There's an app for that

I did it.

I finally caved and bought my first ever iPod about two months ago, calling it a combined birthday and anniversary gift (if you think it a strange anniversary gift, my husband got plants and a leaf blower from me—we're focusing on the practical this year). And I'm hooked. Apple has quite possibly garnered another loyal fan, though I've yet to get a MacBook and seal the deal.

In fact, after a hiatus from the real world into the dusty libraries of graduate school, I've spent the past two years recovering from my techno-starved condition. I joined Facebook in 2007, ashamedly at the constant prodding of my 50-something mother, who joined long before I ever knew that “writing on a wall” could mean anything other than graffiti. I also got my first laptop computer—granted, it's a work laptop, but it beats my 5-year-old desktop hands down. And more recently, I started texting on my cell phone and talking hands-free with a new Bluetooth headset. Don't get me wrong. I've always been a techno-geek at heart, but just hadn't had the money or the time before to enjoy all that the cyberworld has to offer.

My recently-purchased iPod Touch is definitely the crown jewel of all the technological advances I've made these past few years. I still remember the feeling as I walked away from our nearest Best Buy, shiny new iPod in hand. It was like I had received the keys to a whole new world of cyber-connectivity, luxury and freedom. During the honeymoon phase with my iPod, I rarely set the thing down. I quickly filled up my calendar, set up my email, synced my contacts and address book with my computer, and began adding applications (starting with Facebook, of course). I confess, I became so wrapped up in the organizational and networking features that I nearly forgot to download my music. So intense was my iPod obsession that I would sit up in bed surfing the internet and checking Facebook long after my husband fell asleep, all by the dim bluish light of its 3.5-inch screen.

Back up a few weeks—for this article series, I knew I wanted to write about today's culture, specifically the challenges of living in it as a young adult Christian. My first task was to discover our generation's perception of that culture. In a rather unscientific but informative survey of 20- and 30-somethings conducted via Facebook and email, I asked the question, “What three words would you use to describe the culture in which we live today?” The number one response was self-centered, followed by fast-paced, changing, materialistic, and technological. Although largely pessimistic, the top survey responses could have easily described my whole iPod experience to date, which revolved around the questions, “What do I need?” and “How do I get it right now?” Apple's newest slogan says it all: “There's an app for that.”

And then it struck me. We are living in an iCulture. I want it. I need it. Now. Even the things we do for others sometimes arise from a desire to feel good about ourselves. All this focus on self-gratification isn't surprising, nor is it anything new. In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul writes, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires” (8:5a). So if the sinful nature in all of us seeks to please itself, how can we change our iCulture for the better? Paul continues, “but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” We cannot simply change our iCulture to a weCulture without first becoming a GodCulture. Thankfully, God in his grace rescued us from our sinful nature through Jesus' death and resurrection and gave us the gift of his Spirit. And so we ask, what does God's Spirit want? How can we respond to the Spirit's desires within us right now?