First Baptist Church of Herndon

The Magic App

Linda Soller | Sep 16, 2024

Merlin is a wonderfully interesting App and it’s free. It identifies birds by their sounds. Open the App and hit one button to record the sounds you are hearing. Any bird sounds will hopefully be identified. The goal is to make us bird watchers become bird identifiers and ultimately bird protectors. There are many baby steps between watching and protecting. Merlin is not the cure but it shortens the path.

Some of us act like claiming to be a Christian is an App. If you say out loud that you believe in God, then surely you have the App, and the rest takes care of itself. Unfortunately for those who believe this, I have to let you in on the truth. It doesn’t work that way. The App (application) of faith takes practice and time. The Bible is close to an App for Christianity except that it requires you read it, study it, think about it, and pray about it. You don’t just open the Bible and have it magically “shout out” what to do in whatever situation you find yourself. Even Christian leaders make mistakes. They are human. The Bible will not ensure you avoid all perils and reach your destination just as you desire. But the Bible, as a GPS, can point you in the right direction, over and over again. God is amazing at recalculating new paths when you make wrong turns.

One of the first things I learned when using my Merlin App was, that for it to work, I had to have my phone with me, have the App open, and press the button. Often the unfamiliar bird call stops before I can press the magic button. This left me with a decision that only I could make. Do I always have my phone on me and open to the App so all I need to do is press the button?  The answer is no that’s not practical. As a Christian can I pretend I am always in the right? Again, the answer is no, because the application of faith is called living life as best as you can and relying on God to point you back in the right direction.

Be kind, be brave, have faith!  : )   Linda