A Bridge Too Far?

Rama VIII Bridge, originally uploaded by ~izz~.

Today is Bridge Day--Wednesday! Hang in there, your work week is half over! You're going to make it!

Today's bridge pic is from Bangkok, Thailand. It's the Rama VIII bridge over the Chao Phraya River in the center of the city. Bangkok is covered with waterways and has been called the Venice of Asia. A dear friend of mine traveled to Bangkok this week and will be in this amazing mega-city for the next ten days or so.

Believe it or not, the world is getting a lot smaller. My friend was able to leave his home in central Virginia and be on the other side of the world in Bangkok in less than 24 hours! Wow! What a world we live in. Just a century ago, it might have taken months instead of hours to get to Thailand.

My friend's time in Bangkok has reminded me of an important reality of our present day. You and I are living in what I'm calling the "Global Generation." We live in a day and time when we (like no generation before us) can connect globally to our world like never before. I also believe you and I can make a global impact for the Gospel like never before.

There are five important reasons why you and I are apart of this global generation:

1. English is the language of international business and people of most nations want to learn it. We can communicate easier than ever before.

2. The American Dollar is still the envy of the entire world. Even though it has slipped in value in recent days, don't kid yourself. The Dollar is still the "gold" standard for most of the world.

3. Transportation is better than ever before. My friend took a direct flight on Thai Air that left JFK airport and landed in Bangkok seventeen hours later. You read it correctly. A seventeen-hour direct flight. We're living in a day of almost miraculous air travel making it possible for us to go almost anywhere--faster than ever.

4. Despite the threat of international terrorism, the world (globally speaking) is at Peace. With the exception of some neighborhoods in Baghdad, the Gaza strip, the mountains of Afghanistan, and the Congo...the world is a relatively safe place. We can go almost anywhere.

5. Technology is making many things possible for us today that our parents and grandparents could never have imagined. Cell phones, GPS, laptops, the Internet, and digital gadgets have transformed the way with think, live, communicate, and work. Very little has stayed the same in this age of unprecedented technological transformation. It's a great time to be alive. It's a great time to connect.

For all these reasons and many more, you and I can build bridges to virtually all parts of the world. We can have a global perspective like no generation before us.

It's a great time to follow Christ, and it's a great time to build bridges...across the street, down the block, across town, and on the other side of the world!

Live the Red,

Mark