Google Voice
Set up my Google Voice account yesterday. For the uninitiated, Google Voice is a new offering from Google, and, I am convinced, another part of Google’s plan for world domination. I am pretty sure at some point we are all going to get emails from Google telling us:
”Hello! In an effort to continue to “not be mean” we just thought we should tell you that we make “x” dollars each month off the ads people see when they search for any information that is linked to you. So, in an effort to keep that thing you did in the third grade “just between us”, kindly send us “y” dollars a month. We are going to have to replace that ad revenue after all.”
But until that day happens, with Google Voice, you hand out a new phone number, and set it up to ring any one of a number of phones. Your current house, cell, business, etc. This way, no matter where you are, people can find you. No more “He’s not home, I’ll try his cell.” There are several other features related to call screening and call routing. For me, if I am available, I answer the phone. I don’t really need my mom announcing who she is before I will take her call.
However, I did find a great use use for GV:
GV voicemail is awesome! Someone leaves a voice message, it transcribes it and sends you a text, email or both. By tweaking the settings in GV and setting my phone’s forwarding options I now bypass the whole “logging in to check messages, listening to someone ramble for three minutes, hoping they actually left their number”. Someone leaves a message, I scan the email, decide I want to call them back and just tap the number located within the message. I thought this was a “nice to have” feature until I used it. This alone makes it worth the cost.
Cost? I thought it was free. Sort of, now Google gets to see my voice mails as well as my email. Thank God I live a boring life……
Balance
Last night as I was working away and I heard a commotion in the other room. I looked up just in time to see a stuffed duck go flying by. Tam the Wonderdog is a seven year member of the "sight hound" family. Translation: sleeps a lot. For her to be playing with her toys, especially in the summer time, is very rare. She was obviously trying to get my attention. And got it she did.
I just can’t imagine what that would have been like had that same instance happened with a son or daughter.
So, if you are one of my friends who struggle with work-life balance, know that you were prayed for last night.
You can thank Tam.
Sown much, brought in little
In Haggai God admonishes the nation of Israel telling them that they have “sown much, but brought in little, they drink but are not satisfied”. It’s kind of a tough message. The reason for this, God explains, is because they have put themselves first. Built for themselves some nice houses while letting God’s house lie in disrepair. For more of the back story, read this post.
I just can’t seem to get over the fact that the issue is they built their houses up while leaving God’s house in disrepair. Speaking metaphorically, do we do the same thing? Are we focusing on ourselves while neglecting God’s house-the body of Christ? I know I do.
By the same token, I am blessed to know some people who continually add value to other people and to the kingdom of God. And they do it not because they are trying to, they just do.
This is not one of those “beat yourself up” posts. There is too much of that going on in the world. Nor is it a “God wants you to be happy in life” post. WAY too much of that too. But rather a post to encourage us all to ask “Am I building up God’s people and purposes – or trying to make myself look good?”
That would be my challenge today. To ask “Is what I am doing right now adding to God’s house"? Or just trying to put new paneling on my own?”
