Keeping in touch

I've been working away all week at a conference centre in Dorset, in the south-west of England. It was cold, the food was poor, and things were quite disorganised, but strangely it was a good week... we had some great people on the courses I was leading. One of the most difficult things for me was not being able to get on the Internet for longer than a few minutes here and there. I have become so used to being in touch through email when I am away that it is strangely disconcerting not to have such contact. I'm also used to updating my Facebook fairly regularly, and to seeing what friends are up to, so not to be able to do that for the best part of a week left me feeling out of touch, as if life was passing me by. Strange that. It shows how my life has been influenced by these new forms of communication. Of course I can survive without the Internet, and I don't need Facebook to enjoy relationships, but it has made me think about my regular contact with God. Wherever I am, and whatever I am doing, I can always speak with Him, and He with me. That's the kind of relationship I value and treasure, and I want to make sure I stay in touch with Him - that I 'abide in Him' (John 15).