CHURCH DIRECTORY & DEVOTIONAL Living in an instant society

ated. Social media encourages brevity – so brief, in fact, that spelling and punctuation are often sacrificed. But more than good grammar suffers. It is often in the details that an understanding and appreciation of the circumstances occur. Gary Shapiro, president and

CEO of Consumer Electronics Association, admits, “Technology provides amazing, worldchanging tools, but these innovative marvels don't replace the need for human interaction or the benefits of solitude and self-reflection.”

Just how instant has our society become? We have fast-food restaurants where we just drive around, place our order, and proceed to the pick-up window where our food is waiting for us. ATM machines give us instant cash without our having to park the car, go in, write a check, and wait for the teller to give us the money. We use drivein windows at the pharmacy to pick-up our prescriptions, windows at the cleaners to drop-off and pick-up clothes, and the list could go on and on. But have we crossed the line when we use a drivethrough funeral home? In Farmville, Virginia, Oliver and Eggleston Funeral Establishment advertises, “You can stay in your car and ride by this window, see your loved one…without leaving your car.” Paradise Funeral Home in Saginaw, Michigan, was constructed with a drive-through window featuring automatically opening blinds. Visitors have three minutes to mourn at the window. In Compton, California, a funeral home offers drive-through viewing behind bullet-proof glass. “The dead are laid out behind a glass window, no different from a department store.”

Why the rush? We have developed a severe case of impatience. – and it has affected our health, as well as our relationship with the Lord. We pray and expect God to answer immediately!