The following is an excerpt of today’s live presentation of “Seasonings with Sarah” held at Dunn Bros coffee in Eden Prairie.

The other day I saw on the news that NASA has set up an impressive wireless connection for astronauts on the International Space Station so they can surf the Web, e-mail and even send Twitter messages.

I also just had a friend return from the Philippines and she told me that even the poorest people living there have cell phones.

Let’s face it. Technology is everywhere. And it’s not going away.

We are all familiar with the inherent dangers it presents. For ourselves and others. Additionally, I think we are often afraid of technology, because we don’t want to waste our time, be harassed online, or worse yet, not be able to keep up!

But I think as many dangers that technology presents, there are equally as many opportunities.

IDK. (I don’t know) Call me an opportunist.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we will admit technology already monopolizes a big chunk of our time – using smart phones, playing MP3 players, surfing the Internet, emailing, texting, tweeting, facebooking, following. Even my 82 year old mom sends email and surfs the web.

Yet there are many who contest we should be in the world, but not “of the world.” Stay away from the evils of technology. It will cause you to stumble. Perhaps, but so can plenty of other things.

God is in the World. And that means he’s online too.

There are endless ways to deepen your walk with God utilizing technology. Podcasts, blogs, email devotionals, smart phone Bible apps, Twitter updates, Facebook fan pages. There are multitudes of Christians doing amazing things, and using technology to do it. They’re giving people a chance to grow, learn and develop in their faith. Via mediums we’re using – already.

There is also an unique opportunity to join in the conversation. With your kids. With people outside your circle. With people like you. It’s going on regardless. But if we stay in our familiar, comfortable, “unworldly” Christian circles we will not have the chance to engage. To make a difference. To share our side of the story. To connect. To reconnect – maybe as changed people, with something new to say.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about my lost, then found, glove, with a dash of a spiritual lesson involved. Interestingly enough, someone from the UK who has a website called www.unlovedglove.com found my blog – and asked for permission to reproduce my post on his website. At first I was taken aback, I mean a secular site wanting to use my post? Surely they meant to exploit me, or my content. In the end, I decided to allow them to reproduce it, and guess what? There it is – my glove story, with a deeper meaning about how God loves us broken as we are, on this crazy and funny website solely dedicated to lost gloves. God can be seen, heard, and even learned from. Online.

And if you use it intentionally, technology can be a pursuit of God and your ongoing relationship with him and others.

So what do you say, wanna be my friend on Facebook?

Join us for the next Seasonings with Sarah on Wed., February 10 at 9:30 a.m.

I got back from the Caribbean last week. It is such a different pace of life. There isn’t much internet service and the phone calls are really expensive. What ends up happening is without knowing it you go into technology withdrawal! Except in this case you’ve given something up unwillingly – you are forced to quit because the opportunity isn’t there. Cold turkey, baby!

After 10 days with limited access to all things electronic – email, phone, TV- I found myself experiencing culture shock upon re-entry to the modern technology infused world. Sitting in the airport at St. Thomas watching the President speak about the latest financial crisis made me realize that even though I was not paying attention, the world went on without me keeping constant track of its whereabouts. Watching all our boat mates link up, sync up, download and generally reconnect with the daily grind reminded me of someone getting an I.V. for dehydration- they just couldn’t get it fast enough! What it says to me is that I am way to dependent on it. And that robs me of the opportunity to be still and know that He is God.

As I write this I am listening to Caedmon’s Call, “Walk With Me”. The refrain goes like this:

“Will you lead me beside the still waters,
where the oil that runs over my cup overflows?
You restore my soul.”

I think one of my challenges in life is most of the time I head to the still waters kicking and screaming. It took over a week for me to fully withdraw from life’s hectic pace, but thankfully, my Lord has a firm hand, and he doesn’t let me go until my cup overflows.

My soul is restored.