media

Perfect Peace

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You. Isaiah 26:3 NLT

We live in a culture so completely soaked in information, entertainment and media of all kinds, that the slightest interruption of our internet leads to frustration, anger and even panic. The idea of what the Bible calls perfect peace seems far – very far away. Sensing the loss of peace, you may have already tried a media fast or even shut off your cell phone for a while. But just like fad diets, these attempts usually fail dismally and though they give us a momentary breath of peace they rarely lead to change. Today’s scripture points out that the true lasting peace we long for only comes from God. Ultimately victory in a culture of information and communication frenzy comes only by our connecting on the deepest level with Jesus Christ.

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So how can I do that? Church services, while uplifting seem only like an island of safety a sea of turmoil. One step out of the sanctuary and I find myself pulling out my cell phone to check for messages or missed calls. So here is a word of advice. Start with small steps like enlisting the help of a friend (in my case my wife). Schedule prayer time and Bible study with that someone else on a daily basis so it doesn’t all depend on you. There is nothing shameful about needing others to walk by our side. Right away you will have conflicts as you readjust your use of time, but don’t give up. The perfect peace God has promised is worth it. As Pastor Rick Warren put it, “Keep moving forward. Even the snail reached the ark by persevering!”

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Media Mealtime and Multitasking

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments
Priority

It came to me today that my efficient manner of layering tasks one over the other is not God’s best for my life. So in my own battle here are a few things that God is helping me to do.

Prioritize- God first in my day. No media till after prayer. The phone is on but I won’t even glance at it till after prayer, morning coffee and breakfast. This might seem like a no brainer but for me it has been a welcome return to those slower starting pre-cell phone days. This little time is the first fruits of our day and should belong first to God.

No Media at Mealtime!

Have you seen families sitting in a restaurant paying good money for food but paying little attention to one another while they text or play games on their cell phones? The scarier part of this is we might be more likely to do this ourselves at home. It is time to liberate mealtime from the dictatorship of media! That includes eating alone. How can we even taste the food if our attention is elsewhere? God gave us a 3 times a day appetite so we would have 3 opportunities a day to give thanks and then enjoy what He has given us!

Mini Media Fasting

The attitude of the 21st century might be summed up by the phrase “No cell phone left behind!” But unless we are the President or an on duty 1st responder, the truth is the world will not miss us for 30 minutes. While I do admire folks who go off grid for a month; I confess that I am not there yet. But half an hour on my morning walk without a cell phone I can do. Maybe for you that might be time at the gym, a visit with a neighbor- (cell phone left behind) or an hour fishing. So why not give these ideas a try this week? You might be amazed at what God can do with just a little bit of our time that we liberate just for Him and His purposes!