazines on my phone. This is a "first" that I believe is going to be helpful and enjoyable for me.
I asked Joel to strike an intelligent pose and so he asked to borrow my glasses
After I figured out the basics, I started looking at the magazine choices. There were a number of different choices to choose from; genres such as automotive, hobbies, bridal (I did not get one of these), children, sports, entertainment, science and tech, and religion and spirituality. I checked out Reader's Digest. They have ESPN magazine that I'll probably take a look at one day. I was hoping for Christianity Today. Here's what got me. I clicked on religion and spirituality and there was one choice-Guideposts. Really? One choice for the most important part of our lives? I am not being critical of the library. I am grateful for their service. There are not a ton of great Christian magazines that I'm aware of. I feel confident they are offering magazines that are reflective of of the interests of our culture. This reminds me that many times people are not that interested in following Jesus. People may say they are, but so many want to read about knitting, photography, sports and health. There were a number of magazines about health. I believe in health and I enjoy reading about health. I think it is wise to know good health practices and follow them so we can maximize our time here for Jesus. But no matter how good our health is, this outside part of us is going to perish one day.
How interested are we in Jesus and His purposes for our lives? Do we spend more time picking out clothes, showering, and getting physically ready for the day and forget about getting ready spiritually for the day? As I write that, it sounds wrong to me. I am not talking about getting ready spiritually for the day as much as I am talking about being in a right and conversational relationship with Christ at the beginning of the day.
I am challenged today to give thought to how serious I am about my relationship with God. Does the way I spend my time and thoughts say I am very much interested in Jesus or am I more interested in sports, photography, and health? It's something to think about; maybe even something to do something about.
Grateful abundant life is in Jesus
Barry
3 things I thank God for today
1. Libraries
2. Laughter
3. Resurrection of Christ
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