The Digital Generation Gap

This morning as I write, I am sitting on the balcony of a beachfront condo, looking at the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico and feeling a sense of awe. The waves are crashing onto the beach and in the distance is the storm we drove through last night to get here. Without the obstruction of terrain or vegetation, the bolts of lightning seem to extend from the very hand of God.

Driving down here with the family was an adventure. My brother-in-law, Don, drove. My sister, Pam, sat up front with him. My mother, Tillie, and wife, Linda, sat in the captain's chairs behind them, and I sat in the back with the luggage. Anyone who knows me is probably thinking I was intentionally put in seclusion, but I honestly believe that besides the two up front, I was the only old toot with sufficient dexterity to climb back there. It wasn't bad though. I watched an old movie on my laptop ("My Blue Heaven"), surfed the internet a bit, and worked on a chapter in my book. Occasionally, I was pulled into the conversation of those sitting in First Class.

Crossing into the city limits of Milton, Florida, the conversation turned to digital media. Pam was talking about the need of this "younger generation" (i.e. our kids and younger) to always be digitally connected. She just didn't feel the need to be available to the world while shopping in Target. She did, I observed, seem to enjoy a steady stream of text messages from friends wishing her a happy birthday. Each chime of her phone seemed to brighten her smile just a little more. If I recall, the chimes seemed to stop at about the 9:30 bedtime of all of her old toot friends. The truth is we all enjoy the relational connectivity of digital media.

Some wise person has observed that in most K-12 school settings students are told to "power down" when they come on campus. "Those cell phones are disruptive." "Students will use them to cheat." True and true! These are undeniable possibilities.

But think about what else we are doing. We are telling them to shut off trusted links to their relationships and, in many cases, taking a powerful learning tool out of their hands. Why not embrace the power of digital media? The older generation should not expect students to learn the way we did in our low tech era of chalk boards and leaded pencils. By the way, has anyone investigated the link between cancer and chalk dust? I think I see a class action suit for some aspiring attorney. I digress! Getting back on topic, the baseline of knowledge has grown and our methodology must reflect it.

Maybe we are afraid of the boundless nature of the media. We should be! Our kids need boundaries, and whether or not they would ever admit it, they want them too. Is anyone teaching cell phone etiquette? Maybe we should start. I could certainly benefit from it. How about digital citizenship? Some schools are trying, but it isn't enough. Schools, parents, and churches each have a role to play in guiding our young through the amazing, and sometimes dangerous, digital world.

I've been sitting on this balcony for about an hour now. The humidity has notably lessened and the temperature has even seemed to drop as the storm pushes farther out to sea. It's time for me to put away this opine on the digital world to allow myself to drift into a sense of wonder. I might even find out what that sand feels like between my toes.

God is really good!

The Ambiguity of Truth

Before the days of 24-hour news channels, "the most trusted man in America" was a welcome visitor in the homes of my childhood. Walter Cronkite died on July 19 at the age of 92. I can remember hearing my parents marvel at his ability to keep is personal opinions out of his coverage of the issues of the day. To the best of my knowledge, he never confused reporting with editorializing. Cronkite valued truth. He just reported and allowed us to decide.

Life was so much simpler in those days. It took only 30 minutes to wrap up the daily news. If you didn't want to watch Cronkite, you could opt for the Huntley-Brinkley Report or Harry K. Smith. How did we ever survive before the days of cable news and digital media? Oh, how the talking heads have changed since then. Instead of choosing between four old white guys, today's options include photogenic men and women of every ethnicity. I love getting up in the morning with Fox and Friends. It has this name because the formula of the program is one fox with her two friends.

Ironically, 24-hour news cycles and instant access to newspapers across the globe have made it much more difficult to find truth. Is there such a thing as unbiased reporting? If we are honest, most of us tend to choose information sources that are aligned with our own personal biases. Do we just want a version of the truth consistent with those biases? I really think we must wrestle with this question.

What is the truth about death counseling and bureaucrats deciding on the health care you should get? Have there really been swastikas at town hall meetings? Unfortunately, it is up to each of us to mine for truth and most will find it not worth the effort. It is much easier to demonize those with whom we disagree and latch on to those who validate our presuppositions.

At least, that's how I do it.

Counter Culture Courage

Growing up in the Bible belt, I will confess that I have lived a sheltered life. To give you an example, when my mother hears a four letter word on TV or in a movie, she will still exclaim, "People really don't talk like that, do they?" My memories of southern life include dinners on the grounds, funeral fans on popsicle sticks in little country churches, and merry go rounds at the city park. I still cherish the gentle southern drawls and the expected expressions of courtesy.

These ramblings may seem as though they have no common thread, but they really do. They represent all the things that were good about the south in the days before the modern day carpetbagger, cable, invaded our homes with newfangled ideals. Moguls from New York and Hollywood began to raise our children and as a result, the charm of the south began to slowly evaporate. Jesus is under house arrest in his church buildings. Anyone who identifies himself as a believer in real life is more often than not pictured as a buffoon.

Who would have ever thought that the south would fall under the spell of the national media attempt to take "Christ" out of "Christmas"? But sure enough, there it was in the December issue of Southern Living, "holiday" became the replacement for "Christmas".

My wife recently noticed a couple examples of publishers who are unafraid of bucking the trend.

The first thing she showed me was in the table of contents of "Woman's Day" magazine. At the top of page three was a scripture reading from Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." There was no sermonizing, just the text. Was the simple but powerful message consistent with the pages that followed? I will confess that I did not read it from cover to cover, but a brief overview (mainly looking at the pictures) produced pages of positive messages and a lack of scantily clad models.

The second media example was from the Costco Connection, a monthly soft sell magazine for members. The cover story was about one of their suppliers, Firstfruits of Washington. The farm's owners Ralph and Cheryl Broetje built their business on the stewardship principles of Christ. It is a story of a struggling farmer who saw his fortunes change from despair to bounty when he gave it to God. His eyes were opened to God's call for his life while on a mission trip to a Mexican orphanage. The Broetje's story is about treating employees with dignity. It is a story of giving in an effort to make a difference in the name of Christ. Broetje says, "I struggled to get through high school. It's not like I have any right being in management or business. But God had a plan, otherwise it wouldn't have happened."

I seriously doubt that these examples indicate a change in the populous media stereotype of Christianity. Maybe they are something better -- two examples of being light in media darkness. After all, isn't that what Christ called us to be?

When Only A Magazine Will Do

The beginning of the school year ushers in a very special season. Football, you say? Well, yes, that too, but what I was really referring to was the season of the magazine fundraiser. It won't be long before some adorable child with big brown eyes comes into my office and says, "Would you please buy a magazine subscription from me?"

Being a person who considers himself relatively well informed, I have to ask what the role of a magazine is in this age of digital media. What tree surrendered its pulp so I could live the fantasy of improving my golf swing? Does anyone ever really use those house plans in Southern Living?

Still, magazines are entrenched as an absolute necessity in at least one phase of all of our lives. I think we can agree on this. It transcends politics, religion, and race. Let's face it. The bathroom reading material of choice for most of us are magazines. I know there are a few out there who use their throne moments for the intellectual stimulation of crosswords or Sudoku, but chances are those puzzles are in some grocery store check-out line tabloid.

Perhaps the digital age will one day develop the technology to shake magazines from this lofty perch, but as of yet, it hasn't happened. The glossy pictures send us to places we've always dreamed of visiting and tempts us with recipes we'll get around to making one day.

So remember, when that adorable brown-eyed student asks if you would please buy a magazine, be grateful for the opportunity to support a good cause by buying something that is irreplaceable in your home.