Urgent Prayer Request for Iain D. Campbell
Many of you will know Dr. Iain D. Campbell through his books, preaching, and lectures. Please pray for Iain as he is currently in critical condition in a Glasgow hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest on Sunday evening.
How to Write a Book: 10 Ridiculously Simple Steps
“The hard part of writing a book isn’t getting published. With more opportunities than ever to become an author, the most difficult part of writing now isn’t publishing your work. It’s writing it in the first place.”
On Christian Retirement
“Many people believe retirement means withdrawing from work or labor in order to enjoy life to the fullest without obligation, commitment, or worry. You can do what you feel like doing whenever you want to do it. Retirement is all about you. It is a reward for all your hard work. This isn’t the attitude toward retirement we see in the Bible.”
God Wants You to Get Some Sleep
“Last year, the Centers for Disease Control declared sleep deprivation a public health problem, with 30 percent of adults getting fewer than six hours of sleep a night.”
Gospel Hope in Hookup Culture
“A brand-new book, American Hookup, by sociologist Lisa Wade shows that boundaries-free sexuality is now the dominant force in shaping campus sexual culture. Wade’s text, driven by reports from students themselves, shows that many are bewildered and broken by modern sexual codes. Wade believes the solution to this reality is to dive further into hookup culture. ‘We need to say yes to the opportunity for casual sexual encounters,’ she argues, and to ‘a way of being sexual that is forward-thinking and feels good’ (25, 246).”
What if You Aborted a Future Janitor?
“The utilitarian view of human life has no place in the Christian worldview, and we should give it no place in our efforts against abortion, as powerful or convicting as we think those arguments are.”
Words Matter: Recovering Godly Speech in a Culture of Profanity
“I’ve been astonished by the amount of profanity that I’ve encountered in recent months, especially from Millennials and teens. I hear and see it with greater frequency than ever before– kids on the soccer field, workers in the neighborhood, friends and acquaintances (and their kids) on social media, and on I could go. I’m not the only one who has noticed this steep rise in profanity. ”
Did you know that the most tech-cautious parents are tech designers and engineers?
Nick Kardaras, author of Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids-and How to Break the Trance, pointed out in a recent article that “Steve Jobs was a notoriously low-tech parent. Silicon Valley tech executives and engineers enroll their kids in no-tech Waldorf Schools. Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page went to no-tech Montessori Schools, as did Amazon creator Jeff Bezos and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.”
What do they know that we don’t?
It’s that iPads, smartphones, and Xboxes are a form of digital drug.
Recent brain imaging research is showing that they affect the brain’s frontal cortex — which controls executive functioning, including impulse control — in exactly the same way that cocaine does.
Technology is so hyper-arousing that it raises dopamine levels — the feel-good neurotransmitter most involved in the addiction dynamic — as much as sex.
This addictive effect is why Dr. Peter Whybrow, director of neuroscience at UCLA, calls screens “electronic cocaine” and Chinese researchers call them “digital heroin.”
Dr. Andrew Doan, the head of addiction research for the Pentagon and the US Navy — who has been researching video game addiction — calls video games and screen technologies “digital pharmakeia” (Greek for drug).
Hundreds of clinical studies show that screens increase depression, anxiety, and aggression and can even lead to psychotic-like features where the video gamer loses touch with reality.
According to a 2013 Policy Statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics, 8- to 10 year-olds spend 8 hours a day with various digital media while teenagers spend 11 hours in front of screens.
One in three kids are using tablets or smartphones before they can talk.
The handbook of “Internet Addiction” by Dr. Kimberly Young states that 18 percent of college-age internet users in the US suffer from tech addiction.
The immersive and addictive world of screens dampens and stunts key developmental processeses.
An ounce of prevention
Kardaras has worked with over 1,000 teens in the past 15 years, and has concluded that the old axiom of “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is especially true when it comes to tech addiction. He says:
Once a kid has crossed the line into true tech addiction, treatment can be very difficult. Indeed, I have found it easier to treat heroin and crystal meth addicts than lost-in-the-matrix video gamers or Facebook-dependent social media addicts.
He noted that “once a person crosses over the line into full-blown addiction — drug, digital or otherwise — they need to detox before any other kind of therapy can have any chance of being effective.”
With tech, that means a full digital detox — no computers, no smartphones, no tablets. The extreme digital detox even eliminates television. The prescribed amount of time is four to six weeks; that’s the amount of time that is usually required for a hyper-aroused nervous system to reset itself. But that’s no easy task in our current tech-filled society where screens are ubiquitous. A person can live without drugs or alcohol; with tech addiction, digital temptations are everywhere.
That’s why the key is prevention, preemptive action to stop our kids getting hooked on screens when they are young.
That means Lego instead of Minecraft; books instead of iPads; nature and sports instead of TV. If you have to, demand that your child’s school not give them a tablet or Chromebook until they are at least 10 years old (others recommend 12).
Kardaras challenges parents to have honest discussions with their children about why they are limiting their screen access, and also to “eat dinner with your children without any electronic devices at the table — just as Steve Jobs used to have tech-free dinners with his kids.” Don’t fall victim to “Distracted Parent Syndrome” — as we know from Social Learning Theory, “Monkey see, monkey do.”
And just in case you think it’s impossible to rescue your digital junkie, Kardaras concludes with:
We also know that kids are more prone to addictive escape if they feel alone, alienated, purposeless and bored. Thus the solution is often to help kids to connect to meaningful real-life experiences and flesh-and-blood relationships. The engaged child tethered to creative activities and connected to his or her family is less likely to escape into the digital fantasy world.
Four Reasons to Slow Down “This year I’ve decided to set my reading goal by hours spent, rather than pages read. I want to stop aiming at volume so I’m freer to linger, meditate, memorize, and record what I need to press deeper into my soul.”
Reading Out of Love for Others “The solitary pursuit of reading does not need to be a selfish pursuit. We can and should read as an expression of love for others.”
Manipulative Repentance: 8 Red Flag Phrases “In this post, I hope to accomplish two things. First, I will attempt to clarify two common misperceptions about manipulation. Second, I will discuss a series of phrases commonly used in repentance which can be red flags that the remorse being expressed will not lead to healthy relational restoration. ”
True Leadership Is Sacrifice, Not Privilege “Christian leadership — in the home, the church, and elsewhere — is not for those clawing for honor and recognition, but for those most ready to fall to their knees and be inconvenienced by the needs of others. They are those who, in a sense, have their house sufficiently in order to be able to turn their attention to serving others. Instead of pursuing their own immediate benefit, they are willing to sacrifice for others’ benefit.”
Pastor, You Need Some Friends! “In a day and age when anyone can have thousands of followers on their myriad of social networks, it is time to build friendships. The following are three of the many biblical principles to embrace and apply towards building friendships.”
“So what do you do when you feel dead on the inside? What do you say to your loved ones when they feel this way? I’ve found that people who reflect on the following 10 diagnostic questions find the life and energy they’ve been missing more quickly and deeply than those that don’t. The way you answer these questions will determine what steps you need to take next.
There is a serious problem within protestant evangelical Christianity. We love right preaching and teaching more than we love right living. We love power and authority more than sacrifice and submission. We love honor over humility. We love being led by popular leaders who make us feel good more than following the despised and rejected One—who has no “beauty or majesty to attract us to him.” (Isa 53) We want King Saul over young David.
Charisma is often defined as “compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.” But that type of charisma can be dangerous. We have seen leaders known for their charisma lead people in horrific directions or crumble because their own inner health was woefully inconsistent with their external persona. Here are six types of dangerous charisma:”
Let’s Stay: A Prayer for Suicidal Young Men According to the most recent large-scale study by the Center for Disease Control, 78% of Americans who kill themselves are male. (It is also noteworthy that suicide is the second leading cause of death among Millennials.) Why are so many men killing themselves?
3 Simple Words That Can Help Your Sermons Stick This perfect Monday morning read for pastors highlights a simple practice every pastor can do on Monday that can help yesterday’s message have the impact you want.
Marathons, mud runs, CrossFit, Yoga, diets, non-GMO and gluten-free foods, Christian financial programs, anti-vaccination and homeschooling have–each in their own way–taken over the driver’s seat of the lives of so many in the church. While all of these things, in and of themselves, may be good things and have their proper place in a believer’s life, they often hold too prominent a place.
Kindle Books
You won’t find better value this week than these three books for $11.
So pick a section of scripture, and stick to it. Put down the clicker. Maybe change the channel once, from Old Testament to New, or vice versa. But hunker down. Tell the story, make the argument, sing the song. If I had to make a rule of thumb, I’d say three different texts is plenty, but two is ideal.
3 Ways to Recognize Workaholism in Ministry | Eric Geiger
“Ministry can attract workaholics because working non-stop in ministry can feel holy and attract applause. But being a workaholic in any role is never holy, and it always leaves one hollow. Families suffer. Relationships are harmed. No one wins.”
Best Possible Gift: The Legacy of Mike Ovey (1958–2017)| Matthew Barrett, TGC
“Sadly, and without warning, Mike died this past Saturday evening, leaving behind his wife, Heather, and their three children: Charlie, Harry, and Ana. It is an understatement to say Mike’s death was an absolute shock to the close-knit seminary community at Oak Hill as well as to the wider evangelical world. Countless stude nts, colleagues, and friends continue to grieve such a great loss to the church in the UK and in America. To many the timing seems premature. Why Mike Ovey . . . and why now, O Lord?”
Isabel Hardman: When my mind stopped working, I realised just how badly we treat mental health| The Telegraph
“At first, I found work was an escape from my personal problems, and colleagues remarked on how well I seemed to be coping, given what had happened. But gradually I found my mind becoming foggier, and my reactions to everyday troubles more extreme and anxious. I’ve had times in my life where I have been miserable. But never before had I struggled to control my mind.”
What Christianity Alone Offers Transgender Persons | Sam Allberry, TGC
“A day barely passes without transgender issues hitting the news. It might be a human interest feature about someone transitioning from one sex to another, and how they’ve been received (or not) by their communities. It might concern the politics of rights for transgender men and women, and which restrooms should be available to them. It might have to do with complex discussions about the causes of and treatments available for transgenderism. But one thing’s for sure: This issue isn’t going away anytime soon, and we Christians can’t afford to avoid it. ”
The over-use and abuse of digital media has been a growing burden to me over the past few years and it’s all come to a head over the past six months or so with numerous counseling problems related to digital technology.
What really pushed me over the edge was knowing someone who had been struggling with porn and who was beginning to beat it. But that only created another problem as he simply replaced his obsession with porn with an obsession with social media. Porn was a symptom more than a cause. The deeper problem was simply an addiction to digital technology. He couldn’t leave his phone alone, day or night.
I was also increasingly frustrated with seeing students distracted by technology in the classroom. I’ll write more about this in the future, but last semester I banned all students from using technology in my classes. I’ve never enjoyed a semester of teaching so much in my life, with tremendous interaction and fellowship in almost every class. Thus far, student feedback has been positive too.
I’m 100% convinced that there’s nothing more important for individual Christians than to get digital technology under control. I really mean that. This is going to make or break our Christian lives and our churches for decades to come.
Comments
Judging from the comments and the emails I’ve received in the past few days, it looks like I’ve struck a chord. Here’s a sample:
Last summer I deleted my Facebook and Twitter accounts and cut way back on blogging. Best decision I’ve made in a long time! It was very liberating. Among other benefits my concentration has increased and stress level has decreased. (Diane Bucknell).
These are two benefits I also experienced on my recent vacation when I had something close to a digital fast.
I recently went back to a “dumb phone” because I was struck by seeing in my own life so much of what you stated above. It was eating away at my vitality, even while my own heart tried to “sell” me on all the ways that the tech was useful. For me, once I forced myself to soberly look at what was going on, the benefits could not hold a candle to the detriments. I struggle to get my family to realize the dangers inherent in technology in a loving and caring way – I usually end up teasing them about it so it doesn’t come across as heavy-handed. (Anonymous)
I sympathize with the difficulty in getting family onboard. Heavy-handed just drives it underground. Haven’t tried humor and teasing but maybe worth a try.
It’s also killing our churches. Many churches are losing that ‘up close and personal’ organic relational aspect, where we have real people in our lives during the week. I don’t know about you reader, but to me it feels like not having enough oxygen. I know of several good churches where people are leaving because of this … they may not put it in terms of the oxygen metaphor above, but these people are expiring because something essential to life in the body is missing. (David)
Yes, I should have added this to my first post. Digital technology is also killing our churches. I’m concerned at the number of people using smartphones as their church Bible or to take notes. Unless they use airplane mode, the temptation to check-in while worshipping God is way too much for most of us.
This has been weighing heavy on my mind as we start the new year. I think of how much time I waste on things like Facebook and Twitter and how much that takes away from the truly important things. I am not going to totally disconnect but I plan to severely restrict the amount of time I spend on social media. (Jeff Shealy)
Yes, Jeff. that’s my aim too. I’m not going to starve myself, but I am going to significantly reduce my data intake.
I would think this article would also speak to “gaming” & the amount of time it can consume in a person’s life. (Kathleen Peck)
Yes, gaming should also be included in the detox. It’s not something I’ve ever had a problem with. I confess, I can’t understand the fascination with video games — probably because I’m not very good at them.
A few people pointed out the irony of using digital media to call for a digital detox. I concede it’s somewhat paradoxical but I still believe that we can use digital media to ultimately reduce our digital intake.
Facebook Live
I thought I’d try a Facebook Live on the subject of digital detox. I haven’t done this before but I think it could be a good forum for answering questions, expanding the blog posts, and adding additional material. I’ll be online at 1pm ET. Hope to see you then.
Question
One person asked:
“How would you categorize nonvocational reading of books on a device? And the books I’m thinking about in the question are solid books. I’ll grant that reading tripe is a waste of time whether read in traditional book form or digitally.”
I’ve swung back and forwards on this but I’m definitely moving more to books than ebooks for relaxation reading. I’ve given up trying to read eBooks on my iPad or iPhone because I just cannot concentrate with so many other Apps enticing me. I sometimes use a basic Kindle but I do find paper books put me in a different and better mental state compared to eBooks. For work purposes, I like to use the Kindle Desktop App as it not only allows me to copy and paste but also produces a decent footnote.
Pyromaniacs: The End Frank Turk explains why he’s heading over the horizon and turning his back on blogging. He’s too hard on himself, overstates his case, and paints with too broad a brush. But there’s much truth in what he says and I’ve certainly been carefully and prayerfully weighing his comments.
The Right to Disconnect
France has passed laws giving employees the right to disconnect from work emails during certain hours.
Though ridiculed in some quarters as a ban on work-related email after hours, it is not quite that. But it is born of the enlightened view that it is actually beneficial for people not to work all the time, and that workers have the right to occasionally draw the line when their employer’s demands intrude on evenings at home, treasured vacations or Sundays with friends and family.
3 Things Parents Can Do to Keep Your Kids From Sexting Did you know, sexting is the 6th largest major health concern among children. According to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, it ranks right below child abuse and of more concern that teen pregnancy and school violence.
Video
Millennials and Social Media Simon Sinek is author of the best-selling Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. In this video he speaks a about a range of issues relating to millennials. At 3.15, he addresses technology and social media use. In hard-hitting comments he argues that this has become a societal addiction and the main reason for poor self-esteem and shallow relationships.
Did you know that the most tech-cautious parents are tech designers and engineers?
