For many people today, the phone call is dead—replaced by text messages, email, Twitter messages, and other "asynchronus" (not at the same time) means of communication. But just when the really late adopters among us are finally learning how to send those pesky text message thingies, The New York Times reports that the humble, old-fashioned phone call may not be as dead as we think.

There's been a strong uptick in the number of voice calls in the past year, a trend that writer Jenna Wortham attributes to a surprisingly human dynamic—the longing for personal connection over convenience. "My friends started picking up their cell phones for an unusual purpose: They wanted to talk." She writes. "And I started answering when they called."

Possible Preaching Angle:

It's an illustration of just how much we long for human connection and relationship today. Let's never lose our taste for real-time conversation, for the sound of a friend's voice, for the "Hello?" on the other end of the line.