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    If you don’t know how to start your low-tech ministry in your town here are some things that can get you started:

1. Be a friend. My favorite Carole King song, picked up by James Taylor, is “You’ve Got a Friend.” How does it go?”Ain’t it good to know, that you’ve got a friend, 'cause people can be so cold...[people will] take your life if you let them. Ah, but don’t let them...You just call out my name...” Friends are there when we need them. Christian friends are there for us and may save our lives. Friends are rainy day people, no sunshine required.

2. Speak a good word. Praise someone. Encouragement is a life saver. How many times a day are we put down, or worse yet, ignored? Praise is such a simple thing. All you have to do is follow someone around and catch them doing something good and then tell them what you saw. I mean, talk about low tech. That’s on the bottom of the scale. Granted, there are some folks you’ll have to watch for awhile. But everyone deserves and needs the gift of encouragement. Apply liberally.

3. Hug someone. I drive by a touchless car wash and think maybe that’s what our society is becoming. Welive in a sexually charged time when almost any touch at school or work can be called “sexual harassment” or “molestation.” The New Testament talks about “the holy kiss.” Christian women are already pretty good at this holy hugging stuff already. Christian men need to loosen up. Everybody — young, old, married or single, male or female needs non-erotic hugs and touches.

   Everyone deserves and needs the gift of encouragement. Apply liberally.

4. Tell the Good News of Jesus to a friend. Friends don’t let friends underestimate the power of God’s love and the cross of Christ. You don’t have to go to a religious cemetery...uh, seminary to get someone started on their life in Christ. Just study The Gospel of Luke, to see what Jesus did. Then read and study Acts to find out what people did when they heard the Good News.

5. Write someone a note. Send a card. High tech has done us a big favor. PC’s and the Net have made staying in touch very easy. Friends can be just a mouse click away. It’s great for someone to drop you a line — you can reply immediately. And yet . . . and yet . . . the Net has made it more exciting to get a snail mail note. When I get snail mail now I think, “This person thought enough to go down to Hallmark, rummage through the cards, buy a stamp, sit down and write my address on it and mail it and enclose a handwritten note. (Don’t send cards that play a little tune — we’re talking low-tech here.)

6. Listen to someone. As a religious counselor, I ask, “What seems to be your problem?” They start talking and I start listening. I listen for 50 minutes and talk for maybe 10 minutes. Many, with problems that aren’t too complex, leave my office telling me how wonderful and wise I am and how much better they feel. I don’t tell them I really only listened. You can do the same. Just shut up and let others tell their story. Give them your full attention.

7. Thank someone. A lot of people in our world seem to take their blessings for granted. One server in an Austin restaurant said, “Oh, I hate to work on Sunday and see groups of Christians come in for lunch.. Some of them can be really surly. And they hardly ever leave a tip.” I know she’s talking about a very small percentage of Christians. But her remark embarrassed and shamed me. Want to go low-tech? Smile and thank everyone who serves you in any way. And if you can afford it, leave a pretty good tip.

    What a time to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We have a great mission in the world of high-techdom. Our mission is to love, praise, thank, listen, hug encourage and befriend. Oh, yes — don’t forget to share the Gospel. It’s only through Christ’s cross that our soul’s are reformatted and our sins are uninstalled and we... uh, I mean It’s only through the Cross that our sins are forgiven. So, onward, low-techies!