Session #3- Digital Rest
Introduction:
"What you give your attention to is the person you become. Put another way: the mind is the portal to the soul, and what you fill your mind with will shape the trajectory of your character. In the end, your life is no more than the sum of what you gave your attention to." -John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.
The 21st century has given rise to an entirely new industry: the digital economy. The year 2007 introduced the human race to the iPhone, and ever since then, enormous tech companies have been developing new and creative ways to monetize these portable advertising devices. The rise of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram has provided incredible ways for us to connect and share life's joyful moments with family and friends worldwide. But the flip side is that we now have unrestricted access to vast amounts of information and content. Our attention and time are commodities to be bought and sold, and media platforms are ready to do whatever it takes to ensure that we keep giving it to them. As a result, many of us have uncritically given advertisers, influencers, and algorithms free access to one of the most critical aspects of ourselves: our mind.
Additionally, research is beginning to reveal that all our "progress" in the digital age may not dramatically improve our quality of life.
The data seems to suggest that high levels of technology use are related to:
A Decreasing Attention Span
Feelings of Social Isolation
Sleep Issues, Poor Posture, and Poor Physical Health (Known as Technostress!)
Irritability and Anger
And Increasing Levels of Anxiety and Depression
Though Scripture does not speak directly to smartphones, social media, or streaming services, we will see that there is plenty of Biblical wisdom to be applied to our relationship with technology. Unfortunately, because the Bible does not explicitly address these matters, followers of Jesus have been guilty of not giving serious thought to how our time and attention are captivated by these digital tools and how that negatively affects our formation into Christlikeness. In the digital age, we need to be mindful of the variety of digital distractions competing for our time and attention and recognize how they can hinder us from our call to love God and to love others.
How would you describe your relationship with technology? Out of the big three (TV, Social Media, and Web-Surfing), which one consumes most of your time and attention?
Do you think that any of those "big three" have improved your quality of life overall? Why or why not?
Why do you think many Christians have failed to think about their technology usage as related to their discipleship?
Read Psalm 39:4-7 and Ephesians 5:15-17 Together and Discuss
What wisdom do these two passages offer about how we think about our time? What do you find challenging about them?
How could we apply the wisdom from these passages to our relationship with technology and entertainment? What guidelines could help us apply this biblical wisdom to our use of technology?
Read 1 Timothy 1:3-5 and Philippians 4:8-9 Together and Discuss
What wisdom do these passages have about the importance of guarding what we place our attention on? How does this relate to our use of technology and media? What sort of distractions or "myths" are we tempted to be distracted by?
Paul writes in Philippians for us to dwell on "whatever is praiseworthy." What are some practical ways to direct our attention to the things Paul lists in this passage?
This Week's Practice:
Obviously, there are no practices in Scripture about the use of phones, TVs, or computers, but the wisdom of the Bible should lead us to interact with technology differently than the rest of our culture. This week, we want to invite you to try a few "experiments" in the way you relate to your technology and see how God might use the extra margin in your life to bless you so that you might experience more fully "the God of peace" (Phil 4:9). This week choose at least one or two of the following practices (or all three if you are feeling ambitious!) and commit to trying it before your next meeting. These are not commands or legalistic requirements, but merely ideas to create more space for you to be present to God and those around you.
Practice # 1: Parenting your Phone
1. For an entire week, try turning your device off or putting it in another room at least one hour before your bedtime.
2. If you use your phone as an alarm clock, go by dollar tree (or target if you're fancy), and buy a "real" alarm clock.
3. Don't look at your phone in the morning until after reading Scripture. This can be your regular quiet time or just a verse or two before starting the day. Allow your first moments of attention to be towards God rather than the demands of email or the busyness of your newsfeed.
4. Take note of what this does to your soul. Does it make you Anxious? Bored? Peaceful? Happy?
Practice #2: Limit your TV intake to 4-7 hours for an entire week.
1. The average American watches somewhere around four hours of TV a day (~28 hours a week). We are literally giving away one out of every seven days to the glowing box in our living room.
2. Come up with a plan for how you want to spend your extra time. Is there a book you want to read? A chore you need to do? An exercise program you've wanted to try? A hobby you have wanted to take up? Fill the extra time with life-giving things that improve your overall spiritual, mental, and physical health.
3. Instead of just watching "whatever is on," be intentional about what you give your time and attention to. Watch shows or films that point you to the goodness in God's world (Pixar movies usually do this!) or teach you something new. Make it a family event to watch a specific film or game together.
Practice #3: Schedule and Limit Time for Social Media or Email
1. Set aside one (two if you really need it) time a day to answer email or check social media. Most productivity experts recommend scheduling these at the beginning and near the end of the day.
2. Try to do these things on a desktop computer if possible. At the very least, turn off email and social media notifications so your attention is not constantly being drawn back to your phone. Refuse to be sucked into the endless cycle of email and social media notifications.
3. Set a goal to spend no more than 30 minutes on social media or email per day. For some professions, this may not be feasible for you, but whatever your goal is, be intentional about not allowing social media and email to become a blackhole for your attention.