At our church, Sierra Pines, we are about to launch into a study on the book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, by John Mark Comer. I have just finished the book published in 2019, the same year my therapist sister and I were writing our book. And I marvel at how God burdened this cutting-edge pastor with the same concerns that my sis and I shared in Tech-Pecked or Tuned In: Finding God in a Digital World. Hmm…Is God trying to get a message to an anxious, digitally addicted world?
When we published our book in January of last year it debuted at #1 in 3 categories:Counseling-Cognitive Therapy; Inspirational Prayer; and Human-Computer Interaction. Less than two months later, a global pandemic sent everyone online. From doctor’s appointments to elementary school classes, everyone was connected to tech, and thank God for the technological advancement to make that happen. And for many kids, it was only way they had to touch base with their friends—and they need that.
Yet, as we continue in lock down, it’s easy to find ourselves even more invested in our online lives driving our addiction to everything from online shopping, negative news feeds, Facebook political dog fights, to scrolling Instagram feeds on our devices which Comer calls our “dopamine dispensers.” He makes a case for how much time we devote to tech connections that could be spent face-to-face with loved ones and with our caring creator, God—a point we drove home in our book as well.
Comer eloquently builds a case to quiet our hearts in solitude and silence, two things we may feel like we have had more than enough of during this Covid closedown. However, this author states that quieting our hearts is a means to an end. Our goal is to spend some time dulling the white noise of all the information around us, to tune in (where have you heard that before) and communicate with our Creator and the Lover of our souls.
I agree with this pastor author. Making time for God every morning has been the greatest life-giving exercise that I’ve adopted. I know it can be for you as well. “Make an appointment with God as the first thing you do in the morning.
- Set up a place to meet with God, like your favorite recliner, the patio chair on your deck, your kitchen table, or whatever works for you.
- Put everything you plan to use in this special place.
- Turn you phone facedown and keep it there.
- Get a good devotional. Anything by Sarah Young will work. Comer suggests opening up to the Psalms or one of the gospels, both great choices. I love Young’s books because she writes as though Jesus is speaking right to me, and those words always seem to land right where I am.
- Let the Word guide you into the presence of your waiting Lord.
"So often when I sit down to spend quiet time allowing God to calm our mind, a thousand details, and at least two thousand worries, along with three thousand things on my to-do list threaten to rob me of that time to refresh. So, I set a pad and a pen by my Bible and write down those things I fear that I will forget—in my case, I know I will forget. But I stay with my connection time with God. With all of that swirling around in my mind, it would be so easy to get up and get busy. I conclude that it’s too hard to focus, so I should just give up. But I can’t because this time is too valuable.
Don’t let Satan rob you. We have this incredible privilege of spending quality time with Jesus and letting the light of His presence illuminate our path. It doesn’t get any better.”
From Tech-Pecked or Tuned In.
Please give this a try. The only thing you’ve got to lose is a troubled soul and an anxious mind.
(Psalm 16:11, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.)