don, who is the senior advisor for pastor osteen, sent me this email this morning:
Anne: What a pleasure it was to read the kind words you posted on your blog. Joel does not use email or surf the net (he?s a bit old fashioned in that respect), but I will print and give your comments to him. He is the sweetest man you?ll ever meet, and I know he will greatly appreciate your words. I also know that he and Victoria would enjoy meeting you and hopefully one day that will happen. God bless. –Don
okay. joel osteen doesn’t use email? that is just amazing.
i replied to don, asking if it was okay to share our conversation with you (considering my previous post) and he said:
Anne: You?ll love this? He only began to use text messaging a few months ago. I think it?s because his kids started sending him text messages and he had to adapt. Now he thinks texting is the coolest thing. Anyway, feel free to blog about it if you wish. Blessings –Don
now that is just too sweet…i don’t care who you are!
so…all this, plus your comments, put the nail in the coffin.
I DID IT!!!!! i no longer have email or internet on my phone. it’s done. that’s it. finito!
please pray for my withdrawals!
maybe it’s time for you to leap, too?
Comments
41 responses to “response to joel osteen apology & i made a decision about my phone”
I had also been planning to cut the chord after work today.
It is funny what you think you “need” and get anxious about thinking going without.
Will be praying for the transition.
I can’t imagine how someone like Joel can not use email! I guess it would free up tons of time for more productive things. We can probably all stand to cut a few more ties to technology these days.
Anne, that is how I roll. Keep it real simple.
i’ll have to say, i am impressed by his discipline :)
good for you with the “downsizing”!
That’s greatness that you got a reply.
I find your phone-ditching encouragement quite discouraging since I plan on getting an iPhone next month. :-(
I’ll pretend I didn’t read that part…
after talking with Lynse last night about this and reading your post this morning i started to think about my :crack:berry problem……
i am not near as connected as some but i could not sit through a bible study without checking it…over and over and over….
so i took the plung today too….
it was so easy to point and click my way through the website tot turn everything off……
i even turned my phone on silent today too……
it has been glorious!!!
Not sure which sounds more difficult, withdrawing from a drug/substance addiction or cutting off internet from the phone – whew! We’ll pray that you’ll get through. We just made the decision to turn our internet back on @ home – we couldn’t take it anymore, we felt so disconnected from the world!
And I CAN believe that Joel doesn’t use email. A pastor friend of mine here in SOCAL, just got a CELL PHONE a couple years ago!
Wait…you can get email on your phone? Does it travel through the curly cord, or what?
YAY for you! And how awesome to get a response from Joel Osteen’s camp!
too funny.
are you really canceling email on your phone?
I’m so proud of you! I don’t even have a cell phone right now. Most people (even in Colombia) do, but I find that it’s SO liberating not to be a slave to my phone. Good for you and God bless Joel and Don!
Anne Jackson– changin’ the world!
Todd – nice one!
Pre-paid wireless keeps our life simple. $0.18/min keeps us off the phone and annoys our friends with our auctioneer-like conversations.
That’s great about your phone decision! I only use my phone to call and text and I honestly don’t really understand why it would be handy to read email through your phone?
I check my email twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. I don’t want to be available all the time!
Krysta – did, done!
I have heard that Joel is very genuine. I have also heard from other people that he is very old fashioned as far as technology goes and that he spends the majority of his day studying for his sermons.
I just got a new fancy phone and now don’t use half of it, my next phone will have less on it.
Good luck with the cell withdrawals, there are ‘clinics’ that you can go to for help from technology withdrawals, yep they exist.
I’ve always had a simple phone, but I relate in another way… six months ago, when I took a vacation to see one of my “old tribe” get married, I simply forgot to bring my digital camera.
I didn’t miss it one bit – it was actually freeing to not have to stop and take pictures. I enjoyed being around my old friends so, so much, without worrying about documenting the trip and blogging about it.
I don’t think I’ve used my camera since.
Before the vacation, I had been trying to ramp up my “want” for a shiny new camera to a “need” so I could justify getting it; I’m so glad I never did!
I realize several readers here are photographers, so I’m not advocating that everybody do this… I mean, I’d probably punch someone if they tried to tell me how freeing it would be for me to give up my bass guitars.
No way.
There would be absolutely nothing healthy in that for me at all.
Unless sucking my thumb while laying nude in a corner in a fetal position is considered healthy.
Los
Don’t do it! Reconsider so you can be trapped like the rest of us in this tangled www!
PS, i always liked Joel even though i never bought his books.
haha.. wow, even my dad has been texting for at least a year now, and he has more reason to be that non-tech-y than anyone!
I prefer to see the benefits of technology to keep in touch with people who are important to me but don’t live nearby (too many people in my world fall into that category) but it’s still quite expensive here to check email and internet on phone so I don’t do it much luckily.
I’m sure Joel can get away with not emailing as he probably has tons of people to take care of those details for him. I’ve been off work sick and have come back to over 300 emails so I have to admit it would be tempting to make a rule to not email too!
I did without data on my Blackberry for six months or more. I think that helped me cut the compulsive habit. Now I’ve got a Palm, with the data plan, and I can sense it coming back. I leave it in the car on purpose when I get home from work so I can focus on Ryan, and I leave it in the car when I’m at school so I’m not compulsively checking it. So I feel like I’ve found a good balance for me. But man, it was hard to kick that first time. It’s like a smokers oral habit, accept with my fingers.
Joel is having quite a bit of influence on you. I’ll try and find out what channel he is on in Nash Vegas for you so you won’t go through Pastor Smiley and email withdrawls all in the same month.
This story is why you are one of my fave bloggers. You know how to use the medium and are cool. My hero. Besides that, though, you wanna make a difference and are and example in that regard, too!
@Los not a visual we needed…..Wouldn’t it just be easier to call some one a let them know what is on your mind than it would be to text them….I hate texting.
wow – I’m impressed. I was freaking out today because I couldn’t get my phone and computer to sync.
I just bit the bullet too, sometimes it’s boring and scary but you can do it. Just look at it as a way to spend more time with Jesus. Kind of like fasting the addiction that our phones bring us…
YAY for you, good luck!
congratulations Anne – Los, I am like dying at your comment, very funny and true. I know you would have a nervous breakdown. I actually turned email off on my phone about 7 months ago and Im alive. Welcome to the club Anne!
Having said that I do have to admit that I have lots of time to check my email from my laptop, the real test will be when i am in Africa with no laptop of phone, then I may be the one in fetal position sucking my thumb….
Anne…I am so proud of you. Kudos you to you for “making the cut.” Honestly…all of this “constant cyber interaction” – I believe – is getting out of hand. It seems we are turning into people who constantly have to be interacting. When do we “still our minds and hearts”? I can’t help but wonder if the time we spend doing things like “twittering, etc.” should be used communing with our God…rather than constantly trying to commune with others. Just something I’ve been pondering lately. It seems our need to connect with others is so prominent lately…something to think about.
thats awesome they contacted you!
and… i may be awesome, but not as awesome as you ;-)
Anne,
I think God is preparing you for a new kind of media for your book events. I’m sure we’ll see you on TV, having someone present your new book. I’m so glad you heard from Joel’s Senior Advisor.
I’m LOL at Los’ comment!
Very cool response to your letter. It’s not Pastor Joel that bothers me, it’s the giant gold statues behind him.
Kate W. — great idea aout lteaving your phone in the car when you get home. I’m going to do that too!
WOW! And here I am thinking of getting the things that you’ve just eradicated from your phone…I’ve NEVER had internet or email. What kind of phone do you have? What service? What plan? Sorry for all the questions. :)
Joels theology is so off, that sometimes I wonder if he’s really saved. Just go to youtube and watch some of the things he’s said. Wealth and Health gospel to the max. And no scripture! Scary.
But your humility is inspiring.
Um… I am definitely a crackberry addict. Not letting go. It keeps my real inbox so much more tidy.
Several months ago I got rid of email/internet on my cell. And just a few weeks ago I ditched text messaging as well. I really felt like it was taking away from my relationships with people. I was using it way more than actually talking to people. I am now challenged to pick up the phone and have a real conversation with people. I love it.
iman – I had a blackberry pearl with AT&T and the Blackberry Enterprise plan for data.
Los, thanks for the visual.
There is some study “out there” that says multi-tasking does not necessarily create greater productivity. Its a distraction because you never fully engage with any one task. Anne, you may have even posted about it. I’m all for not being reachable 24/7 or even connected 24/7. Turn off the stimuli, slow down your brain. Create a thought process. We’ll all get over it. And you will eventually train your contacters how to best get a hold of you so they can organize their time accordingly. If you have such and such a day off, then they need to get stuff to you before that day or they will need to pick up the slack. Go for it.
you won’t regret it! ;)
thanks for visiting my site yesterday – enjoyed your comment. blessings