Unplugging
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“Spaciousness is always a beginning, a possibility, a potential, a capacity for birth.” –Gerald May
“What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.” –Ecclesiastes 2:22-23
“1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” –Ephesians 5:1-2
“10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.”-Deuteronomy 8:10-11
Excerpt from “Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us” by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun:
“It is not uncommon for my first two days after vacation to be technological marathon. Phone calls and hundreds of emails demand attention, swamping all face-to-face communication. I hunker down and proceed to “interact” without ever looking into anyone else’s eyes or sorting out the cues of body language. Once the electronic swamp is cleared away I settle into life as normal. Normal life includes hours of staring at a computer screen, where I answer email and write sermons and talks. The internet is constantly at my disposable to help my “interaction” with colleagues. Normalcy includes having a cell phone, which makes me available and interruptible at meals, in the middle of conversations, in meetings. Normalcy also includes meetings where people type notes into computers-all the while looking down rather than at the face of the presenter. The more I think about this, the more I wonder if Richard Mouw isn’t right when he suggests that there is no “inter” on the Net. The galaxy of information the World Wide Web has offered me has fragmented my world and my relationships and left me alone. Unplugging recognizes that personal beings are created for personal interaction by a personal God. We need to be in the presence of each other. Digital connections are not enough to keep us healthy. We need to be touched. We need nonverbal signals. We need uninterrupted spaces in our lives for the presence of God and the presence of others.
“It is not uncommon for my first two days after vacation to be technological marathon. Phone calls and hundreds of emails demand attention, swamping all face-to-face communication. I hunker down and proceed to “interact” without ever looking into anyone else’s eyes or sorting out the cues of body language. Once the electronic swamp is cleared away I settle into life as normal. Normal life includes hours of staring at a computer screen, where I answer email and write sermons and talks. The internet is constantly at my disposable to help my “interaction” with colleagues. Normalcy includes having a cell phone, which makes me available and interruptible at meals, in the middle of conversations, in meetings. Normalcy also includes meetings where people type notes into computers-all the while looking down rather than at the face of the presenter. The more I think about this, the more I wonder if Richard Mouw isn’t right when he suggests that there is no “inter” on the Net. The galaxy of information the World Wide Web has offered me has fragmented my world and my relationships and left me alone. Unplugging recognizes that personal beings are created for personal interaction by a personal God. We need to be in the presence of each other. Digital connections are not enough to keep us healthy. We need to be touched. We need nonverbal signals. We need uninterrupted spaces in our lives for the presence of God and the presence of others.
Goal for this week: to be fully present to and uninterrupted in interaction with God and others
Other Resources to consider:
The Freedom of Simplicity by Richard Foster
The Shattered Lantern by Ronal Rolheiser
The Unknown God by Alister McGath
The Freedom of Simplicity by Richard Foster
The Shattered Lantern by Ronal Rolheiser
The Unknown God by Alister McGath
MONDAY
Answer these questions to help prepare the week ahead
_how has technology influenced your relationships?
_are you online for both work and pleasure?
_what sort of temptations does cyberspace hold for you?
_where are you using technology to avoid face to face encounters?
_how much time do you spend on the computer, the phone, watching tv, etch each week?
*pray for the week ahead as you unplug a little each day
TUESDAY
Plan today as a “no email” day. If you do not have email, decide on another item to avoid today. Do not check, look or respond to any emails at all today. Leave it closed and turned off as you spend 24hrs away. Each time you want to open your email, stop and spend 2 minutes in prayer to God. Instead of ‘catching up’ pray with God.
WEDNESDAY
Plan today as a “no news” day. Don’t watch the newscast, don’t read the paper. Avoid news media in all shapes and forms today. The times you would spend reading the paper or watching the news, pray to God for at least 5 minutes. When you are tempted to check the headlines on the computer, pray to God for 2 minutes. Instead of being connected to the news of the world, connect to God and share news with Him.
THURSDAY
Plan today to write a letter to someone. Perhaps it’s your spouse, child or friend. Instead of an email or a phone call, sit down and write them a hand written note. Instead of writing someone quickly and ‘efficiently’ with an email or phone call, write someone personally and more intimately with a letter.
FRIDAY
Plan today as a “no phone” day. Turn off the cell phone, don’t answer the home phone. Avoid the phone today. Don’t worry. It’s for only 24hrs and I guarantee you if you are needed, someone will find you. Against all beliefs, we do not need phones to survive. I promise. Each time you want to answer the phone or call someone, spend at least 5 minutes in prayer to God. Take that time to pause for a moment and talk to God rather others over the phone.
SATURDAY
The big challenge today is to have a “no electronics” day. Turn everything off. Avoid everything. Don’t it all off and leave it off for one day. But, maybe you’re not ready. That’s ok. Choose one thing you will turn off today. Perhaps it’s something you exercise earlier in the week or something else you’ve thought of. Turn it off and keep it off for one day. When you are tempted or want to use it, stop and pray to God for at least 2 minutes each time. Remember, the whole idea is to connect to God more than things.
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