I was meditating this evening on Psalm 41. It reminds me of the hard work computer and network technicians do in their ministries.

Blessed is the one who considers the poor!
In the day of trouble The One In Charge delivers him;
The One In Charge protects him and keeps him alive;
he is called blessed in the land;
you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
The One In Charge sustains him on his sickbed;
in his illness you restore him to full health.
As for me, I said, “O One In Charge, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you!”

Just as The One In Charge considers those who are poor and in trouble, you computer techs do the same thing for the hapless or unfortunate computer user. You restore those computers and networks to full health. Yes, even when the computer or network users have sinned against commonly accepted safe-computing practices.

Why, it sounds like something right out of The Book of Uncommon Prayer:

My brother (or sister), every Technician is called to follow information technology practices, serving The One In Charge, through the power of the spirit of innovation. The One In Charge now calls you to a special ministry of servanthood directly under your supervisor. In the name of The One In Charge, you are to serve all computers and networks, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.

As a Technician in your community, you are to study the holy manuals, to seek nourishment from technical journals, magazines, and blogs, and to model your life upon them. You are to make The Exemplar of Love known, by your word and deed, to those among whom you live and work.

You are to interpret to your community the needs, hopes,
and concerns of cutting edge technology.

You are to assist your supervisor in the execution and dissemination of technical releases from The One In Charge, and you are to carry out other duties assigned to you from time to time. At all times, your life and teaching are to show people that in serving the technologically needy they are serving The One In Charge.

Kind of tugs at your heart, doesn’t it?

Photo by Aleera

I’m a new sysadmin for [company name redacted]. This is my first time conducting major updates across our network. What’s worse is that we’re also changing the operating system to [name of OS redacted]. I can’t get any sleep! I’ve never been so nervous in my life. I’m not sure what to do to get my mojo back.

Please help!
Anxious in Albany

Dear Anxious,

This is indeed a potentially terrifying time in the life of both the network and the system administrator. Sistertech implores you to take three deep breaths. For some reason one deep breath is never enough. Here is a prayer that should help.

Grant me, O One In Charge, not to be anxious about earthly things, especially about new program updates and operating system changes. Help me now, even as I face these momentous choices, to make those choices that will avert the cascading failure of my computer and the entire network.
Amen.

from The Book of Uncommon Prayer, p. 153.

Yours faithfully in service to The One In Charge,
Sistertech

PS: If you need a more specific prayer, simply contact Tom the Intern at: tomtheintern@sistertech.com.

For those tech devices traveling on Labor Day:

O One In Charge, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go:Preserve those devices that are traveling. Surround them with your loving care; protect them from every danger; and bring them in safety to their journey’s end. Take care of their owners, too.

Amen.

from The Book of Uncommon Prayer, p. 144

Photo: “Alone” by Giorgio Montersino

Dear Sistertech,

I was minding my own business, listening to Psalm 119 on my iPod, and I hear this:

Oh, how I love your law!
It is my meditation all day long.

So far, so good. And a little later:

I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your decrees are my meditation.

And then this:

I do not turn away from your ordinances,
for you have taught me.

I love the laws of The One In Charge, but in my job I’m bending the rules all the time. And that stuff about “one upping” your teachers made me nervous.  I’ve been a programmer about 9 years. Sure, I know a lot of things. But there are other guys here with way more experience. I thought listening to the Psalms on my way to work would be a good idea. Now I’m not so sure.

Thanks for your help,
Puzzled in Palo Alto

Dear Puzzled,

You are not alone. There is one thing users of Dave’s songbook have to realize: He has a rather unnerving ability to write whatever is occupying his mind and weighing on his heart at any given moment. This means reading of any Psalm can be a real roller coaster ride, let alone reading a few back to back.

That being said, here are three quick ways to deal with puzzling Psalms.

1. Put yourself in your old shoes

You name it, Dave’s experienced it. Well, nearly everything. You come to a verse or an entire Psalm that speaks to a time when things were not going so well for Dave. Dave says that when he goes through some songs he often comes face to face with the “old Dave”. Rather than have it bring back bad memories, he uses it as an opportunity for thanks. You can, too. Let’s say things are going really well in your life now. Thank The One In Charge for bringing you through the rough times and for the successful transformation of the “old you” to the new and momentarily, at least, improved you. On the flip side, when things are not going particularly well, practice taking encouragement from Dave’s triumphs. Doing so could give you that little boost of confidence and faith you need to face a particularly grueling day of pounding code.

2. Put yourself is someone else’s shoes

Although Dave variously comes across as besieged, whiny, friendless, arrogant, or a self-centered jerk at times, learning about Dave’s struggles can help you become more compassionate. Find someone who could use a little bit of compassion. If you can’t find a likely candidate, look in the mirror. On a personal note, Sistertech has learned a great deal from the Psalms about human nature, especially working with difficult personalities. So rather than being turned off by a Psalm, let it remind you to practice looking at things from someone else’s perspective. Besides, the practice will come in handy when you are designing software.

3. Go window shopping for some new shoes

Dave says he thinks about how things would have gone with Goliath had he been wearing snowshoes instead of sandals. Frankly, I never can tell when the guy is pulling my wings or not. But I think I understand what he means. Imagine having a different skill set — or pair of shoes — for the situation you are in. Follow up on the hints Dave scatters throughout his songs. Imagine having more knowledge than your teachers. Get specific. What type of knowledge would that be? How would you acquire it? What would it be like to meditate — really meditate — on The Document?  Now go ahead. Try out those new shoes. They might actually fit.

Yours faithfully,
Sistertech

What I like about Bernie is his intense devotion to The One In Charge. Sistertech thinks this comes through smashingly in the lyrics Bernie wrote.

Jesus, the very thought of thee
with sweetness fills the breast;
but sweeter far thy face to see,
and in thy presence rest.

No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
nor can the memory find,
a sweeter sound than Jesus’ Name,
the Savior of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
to those who fall, how kind thou art:
how good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah, this
nor tongue nor pen can show;
the love of Jesus, what it is,
none but who love him know.

Jesus, our only joy be thou,
as thou our prize wilt be;
in thee be all our glory now,
and through eternity.

The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.

Now, Samuel is not high on the list of Sistertech’s “go to philosophers”. But one has to admire his spunk, at least on the polemical side. He never has struck me, however, as a “stand up guy”.  I mean, really. The guy is deathly afraid of small pox. Flees his post. Surprise. His wife…, well you read it and then tell me:

He remained in Stratford until 1754, when the vestrymen of the Anglican Trinity Church in New York City considered him the logical choice to serve as after the first president of King’s College. Though reluctant to leave his family in Connecticut, Johnson ultimately took up the post, assisting in behind-the-scenes maneuverings to ensure the college would be explicitly Anglican, rather than nonsectarian. In the early years of the institution, Johnson was the sole instructor, primarily teaching classics and philosophy. Owing to his fear of smallpox, Johnson was frequently absent from the city, and increasingly shared his teaching responsibilities. When his wife died of smallpox, Johnson began to seek a means to leave his post. In 1763 he returned to his ministry at Stratford, where he died.

But let us not cast the first stone, shall we? Let us remember that Samuel, as with at least some philosopher are part of that peculiar breed of thinker. I suppose Peter might have had them in mind when he wrote the following:

But you are a chosen race, a royal philosophy club, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of The One In Charge who called you out of darkness into the marvelous light.

I did something new for my vacation this year. I attended a women’s retreat sponsored by my church. It was such a great experience! The group study of The Document, prayer, the time to write in my journal, sip tea, and think about my relationship with The One In Charge! It was so renewing! Now I’m back at work sitting in front of my computer all day. I enjoyed my job before, but now I feel what I’m doing isn’t important in the grand scheme of things. When I’m working on a PowerPoint presentation I feel I should be praying instead. Then when I start to think about The One In Charge I feel guilty that I’m not putting that time and energy into getting my Inbox to zero. What can I do to stop feeling so conflicted?

Sincerely,
Torn in Toledo

Dear Torn,

The key is to integrate your spirituality into your work, not separate them one from the other. How to do this? Use The Book of Uncommon Prayer! It will help you remember that The One In Charge is with you always. Keep a copy next to you. Have one there when you wake up and when you go to sleep, when you boot up your computer at work and when you take a break for lunch. And when you feel that pull towards prayer, pray about that which is in front of you whether it is the car ahead of you, the email you are reading, the cashier at the cafe, or the background template you are choosing for the presentation. You will soon discover there is a seamless spiritual connection that exists between work and prayer. It is all about not making separations between them.

Sistertech and the other team members of the Spirituality While Alive Taskforce (SWAT) are always here to help. Email Tom the Intern if we can provide you with a new prayer for a specific situation.

Yours faithfully,
Sistertech

[1] I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

[2] My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.

[3] Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together!

[4] I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.

[5] Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.

[6] This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.

[7] The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.

[8] Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

[9] Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!

[10] The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

[11] Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

[12] What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?

[13] Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.

[14] Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

[15] The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.

[16] The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

[17] When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.

[18] The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

[19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

[20] He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.

[21] Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

[22] The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

You probably don’t get a lot of letters like this from men. I hope you can help me.

Seven years ago I married the most wonderful woman. She’s kind, generous, sexy and smart. We have two fantastic kids (a boy aged 3 and a girl who just turned 6) and the typical assortment of pets. We both work outside the home. Our friends envy us because we’ve managed to balance the demands of career and family better than any of them. The problem is that we have a mixed marriage. Sure, I knew this was an issue, or could become an issue down the road. But when conflicts happened we always found a way to handle them. It’s just that now the arguments are a daily, constant thing. Weekends are nightmares. That’s when our different traditions clash.

She’s tired of my telling her how much better things would be if she joined my tradition. She cannot comprehend my devotion. A few times she screamed at me that I act as though I’m in a cult! Frankly, I have a hard time not looking down on her for her continued participation in something I often think is not only archaic, but just plain sinister. She says her tradition has changed and that it isn’t what it once was. We get into terrible yelling matches.

Now that the kids are getting a bit older the arguments have intensified. Which tradition should we introduce them to? Both? None? Only one? A week on and a week off? We’ve each spoken to people in our respective communities, but so far none of them has offered any helpful solutions.

I’m on the sofa writing this to you on my laptop. My wife is sitting a few inches from me working on her laptop, but we might as well be on different continents.  We loved and still love each other. I hate to think that the next step for us is to end our mixed marriage. What should we do?

Thanks in advance,
Muddled in Muncie

PS: If this matters in your response: I’m the MAC and she’s the PC.

Dear Muddled,

Sistertech is so very glad you wrote to her. You’ve brought to our readers a very serious problem. Few things are worse than when unequally yoked, especially couples and their operating programs. It’s time for a third party intervention. The solution is for you both to switch to Linux. The children, too. Sistertech would also recommend spending some time as a family reading prayers from The Book of Uncommon Prayer, for instance, prayers 3.8 and 4.9. Also read passages from The Document. I’d start with The Beatitudes (Matthew 5), then Matthew 7 and John 1. As always, Sistertech recommends adapting the prayers and passages from The Document as befits your particular situation. If you need a customized prayer, email your request to Tom the Intern.

May your conversions be swift and free from error,
Sistertech

St. Michael, Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of hackers. Ask The One In Charge to rebuke them, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly ISP, by the power of The One In Charge, thrust into hell _____ (state name of the operating system you despise) and all daemons who prowl about cyberspace seeking the ruin of computer users.
Amen.

From The Book of Uncommon Prayer, p. 57