Month: August 2025

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

– Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

There is a question that has been rolling around in my head lately. Like that song that gets stuck and without even realizing it, you keep singing or in my case attempting to sing the words. Maybe this question isn’t even one that I need a definitive answer on. Maybe it’s one of those questions that I need to ponder upon, leading me to observe those around me, allowing myself to come to my own conclusions. When I get there, I can now choose how I apply those conclusions to draw closer to Christ as well as others in my life.

So what’s the question?   

Is technology the enemy of community?

I recently heard a story about an old Irish community and a thermos. The story goes like this… Once a year during the fall, the families of this Irish community would come together and all go out turf cutting. Turf cutting was an important process to prepare for the upcoming winter providing fuel to heat their houses. Families of fathers, mothers and kids would all participate collectively so no one would go with this necessary commodity. Days and days would be spent away from their houses working together. Each family had a specific day where they would maintain the community fire and keep a pot of boiling water going for tea breaks. The cutting was done by hand and the work was tedious, but it was a time to socialize with friends and neighbors. 

Then one year a man showed up with a brand new thermos, something that no one had ever seen before. It was all the rage and everyone rushed out to buy one. With everyone having their own thermos, there was no need for a community fire. Without the community around the fire, people quickly figured out that it was more convenient to go out by themselves and only cut what they needed. It wasn’t long after that the social event of turf cutting was exchanged for a solitary task.

Was it quicker to just cut your own turf? Yes. Was it more convenient to bring a thermos full of tea? Absolutely. But in the end, what saved them in time cost them in community.

We are really no different. Instead of a thermos, we have the convenience of a smart phone. 

There is no doubt that smart phones are a technological marvel. It is a gateway to convenience and efficiency, a labor saving device that opens the entire world up to us and it fits in the palm of our hand. Communication has gone from the antiquated times of face to face interaction or at the least talking on a telephone that was physically attached to a wall. Now the only distance we have to go is the distance between our pocket and our hand. Even less if we have a smart watch. No longer is a two way conversation even necessary when we can simply send a text on the same device that is interconnected to the world wide web. Information galore in the blink of an eye without any human interaction to slow things down.

But it gets even better. The days of having to take all that time to develop relationships can now be exchanged for social media. And I don’t even have to leave the house.

Speaking about leaving the house, Sunday mornings have been freed up through online church. Why go through the arduous process of waking up on Sunday, getting ready and driving to church when I don’t have to? And if I don’t like what the pastor is saying, there is no awkwardness, I simply scroll to another online church that is telling me what I want to hear. 

The convenience of a smart phone is truly incredible. But what is the cost?

We were created in the image of God, who exists within the eternal community of the Trinity.          

Technically is great, but without proper restraint it can cost us our community. Community in our neighborhoods, at our work, in our churches, even within our families. 

But after all, it’s just a thermos.

Jason Metz, lead Pastor

But have nothing to do with irreverent folklore and silly myths. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness [keeping yourself spiritually fit].

1 Timothy 4:7

Atrophy is generally one of those terms that we don’t hear or use unless there is an issue or a problem. Atrophy is what I think of as a negative word, meaning it’s only used in an unfavorable situation. And for good reason. The definition of atrophy is a gradual decline in effectiveness or energy due to disregard or neglect.

There are a few sayings that have stuck with me from my childhood. They had an impact on me way back then and they are still a constant reminder in my daily activities to keep the important things of life in focus. Two of those principles are simple, yet effective in application. 

“Move it or lose it” and “You are what you eat” may have been coined from the fitness and nutrition movements, but I would argue that these adages transcend to all areas of our life. By keeping these in mind and putting them into practice, we can guard ourselves from not only atrophy, but also apathy.

The practicality of these sayings from a physical aspect is quite straightforward. Our body was created for action, to work, to be exercised. The more we work our muscles, our heart and our lungs the more efficient and effective our physical bodies become. Conversely, when we don’t exercise our muscles, our heart and our lungs atrophy occurs. We either move it or lose it. 

In addition to exercise, what we put into our body will affect our overall physical health and ability. Good nutrition gives us the building blocks to become strong while poor nutrition leads us to depletion, disease and illness. You are what you choose to eat.

But we would be fools to think that these same principles do not apply to our mental status. When we rely upon others to do our thinking for us, we begin to decrease in our ability to problem solve, to be creative, to rationally think things through. When it comes to our mental fitness, we either use it or lose it. 

Multiple recent studies are finding the potential decline in cognitive abilities due a new found reliance on artificial intelligence. These studies suggest that as we increasingly depend on AI for tasks that previously required mental effort, our cognitive skills, particularly critical thinking and memory, decrease or atrophy. It’s important to use as well as feed your brain what it needs to stay strong and get stronger every day.

And that brings us to what really matters most. The spiritual component of our life. In the Gospels, Jesus was constantly challenging those around Him to move from a temporal mindset to an eternal spiritual mindset. When we surrender to Christ and enter into a new life with Him, we are spiritually born, becoming eternally alive. We are now on a journey to everlasting glory with Him. 

When we set out on any journey the goal is moving from where we are to where we need to get to. Any journey involves movement, effort and endurance. Every day we do not make up ground, we inadvertently lose ground. Our faith is no different. Daily we either use it or in missed opportunities we lose the chance to grow. To exercise our faith is to strengthen our faith. Going to church on Sunday is like going to the gym. If I don’t actually engage and exercise, the location does nothing for me. 

In a spiritual sense, we are what we eat. What we put into our mind, what we engage in, who we surround ourselves with will always affect us in our spiritual life. Positive or negative, what we choose to spiritually eat will determine who we are and what we become. Plain and simple, Jesus builds while the world brings atrophy.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.

John 6:35

Jason Metz, lead Pastor

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

– John 8:31-32

Tell me what to think. Tell me what it says. Tell me what to believe. Tell me how to live.

We exist in a world where far too often we are told to listen, to blindly obey, but discouraged to question. When this happens, we become a culture that relies on others to tell us what and how to think and believe, relieving us of our own reason, curiosity, common sense and even creativity. What do you think is replaced by how do you feel? Emotion is positioned to rule over reason. At this point, fear and pleasure become the primary motivating factors. 

We saw this during the COVID “epidemic.” Fear was the primary tactic to divert people from sensible questioning. “Trust the science” introduced a catchy phrase that at its roots meant, “conform don’t question.” Hindsight usually illuminates deception, over-reaction and error. But it takes critical thinking and objective questions in order to learn from experiences and situations.  

Take the theory of evolution for example. Kids are taught that we are merely a series of mistakes, mutations that randomly occurred over billions of years. Where did these cosmic blunders start? To that degree, where did the matter for the cosmos ever come from? No where, it just is. However to question such a statement is to be unscientific and religiously rebellious. Don’t rock the boat, don’t question, don’t think for yourself, just accept.

Trust the science.

On the other hand, these same kids are encouraged to become emotionally driven, to follow their heart, to filter their thoughts and actions through their feelings. As a result, misunderstanding, poor decision making and unhealthy behaviors fill the void where rational thought once lived and would question the origin of life, creation, the possibility of higher power.

The Christian lifestyle is the antithetical position of this mindset. It runs in opposition to culture, to sociology, to this very world. 

The Bible, the Living Word of God is an amazing thing. Because it is inspired by God Himself, we can deem it truthful, not simply because of our proclamation, but because God is truthful. What does this mean? It means we can have confidence in the words, principles, historical accounts and teachings it contains. 

The great thing about truth is that it isn’t afraid to be questioned, debated or even scrutinized. The truth has nothing to hide, therefore truth can stand up to rational, critical, mathematical, even scientific thinking and examination.

But truth also allows for the personal and emotional experience. Because God is truth, which means He is authentic, we can ask Him any questions we are struggling with, even the “why” questions that stem from tragedy, trials and tribulations.

God created in us a mind that has the ability of rational thought. That has to always lead to questioning everything. Here is where we discover the truth. And the truth will always lead to the origin of all certainty, God Himself.

Werner Heisenberg, a German theoretical physicist and one of the main pioneers of the theory of quantum mechanics said this, “The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you.” 

Jason Metz, lead Pastor

– Psalm 27:4

I’m not a big sweets person. Given a choice, I’ll always go for the smoked meats and strong cheeses over cookies, cakes or any other desserts. But there are times when chocolate just seems to be calling my name. And nothing else will satisfy that craving. In those times I need a good, quality piece of pure chocolate. I’m not talking about Hershey’s or any of those low budget wannabes. I want the good stuff because only the good stuff does the job. 

It’s definitely not every day, it’s not even every week. Maybe that’s why it tastes so good. I sometimes wonder if I indulged more frequently if it would lose its appeal. I’m definitely okay with savoring a piece of chocolate now and then, saving it for those special occasions. I think there is a greater appreciation simply because of the once in a while relationship I have with chocolate.

After all, boredom through frequency happens with a lot of things in our life. Exciting, fun, tasty whatever it is, from vacation to recreation to food, things have a way of becoming dull, even boarding when they become a part of our day to day routine.

Our relationship with Christ is much different. To put it in the simplest of terms, we can never get enough, let alone too much of God. One of the reasons is the multifaceted aspect that God brings into our life. One moment I can be completely enthralled with His Word, speaking to me, teaching me, guiding me. At other times, the time I spend in prayer, either planned or spontaneous, I feel a closeness to Jesus that is more real than anything else in my life. And then there are those times sharing about what the Lord has been doing in my life. Whenever I talk about God, He is always involved in the conversation. Even in the silence, when I quiet my mind from the busy world around me, there is a natural longing to just sit with the Holy Spirit.

Unlike chocolate that will inevitably lose its appeal the more I have it, God’s appeal only increases. The more I pursue God the more I want to pursue God.  

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

– James 4:8

Jason Metz, lead Pastor