We asked our congregation for their stories of how they have sought to become more “tech-wise” in response to our initiative, how this has impacted them, and to share any tactics they are taking that we might learn from them. Remember that tech-wise is not a one-size-fits-all thing. Different stages of life, strengths and weaknesses,...
The original followers of Jesus called themselves “The Way” because they followed the way of Jesus. They were different. They loved their enemies. They touched the untouchable. They uplifted women. They welcomed the Gentiles. They were weird. They went against the grain. They swam upstream. When I encountered the term “tech-wise” in Andy Crouch’s book,...
Few topics are as uncomfortable and important to talk about as pornography. It’s uncomfortable for obvious reasons. It’s also important for obvious reasons – especially if you’ve seen the statistics. But for followers of Jesus, thinking rightly about a topic involves more than mere facts and figures. The purpose of this post is to explore...
The Dilemma It all started with a scene from the popular HBO Max show “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.” It was December and I was watching the season finale of a program that had originally aired in August. In one of the final scenes, after months of terror, a masked man chases a blonde young...
“Oh no. I’m getting sad. I’ve gotta get the phone and write ‘hi’ to like fifty people.” —Louis C.K. Boy did I laugh and then cringe at that comment. I felt seen. I was listening to a sermon preached by John Mark Comer where he opened by sharing a clip by the comedian Louis C.K....
“You’re always on your phone” A statement used in my household much too frequently growing up. As a member of Gen Z, we grew up in a sort of transitionary period when it came to technology. Yes, when I was in elementary school I was still playing outside every day with my brother forming imaginary...
“The Wi-Fi is out”. Does that sentence strike fear in your heart? It does for me or at least, it did. One month ago I was minding my own business, re-ordering contacts from my iPad, when I realized that the Wi-Fi was disconnected. Another utility company was digging in front of my neighbor’s home and...
On Sundays, I serve on the Park Church cleanup team and assist the audio/visual team with service presentation slides. My day job is that of a law enforcement officer specifically focused on computer forensics and online child exploitation investigations for more than 14 years. In addition, I supervise and manage a countywide team of investigators...
Pete and I consider our kids (Sammy, 22 and Tacy, 21) to be right on the cusp (or just ahead of ) the fully-connected “phone kid”. That meant that their earliest involvement with technology would have been the occasional TV or video game. It wasn’t until they were in middle-school or even high school that...
Take a moment to reflect about your time in school. Can you remember a few individuals who went out of their way and tried to make your life miserable? Now picture these people following you home and everywhere you went. Sounds pretty awful. That’s what’s happening today with many pre-teens and teenagers. The people making...
