A Time-Out from Technology

The Internet is an awesome tool, but like other things can be a distraction from doing more productive things. I’ll admit to have spent hours on social media plus reading Wikipedia articles and watching YouTube videos that have little or no eternal value. A pastor I recently stayed with in the Buffalo, New York area suggested we go on a “media fast.” I perceived the Lord told me to do that for three days.

Pastor Mark and I agreed to start Monday at midnight. Technically, I began my media fast around 11:40 p.m. the night before. I turned off my MacBook Air, iPad, and iPhone before storing them on a shelf. Adjustments needed to be made. I usually fall asleep to an audio Bible or sermon, plus I journal and take notes with my electronic devices. I had to use pen and paper again. My cell phone wasn’t in my pocket when I wanted to know the time and weather. On the first day, I fasted food, drinking only water.


During those three days, I caught up on paperback books people had given me, but I hadn’t read all the way through. I also spent more time studying my Spirit-Filled Life Bible a friend gave me a decade ago but hadn’t used much. I prefer reading God’s Word electronically so I can enlarge the fonts and look up Scripture quicker in different translations. Still, it’s good to have a printed copy of the Bible handy in case of a power outage. 


Mark had to make his share of adjustments during his media fast. He often falls asleep with the TV on. As a pastor, Mark receives many phone calls throughout the day. During last Sunday’s service, he instructed his congregation to call his wife Donna if they needed to get a message to him. On Monday night, Mark and I were getting ready to leave for a bi-weekly men’s meeting. One man we planned to pick up with the church van messaged Donna just in time to let us know he wasn’t coming. The host of the men’s meeting had Christian music videos playing on his TV when we arrived. Believing that was a distraction, Mark asked the host to turn his TV off.


Mark, Donna, and I did an outreach the next night in downtown Buffalo with two other people from the church. We mostly handed out gospel tracts to people attending the Sabres-Bruins playoff game either inside the arena or watching on a video screen in an overflow area. Although I’m not a hockey fan, the Lord put it on my heart to say “Go Sabres” when offering tracts to people. Approximately half of them took one from me. A total of seven souls prayed with us to get saved. Since my iPhone wasn’t with me, I asked Donna to take photos of our outreach. I waited until after midnight on Thursday to write a Facebook post about it.


Mark modified his media fast late Wednesday afternoon. His cell phone was used to verify who he was picking up for his weekly home group. Later during the meeting, his big screen TV was used to play worship music. Mark eventually commented that he and I had spent more time talking to each other as a result of not looking at our electronic devices so much. 


It had been two decades since I last went a whole day without using my laptop or going online. This temporary break from electronics was beneficial, but I’m glad to be using my devices again. In the future, I’ll be more mindful to avoid wasting time by making the most of these tools to advance the kingdom of God. 


“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” - Colossians 3:17


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Gospel Soul Winning Script

Image
During my early days with evangelism, I developed an approach called the Survey Technique . By asking short direct questions, you can maintain control of the conversation and find out quickly what a person’s spiritual beliefs are. Although the Survey Technique has helped me lead thousands to the Lord, I’m still open to utilizing new methods in reaching people with the gospel. Rodney Howard-Browne 's ministry uses a tool called the Gospel Soul-Winning Script , which originated during their Good News New York campaign in 1999. I became familiar with it a few years later during evangelism outreaches with Rodney’s church in Tampa, Florida. At first, I resisted using the script. I found it restrictive and thought sinners wouldn’t be receptive to me reading a scrap of paper to them. Then while taking part in a 2009 outreach with Rodney’s ministry in Washington, D.C., my team leader asked me to “stick with the script.” Wanting to maintain unity, I complied with his request. Initially it f...
Read more

Looking Back @ the Toronto Blessing

Image
With friends I met in 1996 Twenty-five years ago today, a supernatural move of God began at a church near the Toronto airport. When guest speaker Randy Clark prayed over congregation members that night, they started shaking, hollering, and doing other things religious folk would consider disruptive. However, there were changed lives as a result of what became known as “The Toronto Blessing” (or “The Father’s Blessing” as Pastor John Arnott prefers calling it). Soon people from all over the world flocked to Toronto Airport Vineyard to experience a fresh touch from God. By 1995, both pastors and lay people from my home church in Minnesota were making pilgrimages to Toronto. One woman who visited there invited a group of us to watch videos of services from Toronto Airport Vineyard. Initially, I wasn’t impressed because the preaching didn’t sound “charismatic” enough. The worship music gradually appealed to me because of its unique passionate sound not often heard in churches b...
Read more

Toking the Ghost Revisited

Image
Back in February 2007, a fellow missionary I was traveling with started talking about “smoking the weed from heaven.”   He would pretend to have a joint of marijuana between his fingers and have “smoke breaks with Jesus.”   He also encouraged other believers to take “hits.”   I was a bit uncomfortable with this idea but didn't contest it. Then in October of that year, I heard John Crowder preach on “toking the Ghost” at a church in my hometown of Fargo, North Dakota.   I was inspired to make a video with John to share with my missionary friend.   During the filming, I experienced much laughter. I decided to make the video public figuring other people might enjoy it also. Two weeks later at a church in Minnesota, I heard Benjamin Dunn share testimonies of people getting healed from “toking the Ghost.”   This was just before he and John Crowder started ministering together.   I believed this was God confirming His word in the mouth of ...
Read more