THE TECH-WISE FAMILY BY ANDY CROUCH, CHAPTER 10

THE TECH-WISE FAMILY BY ANDY CROUCH, CHAPTER 10

The Tech-Wise Family  Chapter 10 “In Sickness and in Health” Karen Alston

Appropriately, the final chapter of The Tech-Wise Family focuses on the universally poignant moments of life – birth, illness and physical frailty, marriage, and the ultimate and final moments of life and death – all experienced most intimately within the family.

Technology can simulate human presence from a distance. The telephone (literally “distant speech”), FaceTime, and Skype all seemingly close the space between us. But this is merely simulated “closeness,” a pale substitute for being face to face, hand in hand. As Crouch reminds us, “We will put love into practice in the most profound possible way, by being present with one another in person at the greatest and most difficult moments in life.”

In the last few years, I experienced this reality. My parents passed into Christ’s presence in just this way. Profound. Intimate. Human. Unforgettable.

Andy Crouch closes this important book with these words: “We are meant to die in one another’s arms, surrounded by prayer and song, knowing beyond knowing that we are loved. We are meant for so much more than technology can ever give us – above all, for the wisdom and courage that it will never give us. We are meant to spur one another along on the way to a better life, the life that really is life. Why not begin living that life, together, now?”