Cell Phone Spirituality: What Your Cell Phone Can Teach You About Life and God.

By Kevin Goodrich O.P.

Some books just analyze and separate.  This one synthesizes and puts back together things that never should have been separated--while fully recognizing the busyness and endless options of our lives.  Trust Kevin Goodrich to be a solid and very creative spiritual guide!
  Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M.
Center for Action and Contemplation
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Canon Goodrich offers in Cell Phone Spirituality a simple, yet not simplistic, primer on the Christian spiritual life.  His creative approach applies incarnational theological insights to the circumstances of everyday life.  Those interested in promoting the ministry of the laity in the world and the concept of discipleship will find it a useful tool.
The Rt. Rev. Michael G. Smith
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota

Through Father Goodrich’s eyes, I could see how items such as cell phones that I have found as distractions can be seen as means of connecting us both to each other and to God. Cell Phone Spirituality rings true to me as it offers practical suggestions on how one can talk to God in our 24/7 techno savvy culture.
Becky Garrison
Senior Contributing Editor, The Wittenburg Door

I found Cell Phone Spirituality to be a fun read with a modern twist on how to stay connected to your spirituality and to God, especially in our fast paced world! I really like how Goodrich designed the book to be used for personal growth, or for small group discussions. Can’t wait to share it!
Stacey Reid
Busy Mother of Five

A book for anyone who wants to grow spiritually and become closer to God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 25, 2005
• ISBN: 9780595817184

Kevin Goodrich O.P.

The Rev. Dr. Kevin Goodrich, O.P.A., is a friar under life vows in the Anglican Order of Preachers (aka “The Dominicans”). He is known for his sense of humor, engaging preaching style, and ability to relate spiritual concepts to the everyday challenges of life. As a child, Father Goodrich had a dream that birthed a hunger to know God experientially. This dream led to the mystics and monastics, which led him to a commitment to Jesus Christ and the Church. Besides a good laugh, he enjoys getting outdoors and listening to the music of Dean Martin. He is the author of the book, “Plugging into God’s Story: A Practical Introduction to Reading and Understanding the Bible.” You can learn more about his ministry at http://fathergoodrich.com.

Book preview

Copyright © 2005, 2007, 2014, 2021 Kevin Goodrich O.P.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-0-5953-7321-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-0-5958-1718-4 (e)

iUniverse rev. date: 10/14/2021

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface to the Third Edition

Introduction

CHAPTER 1 This Crazy World

CHAPTER 2 Spiritual Relationships

CHAPTER 3 Finding God at Work

CHAPTER 4 The Divine Perspective in Dollar Bills

CHAPTER 5 Politics and Religion Do Mix

CHAPTER 6 God’s Will Be Fun?

CHAPTER 7 Church: More Than You Think

CHAPTER 8 Functions of the Spiritual Cell Phone

CHAPTER 9 Maintaining Your Signal

CHAPTER 10 What’s Next?

Conclusion

Appendix

Notes

About the Author

To my Dominican Brothers and Sisters in the Anglican Order of Preachers:

Thank you for being my community and supporting me through

prayer, laughter, and our shared calling to proclaim the Word of God.

Be still and know that I am God.

- Psalm 46:10

Acknowledgements

Thanks go to all my friends, seminar groups, and others who read the manuscript and provided valuable feedback. The insights of ordinary people, wrestling with God in the 21st century, have helped to improve this book greatly. Thanks in particular to Brother Louis Welcher, O.P. and Dr. Jonathan Best for their editorial assistance.

Preface to the Third Edition

I wrote this book sixteen years ago. In 2005, cell phones were becoming a normal part of many people’s lives. Today’s younger generations have never known a world without cell phones. Cell phones are now more common than a set of car keys. The misplacement of a cell phone stirs an anxiety in many people similar to the sensation of losing a wallet or purse. Mobile phones are now indispensable parts of the lives of billions of people.

Following the example of Jesus, teachers of the Christian faith have used the familiar things of everyday life as object lessons about the spiritual life for over 2000 years. One implication being that everyday life and spiritual life are meant to be intertwined. Another implication being that our divisions between the everyday and the spiritual are arbitrary.

I’m grateful this book continues to help individuals and groups cultivate their awareness of God as well as their appreciation for the holistic nature of Christian spirituality and discipleship. The content of the book is largely the same as the second edition from the mid-2000s. In 2014, the book was made available in electronic format. This third edition’s revisions and additions are intended to improve the reader’s experience.

I’ve chosen not to do a major revision of the book’s content or style. This preserves the book’s original voice and character. I’m cognizant the book does not address some current (and perennial) issues. If I were writing this book today, I would approach the project differently, in style, and sometimes in substance. Even so, I trust, along with the 14th century English mystic, Julian of Norwich, that all shall be well.

Thankfully, the material continues to be useful to many people around the world. I readily recommend this work to the reader. May you hear the voice of the Spirit in your ears and read the messages of the Mighty before your very eyes. Christ is calling. It’s time for you to take the call. God is texting you. It’s time for you to reply. May you be blessed.

Introduction

In recent years, cell phones have changed from being seen as a unique innovation, to being a normal part of 21st century living. A few years ago, I spent Thanksgiving in the African country of Tanzania, one of the poorest places in the world. While driving down dirty and dusty roads, in the midst of rural fields and small huts, I saw a shepherd moving his herd of assorted animals across the road. He wore the traditional tribal robes and colors of the Massasi people and ushered the animals along with a stick. What didn’t quite fit into the picture was the cell phone he was holding in his hand. Presumably, he was sending a text message.

On another occasion, I sat in a pub in London with English friends I was visiting. As a group we also planned to catch up with a friend from Ireland. We were hoping she would make her way across the channel to meet with us. One of our English friends showed up late at the pub and said, I just heard from Chris on my mobile; she says, hi. We weren’t sitting in front of a computer, but in a smoky pub, hundreds of miles away from Ireland. Yet the cell phone gave us instant communication with her. You and I see cell phones all of the time. We carry them. We wonder why people use them as they drive along the road and we get frustrated with them as they ring in the most inappropriate of places.

One time, I was preaching a sermon, and, right in the middle of an important point I was making, someone’s cell phone went off in the congregation. Some people immediately frowned and, as the cell phone kept ringing, the discomfort and annoyance on some people’s faces grew. Finally, a woman realized that it was, in fact, her cell phone. She tumbled through her purse to find it and shut it off. Was I angry? Was I annoyed? No, not at all. Actually, I thought it was somewhat appropriate, because the very point I was making was that God is always trying to get hold of us.

We live in a light-speed world and are usually preoccupied with what is right in front of us or what is just ahead of us. In other words, if we aren’t focused on the present moment, we are trapped in an endless cycle of thinking about the next task on our list, such as when we will have time to get the next load of laundry in. We become accustomed to zooming from one place to another: from work to home, to the grocery store, to our kids’ next activity, and back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth again! After a while, life is just a blur. In those few moments when we do pause to catch our breath, we wonder if this is it. Is this all there is to life? Well, we know it isn’t or at least it’s not supposed to be, but how are we to enter into that life that talk show hosts and preachers ramble about all the time?

I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t think this book is going to give you all the answers. In fact, I’m tired of all the books and programs out there that tell you that life can be explained in three easy principles and that all you need to do to be happy is to follow a particular set of seven steps. Life is more complicated than that. My hope is that this book will help you notice things differently. Notice things differently, you say? Yes, think about it. Most of the significant things that have happened in your life came about through a process of noticing.

Think about two people who see each other every day at the coffee shop. He notices she is pretty. She notices his quiet, confident manner. It’s months before they say more than, Hello. Finally, Hello leads to chatting and chatting leads to dating. Before you know it, time has sped by, and they are married with two giggling children. The path to a new life or a new perspective, happens in the little things, in noticing things.

We can be in the midst of any activity, from driving to shopping, when our cell phones begin ringing, our attention shifts. We immediately notice the ring, then decide to ignore the call, check to see who it is or answer. In many ways, this is the way life works. I believe that the world we live in is far bigger, more alive, than you might think at first. God, the great Personality of the universe, is always trying to reach you and me. Despite popular belief, God isn’t only found in church on snowy mountain tops or during cross-legged meditation. God is to be found in the grocery store, in the laughter of your best friend, and even in the middle of commuter traffic. My hope is that this book will help you notice the vast world of God’s creation, and God’s constant call on your life.

1

This Crazy World

°  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °  °

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players

- William Shakespeare (from As You Like It)

I don’t have to tell you that this world we live in is crazy. By crazy I mean unpredictable, shocking, exhilarating, and tragic, all whipped up into one world. Yet, the daily experience of our own little worlds isn’t always like that. At times, we describe our lives as predictable, boring, and depressing. Some people would say their lives resemble a modern Shakespearean tragedy; others would say their lives are more like a sitcom gone awry. Many men and women, who are chained to cubicles in corporate America, yearn for the freedom of an exciting job with lots of variety. On the other side of the fence, there