British shoppers who are tired of spending hours searching for an elusive item in the store are receiving help from satellite technology, originally designed to help the United States military. A product designer is equipping a shopping cart with a global positioning system to guide shoppers to their products.

The device mounts on the handle of the cart and will guide shoppers by showing arrows on a screen directing the person to the correct shelf. In addition to helping shoppers find the items they need, the device will suggest recipes, mention special offers, and even work out a route through the store.

The designer, Murray Laidlaw says, “Lots of people just don’t shop in a methodical manner. The device will make trips less confusing and time consuming.” Laidlaw has been given a government grant to build the GPS shopping cart, and hopes to have a prototype working within a few months.

—Reuters, Frustrated shoppers turn to GPS, Wednesday, April 30, 2003. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Oh if there were only a GPS guidance system for life—something to guide us, tell us which way to turn, how to live. Wait a minute, come to think of it there is. Not a system that guides us by Global Positioning Satellites, but one that guides us by God’s Holy Spirit.

Psalm 43:3 NIV “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.”

An eighty-year-old German man crashed his Mercedes in a highway construction zone after he ignored warning signs on the roadway, while obediently following directions from his onboard navigation system. A police spokeswoman told reporters, "The driver was following the orders from his navigation system and even though there was a sufficient number of warnings and barricades, he continued his journey into the construction site." The trip came to an abrupt end when the car hit a pile of sand. Fortunately, both the driver and his wife escaped without injury.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20555319-13762,00.html. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Psalms 18:31-32 (CEV) "You alone are God! Only you are a mighty rock. [32] You give me strength and guide me right."

A team of French television journalists were shocked when they arrived in the German city of Halle this week to cover the Gerry Weber Tennis Tournament and discovered they were in the wrong city of Halle. The tournament was held in the smaller West German town of Halle, while the French team went to the Halle in an eastern German state 350 km away.

A tournament spokesman, Frank Hofen said it was not the first time that a mix-up had occurred in the 13-year history of the event. He said even players had made the same mistake. Hofen said, "It's happened several times over the years. Once some colleagues from Poland drove to Halle in eastern Germany, searched for the stadium but obviously they couldn't find anything there."

When the French journalists finally arrived at the right Halle, French Open champion Rafael Nadal of Spain, the person they were following, had been eliminated from the tournament.

—Reuters, French TV Journalists go to wrong German city, June 10, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. [6] In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight."

In the book, God Knows My Name, Beth Redman explains how she and her husband received specific direction about a move they were considering. Redman says they were considering a move to Atlanta, and asked for a tangible answer, literally, “something we could hold in our hands.”

Redman writes, “One night as we were stuck in traffic we prayed boldly, again asking God for a sign directing us clearly to Atlanta. When we got home, a parcel was waiting on the doorstep. Matt opened it and started laughing. Inside was an oversized mug that in large capital letters spelled out ‘Atlanta.’ Amazingly, someone who had stayed with us months before wanted to send a thank-you presented and, while in America, saw the mug in a coffee shop and was prompted to put it in the post. Our mug is now on the piano in our home in Atlanta! When I look at it, I can’t help but laugh. God confirmed His plans for our life in a specific, tangible, and funny way. He answered our prayer for something that we could hold in our hands -- a Starbucks mug! God is in control of events, and when you seek him with all your heart, the Bible says, you find Him!”

--Redman, Beth, God knows my name, pg 88, Published by David C. Cook, 2010.

Colossians 3:15 GNB The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 (CEV) Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful.

A retired British couple escaped serious injury after the GPS navigation system in their car directed them to drive into a church. The couple was driving along a back road near the Austrian border when the navigation system told them to make an immediate right run where there was no road. The 76 year-old driver obeyed and plowed into the side of the village church. The car was a total loss, and the impact knocked a picture of the wall on the inside and damaged the foundation of the building. Police said the couple spent the night in a nearby hospital, but continued their journey the following day. A police spokesperson said, “They were confused and didn’t notice the navigation system was faulty.”

-- http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/24/us-germany-satnav-odd-idUSTRE70N5Q920110124 ; January 24, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Where do you go when you need guidance in life?

Proverbs 29:18 (CEV) Without guidance from God law and order disappear, but God blesses everyone who obeys his Law.

A new study from Europe has confirmed the stereotype that men hate asking for directions. Research conducted the Swinton Company found that 83 percent of male drivers ignored the advice from their satellite navigation systems on a regular basis. Less than 75 percent of women reported that they choose to disregard the computer’s advice. Those who choose to ignore the guidance offered by the navigation system labeled the devices “untrustworthy” and “inaccurate.”
Over one third of drivers reported the GPS unit has led them astray by a matter of one to five miles at one time or another. Half of the respondents said the instructions provided by the device had triggered an argument with a passenger in the car. Insurance Development Manager at Swinton, Steve Chelton said, “A sat nav should aid your own navigational abilities rather than replace them. He noted that almost two-thirds of the driver they questioned said they usually kept a map in their car “just in case.”

Man more likely to overrule sat navs than women, http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110328/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_satnav; March 28, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

There are many areas in life where we cannot trust the guidance we receive. Unfortunately, we don’t often do much better on charting our own path. Jesus has a solution.

John 14:5-6 (CEV) Thomas said, "Lord, we don't even know where you are going! How can we know the way?" (6) "I am the way, the truth, and the life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father.

After a Canadian couple became lost after following GPS instructions to a shorter more scenic route home, authorities are warning travelers in the Western United States not to rely solely on technology for navigation. in March 2011, Albert and Rita Chretien lost their way and were stuck in mud. Though Rita was rescued weeks later, her husband took the GPS to find his way to civilization has not been seen since. Law enforcement and search and rescue officers say too many travelers are letting technology lull them into a false sense of security. They say they have seen an increase in the number of GPS guided travelers driving off marked and paved highways and into trouble.

The increase has prompted Death Valley National Park in California to caution on its web site that “GPS navigation to sites to remote locations like Death Valley are notoriously unreliable.” Authorities say when two roads diverge in western lands, they advise travelers to take the one more traveled. Undersheriff from Albany County, Wyoming Rob DeBree said, “You’ve got people driving into the middle of a field because a machine showed a route that was shorter and quicker, which it ultimately is not.” Veteran Search and Rescue official with the Colorado Search and Rescue Board agreed, adding, “There are times when you need to put the GPS down and look out the window.”

--Do Not rely solely on GPS for western U.S. travel: experts, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/13/us-travel-gps-danger-idUSTRE74C00A20110513 ; May 12, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

1 Timothy 1:19 (CEV) You will be faithful and have a clear conscience. Some people have made a mess of their faith because they didn't listen to their consciences.

The “Mythbusters” Television program, which airs on the Discovery Network examines urban legends, Internet myths, and other popular belief within the culture. Each week, the hosts of the program Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage test the myths using scientific methods and determine if they can be confirmed, are plausible, or found not true. On a recent episode, the Mythbusters tested the belief that left to themselves, people will tend to travel in circles even when asked to travel in a straight line. Knowing that humans will use external references, To eliminate those factors Adam and Jaime chose to test the theory in a large field and put headphone and blinding goggles on themselves to see if they could walk a straight line to a tree on the far side of the field without any outside input.

After several attempts, both men found they ended up closer to their starting point than the distant tree because they traveled in spiral routes although they believed they were walking straight. To check their accuracy, Mythbusters tried the same experiment driving and then swimming across a lake. Each time, lacking input, they could not maintain a straight course. The time they came closest was in a forest setting when Jaime used disciplined survival techniques to keep his path straight. After proving the thesis that humans do tend to travel in circles, Adam and Jaime speculated on the cause. They explained the human brain will create its own input when robbed of outside stimuli. The brain then creates information and continues to take corrective action based on a false reality. Therefore, once a person begins to get off track they tend get to further and further off course without external input.

--Walk A Straight Line, http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbusters-walk-a-straight-line, October 12, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

The same is true in the spiritual sense. Unless we rely on God’s word for daily direction, we may straight, we will tend to drift to the right or left, and eventually end up traveling in circles.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (CEV) With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment. (6) Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.

Wu Hsia had an important decision to make. He and his girlfriend Rong Tsao had arranged to meet a former girlfriend, Jun Tang at a riverside park. Their intent was to tell the ex to stop trying to break them up. But Jun, trying to prove that Wu still loved her, jumped into the river and screamed for him to save her. Not to be outdone, Rong jumped in too. Who does he save, his new girlfriend or his jealous ex.

Major life decisions don’t usually happen that quickly but they have as much at stake. We need to carefully choose each day how we will serve the Lord.

Wu saved his new girlfriend. The ex was later rescued by emergency workers. -- Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Joshua 24:15 (HCSB) But if it doesn’t please you to worship Yahweh, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh.”

Guidance

Police in Vermont reported that a car ended up in an almost vertical position because the driver swerved quickly when her GPS unit told her to “turn around.” They said 30-year-old Nabila Altahan was traveling west on Highway 4 when she passed her intended destination. When the GPS told her turn around, she reacted quickly and left the road at a high rate of speed. Her car hit the wires for a utility pole, resulting in the car hanging on them in an almost vertical position. The report stated that no one was hurt in the accident.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

http://www.klove.com/news/2016/07/29/gps-tells-driver-to-turn-around-car-ends-up-almost-vertical.aspx, Accessed July 29, 2016.

Psalm 31:3 (HCSB)”For You are my rock and my fortress; You lead and guide me because of Your name.”

GUIDANCE

Who among us, worrying about the smell of our breath, hasn’t tried to smell our own and found it impossible? Breathometer, a Silicon Valley based startup, created a device, the Mint that will do it for you. All you have to do is to bite down on it for 30 seconds, and the Mint will chemically analyze your breath and give you a grade. You check your smart phone for your “breath grade.” An “A” means all is well while a “F” means make a dental appointment, now.

Now that your breath is taken care of, we could all use a spiritual temperature indicator. What is the aroma that surrounds our spiritual self? Several places in scripture we are urged to do some self-examination to keep on track with our spiritual life. –--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

1 John 3:20–22 (HCSB)“even if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience, and He knows all things. ²¹ Dear friends, if our conscience doesn’t condemn us, we have confidence before God ²² and can receive whatever we ask from Him because we keep His commands and do what is pleasing in His sight.”

While GPS technology is often helpful, there are a growing number of instances where it isn’t. For instance, a mother and her son rented a car to explore Death Valley; the GPS led them off the main road onto an unmarked path that eventually terminated in a dead end. Oppressed by the devastating temperature, they couldn’t find their way back. After missing for days, their car was found with the mom clinging to life but her young son tragically dead from the heat. The park ranger was quoted talking about this growing reality she called “death by GPS.”

The culture around you, just like that GPS, will provide you many pathways to joy and many blindly follow those pathways thinking they are on track toward their destination. But should these pathways be trusted? Could it be that they are ultimately leading to a dead end and that God has a more reliable way? —Jim L. Wilson & Ryan Blackwell

Psalm 119:105 (HCSB)“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.”

A 23-year-old woman in Tobermory, Ontario was unfamiliar with the area. No problem, she would just follow her GPS. She was dutifully following its directions. While making the turn it suggested, she drove her car right down the boat ramp and into the frigid water of Georgian Bay. She was able to climb out and swim to shore, where she stood and watched her bright red car sink beneath the surface. This is not an isolated incident as people follow their electronic guidance systems into trouble.

The same thing happens to people who follow false guidance systems while traversing the spiritual realm. They follow their own desires and the end result is worse than a cold dip in the bay. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

James 1:14 (CSB) “But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire.”

An unexpected trip to the gas station turned out to be a life-changing event for NFL player Tre Boston. Boston was a free agent was trying to decide whether he should sign with the L.A. Chargers or the Buffalo Bills. While driving, he noticed that the price of gas had dropped nearly 20 cents a gallon. Even though he had a half-tank, he cut across two lanes of traffic to into a gas station. He was filling his car when a homeless man approached and asked for spare change. Boston gave him $20 and thought about asking the man about his decision, when the man said, “There aren’t many people like you in this world. God’s children.” Then he added, “My name is Mike, but people call me L.A.” Boston said he began to cry at the moment because he thought God had given him an answer. He signed the contract and said it was because of the salary the Chargers offered, but because he knew God told him that the team he needed to play for.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Matt Gerdisch keeps a 5-month old, friendly doe named Abigail in an enclosure on his property, because he runs an animal rescue in Kane County, Illinois. But recently there was a terrible storm that hit the area causing significant damage to the animal sanctuary, giving the baby doe the chance to run away. Abigail did not know the importance of sticking close to the man caring for her. Without the fence keeping her close, she fled. As a rescue animal, she likely does not have the skills to survive in the wild. —Jim L. Wilson and Alex Morrison

Too often we act like the Abigail the deer. We act as if we are the ones who know what is best for our lives and we flee from God’s guidance and care. But there is security in God’s presence and living under his guidance.

Psalm 32:8–9 (CSB) “I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with my eye on you, I will give counsel. Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding, that must be controlled with bit and bridle or else it will not come near you.”

Cory Krambule only planned to take a short hike in the Utah wilderness, when a sudden snowstorm overwhelmed him. As a result, he could not find his way back to camp. He tried to get back to his camp, but eventually gave up and decided to light a small fire. He spent the night huddling over the fire trying to stay warm. The next morning, the storm cleared, but Krambule did not know where he was. He kept thinking about his family, and eventually spotted some fresh boot prints in the snow and followed them back to the road. He waved down a vehicle, which turned out to be someone searching for him. Later, he said, “The more I think about it, those were angel footprints. I wish I could find that hunter. I’d give him a big hug. He has no idea what he did.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell