It causes depression and anxiety.
Is responsible for low self-esteem and eating
disorders. It's responsible responsible for
bullying and severe trauma. It rewires the brain of the
young causing serious mutations. In neurological Pathways.
It's responsible for people not getting jobs being fired from
jobs and it keeps people from getting high capacity jobs.
It's responsible for the loss of relational intimacy and couples.
Enlarges the relational gap between Parents and their
children and is a primary driver in feelings of loneliness and
isolation since its introduction on college campuses.
The number of students seeking help for mental illness has
increased drastically. If I were to ask you to stop it,
you'd call me old-fashioned. You get defensive and upset.
But if I were to promote it and push it, you would call me
Reckless and uncaring. Welcome all of you guys join in
our different locations online and inside, I want to thank you
so much for being a part of our church.
Special shout-out to our Keokuk location celebrating their
nine-year anniversary. We're incredibly proud of you
super thankful to AJ firm and you really are a dear friend one
of the best passengers. I know very thankful for Jason
and for Ashton and all the team that is assembled there in Lee
County, the county that I grew up in and I'm thankful that you
guys. Eyes are trying hard to make
that the hardest place on planet Earth to get to Hell from.
I'm very thankful for our partnership in the gospel.
I also want to welcome those of you who are joining us for the
first time or the first time in a long time.
We are in a sermon series called reclaim restoring what was lost
and fixing, what is broken. And I believe that, every person
that can hear my voice right now.
Once a better life, better relationships and a better
family, however our desires and our Tensions, if not followed by
actions in those directions, will result in a widening gap
between our experiences and our expectations.
When God was establishing his relationship with his people.
He had just brought them out of Egypt.
He was moving them into the promised land.
He issued this decree through Moses, but what he says, Hear o
Israel. The Lord Our God.
The Lord is one. Love the Lord, your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength.
These Commandments that I give you today are to be on your
heart. And then he explains what that
would look like. Impress them on your children,
talk about them. When you sit at home and when
you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get
up, tie them as symbols on your hands buying them on Your
foreheads write them on the door, frames of your houses and
on your Gates, this is what an intimate personal relationship
with Jesus Christ. Looks like through the lens of
the Old Testament. We are to talk about God when we
get up and when we lie down, when we sit at the kitchen
table. And when we were driving along
the road with our kids, the word of God is to be in our hands, in
our minds, and coming out of our mouths, this The sad truth is,
we have done this. Just not with God, we have done
it with our technology and we have done it with our social
media. The things I listed at the very
beginning of the message. Or all things associated with
social media. In today's day and age, our
living rooms are now centered around a TV, where we stream and
binge, we used to have to watch a show and then wait, a full
week to catch the next episode, but now we can burn through.
And it's several seasons of a show in one Reckless weekend,
when we sit at the table, our phones and our iPads, join us,
when we get in the car, there is a TV and the headrest and there
is a charged tablet. In the pocket because God
forbid, we have to spend time with our kids while we're
driving when we get up in the morning.
The first thing we check The thing we checked, before we go
to bed, we have tied our technology to our hands and it
is the thing that dominates our minds.
How many of you have seen this? Was one of the saddest pictures
you might ever see. Here's another set picture. but
before we get all judgy, if someone were to take a picture
in your house yesterday, Or last week, I bet you wouldn't have to
look that far before you could easily find yourself in this
picture. How many of us throw are pods in
while we're driving around town? So that way we don't have to
interact with the people that are in the car with us.
I find it incredibly ironic that tech companies are hiring
attention specialists. To create algorithms designed to
keep you and I scrolling while at the very same time, they are
sending their kids are, they're keeping their kids off of social
media and sending them to private schools that limit
technology. There are certain people that
are saying that in the future, there will be two classes, the
ruling class and the working class.
The ruling class will be comprised of people who stayed
off of social media limited their technology because they
will have developed problem-solving skills long
thinking skills because they have a longer attention span and
relational skills. And the working class will be
those who were on social media heavily, addicted to technology.
They have shorter attention, spans less relational skills.
There might be some of you right now who are doubting the
validity of our problem. You might be thinking, oh, this
is a problem for other people, but not in our wholesome,
Midwest communities. so we spent some time taking video of our
own kids I want you to see what they had to say.
Yes, yes. Yes, yeah.
Yes. I have a time limit on my
phones. Yeah, we do yep.
Yes, no, you are really, not really not usually, but
depending on the on the day, sometimes do that you are not
allowed to have screens during the weekend after school.
I'll an hour of straight, it's like, oh my iPad for 14 hours
and then, that's Done it says tons 30 minutes on my bed.
I'll get it from like 8:00 in the morning till like 8:00 at
night. Then I spent on Ethan this mini
mini 06 minutes. Okay, 07 can be 100 minutes.
Oh, that's a lot of minutes. Yes, yes, yes, yeah, yeah.
If we had some beer sometime ibises, I do feel like they
should follow these rules because sometimes my dad gets
lost. I feel like they should because
most of the time like after work danger, just get on the phone
and you still get Facebook, sir, it's not good for your eyes.
No they don't, but they should because they're on their phones,
like the whole day. No, because they could have
emergency calls and look and see a text when we get to forward
and stuff. All the time.
Pretty much all the time. Every a lot.
They're always on the phone for 24 hours.
My dad, all the time, playing Call of Duty, unless the dad,
but my dad tornado a lot, but he's fun of my mom who read
sometimes. Well, not often.
Probably like Facebook, her tank top, sometimes, Facebook,
actually, a lot of times Facebook and crack due to like
Games, by Dan games. Thank you.
Just go on Facebook and look at different things.
At what what people post To get away from me and my sister.
I don't know, but dictated to Facebook.
It's the only thing they do, you do it.
They're bored or they just don't, they don't know what to
do, because they have businesses.
And they have to take phone calls a lot, a surfboard, and
they don't get to it. A lot probably to get money for
all of us, and probably take a break because they had five kids
a game because they watch the thing that their YouTube phone,
No judging. We could have done those on all
kinds of kids, we all get it. So then we also sent out a
survey and we had you guys fill out the survey and then we had
your kids fill out a survey and I just want you to know what our
people us this is us but we're saying stats on kids ages, 10 to
20, they're averaging five hours and 14 minutes on a device.
Every single day, parents think their kids are spending three
hours and 22 minutes. So we're thinking they're
spending too much time on it, that's what I hear University
from parents and collectively. We think we're spending three
hours and 22 minutes and actuality go spend 5 hours and
14 minutes. That's their screen time.
But then, you know, it's not just one of the kids.
Let's look at older people to, let's look at the 20 and 30 year
olds for hours and 47 minutes. Let's look at the 30 year olds
for hours and five minutes. Don't worry, you know, as people
get older more mature, when people get into their 40s, Oh,
dang it, some of you right now. Are employers and going, hold on
a second. I think I might be paying for
some of that Facebook time. You are, you are 50 and 60 50 to
60, 3 hours and 34 minutes. All right, we'll probably it
gets, you know what about the 60 year?
Olds in our church, three hours and 17 minutes.
So I mean they've got the Fox News app which is awesome.
They're they're surviving. What about the 70k?
Two hours and 49 minutes. Okay.
I mean do we have any 80 plus people?
Oh my goodness the only difference is the 80 plus people
just fell asleep a little bit earlier like a they just take
that fell asleep. Mid scroll.
Okay. Okay here's another question.
We ask God bless you. We asked kids between ages 10
and 16 were asked, if they think their parents spend too much
time on their phone, fifty percent of them said, yes, let
me, let me speak to that for just a second.
I think it's hard for your kids to out you when somebody asks.
Question and I think there's a protective nature there.
We know this, right? If our screen time usage is in
the four to five hours a day. We know it's too much, right?
Let me, let me show you this one.
We had asked kids, would you rather have fun with Mom and Dad
or play on a device? 83% of them chose you?
17% of like, nope. Not not going to do it and
listen to me, not all of you are in the 17 percent.
Which means I know you're going, man.
I want to spend more time with my kid, just so, you know, your
kid actually wants to spend more time.
With you, check out this statistic 96, percent of your
kids, said they like doing fun things with you.
I don't know who this 4% is, but there are tough boot of their, a
tough group. Here's what I hear.
I hear parents saying my kids are always on their device.
I want to say two things to you one.
You are still the parent. God has ordained you to be the
head of your homes. And you can make decisions and
change the culture of your home. You have that Authority.
If you don't like it, you can change it.
They want to spend time with you, they would rather make a
memory with you then play on a device, that's what they're
saying. Second thing before you get too
upset at the amount of time that your kids are spending on their
device, realize that they are probably just mimicking.
How much time you are spending on your device.
So we asked these younger people.
Are we asked you in the survey to write a letter to your
younger younger, self about what you would tell your younger self
about technology and social media.
Look what they had to say. Dear younger self, don't get
social media. You will get attached and
compare yourself to others in your everyday life.
Love you this from a seventeen-year-old female.
How about this one? It's a terrible addiction.
That I wish I would have limited from the beginning.
You miss out on so much time with friends and family when
your nose is constantly in your phone, it's just not worth it.
Nineteen-year-old female in our church.
How about this one? From a 22 year old female.
I would warn my younger self about strangers on the internet.
Trying to contact you, that sounds like it's written from a
place of pain and experience. How about this one?
I have never wished. I spent more time on my phone.
I believe that one day I will wish I had all the time.
I spent looking at a screen back real relationships, real
interactions. And real experiences are the
things I treasure the most 40 year old male.
How about this one? From a four year old female.
You don't get a refund on time. Wasted time is precious and
valuable use it wisely. maybe you've seen it, someone driving
down the road and they are on their device and you're like,
that is so incredibly dangerous or how many of you if you're
getting ready for your heart surgery, your heart surgeon was
You would call that malpractice. You won't know it's the more
dangerous. Distracted parents addicted to
their phone instead of parenting and raising and investing in
their kids. That kind of neglect causes way
more harm to way more kids and way more Hearts.
You might be thinking that I'm getting ready to call for a
boycott. Nope, I'm not calling for that.
I'm calling for wisdom. Look what it says in Ephesians
chapter 5, be very careful then how you live not as unwise but
as wise making the most of every opportunity because the days are
evil. So what does wisdom look like?
We need what? Andy Crouch calls, a tech rule
of life. He actually wrote a book, it's
called tech-wise. Family are ready.
It a couple of years ago, it's a great read.
You can download it on your device.
So at least you can be redeemed, some of your device time.
Okay. I really would, I would
encourage you to read it. You're going to go on Clayton.
I don't have enough time. Listen, just take one day off of
screen time and you'll have plenty of time to read this book
but he has six main points that he pushes forward.
He's a Christian Author and I just want to take you through
five of them. This is what he says.
We use Tech to build our closest relationships.
His Tech rule of life or one of them to he says technology and
its proper place when it helps us bond with real people and
have that we have been given to love.
It is out of its proper place. When we end up bonding with
people at a distance like celebrities, whom we will never
meet He says, we are suffering from being over stimulated over
informed and under engaged when you.
And I know more things about what's happening, all over the
world and less about what's happening on our street, in our
neighborhood, or in our homes, Tech is out of its proper place
when I'm giving the most of my attention to that, which I have
little investment and little power to control.
And neglecting the areas where God has ordained me to have
maximum influence. We can use technology to stay
connected to people, who've moved away or to gather with
people over FaceTime and zoom. We can use it to keep up on
Milestone moments and celebrate accomplishments.
But if it gets in the way of the people that we are the closest
to it is out of bounds. He says, this, another rule, we
use technology to have healthy conversations.
Technology is in its proper place.
When it starts great conversations, it is out of its
proper place when it prevents us from talking with and to one
another when it gets in the way of us listening to what other
people are saying. Tech distracts us from being
good, conversational, partners and conversations.
On social media are almost always unhealthy.
People are either raging on social media or they are
engaging in self promotion. It is our own little stage where
we worship ourselves and ask other people to join in
sometimes to the pity of others. Have you ever noticed if you're
going to stay on social media for a while, I just want you to
take a look at this. Have you noticed that often
times on social media people fall into like three categories,
the either position themselves as the hero The sage or the
victim. Look at my accomplishment.
Look at my suffering. Look at how awesome of a mom.
I am. Look at how cool I am as a dad.
Hashtag, dad life. Look at my brilliant political
take, look at how smart I am. How sophisticated even though
nobody would have liked you to a school board.
Look at my duck face. Look at how glamorous my life
is. Look at how sophisticated I am.
Look at how brilliant Look at how bad my life is.
I've been so good, but my ex-husband's been so bad.
You know, we do, we frame ourselves.
Center Stage, we make ourselves out to be the god.
And we hop up on the altar. Waiting for everybody else to
Applause. But that God doesn't save.
We end up becoming more about pushing egotism and outrage to
all the people around us. However, what gets cut off is
the chance to engage and learn, and listen, and that can be
powerful. It's a great jumping-off point
to begin and Implement online learnings, and to implement them
in everyday life and relationships.
But how many of you have been talking to somebody?
You care about only for them. Not to hear what you said
because they were sucked into their device.
He says this, here's another rule will use Tech while
remaining mindful of our physical limits.
Ecology is in its proper place. When it helps us take care of
the fragile bodies that we inhabit.
It is out of its proper place when it when it promises to help
us escape the limits and vulnerabilities of our bodies.
All together. When Tech is causing us to lose
sleep, stay up late when it's turning our lives sedentary.
When it's making us constantly available to work, even on
weekends weeknights vacations, maybe some of you are working
now, it's not healthy. Statistics are in.
You should be trying to get eight hours of sleep.
And how many of you are not getting eight hours, because you
spent three hours. Then you wake up, less rested,
emotionally, you're not as healthy, mentally.
You're not as in shape which means that you are going to
bring a reduced version of yourself into your marriage,
into your parenting, or reduced version of yourself as a
co-worker friend. Boss manager leader, Was it
worth the sacrifice for you to scroll?
He says this another tech rule, we use tech for cultivation, not
consumption. Technology is in his proper
place when it helps us acquire or skill or Mastery of domains
that are for the glory of human culture.
But when we let technology replace the development of skill
with passive consumption, something has gone wrong.
This is a weird takeaway for me to give you, but I would
encourage you to this week watch the movie by Pixar.
Are called Wally. They escape this planet over
time. People become more, and more
dependent on technology, more and more obese, and less and
less happy. And I think when that movie came
out, we like yeah, that's a little scary.
I think if we watch it now, it will feel very much like we're
watching ourselves Far to summarize.
The point of that movie would be this Comfort doesn't build
character. Passivity doesn't build.
Courage luxury doesn't build wisdom.
And in the world ahead, our kids are going to need character and
courage and wisdom. Parents.
You and I are going to need character courage and wisdom.
What makes this era of technology?
So different is that our Tech is beginning to work by itself.
For all of human history Technologies, were things like
Farming, tools, and weapons, things that required our
engagement. Now, our house gets swept by
roombas while we sleep, our cars drive themselves or at least
some of them do. And now the algorithm is
designed to trap us. How about this one?
We use Tech to cherish the created World technology is in
its proper place when it helps us, cultivate all for the
created world around us and we are responsible to Steward.
It is out of its proper place when it keeps us from engaging
in the wild and wonderful natural world.
With all of our senses, this one's self explanatory, go for a
walk. Leave your phone, every
experience doesn't have to be documented shared, an experience
secondhand through a screen. Let me prove it to you.
This is how weird we've become if I were to meet up with you in
the lobby after service and start walking you through my
phone of all of my pictures. Look at this one.
Look at this one.
You would be bored that fast.
I take those same pictures. Put them on your phone for you
to scroll through and you'll stay There for hours.
You remember, a couple of years ago, everything was hashtag, my
perfect wedding. Every person who got married had
their own hashtag. Now, you know what people are
doing, leave your phone in the car and be in the moment with
us. If we're going to do this you
and I we need a plan, we need a filter.
This is the filter on want us to use First Corinthians chapter
10. This one, it says, I've
highlighted your part. I have the right to do anything
you say, but not everything is. Yeah, you guys got it.
I have the right to do anything but not everything is no one
should seek their own good but the When you're getting ready to
leverage your technology, this is your filter.
Is it beneficial? Is it constructive?
Is it for the good of others? when you think about technology,
And you think about your marriage?
It's beneficial. it's a constructive but the good of
others when you think about your parenting, One of the most
precious responsibilities you have.
This afternoon me being on my phone for four hours as a
father. Is that beneficial to my boys?
Is it constructive for their character?
Is it for their good? Some of you your marriage and
you're struggling with intimacy. Maybe.
Your social media isn't beneficial.
To your sex life. It's not constructive for you
building intimacy. It's not for the good of them.
I think about you being a friend.
Beneficial constructive. Good of others.
I want you to run your technology usage through this
filter. First Corinthians 10, get it
tattooed right here. So when you get ready to scroll,
it's just always looking at you being weird tattoo, but, you
know, if you get it and does not cost more than like 30 bucks,
I'll pay for it. Okay, this week.
Here's what we're asking you to do.
I want you to do a family challenge.
We've got a challenge for those of you who have kids in the
early childhood area, we're going to put on a fun night for
you. At our locations, we will take
the pictures. You put your phone down and make
memories if you're in the elementary age and fuse age for
Junior High kids. We're going to have you do a
family meal night, you're going to go to the store.
You're going to purchase the stuff, we've even got a menu for
you and then you're going to make the meal together.
You're going to keep your phones down and hang out.
You'll remember a couple of years ago.
Even last year, we did like no technology nights.
I need you to hear me say this. It is the most requested thing
in my house. My kids love no technology
nights. You know why?
Because they get a dad. And they get a mom.
Who are doing things that are beneficial constructive and for
their good high school kids, we want you to go out for a meal
and leave your phone in the car. No one cares.
What you ate. We don't.
Okay listen parents high school kids, can I give you extra
credit? Consider doing a digital detox,
30 days, off social media. I will do it with you.
I finished preaching my sermon on Thursday and while everyone
was at the steps of praying, I deleted all of my social media
and YouTube apps off of my phone, crazy things happened.
I was a guy who was a power user on my phone so I had to charge
it every day. I charged it on Friday, I'm
still at like 40% like I'm you know, I'm going green okay.
I'm saving the world. One iPhone charge at a time, you
know price God for me. Okay, when you get done with the
30 day detox, One hour a day, one day a week, one week a year,
peel off social media put limits on yourself.
I'm not saying this stuff isn't good.
I'm saying it's just gotten out of bounds if you're a parent.
Hear me, you need to have greater app, awareness.
You need to look at life 360. You need to think through the
parental control settings, on your kids.
Phones set up restrictions and scream time limits, get
permission to download apps on the settings.
If you have questions about that, talk to one of the
pastor's here at our church and so you might be going.
But Clayton like if I go off social media for 30 days, how
will I know what's happening in the world and how I know what's
happening at church? Church, let me tell you
something. If it's really bad news, you'll
hear about it. But most of the news you get
shoved, doesn't matter. 24 hours from now.
I have no clue what's happening in the world right now.
I know that my wife loves me. I know that I've got milk at
home, you guys are at church and the food I ate last night does
not agree with my stomach and I'm praying with my way through
this sermon, okay? That's what I know.
They'll Vita scotchies and meet no bueno.
Never having that again. That's what I know right now.
And just so you know I'm happy as can be, I'm on the edge but
I'm happy. Okay.
I'm I'm telling you. You will be okay.
You are getting. I'm not a conspiracy theorist,
but you are getting crammed news as entertainment.
If something really bad happens, you'll find out.
Tornadoes have sirens. Like you'll be okay.
What about for church? How are you how are you going to
know what's happening? Just so, you know, we send you
emails semi-regularly, check your junk folder.
You'll find out all the things we've been trying to do for you.
Okay, just go. Hey this isn't junk anymore and
you'll have information. You need to hear me say this.
We have decided as a church, our strategy going forward is we
will continue to maintain a strong vibrant, social media
presence. Why?
Because that is where the people we are trying to reach are at
The people we are trying to minister to the people that are
looking for a little bit of help and a little bit of hope.
We want to make sure that we are a part of that conversation.
If you see something posted on my account over the next couple
weeks, you didn't do the 30 day detox.
Gotcha. Second thing is, it wasn't me?
It was somebody on our team, leveraging.
It, I'm out for the next 30 days.
I'm doing it with you because I don't want you to feel like you
have to do it alone. We believe that there is a
better way for you to live your life parents and grandparents
only to hear me have Grace here. There are going to be real with
drawers with our kids if they go through a detox or you start.
Limit their screen time because they are actually addicted.
There are chemical issues at play.
You need to be intentional with the time.
You have with them put a game plan together.
Go buy some board games do chores together so you can stir
up conversations. Couple years ago, I showed you a
photo that I'm going to show you in just a second, someone was
commissioned to come up with a art installation that was
indicative of Our Generation. And this is what he came up
with. The art installation is in
Amsterdam. It's called absorbed by light.
the artist was saying This Is Us and people go ironically and
they sit in between them and they take a picture for them to
post for other people to do this with And while we could easily
point the finger at them, I think probably the thing we
should do is go. Isn't this us?
Was this your last night? Was this your last week?
It stinks to be a part of second service because if you have an
iPhone, you got your screen report.
Tim Cook is already told you over, I'm right.
It should convict us. All, why are we saying all this?
Because we want to be in your corner.
We want to be in this with you deep down inside.
I think, you know, that we are right and deep down inside.
I think you want something better.
Look what it says in Hebrews chapter 12.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great,
cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and
the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with
perseverance, the race marked out for us.
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of faith
for the joy set, before him, he endured the cross.
Scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the Throne
of God you and I have been called to a glorious Life.
By God our creator. We have been purchased ransomed
and Redeemed by his son Jesus Christ and we have the
indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish his
mission. We were meant, and made and
saved for so much more than scrolling.
We Were Made for More. And every single one of you,
myself included need to start living up to our god ordained
calling. He says, throw off everything
that hinders, you know what that phrase is?
It's a weight loss phrase. When someone's getting ready to
run, you've shed the weight. It was talking about people who
are getting ready to compete in the games and they're like, look
I got to lose this. If I'm going to run as fast as I
want pretty soon, it's going to be warm enough where all the
runners come out. And you can tell the difference
between the serious runners in the pretend Runners.
Because the serious Runners are basically naked because they
just don't want, that's why I'm not a serious Runner.
Okay, that's all there is to it that and I hate running.
Those are the two reasons why I'm not a runner the clothes.
and the Running part and people will trim down because you don't
want to carry excess weight on a race that matters the most Throw
off. Question is your technology
usage await on your walk? Is it an unnecessary weight in
the race of your marriage? The race of your parenting, the
race of God's calling on your life.
Maybe we need to throw some of it off.
And I wonder, how many of us are having a hard time living the
life that God called us to, because we have not fixed our
eyes on the author and Perfecter of our faith, we have fixed our
eyes on our phones, And when you've sinned and messed up and
you need grace, and mercy, you won't find it in Silicon Valley.
You won't find it in an algorithm.
You will only find it in a savior.
When your life is in a tailspin and you need direction, you need
a North star. You will not find that in your
phone but you can and you will find it in Jesus.
And when you find yourself in the darkest Valley, You won't
find the Hope or the help that you need in your phone but you
will find it in Jesus. Fixing our eyes on him.
And I don't think you'll regret it.
We're moving to a time of decision if you are here and you
have never started an intimate personal relationship with Jesus
Christ. You are why this church exists.
Because we found him and we've never gotten over it.
And I know, for some of you, you might be going, there's a lot of
challenges in my life. There's a lot of things going
on. And there's some Perfect Day in
the future. When I'll be able to begin that
relationship, with Jesus that day is just not today.
I just need you to hear me say, that is just not how it works.
You don't fix you before you get to Jesus, you will get to Jesus,
and you allow him to do the fixing.
You allow him to the redeeming, you allow him to do.
The saving. And maybe you've been here and
you've watched everybody else, start that relationship with
Jesus Christ and it's just never been your day.
I want you to know that today can be that day.
That you take your life and you surrender it to the saving work
and the lordship work of Jesus Christ.
And the testimony of this church, not just here, but in
all of our different locations and all of those watching online
Universal, testimony of our church, is that the greatest
decision we ever made was making Jesus Christ.
Our Lord and Savior and our biggest regret is you we didn't
do it sooner. And we believe that when you
find, what we found in him that you would agree.
And so if you have questions about what that is or what that
looks like in just a few moments, while the people around
you stand and sing, there's gonna be somebody right over
there by the baptistry. Who would love an opportunity to
talk with you about it. To the rest of you in the room.
The Christians. We have been given a glorious
mission. An opportunity to participate
with God himself in his redeeming work.
How many heartbeats do you have left?
How many breaths do you have left?
Because for the crossing, I don't know how many beats your
heart beats and 4 hours and 30 minutes.
Every day. And I don't know how many
breaths get chewed up in that timeframe every single day, but
that is what we are spending on this.
I heard people say now I just want to be a great Christian.
I just I just don't have time to read my Bible.
All right. What if he just shaved your
phone usage down 24 hours. Man, I wish I had time to pray
more. I'm just so busy.
So busy you crayon. Five hours of scrolling in. what
if there are people who are close to you, who need real
Godly answers a real Godly example, But the people God has
placed this in our lives are looking to us to be the light.
Instead we've been distracted by the Light.
On our phone. I think.
I think we were made for more. I think the mission that he's
called us to is worthy of our investment and his cause is
worthy of advancement. I think your marriage needs it.
Your relationships are aching for it and your kids require it
from us. So, here's what I'm asking you
to do. Come up here at some point in
time during the next couple songs and we have these that we
have the challenges up here, they're labeled by age group.
Would you just be willing to spend a little bit of time on
your knees going? God, I want to surrender this
area. My life to your lordship God, I
want you to help me run my life and my technology usage through
this filter. God, I want to be a change agent
in my home. I know some of you after talking
to first service, some of you were really pumped about the
sermon and your kids were not Yeah, well it's going to take
time. But let's go on this journey
together. Let's make it count.
Would you join me in that you stand heavenly father.
Thank you for loving us and never giving up on us and God
thank you for giving us the power to make the changes that
we know we need to make God be with this church.
As we try to become a place that makes you proud help us.
Not to squander Our Lives. God, give us the strength and
courage to live out our convictions.
Because so much is in the balance and I pray, amen.