iPhones May Be the Closest We Could Ever Get to Green Lantern Rings

At the risk of sounding culturally irrelevant (not a large risk, mind you: I bought the new Coldplay album the day it came out...on iTunes!), all these new phones scare me.

Mostly because I fought email addiction in college. And won. But it was bad for a while, folks; we're talking every-two-minutes-or-less checking of the inbox. Perhaps you've experienced this or it's sister Facebook addiction where you click that 'friends' button every two minutes or less just to see who "is hating the 100-degree heat,' or 'is trying to study,' or, a personal favorite from Anonymous: "stepped on a baby kitty and hopes that it doesn't go retarded!! poor baby"

Really?

My inclination to all things electronic has become even more apparent to me in marriage. The other evening my wife and I were watching a movie during our weekly date night at home. I was into the movie, I was digging the alone time with my baby...and then the email notification on my Mac (2 points for relevancy) went off in the other room. Like a trained seal I sprang up from my couch, my wife, and Robert Duvall to see what kind of message comes into my email on Thursday evening.

It was a Facebook update (the forces combined!). Someone commented on my photo. Naturally I was compelled to respond IMMEDIATELY, lest I be considered culturally irrelevant. (Who wants to see a response the next day? "That joke was soooo last night at 9:45")

It made me start thinking about how tied to technology I have a tendency to be. I have started making some slight changes (see linked article below) and it hasn't been easy, but my wife's been patient with me through the process.

Now can you imagine this scenario if I had email/facebook on my phone?!?!? I could do anything! Anytime! Anywhere! I wouldn't have even had to get up and walk to the next room.

Kinda like a Green Lantern power ring, which gives its user great power over the physical world and can accomplish almost anything its user imagines. This ability is increased

or limited only by the the wielder's will power, imagination, and savviness with the ring. The ring can give instant analysis of any situation, object, substance, or threat. It connects its wearer instantly with any other member of the 7,200-strong Green Lantern Corps. It allows the wearer to fly. It even has to be charged every now and again or it'll run outta juice. (Now, the power rings are even starting to come in other colors of the "emotional spectrum"...like blue for hope, or red for rage).

I'd never stop using a Green Lantern ring if I had one.

And I know would take some Green Lantern-strength willpower to tear myself away from a phone that can connect you to anything or anyone. So for now I'm playing it safe and trying to be wise in readying myself to recognize when a technology is taking over my relationships or ministry.

And maybe, just maybe, I'm holding out for the iPhone that enables its user to fly. Now THAT I'll stand in line for!

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Pray for us all as we continue to exert control over the miracles of technology, ever vigilant against those miracles becoming strongholds used by the eneamy to distract us from Christ and His Kingdom work.

Here is one Christian philosopher's helpful ruminations; I commend them to your consideration and discernment.