What are positive sides of using smartphones for God’s glory?
The following are some ways smartphones can be tools for our good and even God’s glory. Yes, we have be cautious about using the phone too much, but we must be wise based on God’s guidance.
1. Watching video Biblical ASL clips. This is one of the best ways our phone can assist to deliver the Word of God through various Bible apps. However, hard copy Bibles cannot be replaced. Bible online resources can provide regularly reading and viewing, nourishment.
Examples: ChristDeaf - YouTube
Lutheran Deaf Mission Society - YouTube
(Click these links to these websites.)
2. Memorizing Scripture with signed or transcript memos. Recalling God’s Word in our hearts is an excellent method for sanctification. Using an app can greatly enhance Scripture memory. Revisiting memorized parts on our phones allows us to immediately check our performance against the written Word to see if we memorized it correctly.
Example: ASLV - Deaf Missions
3. Reading more books. While I was in seminary, some textbooks were converted into E-books, so I could study while traveling or on commuting trains. A lot of wasted time can be redeemed as we read the books.
Examples:
Concordia Publishing House (cph.org)
https://www.christianbook.com
3. Connecting with friends and family. During my worship service, some members informed me about our fellow Christians’ life concerns. Social media is excellent to connect with other Christians and mission servants.
4. Learning His word through educational online lessons and resources to enrich our knowledge.
Examples: http://www.christdeaf.org/bible.html
http://deafjesus.org/deafpah
Smartphones can be a powerful method for strengthening our faith through the Holy Spirit. Let’s consider how we might put them to work for our good and God’s glory.
Next month, we will discuss Zoom vs. in-person worship services.
~~ Pastor Andy
The following are some ways smartphones can be tools for our good and even God’s glory. Yes, we have be cautious about using the phone too much, but we must be wise based on God’s guidance.
1. Watching video Biblical ASL clips. This is one of the best ways our phone can assist to deliver the Word of God through various Bible apps. However, hard copy Bibles cannot be replaced. Bible online resources can provide regularly reading and viewing, nourishment.
Examples: ChristDeaf - YouTube
Lutheran Deaf Mission Society - YouTube
(Click these links to these websites.)
2. Memorizing Scripture with signed or transcript memos. Recalling God’s Word in our hearts is an excellent method for sanctification. Using an app can greatly enhance Scripture memory. Revisiting memorized parts on our phones allows us to immediately check our performance against the written Word to see if we memorized it correctly.
Example: ASLV - Deaf Missions
3. Reading more books. While I was in seminary, some textbooks were converted into E-books, so I could study while traveling or on commuting trains. A lot of wasted time can be redeemed as we read the books.
Examples:
Concordia Publishing House (cph.org)
https://www.christianbook.com
3. Connecting with friends and family. During my worship service, some members informed me about our fellow Christians’ life concerns. Social media is excellent to connect with other Christians and mission servants.
4. Learning His word through educational online lessons and resources to enrich our knowledge.
Examples: http://www.christdeaf.org/bible.html
http://deafjesus.org/deafpah
Smartphones can be a powerful method for strengthening our faith through the Holy Spirit. Let’s consider how we might put them to work for our good and God’s glory.
Next month, we will discuss Zoom vs. in-person worship services.
~~ Pastor Andy
“I don’t need any church because I study the Bible and worship God alone.”
Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
The Apostle’s teaching: Th is what Jesus taught His disciples. We learn His Word to apply it to our lives. Luther emphasized that we should fear and love God, while being gladly to hear and learn His Word. We should be thankful for God’s love and forgiveness, so we are ready to commit to His Word that provides our salvation.
Fellowship: It is more than just coffee hour. We have a oneness with others because of Jesus, so we are in fellowship with others. We all receive forgiveness, peace, God’s love, and eternal life, so we are in fellowship to support each other.
The breaking of bread: This means two things. We eat with others so there is a bond. The other meaning is meeting Jesus in the bread and wine. While coming to the Lord’s Supper in faith, we seek to have good relations with our brothers and sisters in the congregation.
Prayers: Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer. We pray that whenever we come together to meditate. Our prayers should be based on the scripture instead of the poverty of our hearts. It is essential to come together to offer our prayers to God for the church, the nation, and specific needs of people we know.
~~ Pastor Andy
Fellowship: It is more than just coffee hour. We have a oneness with others because of Jesus, so we are in fellowship with others. We all receive forgiveness, peace, God’s love, and eternal life, so we are in fellowship to support each other.
The breaking of bread: This means two things. We eat with others so there is a bond. The other meaning is meeting Jesus in the bread and wine. While coming to the Lord’s Supper in faith, we seek to have good relations with our brothers and sisters in the congregation.
Prayers: Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer. We pray that whenever we come together to meditate. Our prayers should be based on the scripture instead of the poverty of our hearts. It is essential to come together to offer our prayers to God for the church, the nation, and specific needs of people we know.
~~ Pastor Andy
Sometimes God uses a hard prison sentence to poke His wayward children to get their attention and turn their hearts back to Him. That is what happened to one inmate in the Bible named King Manasseh.
Manasseh’s father Hezekiah had been one of the good kings of Israel who faithfully trusted God. Hezekiah did all he could to lead his nation to love and worship God. But when Hezekiah died, his rebellious 12-year old son Manasseh took the throne and became morally and spiritually the worst king ever to reign in Jerusalem. Manasseh’s crimes are so terrible that he is rarely mentioned in Bible story books. He promoted idol worship throughout the nation and in the temple of God. He immersed himself in the occult. He even sacrificed his own children to his pagan gods.
Manasseh’s father Hezekiah had been one of the good kings of Israel who faithfully trusted God. Hezekiah did all he could to lead his nation to love and worship God. But when Hezekiah died, his rebellious 12-year old son Manasseh took the throne and became morally and spiritually the worst king ever to reign in Jerusalem. Manasseh’s crimes are so terrible that he is rarely mentioned in Bible story books. He promoted idol worship throughout the nation and in the temple of God. He immersed himself in the occult. He even sacrificed his own children to his pagan gods.
So the Lord brought the army commanders of the king of Assyria against them [Israel]. They took Manasseh as a prisoner. They put a hook in his nose. They put him in bronze chains. And they took him to Babylon. When Manasseh was in trouble, he asked the Lord his God to help him. He made himself very humble in the sight of the God of his people. Manasseh prayed to him. When he did, the Lord felt sorry for him. He answered his prayer. The Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.
(2 Chronicles 33:11-13 NIRV)
During the last few years of his reign, King Manasseh tried to undo all the damage he had caused. But it was too little too late. His own son rejected his father’s new faith in God. Fortunately, Manasseh was able to instill that faith in his grandson, Josiah, one of the most godly kings of Israel.
~~ Pastor Ron
~~ Pastor Ron
Remember those who are in prison
as if you were in prison with them.
Hebrews 13:3
as if you were in prison with them.
Hebrews 13:3
The Deaf in Elder Culture - Maryland
The Riderwood Deaf Community (RDC) consists of ten ASL signing members who reside in the Riderwood Senior Living Community, located in Silver Spring, MD, Montgomery County.
The Riderwood Deaf Community (RDC) consists of ten ASL signing members who reside in the Riderwood Senior Living Community, located in Silver Spring, MD, Montgomery County.
RDC was founded in 2018 by the late Agnes D. Sutcliffe, a member of our church, with the purpose to serve the linguistic, cultural, and social needs of the Deaf residents of Riderwood Village.
Riderwood Village is an inclusive and diverse community of over 2,200 residents and over 1,000 employees.
RDC has five Deaf members who each once attended a state deaf school and also were two late deaf parents of one member (CODA).
Four others – hearing with a Deaf heart – had a deaf cultural experience when studying, teaching, and working at such institutions over the years.
Residents (deaf and hearing) who have taken more than one sign language class may be invited to practice their signing with RDC members.
RDC members are happy residents who also want to give back to Maryland.
Deaf communities and library communities are in 23 MD counties and Baltimore in some ways!
Maryland is the only state in the US where the Governor signed Deaf Culture and Digital Library (DCDL) into the state law last May 15, 2014.
Membership Organizations Serving the Deaf (OSDs)
Maryland Association of the Deaf (MDAD) est. 1956 - National Association of the Deaf (NAD Charities);
Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD) est. 1868 (Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD Education);
and MD Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MDGOV) est. 2001 (National Association of State Agencies of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NASADHH Government)
Some RDC deaf members are still active with the Maryland Deaf Seniors Citizens, Inc. (MDSC) est. 1976, an affiliate of the Deaf Seniors of America, Inc. (DSA) est. 1992.
CEASD, NASADHH, and DSA are also NAD affiliates. NAD also has a section called “Deaf Culture and History.”
And many more nonprofit membership organizations like the newly established Maryland Deaf Community Center in Frederick as well as the government offices that serve the Deaf.
First RDC meeting of 2023
On April 15, 2023, RDC members met, and we agreed to share stories about deaf culture, and our rich deaf history with neighbors, their family members, staff, and workers. E.g., The three first deaf historical events that changed America were in 1817 (deaf schools); 1864 (Gallaudet), and 1988 (the first victory of Deaf civil rights at Gallaudet. Deaf President Now which led to the signing of the ADA into federal law two years later.
The Deaf in many cultures, including education, heritage, literacy, mental health, prison, sports, and much more.
A Birth Anniversary Celebration
Philadelphia is in Our Heart, the Deaf Way
Riderwood Village is an inclusive and diverse community of over 2,200 residents and over 1,000 employees.
RDC has five Deaf members who each once attended a state deaf school and also were two late deaf parents of one member (CODA).
Four others – hearing with a Deaf heart – had a deaf cultural experience when studying, teaching, and working at such institutions over the years.
Residents (deaf and hearing) who have taken more than one sign language class may be invited to practice their signing with RDC members.
RDC members are happy residents who also want to give back to Maryland.
Deaf communities and library communities are in 23 MD counties and Baltimore in some ways!
Maryland is the only state in the US where the Governor signed Deaf Culture and Digital Library (DCDL) into the state law last May 15, 2014.
Membership Organizations Serving the Deaf (OSDs)
Maryland Association of the Deaf (MDAD) est. 1956 - National Association of the Deaf (NAD Charities);
Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD) est. 1868 (Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD Education);
and MD Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MDGOV) est. 2001 (National Association of State Agencies of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (NASADHH Government)
Some RDC deaf members are still active with the Maryland Deaf Seniors Citizens, Inc. (MDSC) est. 1976, an affiliate of the Deaf Seniors of America, Inc. (DSA) est. 1992.
CEASD, NASADHH, and DSA are also NAD affiliates. NAD also has a section called “Deaf Culture and History.”
And many more nonprofit membership organizations like the newly established Maryland Deaf Community Center in Frederick as well as the government offices that serve the Deaf.
First RDC meeting of 2023
On April 15, 2023, RDC members met, and we agreed to share stories about deaf culture, and our rich deaf history with neighbors, their family members, staff, and workers. E.g., The three first deaf historical events that changed America were in 1817 (deaf schools); 1864 (Gallaudet), and 1988 (the first victory of Deaf civil rights at Gallaudet. Deaf President Now which led to the signing of the ADA into federal law two years later.
The Deaf in many cultures, including education, heritage, literacy, mental health, prison, sports, and much more.
A Birth Anniversary Celebration
Philadelphia is in Our Heart, the Deaf Way
On Sunday, July 2, 2023, RDC hosted a private birthday party at the Town Center at Riderwood to honor Anita Rice, one of its longest-living residents (15 years). Anita’s close friends in MD joined us.
Anita grew up in Philadelphia. She once went to Pennsylvania School for the Deaf as a student and later as a school aide, each role for a few years.
Anita said she hardly knew who Laurent Clerc was until only recently. Her late husband was a long-time leader of the Hebrew Association of the Deaf in Philadelphia and they had three deaf children.
Flat Laurent in Maryland was also present to celebrate Anita’s 82nd birthday on July 2nd.
Deaf FUN FACTS
Laurent Clerc was a teacher of the Deaf for more than 50 years. He was never a school administrator except for a few months at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in 1816. Who is the current Head or Chair of the Board at the PA School for the Deaf?
Annual Deaf and Related Events at Riderwood Village
To be continued.
Anita grew up in Philadelphia. She once went to Pennsylvania School for the Deaf as a student and later as a school aide, each role for a few years.
Anita said she hardly knew who Laurent Clerc was until only recently. Her late husband was a long-time leader of the Hebrew Association of the Deaf in Philadelphia and they had three deaf children.
Flat Laurent in Maryland was also present to celebrate Anita’s 82nd birthday on July 2nd.
Deaf FUN FACTS
Laurent Clerc was a teacher of the Deaf for more than 50 years. He was never a school administrator except for a few months at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in 1816. Who is the current Head or Chair of the Board at the PA School for the Deaf?
Annual Deaf and Related Events at Riderwood Village
- International Day of Sign Languages on September 23, 2023
- International Day of People with Disabilities on December 3, 2023.
- International Day of Human Rights Day on December 10, 2023.
- Clerc-Gallaudet Week, Dec 3-10 on December 6, 2023.
To be continued.
By Alice L. Hagemeyer,
My Journey to the Nineties
My new life. Moved to Riderwood on my 89th birthday on February 22, 2023.
Today I become the person that I was always meant to be. I leave the past. I now have a chance to restart and just move forward.
My Journey to the Nineties
My new life. Moved to Riderwood on my 89th birthday on February 22, 2023.
Today I become the person that I was always meant to be. I leave the past. I now have a chance to restart and just move forward.