ipad preaching

Technology is a gift from God. Mostly.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

When I was young I read everything I  could get my hands on written by the Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Teilhard was a paleontologist who studied evolution as well as a priest. He believed evolution was God's work.

Teilhard also believed that we are still evolving and the age to come would include technology that would form us into a new global humanity. Wired magazine claims that he foresaw and prophesied the internet.

For many years I tried to lead worship and preach from a dozen pieces of paper I carried around with me. In those days I could keep a lot of things organized in my mind but I was still looking for this piece of paper or another that I had stuffed into one of my pockets.  I can't keep things organized clearly in my mind anymore. If I try to I will surely forget the most important thing I need to say.

So God sent us ipads just in time. I can keep everything I need to lead worship and preach in good order on my ipad now.

I know some people don't like me using an ipad to lead worship and preach from. Some don't like the glow of it on my face so I try to turn the light down low. Some, I suspect, feel it intrudes on holy space where there should be no modern technology. 

However, there is one eight-year-old boy who is so impressed that I am using an ipad that he stays in the service sometimes and listens to my sermons. If it would get an eight-year-old to stay and listen to a sermon, I'd use 100 ipads.

The real reason I use an ipad is because it keeps everything I need to remember on a Sunday in one place. It does not work anymore for me to try have the place where I keep everything I need to remember be my head.