Friday, March 27, 2020

Turn Lemons Into Lemonade


Gary Starkweather, Christ-follower and inventor of the laser printer.

Families are spending more time together these days. Perhaps more time than they ever thought possible, prior to the Coronavirus crisis.  

These are challenging days for all of us. But by God's grace, we can turn lemons into lemonade, and direct this experience toward something truly beneficial. This crisis, in fact, is presenting many new opportunities to be realized at last! Not the least of which is quality family time.

To that end, in the coming weeks we will be posting short video clips, encouraging parents to watch these clips with the entire family, and use them as meaningful "conversation starters."  

The first clip we have for you is an interview with Gary Starkweather, who invented the laser printer. Gary went to be with his Lord and Friend just last December 26, after a 6-year battle with cancer. But Gary's testimony while on Earth lives on, thanks to the Internet, computer technology and YouTube.

After you and your family have viewed the video below, pick one or two of the following questions for having a meaningful conversation (you may need to adjust the wording of these questions depending on the age of your children), or think of your own reflective questions: 

How do you think God feels about computer technology?

How does Gary Starkweather's view of his work with technology line up with a biblical view of purpose?

How will you look differently at the laser printer, now that you have heard from its inventor, and know more of the biblical worldview behind its development? 

What lessons can we learn about our own work from how Gary Starkweather viewed his work? How can we apply these understandings to our daily life and to our work at home, particularly during these challenging days?



If the video does not play, click https://youtu.be/8eFLQoBXMHI (6.5 minutes)

This video, and others we will be sharing in the weeks to come, are from the e-book curriculum, God's Pleasure At Work, by Dr. Christian Overman. For more about this curriculum, recommended age 13 through adult as a home-based study, click here.

Extra credit: Did you know that during the Bubonic plague in Europe, Isaac Newton had to work from home, and it was during this time he was most productive, developing his theories of calculus, optics and gravity?

Check it out here. 

Contact RenewaNation at www.renewanation.org