Daily Post: Local
Globes have always fascinated me. Intellectually I understand our earth is round (sort of), but every map we see is flat. Which lends to a perspective issue for those without three-dimensional imaginations. A good school project for your child this fall might be to “show and tell” how the internet was formed, or the impact it has had on our lives. If you have no children, but this interests you personally, here is a link to a page titled, “40 maps that explain the internet.” Beginning with ARPANET (1969) this page demonstrates with maps the development, growth, and impact of the World Wide Web globally.
Most of us tend to think about things “locally.” The thing I love most about where I live is that I’m 5 minutes max to: church, groceries, gas, movies, parks, golf, and no less than 50+ restaurants serving foods originating from all over the world. Every morning I grab my java and sit at my desk, typing these little ditties into a text editor, on a site hosted by WordPress. The second I hit “publish,” my article leaves my local connection like the speed of light, establishing a link for folks to click, then read, from virtually any place on earth. As of today, June 26th, 2017, my articles have been read in 67 of the 196 countries around this globe. From my local connection, I have a global voice = Glocal.
This excites me. This motivates me. This brings me great joy. Every day, every time I receive a ping on my phone or desk alerting me that I have a notification of a person who has “liked” an article, I know without doubt, my voice has been heard. In this small way, I know, that even though I may not have a weekly congregation which listens to a sermon, or a weekly audience for teaching a Bible Study, I do have folks all over the earth who follow and share my blog with others. Who would have thought that an article written by a retired pastor in Texas would be of any interest to a Station Manager in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Barmenda, from Douala, Cameroon? Yet, we touched base on Facebook through the World Wide Web (internet), and I’m blessed because of it. I couldn’t believe it actually, when someone from Mauritius (a small island nation in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa) read and liked my article. How amazing!
Maybe I shouldn’t be so amazed. After all what I’ve just described for you is the essence of what Jesus told His disciples to do and be. They all wanted to know if it was time for Jesus to establish the earthly kingdom of God. His answer demanded they (and we) get their thoughts in a better priority.
Acts 1:7-8
“It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
My challenge for you today is to think: Glocally. First be aware that God has called us to be witnesses right where we are. We are to live our lives in such a way as to experience God’s grace every single day, in personal relationship with Him. Energized and equipped through God’s grace we are to reach out and have a voice, glorifying God, while exalting Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord, and Master of our life. You never really know where your voice might reach. It may even take the words of Jesus … to the remotest part of the earth!
Think: Glocal.
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As I was saying... 