Pastor-Eye-zzed–iMurder

It’s always a sad thing to hear about someone being murdered. If you don’t want to read about someone being murdered, then skip this edition of Pastor-Eye-zzed. Also, please understand that I am not making light of such a serious and sad situation by writing about it in this blog. It is just that there is one point of interest in this story that grabbed my attention.

It seems that two men in Cheltenham, U.K. have been charged with murder and robbery when they allegedly killed Keith Soons for his iPhone 4.

Now, I doubt very much that it is really all that rare of an occurrence to be killed for something as trivial as a phone. I have heard of others being killed for their designer shoes and I am sure that there have been people killed for much less than an iPhone. But, what I found the most compelling, and perhaps the saddest part of this story, is the fact that Keith was stabbed as he tried to get his iPhone BACK from the thieves.

So, let’s get this story straight. Keith was robbed by two knife-wielding thieves. They held him up and he handed over his iPhone. His iPhone was now in their possession. One would assume that the thieves had what they wanted and they were on their way when Keith decided that he just couldn’t part with his iPhone. It was in this struggle to regain his phone when Keith was killed. Somehow he decided that it was worth risking his life to recover his phone.

I wonder what exactly it was that went through his mind that made him take such a risk. Was it his love for his iPhone? Was it his contact information? Did he have some amazing pictures or apps on his phone that he just couldn’t live without? Was he just about to get a high score in “Angry Birds”? Again, don’t misunderstand me. I am not making light of this terrible tragedy, I am just pointing out that regardless of the reasons that motivated him, they were far too silly and far too trivial to lose one’s life over.

I wonder if Keith’s response was more emotional than intellectual. The reason I say this is because I have seen emotional responses to the loss of one’s phone before. A couple of years ago, I had to remove phones from everyone at our Senior High Camp because they couldn’t handle having them and not using them. Their minds were constantly elsewhere, which was completely counterproductive to the point of camp. Camp is about removing distraction to go deeper with God. Going deeper with God is hard to do when you are breaking up with a boyfriend on your cell phone.

I will never forget the response of one of the girls who lied, cried, and shook with emotional withdrawals because she couldn’t handle being separated from her cell phone. It was in that moment, that I realized that cell phones, for some people, are far more than just a tool. For many, they are a lifeline to everything and everyone they care about. So, if you take their phone away, they have no way to relate to or cope with life. They are left alone and powerless.

I wonder if that was how Keith felt as he tried to get back the phone he had just given up? We’ll never know. As it stands now, someone needlessly lost their lives because they couldn’t cope with even the momentary loss of their phone.

I wonder if I would be willing to chance losing my life if somehow thieves were able to take away my ability to pray? Would I be willing to risk my life to retrieve prayer? I know it is a silly question because it is completely hypothetical and unrealistic. No one can take away our ability to talk with God. But still, how vital is prayer in my life? How easily do I let my communication with God slip?

How important is prayer in your life? Is the way you handle prayer more like a land-line or a cell phone? Do you carry your prayer around with you everywhere you go? Is it that essential to your emotional well-being? It’s a good question to ask because, ultimately, we are alone and powerless without prayer.

“Pray continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)