No App will replace a friend

About the Author

Cari has worn numerous hats in life. She proudly wore the uniform of the US Air Force. After serving, she worked as a critical care RN for almost a decade. She also owned her own Personal Chef and Catering company for six years. Finally, she chose to turn her attention back to her family.

Closing her business hasn’t made her a couch potato. She cooks at the weekly Wednesday night dinners for her church, and volunteers at the Cross Talk Café in support of the Celebrate Recovery church ministry on Friday nights. She has volunteered her time as a Mentor Mom for two MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) groups. When she’s not busy in the church doors, she’s happily entertaining people in her home.

She not only has a passion for writing, but also for serving. She views writing as a form of service for people from all walks of life. Jesus used story-telling to convey life principles, why can’t we do the same?

She lives in southern Illinois with her ridiculously patient husband of twenty four years, three children, and her two Chihuahua guard dogs, Snoopy and Stanley. Faith, Hope, Love, and Chocolate is her first novel.

About the Book

Run, run, run...

Run away. That’s what Faith Strauss has done for twenty years. She was destroyed by one tragic event. An event so horrific, she didn’t share it with anyone, not even her husband. She buried it deep inside, where it can’t hurt anyone.

If God is good, then where was He? Why didn’t He stop it? How can she trust Him ever again?

Run, run, run…

She’s not good enough. Never has been. Never will be. She could lose it all again, if she’s not careful. She married, had children, and carved out a life for herself. But Fear is her ever-present companion, always reminding her never to reach too far, or too high.

Run, run, run…

God has another plan. A plan that she never saw, even though she has walked it her entire life. Will the unexpected exposure of her secret and the truth behind it restore her or destroy her all over again?

It’s time to stop running.

There’s No App for That

By Chef Cari aka Cari Schaeffer

In our society, there seems to be an App for everything. There are Apps to count your steps, count your calories, and one that even tells you when to go to the bathroom during a movie so you won’t miss an important scene (I saw that on the news recently – it’s real!). So many people are so plugged in that they’ve tuned out the world around them.
I’ve spent countless times in a variety of situations where I’ve had to wait. As I look around the room at my fellow human beings waiting with me, invariably the vast majority have their faces glued to tiny screens. It’s unnerving, but not surprising, that I also see an increasing number of children with their faces glued to tiny screens. After all, they will mimic what they see.
I don’t foresee that there will ever be an App that can replace a real, present friend.
I have chosen to be counter cultural. I don’t own a smart phone and I don’t plan to get one any time soon. When I do, probably because there won’t be another option available, I will not enable email or social media alerts. I prefer to cultivate REAL relationships with people who are REAL in my life. That’s not to say that social media outlets have no place – I am connected with real friends and family that way, too. However, that will never replace true relationships.
Case in point, I had a wonderful lunch with a wonderful friend yesterday. She’s a woman of culture with fine tastes and not a snobby bone to be found in her body. She’s suffered much in her life and yet has emerged triumphant through multiple tragedies. She told me that she believes God has given her life as a gift and she intends to live it to the fullest. I wholeheartedly agree with her and plan to do the same. How about you?
When I am with my friend(s), I will always put my phone on silent and away so that they have my full attention at all times. That’s what voicemail is for. Texts can wait, too. They are worthy of that courtesy and I hope they feel the same way about me. There have been a few times when I haven’t been given the same consideration. I have tried in a tactful manner to let them know how I felt. Those who aren’t receptive tend to fade as friends. I bear them no ill will and wish them only the best. But I prefer my friendships to be deeper and better than that.
If you’re one of those who are addicted to technology, please step back and reconsider. Cultivate true friendships in your life and teach your children to interact face to face with people rather than a screen.
Remember, there is no App that can replace a Friend.
Blessings,
Cari