Sony Walkman, R.I.P.

The Sony Walkman portable cassette player was born June 22 1979 in Tokyo, Japan. Walkman passed away October 25, 2010, being aged 31 years, 4 months, and 3 days when production ceased.

His death is due to complications produced by a proliferation of other portable music devices such as the Apple iPod. Ironically, observers believe Walkman's death was accelerated due to his own popularity.

He is survived by a descendant, the Discman, now living in Asia, and also over 220 million units representing more than 300 different models.

Though his life was brief, he made his mark in society, both in popular culture and the English language. The Oxford English Dictionary lists the term "Walkman" to describe any cassette player.

According to a family tradition, Walkman was born in order to allow Sony's chairman to listen to his opera collection on long plane flights.

At his birth, one of his parents, Akio Morita, stated, "This is the product that will satisfy those young people who want to listen to music all day. They'll take it everywhere with them, and they won't care about record functions. If we put a playback-only headphone stereo like this on the market, it'll be a hit."

Walkman's mourners recall sitting in the backseat on car trips, shutting out all distractions. One mourner, who wishes to remain anonymous, recalled jogging many long miles with Mr. Walkman firmly clipped on his waist and the thin wired foam earpads on his head. Another fan commented that her first memory of the Walkman was lying in bed at night and falling asleep with Huey Lewis and News' Fore! cassette playing Power of Love in her ears. Others recall Walkman's adolescence, when he gained auto-reverse and Dolby noise suppression.

He's BAAAACK

However, some reports insist that Walkman's death might be greatly exaggerated. Production is only ceasing in Japan, but the device will still be available in the U.S.

In other ironic news, the iPod, a distant cousin and among suspected killers, celebrated its ninth birthday on October 23 of this year.

Miss Church This Sunday!

Yes, it's true.

In his account of a revival that broke out in Western Canada, pastor Bill McLeod told how it all began: with prayer.

He said:

I began by emphasizing the Wednesday night prayer meeting. We had around twenty five people attending. I would say things like this, ’Miss Sunday morning if you have to; miss Sunday evening if you must; but never miss the prayer meeting unless you are dead,’ People began to take this seriously and the prayer meeting began to grow.

Encouraging Words

Not coincidentally, I began a new sermon series last Sunday. I call it "Giving No Ground," base on Ephesians 6:10-20. I chose that title due to the repeated emphasis in the passage on either standing or withstanding the onslaught of the enemy of the soul, the devil.

It just so "happened" that I had come to that point before our weeks of revival emphasis. I had been preaching through the book of Ephesians and stopped at 6:9. How's that for timing?

Also, I was aware that after revival, some in our church would begin to feel acute spiritual opposition and warfare. As I was researching material for this Sunday's sermon on being armed with the Lord's armor, I found these statements from George Mallone in his book, Arming For Spiritual Warfare. They are enlightening and encouraging. I post them here with the prayerful hope that they will encourage some reader as well:

When Jesus sees illness, he never treats it as something good for the person, but rather he heals it. On the other hand, when he speaks of persecution, he treats it as something necessary in the course of history, something to be endured rather than avoided (Mark 13:9-13; John 15:18-27. He commands his disciples to heal the sick (Luke 10:9; Mark 6:7-13) and to endure suffering and rejection (Matthew 5:10-12).[1]

…Every time I heard from God and obeyed his voice, I was rocking the boat- and persecution came. I now believe all of us are at our best when we are receiving some degree of opposition, especially when we are attempting to expand the kingdom of God.[2]

In other words, kingdom expansion and spiritual warfare through persecution go hand in hand.[3]

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[1] George Mallone, Arming For Spiritual Warfare, Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1991, 52.

[2] Ibid., 53.

[3] Ibid., 54.