I have just returned from a women’s club meeting where the speaker was a representative of the Sheriff’s office and the topic was avoiding scams, all kinds of scams. Corporal Remington did an admirable job of educating us on how to avoid those annoying and dangerous calls. His simple, straight forward message was: hangup and verify.  

We live in a very different world than just 10 years ago. Sometimes, we wonder if technology has made our lives easier. It seems like we need to know so much more to remain safe and secure.  This topic got me thinking about communication and how it has changed in my life.  

I realized that I have become indebted to Caller ID. However, I can remember when this feature was first advertised. Back then, you had to pay an extra charge for the service. I thought that it was silly to pay to find out who was calling, when all you had to do was answer the call. 

Of course, that was back in the day when phone calls were anticipated, exciting, wanted. That was before the time of robocalls, telephone solicitations for every cause under the sun and nasty scams. Now, I cannot live without Caller ID. I would go crazy with the unknown callers, out of area callers and not provided callers. Those calls don’t get answered in our house. 

 With the glorious celebration of Pentecost this weekend, I am reminded of the one call that I always want to answer. It is a call that doesn’t need a Caller ID for me to know who is on the other end of the line. It is that voice of the Holy Spirit breezing through my soul at all hours of the day or night – for any reason or for none. 

Have you experienced that sensation? Talking with like minded people about some extraordinary event in your life, when suddenly, you are overcome with a tingle that runs the length of your body. You and the others may mention that they can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. That feeling can lift you from the depths of despair to the highest elation and give you courage to continue your living walk.  

Just imagine how the Apostles felt when the Holy Spirit descended on their heads in the form of flames of fire! The Holy Spirit represents the presence of God in our lives.