A few weeks ago I saw a humorous writing about how everyone would be a lot happier and more at peace if they’d all treat their Bibles like they do their cell phones. I chuckled a little and basically forgot about it until last night. Before we went to sleep, we set the alarms on our cell phones as usual, and then we spent a few minutes experimenting with and changing our wake-up tunes. (I chose “chord low”). Then we put them on our nightstands right beside the bed. I have scriptures there too, but I didn’t read them last night.
When we get up, we take our phones to whatever room we’re in. When we go to work, they’re right with us from the car to the office and back again. I don’t have scriptures in the car, but I think I might have a Gideon Bible (at least a New Testament) here in the office somewhere. Hmmm. Where is it??? After and between classes, I find myself looking at my cool pink Razr phone for messages or missed calls. Sometimes I’ll entertain myself by looking at short videos or pictures that I’ve recorded, but right now I couldn’t tell you where that Gideon Bible is to save my life. There’s a Book of Mormon on my shelf…or at least there used to be. I don’t look at that at work either. I use the cell phone’s calculator on a somewhat frequent basis and refer to the datebook often.
Basically, wherever I go, the cell phone goes. And I’m not alone. There are hundreds of thousands of us who have them in our briefcases, purses, pockets, and cars. They’re on our counter tops, our belts, our night stands. They’re with us while dining, driving, watching t.v., sitting in class (my students always have to be reminded to turn them off), and exercising. I can’t walk around the neighborhood without mine!
Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox. It just strikes me as funny and a little weird that something I hadn’t even heard of ten years ago is now a constant companion. The Bible that I’ve always known about is not. We hang onto cell phones as if they’re lifelines. Are they?
mom's musings 
It’s interesting to note that even in rural bible belts, you see farmers on tractors and people standing outside of churches talking on their cell phones. Makes me wonder what’s so important.
Me too. At least they’re talking outside of church instead of inside…but then I have seen young people texting during a service.
Oh I never thought of that…but I do think my scriptures would look a little strange with the bling bling (for lack of a better term) that some of the kids use.
On second thought though…my scriptures that I took with me to institute were a bit colorful.
I’d never thought of it before either until I skimmed that little writing or handout a few weeks ago, and even then it didn’t hit me until the other evening. I sometimes ask myself how something so tiny that I knew nothing about ten years ago has come to be so important to me. It makes me wonder what’s next.
I don’ t want to go overboard on this (especially since it’s another topic entirely), but I’ve often thought that if terrorists really wanted to cripple us and bring us right to our knees, they’d just have to attack our communications systems.
Good point, Marla Jayne!! There’s a lady at our church who frequently gets calls during service… I am not much of a phone person, period, and get fussed at for being hard to reach sometimes. It seems so confining, but having a cell phone did keep our house from burning down last December.
What I don’t understand about cell phones is why I am hearing others’ R-rated conversations and texting while driving. I heard on the news that some states are trying to pass lawa to make that a crime like drinking and driving…
Several restaurants and the offices at City Hall in my area have put up signs stating that you will not be served while on a cell phone.
Sorry, what I didn’t say was that lately, I keep my Bible open and most of what I study online is scriptural. I misplace shoes, keys, cell phone, even hairbrushes, but not my Bible. Not because I am a saint, but, Bless God, He is doing something with me and I am keen to everything being relative to Him. . I hope this will not be taken as self-righteousness because I promise I don’t mean it that way, but in Ecclesiastes 7:29 it states: “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” The footnotes: “Though God made men upright, they have been corrupted by their pursuit of foolish pleasures. Inventions: Devices.” Isn’t it cool how God addresses, whether directly or indirectly, most anything? You can have back your soapbox, Marla Jayne! ;-))
Phone calls during a service? That’s where I have to draw the line! Sometimes I think people just forget, however. I have a friend who was recently at a funeral in the small town where she grew up. She was sitting there looking all prim and proper when she heard a cell phone ring, and she thought to herself, “That’s disgraceful! Don’t people have the decency to honor the Lord and the deceased?” As she was looking around her in a a condescending way, she suddenly realized to her horror that it was HER phone. To add to her humilation, she had to rummage through her purse for several seconds to locate it.
I hate to hear other people’s conversations too, and I’ve noticed signs in post offices and some restaurants that say you won’t be waited on while you’re talking on the phone. It’s so rude.
I love that you have your scriptures around you all the time. I know where mine are, but I confess that they are not always open.
When I think about the devices we use, I have to include the computer and internet, and I must admit that my world has been greatly expanded by the things I’ve read and learned on it. On the lds.org site, all of the scriptures are there, and often if I’m working on something and need to look up something in Mark or Exodus or whereever and am too lazy to walk into another room to get the Bible or Book of Mormon, I just click online. I’ve also discovered a lot of great commentary on scriptures that I would never have seen without the internet. I think Matthew Henry (does that sound right?) is one I used to visit quite frequently.
At first, I gave the lady with the ringing phone the benefit of the doubt, but she does not seem at all miffed and will go outside to finish conversations…once, we could hear her arguing with her husband…I think I would have gone further than the front porch for that one! 😉 She has two boys (seven and four) who are watching all of this..
I love looking things up online and reading the different perspectives. I have learned that it can be very misleading if I’m not careful, and have been in places that made me say, “What?” way in to the reading. After Tuesday night, I am going to be even more careful what I listen to and make sure to study…!!
I haven’t been to lds.org although I have studied a little about Joseph Smith and The Pearl of Great Price (may have that title wrong, please correct me); will have to check it out. I checked out a book from the library not long ago that was a sort of expose’ (like all denominations and politicians suffer from!;-) in Salt Lake City and it was exciting! Whoever thinks religion is boring has not gotten very far into the dynamics! ;-))
I’ve always loved reading and learning new things, and to be able to quickly jump from one topic to another and from one author to another is fun. In fact, here I am at nearly midnight sitting here at the computer when I have a luncheon honoring my new niece (Rachel Grace) at my house at noon. Am I crazy or what? Anyway, yes I’ve found myself saying, “Huh?” plenty of times after I’ve gotten into something I’m reading.
About the LDS site, please don’t feel that you’re under any obligation to check it out just because I suggested it. I personally get tons of information from there, and it beats the heck out of tracking something down in a magazine or lesson manual that’s a year or two old. And to think that all the scriptures are there is wonderful…and yes, we believe in the Bible. Sometimes people will refer to the Book of Mormon as the “Mormon Bible,” and the missionaries recently told me that when that happens, they point to or touch the Bible itself and say, “This is the Mormon Bible…same as yours.”
I MUST get some shut-eye so that I can be a pleasant hostess tomorrow.
The first week I received my BlackBerry Phone from my company, I downloaded the electronic versions of: The Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, D&C, and some lesson manuals on it.
I find myself reading it whenever I get the chance to and because I have this phone with me at all times, I have a copy of the scriptures as well. 🙂 I also use scriptures.lds.org throughout the day almost every day.
I love that the Church makes things easily accessible!
One of these days maybe I’ll get one of those. Isn’t it amazing how much information you can store on one? It sure beats carrying around a hefty four-in-one around in your purse or briefcase.
I also love that the Church makes information so easily accessible. Often, I’ll be at the computer working on something and will be in need of just that certain quote or a specific scripture about prayer or tithing or whatever, and all I have to do is open another window to lds.org and do a little browsing. The problem comes in when I get intrigued by something on there, and well, one thing leads to another, and before long I realize that twenty minutes have passed.