Enjoying the Journey
Posts Tagged ‘media’
How’s Your “Screen Time”?
Mobile devices and on-demand media have changed our world forever. More specifically, they have changed our families and our lives. Homes no longer revolve around a big screen in the living room, but around little screens in our hand. That is a greater danger now than ever. As we spend less time with people there is a tendency to spend more time engaged with technology. Perhaps you have noticed your “screen time” is up a little lately. Here are a few practical ideas for controlling your technology and your time: Refuse to reach for your device first in the morning. Speak to God and others before you allow your thoughts to be consumed by online interactions and information. Turn your…
Read MoreHow Is Your Church “Meeting” At This Time?
This week I had the privilege of participating in an extended discussion with a group of pastors. These are unique times for those who are leading churches and feeding God’s people. While each local church and community is unique they all have one thing in common – they are being called on to minister in unprecedented ways. One of the greatest challenges is simply staying connected with the church family in the midst of “social distancing.” As I listened to these good men talk I heard their heart. The shepherd will always find a way! Allow me to share a few of the ways pastors are working to “gather” the sheep… Enabling People To Join A Worship Service Using YouTube,…
Read MoreWhat We Miss While We Are Looking At Our Phones
Have you noticed? Everyone is looking at their mobile device…constantly! In the grocery store. Around the dinner table. Driving down the road. Walking through town. Consumed with a digital world, we are no longer conscious of the world God placed us in. Concerned about connections and messages we are losing real relationships with those who are closest to us on earth. We have added so much information and interaction to life – have we stopped to consider what we may be losing? While we are looking at our phones… We miss what is above us. When you are always looking down it is impossible to look up. Recently I walked outside and paused for a moment to look up. The…
Read MoreToo Much News!
This generation has grown accustomed to the 24-hour news cycle. Our eyes, ears, minds, and emotions are bombarded by the constant flow of headlines and pictures. We know more detail and digest more information than any people who have ever lived. Yet our souls are starving. Hopelessness and despair are at an all time high. Is it possible we are getting too much news? When our oldest daughter Morgan was very young I flipped on the news channel one evening, only to hear her say sarcastically, “And now for more of America’s problems…” Never were truer words spoken. This does not mean that we should not seek to be informed about what is going on in the world around us.…
Read MoreQuiet in A Noisy World
This is a busy time of the year. It seems that every season has become a hectic one! So much noise. Beneath the surface our hearts long for quiet – true quiet in a noisy world. Over the last few days I have been blessed by the writings of S.D. Gordon. He makes me think. His book titles are very revealing: Quiet Talks on Power, Quiet Talks on Prayer, Quiet Talks with World Winners, Quiet Talks on Personal Problems, Quiet Talks on Service…18 volumes of Quiet Talks! Gordon wrote, “God is quiet. The earth has grown noisy. Nature is still. There are storm noises and earthquakes, but these are results from disturbances above and below. Both the disturbances and the…
Read More3 Dangers of Technology Overload and What to Do About It
Look around you. Heads are bowed. People are quiet. No, they are not praying. They are all looking at the device in their hands! The technological advances of the last few years have placed the whole world in the palm of our hand. And, yet, is it possible that we are actually missing the world that is going on around us? Plugged in and yet disconnected at the same time! Our iPods, our tablets, our phones, our latest, greatest, “smart” device have become the focus of our attention. Take a test: go one hour without picking up your phone! Live a day without checking social media. We have become so enamored with it all that we have often become distracted…
Read MoreDealing with the “Noise” of Life
Ours is a noisy world. Growing up in the country there were certain noises you grew accustomed to. Crickets chirping at night. Birds singing in the trees. The sound of gunfire during hunting season. And at times – quiet. Beautiful quiet. I remember one of the first trips I ever made to New York City. The sights, smells, and sounds of city life accost you at every turn! You go to sleep to the sound of traffic and horns and awaken to more of the same. Country people don’t particularly like the sounds of the city. City people have a hard time with the sounds (or lack thereof!) in the country. We all grow comfortable to some degree of noise.…
Read MoreLessons God Is Teaching Me about My Family – Part 1
The kids are growing up so quickly. At the same time I feel like I am getting old so quickly! Life moves along at a rapid pace and God is teaching me many things. I am not the husband or father that I should be. More and more I thank God for the wife that He has given to me and the mother that she is to our three children. Our home is not perfect. No home is. Every day the Holy Spirit is showing me areas that we need to work on. I would like to share a few things that God is teaching me. These are not the words of a teacher. They are the words of a…
Read MoreLessons My Children Are Teaching Me
Children are often the best teachers…”out of the mouth of babes.” Tammy and I want to teach our kids everything we possibly can, but I realize that often God is using them to teach us. Many lessons have been learned through my own failures as a parent. School is in session every day and the classroom is our home. This list is by no means exhaustive but here are a few of the lessons my children are teaching me… 1. Peer pressure starts early (and never ends!). It is fascinating to observe the influence that older siblings and peers have on young children. Everyone wants to belong, to be accepted. Learning to live for the approval of One is among…
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