Firmware Updates
Have you ever felt like everything you do takes you one step forward, but then something outside your control takes you two steps back? That’s been my tech life for the past couple weeks. For almost a year we have had a key piece of equipment on backorder (It’s called a Dante card. It allows our sound board in the sanctuary to send all of the signals to our sound board in our live streaming room). The same day I found out they cancelled our order, I ran into a guy who just happened to have received two more than he needed for his church and we got it at a discounted price.
I went to install it yesterday, and it fit perfectly. I turned on the sound board and nothing happened. More specifically, the sound board didn’t recognize that the card was installed. The problem was one number was different. We used to have the v2 model. This new card, and the reason there was a year where no one could get their hands on one, is a v3. New and improved, but not compatible without a firmware update. So I updated the firmware of the sound board, not a big deal. But then the computer software that you need to properly install the card needed to be updated as well. Again, not a big deal. But before it would launch after the update, it wanted me to update the operating system of the computer and that’s where I hit the brick wall. It’s an old computer and can’t update it’s operating systems. In other words, there is nothing I can do to make this work with this set up. And it took me two hours into what I thought would be a five minute install to figure that out.
Bonhoeffer said in The Cost of Discipleship that “In the gospels the very first step a man must take is an act which radically affects his whole existence.” When we see the disciples leave their boat to follow Jesus, we might give it a cursory thought about it meant leaving their job. But if you spend any amount of time thinking about all the repercussions and ripple effects that would have meant for their lives, you will realize that their whole existence was affected.
Jesus still calls us to take steps towards following him. And just like 2000 years ago, in order to follow him we have to radically change our existence. It’s like the trail of firmware updates, when you change one thing you suddenly realize that it no longer fits in the current ecosystem. But what ends up happening is that everything tends to get better. When Peter gave up commercial fishing, he went from an ordinary life to following the son of God. He went from having to pull fish out of the water to having fish and loaves multiply and appear in his very hands. He didn’t have silver or gold, but in the name of Jesus he could command the lame to walk. He rose Tabitha from the dead, prison walls couldn’t contain him. Of course, when he took his first step towards following Jesus, he knew known of that. I don’t know what your next step will be. It could be getting more involved in a small group, it could be giving money, investing time and volunteering, praying more, or any of a dozen other things. But what I do know is that when you take. A step towards following Jesus, you will be different, and there is nothing better than that.
By the way, the tech thing is going to work out. The whole process exposed some areas we weren’t being as efficient as we could be, and the final system is going to be so much better than it would have been and we solved some other problems along the way.