Unrestricted Worship Giving us Total Access

DIVE DEEPER

App-rehended!Tech Bytes

Letter from the Editor...................................................................................... 3That was Then....This is NOW Bishop’s Corner................................................................................................. 4Unrestricted Worship Giving Us Total AccessPraying for our Leaders................................................................................... 5Your Finances.................................................................................................... 6Effective BudgetingYour Health........................................................................................................ 7 My Fitness JourneyPastor Donald Wyche.............................................................................. 8Pastor Jerry Williams.............................................................................. 9Music.................................................................................................................. 10Tiffany RasburyDive Deeper....................................................................................................... 12Tech Bytes.......................................................................................................... 14App-rehended

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dear Readers,

Just to give you some context, The NOW Magazine has been the vision of our Bishop Charles W. Harris, Jr. and in the making for several years. In the beginning, we experimented with many ideas and went through what we call, “our trial and error period”. From our first printed issue in Summer 2012 to the second, released in Fall 2012, we featured articles from health and finance to education and spiritual preparation, which em-powered, energized and enlightened anyone who read our magazines.

It’s been almost two years since our last issue was printed. Our team felt the immense pressure of revamping The NOW. Media as a whole have changed tremendously over the past few years, so we knew we needed to “get with the program”. We were forced to take a few steps back so we could move forward. This became in-spiration to our re-launch magazation title, “That was Then, This is NOW”. Our magazine is not only available in printed copies, but it is in digital format! Readers can access The NOW on their computer or laptop, or when they are on-the-go via their Smartphone or tablet. This change resulted in a fresh, integrated, and fast-perfor-mance design, which vehicles the best we have to offer and employs the latest in the media world.

There were moments of reservations, doubts and worries when contemplating to convert to this huge change. We were challenged emotionally and physically, but through all the issues and circumstances, we pushed for-ward. Why? It is because The NOW Team is dedicated and understands the vision of our Bishop Harris and our mission to help and minister to the others. This became the driving force behind the re-launch of The NOW Magazine.

Over the next year, we will keep developing and enlarging our content to obtain the largest reach, thereby allowing us to continue to impact, inspire and impress our audience. We also want you to be apart of this pro-cess, and encourage you to share your thoughts and input on our feedback page.

Finally, I want to thank The NOW Magazine Team, who remained dedicated and worked hard during our tran-sition and to bring this project into fruition. This required help from all members, and I’m proud to work with such a great team whose hearts are in ministry and cares so much about others. Thanks to Keischa Harris, Executive Editor & Contributor Director, Phosha Phillips, Marketing & Publishing Director, Malika Smith, Digital & Media Director, Fran Minter, Administrative Assistant, Cassandra Byrdsell, Marketing & Publishing Assistant, Daria McGill, Graphic Designer, Harry Reavis, Computer/Media Assistant and special assistance from and Daron Clark (media/camera).

Jimease L. BaileyEditor-in-ChiefThe NOW Magazine

Letter from the Editor

Bishop’sCorner

In today’s world it is increasingly evident that the symbolism of Christianity has over shadowed pure and unrestricted worship. The purity of unrestricted worship is such a sustaining element of our personal relationship with God that we must

purpose to maintain its intimacy, never allowing it to be in competition with things of the world. At its very core, unrestricted worship is an act that keeps us close to God allowing us to dwell in His presence. As a body of believers we must mature and seek to ignite our faith with great passion realizing that there is no room for ambiv-alence, yet plenty of room for a close relationship with God. The church today must

not be harnessed by systems, nor be restricted by circumstances that are designed to deny us from a personal and unadulterated relationship with God. We must recognize

and believe that every obstacle and hindrance has been removed so we may have a life of unrestricted worship, giving us total access to God.

We must live in a place where we always experience unrestricted access to the Lord’s unfailing love and faith-fulness. The bible is a great reminder of having unrestricted access to God as evidenced in the writings of Apostle Paul and in the Epistle of James. While it is important for us to utilize the access God has given unto us, it is equally as important to recognize that access was not always the case particularly in the Old Testament where only few were allowed into the presence of God. Consider Abraham, although he was called a “friend of God” and enjoyed a measure of access to God, he was not allowed into the Holy of Holies because the spiritual veil of separation had not been torn in two. David, the sweet Psalmist of Israel had restricted access to God. The bible illustrates that David “communed with God”, knew him as his refuge, strength and strong tower, but he longed for much more. Then there was Moses who spent 40 days and nights in the presence of God on Mount Sinai. Moses’ time spent with God caused his face to glow with such a bright radiance that the children of Israel became afraid of and he had to cover his face with a veil until which time he re-entered the presence of God. The bible tells us that God’s glory was present in the Temples and Tabernacles, and in dreams and visions given to prophets, but access to the Holy place remained restricted.

Today, believers are favored to go farther and deeper than those in the Old Testament who experienced little to restricted access to God. Through the work accomplished by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior we have boldness and access to God our Father through our faith and confidence in Him. The infinite love of God is so powerful that it gives us victory in our lives through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Christ’s atoning death on the cross granted us access to God our Father. In Matthew the 27th chapter, the moment he died the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom. This manifestation of the physical veil represented what took place in the spirit realm. Our destiny was revealed and sealed. Now we have the privilege that earlier genera-tions didn’t. Hebrews the 10th chapter speaks to our freedom: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water”.

Unrestricted Worship Giving us Total Access

One of the most effective ways you can minister to your pastor is to pray for them. As normal, ordinary men and women, pastors are fallible and must consistently pursure the character God requires of them, as well as faithfully completing the many duties attached to their roles.

Knowing that other are praying for them is an encouragement to the heart of a pastor who longs to give their best to God! As you seek to pary for your pastor, consider praying for two areas of their life: their personal needs as well as spiritual needs.

Personal Needs

Effective use of time. There are many tasks to accomplish during your pastor’s workday. Pray that they will use those hours in a way that will allow them to accomplish much.Strong relationship with their spouse and children. Time with family. Often church activities occur in the evenings or on weekends. Ask God to provide other times when your pastor can have qulity time spouses and children. Physical and mental strength. Pastors often work much more than a forty-hour week studying and preparing for speak-ing and counseling, being available to those who need advice or friendship, and attend-ing church meetings and ministry functions. I can be an exhausting life. Opportunities to relax. Ask God to give your pastor time away from the rigors of ministry to do things that they enjoy. Wisdom. We often think ofthis as a spiritual need, at is However, pastors have to make decisions for their own families for which they need guidance from God.

Spiritual Needs

For Christ to live through him (Galatians 2:20)Faithfulness to spend time reading God’s Word every day (Psalm 119:11An intimate knowledge of God (Phillippians 3:10)Fear of God - - respect and awe for Him (Proverbs 1:7)To live according to the Holy Spirits’s direction (Galatians 5:25) and worthy of his call- ing (Ephesians 4:1) as a good solider of Christ (2 Timothy 2:3-4Accuracny as he presents the truths of Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15)Contentment in his presents ministry (Phillippians 4:11-13)

Praying For Our Leaders

God has made Christ our strong tower where the righteous run to it and are safe. All our provisions are in Christ. He has made available forgiveness of sin, mercy and grace, overcoming power; victory in all areas of our lives. We no longer need to stand at the door because we can experience unrestricted worship giving us total access.

Make a list in order of importance. Write down what is important to you and then put your values in order.

Set Goals. Write down your goals. Assign your goals a matu-

rity date. Think about what you want to accomplish financially in three months, a year, and three years.

Calculate your income.Figure out your available income (Gross pay mi-

nus the amount of your take-home, or net pay). Do not include overtime pay, because you should not rely on that as regular income.

Determine your expenses.Where is your money really going? Review your

checkbook register, credit card statements, store re-ceipts, and more.Track your “Fixed expenses,” such as a rent, auto, tithe and student loan payments, are

easy to determine. Identify your “Flexible expenses,” such as food, clothing, and entertainment, which may vary from month to month.Don’t forget about expenses that may be billed that are billed quarterly, semi-annually, or yearly. Find personal finance software programs that offer a bud-geting feature to help you track these expenses (see links below).

Create a budget.A “spending plan,” that provides an outline of

how much money you have, where it needs to go, and how much, if any, is left for savings.

Focus on your “needs” first, and then your “wants”. Remember to align your “wants’ based on what you can afford and beware of credit cards.

Your expenses should be less than or equal to your total income. If your income is not enough to cover your expenses, adjust your budget (and your spend-ing!) by deciding which expenses can be reduced.Enroll for your banks bill payment program or use on-line payments both allow you to set auto-payments.

Pay yourself first!Saving is a very important part of protecting your-

self financially. Save as much as you can every month. Even a small amount can make a big difference if you keep it up.

A great goal is to establish an emergency savings fund large enough to cover three to six months of your liv-ing expenses. After you have an emergency fund, your savings can go toward meeting your goals.

Check back periodically.Be sure to review your budget regularly (weekly,

biweekly, monthly). Does the plan still meet your needs and help you achieve your goals? If not, make some adjustments or create a new budget that better meets your needs.

Your FinancesEffective Budgeting

Hallelujah Jones

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18(KJV)

Your Health

I walked up the stairs one day and realized that I was out of breath. I was a fairly active person after all I worked, ran er-rands, danced and shopped, but for some reason I was still out of shape. I questioned myself as to how I could be so active and yet have no energy. Later, I came to understand why. Simply put I was not taking the time out for myself to become healthy and fit. My fitness journey started by making one decision: stop complaining and start making some healthy choices. As I embarked upon my journey I was grateful to have a few friends who felt the exact same way I did, so we decided to do something about our health together.

We started with baby steps by walking in the park daily as a way to incorporate exercise on our journey to become healthy. We set realistic goals and after we reached those goals we set even bigger goals. Before we knew it we had graduated to the gym. With every ounce lost, and every pound lost, we were very excited because we were making progress. Although my support system meant a great deal to me personally, my motivation and drive was to see change not just in myself, but also in my workout partners.

Before I knew it weeks and months passed and I realized I had been working out for an entire year. It was exciting to lose 20, 30 and then 40 pounds; however I was even more excited at the fact that I set goals and achieved them. I also helped those around me achieve their weight loss goals. I became so passionate about motivating and helping others that I decided to become a certified trainer, something I thought I could never achieve due to some physical challenges that I faced. However, through hard work and self-motivation I perse-vered. My flaws, imperfections and handicaps, those things that tell us what we can or cannot do now seemed like stepping stones for me. Losing weight and deciding to get fit has given me more determination than any-thing else in my life. Helping others do the same is my passion.

The ProcessJust like anything else losing weight is not easy to do, but with determination, consistency and the right support system it is very obtainable. Some people don’t realize that it didn’t take five minutes to become unhealthy and it won’t take five minutes to become healthy. You really have to make lifestyle changes in order to see results. Respect the process and you’ll enjoy the progress. It will no longer feel like a chore, but you will recognize that the things you do on a daily basis is the key to establishing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, no matter what your weight or size. The reality is that no one can do it for you. No one can run, walk, nor breathe for you; you must do it on your own. Begin as I did by making the decision to change. Then move forward by setting realistic goals and do your best to achieve them. After you’ve made progress, reward yourself. Never be too hard on yourself. If you fall off, then get back up again. The key factor is to keep moving forward. With every step you take your confidence level will grow. Most of all have fun! It’s hard work, but it’s also enjoyable. Just knowing that you did it speaks volumes of how strong you really are. I’m living proof that you can do it.

My Fitness JourneyAngie Mitchell

...do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Pastor David L. Wyche, Sr.

Victory in Praise Ministries, C.K.M.I.

Pastor David L. Wyche Sr. is a na-tive of New Jersey and is the pastor and founder of Victory In Praise Ministries, CKMI bet-ter known as “V.I.P” located in Vauxhall, New Jersey. His purpose is to go into every man’s world en-couraging, teaching and challenging the hearts and minds of individuals with the empowering message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Wyche is known and respected for his loyalty and commitment to excellence. He successfully served in numerous ministry capacities specializing in gen-eral service, episcopal and church protocol and general administration. His commitment to serving God and the people of God allowed him to embrace the leadership role of Pastor.

Pastor Wyche believes in a call to holy-spirit filled living and social re-newal. His five-fold mission is to Evangelize, Encourage, Empower, Equip and Expand through loving, liberating and pushing all mankind to the next dimension of God’s purpose for our lives. He strives to be transparent, reaching people on every level and always maintaining a connection and awareness to the pulse of the community and abroad. People and soul saving is the number one priority of his ministry as he believes that in the Kingdom of God and the church everyone is a VIP.

Wyche attended and completed tours of study at several bible colleges including Somerset Christian College, Pneuma Bible College, Eastern Bi-ble Institute and United Christian Bible College. Knowing that he had a greater call on his life, Wyche accepted the call and was ordained and installed as pastor and founder of VIP Ministries, Inc. on September 12, 2014. Seeing a need for change and after much prayer and a major inward battle, Pastor “D” (as Wyche is affectionately known) listened to the voice of God and transitioned his church to Covenant Kingdom Ministries Interna-

tional (CKMI) under the awesome leadership of His Grace, Bishop Charles E. Harris, Jr.

Pastor Wyche is married to First Lady Keisha N. Wyche and they are they are proud parents building and leading a legacy for their eight children: David Jr., Dillion, Devin, Daysha, Dmitri, Dominic, Darius and Daniel.

Pastor Jerry Williams

The Living Word Family Worship Center, C.K.M.I

Pastor Jerry C. Williams, Sr. was born in Newark, N.J. Son of the late great Elder George Williams and Evangelist Jean Williams. Married to Lady Jenise Williams and a proud father of four.

Prophet Williams developed the love of music from his father. His father was an accomplished musician playing and singing all over the tri-state area. Adoring his father and his ability Prophet Williams began to teach him-self to play at the age of seven. Prophet Williams attended The Church of the Living God Pillar and Ground of Truth under the leadership of Proph-etess Josephine Hart where he obtained substantial knowledge of God’s word. While serving at his church, it was evident at an early age that he would be a gifted, anointed, teacher, musician, preacher, and prophet.

April 1996, Prophet Williams received his call to the gospel ministry giving his first sermon at Grace Temple Baptist Church. Studying and seeking the face of God and watching God mature him and his anointing; Prophet Wil-liams was appointed Youth Pastor at his home church. Pastor/Prophet Wil-liams currently serves as Pastor and Senior Servant of The Living Word Family Worship Center. I had the opportunity to speak with Pastor Williams regarding his call to align with Convenant Kingdom Ministries International.

“You can feel the love and the belonging when you walk through the doors.” Pastor Williams conveyed that the ministry characteristic equate to “unity, excellence and order.” I started at a church where my dream became BIG-GER than the dream of the leaders.” His esteem for Bishop Harris is af-firmed by his description of how and where he envisions himself in a few years. “Bishop Harris is a man of integrity and loyalty, father, mentor, guide and investor.” Pastor Williams shared that he has alway had respect for Bish-op Harris says, ‘’He never pressured me into becoming a part of CKMI. Bish-op allows you to pastor your church, he doesn’t boguard you.” Before com-ing to alignment CKMI Pastor Williams fasted and prayed for 90 days. During that time the Lord spoke to him saying “move now”. As far as the transition to CKMI he replies “fits like a hand in a glove.” As we conclude our interview, Pas-tor Williams shares that CKMI where he can become a better leader and pastor,

Blessings and favor abound, since becoming a part of CKMI Pastor Williams has obtained a new church building.

Music has pretty much been a part of my life, all of my life. I was born

into a family of singers. My mom always told me how she sang in the church choir, led songs, and sang solos all while pregnant with me until her ninth month. Although my siblings can also sing, I’m the only one that allowed singing to become the epitome of who I am.

When I was younger I lived vicari-ously through music (I think we all did) because it allowed me to become anyone and just about any-thing I wanted; it was my escape. As I reflect on my high school years if I woke up in the morning feeling like a hard core rapper, I would listen to Queen Latifah, Lil’ Kim, or Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez of the group TLC. If I woke up in diva mode I would listen to Destiny’s Child. These were the years in my life where everyone wanted to be

Beyoncé, Janet Jackson or the great Whitney Houston. Not only did I listen to these particular artists, but my wardrobe patterned theirs and as did my actions as I temporarily took on their persona.

Now that I’m older, saved, sancti-fied and filled with the Holy Spirit, the majority of music I listen to is Gospel. I’m a musical person that loves all types of music. I find that listening to different artists, styles and genre’s helps to enhance my creativity and singing style. As a choir directress I’m always listening to all types of music allowing me to assist the Holy Spirit in creating the atmosphere in our weekly worship services. Sometimes the atmo-sphere calls for praise, many times its worship and every now and then we can get a little “jiggy with it” and minister the type of music our youth enjoy.

The music you listen to can do whatever you desire it to do. Just as the saying goes, “You are what you eat”, so it is with music; “You are what you listen to”. So as Christians we must guard our ear gate and spirits because what goes in is what you become.

Tiffany’s Daily Five

Faith To Believe Sherri Jones-Moffett The scripture that comes to mind when I listen to this song is Luke 17:6. We as Believers can do anything, have anything, and be anything, in the will of God, if we have the faith to believe that it is so. It is impossible to even please God without faith. Faith is my daily antidote and due to the life God has given me, I MUST LIVE BY FAITH!!!!

PRAISE LISTTiffany Rasbury’s

Bethel Church of Love and PraiseChoir Directress

Music

1 On 1 Zacardi Cortez All the lyrics in this song literally echoes my heart!!! It coincides with one of my favorite scriptures, Psalms 42. I need my one on one time with God on a daily basis. Listen to this song and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. A bonus is also the fact Zacardi is a vocal beast in my eyes and I can listen to him all day!!!

The Victor JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise  This song gets me too SOUPED when I hear it. One part says, “In every battle, in every war, You are the Victor”!!!!! Our God has NEV-ER LOST A BATTLE OR CASE and that chant, “You reign, You reign in victory, I am so glad, that You’ll fight for me”. My God, my God. A praise goes right there!!! With all the test in trials that come my way DAILY, this song encour-

ages me to no end!!! In the natural we’re always thinking of a plan but the reality of it is, God’s got IT and the end is VICTORY!!!! We just have to learn to REST in that. This is also one of my favorite songs be-cause the lead singer is none other than a chunk of my heart, Lady Melissa C. Bethea. And btw: You can read any story in the Word and see how God always triumphs over the enemy.

You Alone Arkansas Mass Choir Psalms 29. This song just sends me into a worship frenzy. EVERY-TIME I listen to it the tears began to fall and I just want to worship God because there is NOBODY like Him!!!! He is my everything. I can’t listen to it too long because I’d never come up for air. It’s sound is just so authentic and pure to me. No one deserves all the glory and honor but God ALONE

Amazing Ricky Dillard & New G Another song you can read throughout the Bible and see how amazing God is, can’t just pick one. For me, God is just this, Amazing!!! I go through so much on a daily basis and God just never cease to amaze me at how He carries me and gives me the peace that sur-passes all understanding. I, myself don’t know how I do it, but God. This is another song that has me in tears thinking of how amazing He’s been in my life. And it doesn’t hurt that the lead singer is ministering the stew out of this song (smile). The only way you can minister a song the way she does, is from hav-ing a relationship with God. If you haven’t heard it, do listen and it will bless your life.

The music you listen to can do whatever you desire it to do.

Memorial Day typically marks the unofficial start to the summer the season though the calendar reminds us that the summer

solstice does not officially begin until June 22nd. This is the day with the most hours of sunlight light during the entire year. Memorial Day is when most public and private pools open and when beach goers and sea-side communities collide in a mass beaching effort that only seals themselves could duplicate.

As I think about the beach and summertime activities, I am thankful that my parents invested their time and money to teach me how to swim. As a parent myself, I can’t say I have been as diligent in teaching my chil-dren the mechanics swimming. I am at times tickled and terrified when I watch their clumsy bodies lunge in and out of the water never moving beyond the shallow waters (and rightfully so). I’m later reminded of this and how it correlates to our spiritual walk when I came across Jennifer Jernigan’s book “Dive Deeper: finding deep faith beyond shallow religion”. Jernigan calls wading in the swallows “puddle living” she says that in this case individuals are “standing in the shal-lows, but longing for the deep.”

As I read further, I must honestly admit there are times when I have been puddle living in my Christian walk. Wanting and longing for a deeper relationship with Jesus, but being unable to grasp the concept of ‘Bible Study’. Ok, maybe this is just be a new convert experience; a phenomenon that the un-churched ex-perience when they are told to ‘Study to show yourself approved’ which they quickly abandon when they presented with all 66 books of the Bible.

As I read Jernigan’s recount of an encounter with a fellow Christian’s puddle period, I began to think about the first time my swim instructor said, “Jones, It’s your turn on the diving board.” Filled with fear as I climbed the ladder of the diving board, see I have an extreme fear of heights but I had to take that leap in order to pass the course. And so it is with my Christian walk, I must take that leap in order to pass the course. Which is a closer and more meaningful relationship with Christ?

If I could be honest, I am overcome with the same feeling when I think about reading the entire Bible. Now wait, I know and believe that the Bible is the true and living word of God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God” (John 1:1) and “so then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17) are welling up in my spirit right now. Lord, help the saints understand that beyond the key scriptures, at least for me, to sit and read the epic adventures of God’s people has been a tragic disap-pointment. I have resorted to getting my daily dose of scripture by way devotional reading, which is one way but I want the more of God! I want (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and intimate relationship the Word of God on that comes to teach, rebuke, correct, instruction and train. Jernigan explains, puddle life is the result of an exter-nal perception and identifies reasons why individuals are a little reluctant to climb on the scripture’s diving board: Satisfied – “you are settled in your “church world”;

Afraid – “you fear the Bible and question whether or not I can work for you”; and/or

Diveeeper

Hallelujah Jones

Numb – “you are numb to things of God.”

Learning How to D.I.V.EFor me, every attempt to ‘Dive Deeper’ ended in gut wrenching belly flop. I too want to know God fully and not just about him; I wanted to feel his life-changing power and I need more than a regurgi-tated message – I need to know and understand his Word for myself. Just like diving takes a little prepa-ration, so it is when we decided to dive deeper in the Word of God.

Diving deeper includes:

Quite space to read and reflect on the Word of GodBible (which goes without saying but…)Other Tools: Notebook or computer.

As when we learn to dive physical, form is important for successful entry in the water, the same can be said of your spiritual dive. Jernigan gently guides the reader through the six chapters of Ephesians; here she encourages the reader to use the d.i.v.e. format. Promising that practice will only improve the tech-nique, here is the form for a successful d.i.v.e.:

Define

Investigate

Visualize

Embrace

As you read through the text…WRITE DOWN WORDS. Capture any words that are repeated and long, looking for unfamiliar words and phrases. Use a dictionary and/or concordance to further magnify the original meaning of the word.

As you investigate the verses….ask questions Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?TO GAIN UNDERSTANDING REGARDING THE SCRIPTURES CONTEXT. USE CROSS-REFERENCES and/or USE COMMENTARIES

As you read through the Scripture…CREATE A MENTAL PICTURE OF THE CONTENT. MAKE AN OUTLINE OR PARAPHRASED SUMMARY OF THE CONTEXT.

As you read and investigate the Scripture…EMBRACE LEARNING.

How has your way of thinking about life, others and God been chal-lenged?EMBRACE THE WORDS OF WISDOM (WOW)Write, draw, paint or create a Word of Wisdom visual as a reminder to embrace God’s challenge and truth.

D . I . V. E .

The invasion continues. The last we talked, we discussed the pervasiveness of technology into every aspect of our lives. We also discussed why it is important for parents to become more than just computer literate. It is imperative that parents become technology literate. Technology has spread way beyond the desktop

computer. For example, Friedrich’s has an air conditioner, the model that’s installed in windows of a home, which can be turned on by you via a smartphone. This is useful when leaving work on a New York City hazy, hot, and humid day! All it requires is to have an app installed on your smartphone. A what!? If that is your question, then you are on the verge of becoming ostracized.

If you are riding this tsunami of technological advances, then you most certainly have been apprehended. Appre-hended. According to Dictionary.com, the primary definition of apprehend is, to take into custody. It appears our worldwide technological society has been apprehended by apps! By perusing Apple’s App Store, and its 1.2 million apps, you will see that we have been app-rehended. We have been taken into the custody of the App Store or Google Play, with no hope or desire to be released.

An app, short for application, is a relatively small pro-gram downloaded and installed on a device, usually a smartphone or tablet. An app can be designed to do anything its producer desires. Apps connect to your banking accounts, manage your stock portfolio, turn on or off lighting or air comfort at home, even while you are thousands of miles away. There’s an app that al-lows you to talk to your pets during the day. There’s an app that will tell you how many apps you have! Apple was correct when they informed the world, “There’s an app for that!”

I remember in 1990, when I was 18, getting my driver’s permit, I stood on one very, very long line for 4 hours! This was to take a 30 minute written test that took me 15 minutes to complete. Time dragged on. I did not have a newspaper, nor a book to read, which relegated me to watch every second painstakingly pass. My only form of entertainment was the mean lady behind the counter, who enjoyed being able to send people away because of missing or incorrect paperwork. I digress. Today, these apps on phones and tablets can keep us oc-cupied and mentally removed or distracted from such waiting. All it requires is an app that is either addic-

App-rehended!J. R. Bailey

Tech-Bytes

tive or time consuming, or both! Just think of how much more productive that time would have been for me had I been able to use a smartphone or tablet, loaded with apps. For example, while listening to music on a newly created playlist, I could have typed up a journal entry, surfed the internet, researched various colleges and universities, tak-en a picture of the mean lady, edited it by exaggerating her head or lips, posted it to Instagram, recorded a video of her, uploaded it to Youtube, created a blog to share my thoughts to whomever would listen, posted the link to my Facebook page, share my comments about waiting so long, read re-plies of those teasing me or consoling me, create a song by tapping out a tune on a piano, add a bass line and a drum track, publish it, have it copyright protected, uploaded to Twitter, encouraging my followers to retweet it, hoping that it would fall into the account of some celebrity, that would ignite my fifteen minutes of fame! All of this and more us-ing one handheld device containing apps! There are cor-porate executives moving millions of dollars with an app. There is a single mother watching the sitter care for her kids via a nanny cam. There is a military parent in Afghanistan making plans with their spouse through an app! Chances are you may be reading this article through an app. What are YOU doing with an app?

s your response, “When did cell phones become smart phones?” If so, you my friend, need to get caught up. I can remember what life was like prior to smartphones, apps, or the Internet. However, I cannot see managing life without them now. These items have become essential to our everyday lives. It is amazing how we plan what clothes to wear based on the predictions of the weather app. We plan our alternate route to work based on the alerts from the transit app. We determine what will be the today’s discussion with our coworkers based on the news app. We determine if we are eating out or brown bagging it to work based on our banking app. The item we saw on TV via the home shopping channel can be ordered through an app. During lunch we can receive today’s Bible devotion by app. And when your supervisor, manager, and director choose today to be satan’s tag team partner against you, you can find solace in prayers, located in an app!

Apps have taken over our lives. We let them in and they are not leaving. You can fight and resist this tidal wave, to no avail. Or you can get your surfboard and ride along. Today’s technology can be daunting, especially to the alumni of The Old School. And yes, as with anything, you should have concerns about privacy and security. But do not be immobilized by today’s advances. They are certain to be obsolete by tomorrow, give or take. Instead, use what is now available to make life more productive and manageable. If you are still cornered by your fears, you won’t be for long. The multitudes of us are waiting by the sidelines, watching you play dodgeball with today’s technology. While winning the game my friend, you are losing ground. It is only a matter of time. While waiting I think I’ll download the app for that…Danger! Dodgeball