{"id":46,"date":"2013-01-22T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-22T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.195.124.95\/~redletu4\/searching-for-meaning-in-a-world-without-google\/"},"modified":"2013-01-22T06:30:00","modified_gmt":"2013-01-22T13:30:00","slug":"searching-for-meaning-in-a-world-without-google","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/searching-for-meaning-in-a-world-without-google\/","title":{"rendered":"Searching for Meaning in a World Without Google"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/a><\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

I was honored to have this article published in the February Issue of More Living Magazine<\/a>. You can subscribe here.<\/a><\/i><\/i><\/div>\n

I\u2019m connected \u2014 wired at home, at work, and on my hip.\u00a0Info is always available. Need a price check, an airline schedule,\u00a0or a quote for a Bible study? Got it. The collected knowledge of
the ages can be accessed in seconds. Google, the company, is now\u00a0Google, the verb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Photo\u00a0by\u00a0Di Benard<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Recently I was challenged to\u00a0ponder life without\u00a0Google. Well, not just ponder, but actually live without unfettered\u00a0access to information. So for a week, I boldly walked away from\u00a0Google \u2014 and all other search engines \u2014 as an experiment, a\u00a0spiritual discipline, an accepted dare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Like a smoker giving up nicotine, I wondered if I could actually\u00a0follow through. Would I sneak away when no one was looking to\u00a0get an information fix? A world without Google would mean a\u00a0withdrawal from my addiction to instant information. I would have\u00a0to be content without all the answers. To be honest, I was afraid of\u00a0ignorance. But I stuck to my commitment \u2014 except for one weak\u00a0moment when I looked for the final score of the San Francisco\u00a0Giants game.<\/p>\n

Lessons Learned<\/b>
As the week wore on, I realized my gluttony for\u00a0instant information gratification. Letting go meant\u00a0a return to a slow gleaning of the world around me.<\/p>\n

I found myself watching, listening, and observing<\/i>. During my life without Google,\u00a0I discovered that the mere ability\u00a0to call up information does little\u00a0to showcase human intelligence.<\/p>\n

While the Internet hosts most of\u00a0the collected knowledge of the ages, there\u2019s still no\u00a0substitute for understanding. There\u2019s no better way\u00a0to learn something than through patient observation\u00a0and study. A search engine shortcuts all that.\u00a0I could Google the top five characters in a\u00a0Flannery O\u2019Connor<\/a> novel and get a succinct\u00a0summary. But reading and living those words is an \u00a0entirely different experience.<\/p>\n

I could search for what Jesus taught about money,\u00a0or I could read His red letters and find ways to apply\u00a0the depth of His teachings one principle at a time.\u00a0I can search for \u201cHow to find peace\u201d and get 700\u00a0million results in .13 seconds. But all that access to\u00a0knowledge and information doesn\u2019t do a thing for\u00a0my restless heart. I can have all opinions in the\u00a0world available to me online and still make\u00a0foolish choices.<\/p>\n

In this modern age, we don\u2019t like\u00a0waiting. But the answers to life\u2019s most\u00a0vexing questions often aren\u2019t found\u00a0instantaneously. Sometimes we must\u00a0patiently pine in the quiet. Isaiah wrote,\u00a0\u201cI long for You in the night; yes, my\u00a0spirit within me diligently seeks You\u201d\u00a0(Isaiah 26:9).<\/p>\n

Transformation Trumps Information<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Photo credit: Aray Chen<\/a>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

When the dreaded diagnosis comes,\u00a0will we turn to Google to find the latest\u00a0cure, or will we pray? When a vexing\u00a0problem grips us, will we look for a\u00a0quick fix, or will we\u00a0diligently search the\u00a0Scriptures?<\/p>\n

God is omniscient,\u00a0holding the answers to\u00a0every question available. But if we simply\u00a0want to pump Him for information,\u00a0we\u2019re missing out. He\u2019s not the library\u00a0reference desk or holy help line. What\u00a0we really need God for is transformation \u2014 that radical change of heart that\u00a0alters the way we live.<\/p>\n

With the crush of a modern\u00a0world, maybe I will sit as David did,\u00a0surrounded by the uncertainty and\u00a0say, \u201cI waited patiently for the LORD,\u00a0and He turned to me and heard my\u00a0cry for help\u201d (Psalm 40:1). There\u2019s no\u00a0Internet search, no app that can match that knowledge.<\/p>\n

Above article Copyright Lifeway Resources<\/i><\/p>\n

\"Enhanced<\/a><\/div>\n
Please, share with a friend if you feel moved.
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I was honored to have this article published in the February Issue of More Living Magazine. You can subscribe here. I\u2019m connected \u2014 wired at home, at work, and on my hip.\u00a0Info is always available. Need a price check, an airline schedule,\u00a0or a quote for a Bible study? Got it. The collected knowledge ofthe ages […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2375,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSearching for Meaning in a World Without Google<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I was honored to have this article published in the February Issue of More Living Magazine. You can subscribe here. 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