Tales from the internet outage
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
I share my summer experiences as an educator enjoying time off to read, reflect, and engage with media. I experienced a lengthy internet outage that interrupted my studies and entertainment. I mention various books, focusing on their content and spiritual themes, while expressing gratitude for the opportunity to use my time wisely.
I’m an educator so I have summers off. That’s 9 glorious weeks to pot around at home, enjoy the season, and read. I alternate theological material with literature, and enjoy media such as TV and movies as well. I have time, precious time, to enjoy those things.
I do try to maintain a schedule. I also frequently praise and thank the Lord for this gift of time, not wanting to squander it on frivolous things. I strive to maintain a seriousness about this gift of time and put it to the Lord’s use.
But then as the day wanes, the shadows get long, and the mosquitos come out, I turn to media to watch and enjoy in my evenings. I don’t own a television or a smartphone, I exclusively use my laptop for research, music, sermons, lectures, and entertainment.
The internet went out for 11 hours yesterday, denying me my usual day’s activities of research and study in the mornings and early afternoon, and entertainment at night. As it was Thursday which means “grocery day”, I missed the first few hours of the internet outage, but returned to the see dreaded globe icon instead of the wi-fi icon.
Calling Spectrum was no help, they did not have an ‘estimated time of restoration.’ They said it was severe weather that caused the outage, which perplexed me. It was fine last night when some few storms passed much to my north, and wi-fi fine in the morning where I’d spent 3 hours online before heading out to do errands. Was there a vicious thunderstorm or tornado in my area I don’t know about?
OK, so it is what it is. I took the opportunity to read. I am trying not to lose that skill as my media and viewing increases. Currently I’m reading John Bunyan’s “The Greatness of the Soul.” He was a Puritan who wrote in the 1600s, famously authoring The Pilgrim’s Progress. I’ve read that book and many of his others, but this one is extra-dense. It is difficult to get through, if I may admit. I looked it up yesterday to see if there was an ‘updated language’ version, but no. I saw while looking though, that others have mentioned this one is especially hard to read. But I love it. Even if I read and absorb a paragraph, it’s enough meat to keep me chewing for a while.
I am also reading John MacArthur’s “Christ Triumphs Over Sin and Death” a close exploration of Daniel’s prayer. It is easy to read, deep, and edifying.
For secular books, I’d picked up a few at the thrift store. I do this not only because it is a frugal thing to do, and also because it’s fun to hunt for treasure, but mainly because if the book is profane in any way, I toss it out without feeling guilty about wasting money.
I’d found a Nicholas Evans book called The Divide. It happened to be large print, which I do say, is easier on the old eyes these days. I had read that Evans was a clean writer who has an especially sensitive and insightful touch when writing about relationships. I found that to be true. The early part of the book described perfectly a marriage (absent God) that had cooled over time into a cold and hardened silent war. Sadly, while I read, the name of God was used vainly a couple of times, but when I came across an f-bomb, I closed the book and tossed it. Sad.
Next I picked up from my “Chick Lit” bookshelf (yes I’ve organized my library according to genre) The Sweet Potato Queens Book of Love by Jill Conner Browne. I thought it was going to be a southern sassy read like a Fannie Flagg book, while giving me insights into the southern lady culture. Sassy it was, but crossed the line into crassness. Staying this side of sassy while remaining genteel is a balance that not everyone can maintain, and sadly, Ms Browne failed the balance. Into the wastebasket it went.
BTW the first time I said ‘waste basket’ in school the student I was telling to toss something did not know what I meant. It’s ‘trash can’ around here in the south. Never let anyone tell you North and South are the same culture because we’re both in America. It’s not.
Internet still out, I went back to the chick lit section of the Prata Bibliotheca and selected The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill (Tales from Ivy Hill #1) by Julie Klassen. According to the internet, Klassen “Is a highly regarded author known for her historical fiction novels, often set in the Regency era, with a focus on inspiring themes and engaging stories. … While incorporating romance and mystery, her books are generally considered appropriate for a wide audience and avoid explicit content. Her novels often explore themes of forgiveness, acceptance, and reliance on God, but in a non-preachy way.”
I’m on page 56 (of 439!!) and so far so good! What a relief! Just as it’s hard to find a good tv show that is well written, well acted, and wholesome, it’s equally hard to find the same in books. Usually one or more of the variables are lacking. This Ivy Hill book so far has all three. If it stays that way then I have 383 more pages to enjoy!
My book tally so far this summer: Finished All the Beauty in the World, Unlawful Killings, The Cupboard of Life, The Berry Pickers, Blue Shoes and Happiness, and I’m on my way with Ivy Hill. Did not finish because too profane or violent: The Way of the Gladiator, The Divide, Sweet Potato Queens. For theological books I’m in the middle of The Greatness of the Soul by Bunyan, Human Nature in its Fourfold State by Thomas Boston, and nearing the end of Christ Triumphs by JMac.
Reading for TOO long does bother my eyes so I turned to some of the media I’ve saved on my PC. Years ago, 11 years now (time flies) I’d bought and listened to Todd Friel’s Drive By Discernment. It is titled ‘Drive By’ because he purposely selects lectures that can be listened to in a driving commute. They’re short, 6-11 minutes. Some are 15 minutes. It’s an entire series, Drive By Marriage, Drive By Theology, Drive By Pneumatology and so on. In DBD there are 60 lectures with a variety of speakers presenting from their own material.
The problem with having so many invitees to participate on one DVD is the danger that one or more of them may eventually fall from grace. Indeed, in the original production of DBD both Pastor Art Azurdia and Pastor RW Glenn fell from grace via sexually immoral sin.
So the DBD media was revamped. I surmise, totally guessing here but seems logical, that when they reissued the series with just ONE lecturer with Friel as Host, they thought it would be safer. Just pick one solid, REALLY solid guy to present the lectures. So they chose Steve Lawson.
OOPS.
The fall of the men on the Wretched Drive By Discernment series and falling pastors just in general reminds me of something from years ago. When I was first saved I bought a book called The Art & Craft of Biblical Preaching: A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Communicators with a variety of authors contributing. I’m a communicator and I thought that learning the ins and outs of how a good sermon is crafted would be helpful. The book promised to explore approaches to different types of preaching: topical, expository, evangelistic, and more. The authors included Dallas Willard, John Ortberg, Rick Warren, Warren Wiersbe, Alice Mathews, John Piper, Andy Stanley. Back then, I knew of some good ones, like Piper, Wiersbe, John Stott, Alistair Begg, Bryan Chapell. Even at that early stage I also knew in a negative sense Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Dallas Willard, Ted Haggard, Andy Stanley, Tim Keller, Rob Bell. But there were 200 essays in this heavy tome, surely it’d be safe to peruse some of them.
Turns out I was wrong. Over the years many more fell, and of those who didn’t fall, I had concerns about (Stott, Piper, Begg). I threw the book away.
It’s a testament to the power of the Gospel that it has staying power, because it is backed by the very holy Triune God to preserve it for all time. It’s so true that many of us weakling, undiscerning, faltering, and some false teachers certainly have not done the Gospel a service. Looking at the 200 essays and their myriad authors now, I don’t think I’d trust any of them, except maybe Wiersbe. I certainly don’t know all the names, but any Editor who would in 2005 deliberately include Ted Haggard and several women preachers is not to be trusted overall. SO sad!
Anyway, those are my ruminations from my edgy mind on a day when there was no internet. The wi-fi is up and running now so I am back to the old temptation to avoid watching Youtube all day but instead work hard and not waste my summer days! 🙂
Wretched is now Fortis Institute and the Drive By media is available there.
