The Put Your Phone Down and Live – 7 Day Challenge

It’s a familiar experience these days.

You’re in the middle of a good conversation with a friend. And just as you’re sharing something important with them, their eyes wander down to their phone.

You try to keep talking but you know they aren’t listening. They might nod their head a bit but their focus is on their phone.

After 30 seconds they look up and give a meager response to what you said. Right when the connection needed to happen they were distracted.

That’s a typical conversation these days. And at this point it’s so common that we don’t really even notice it. But the truth is often we’re guilty of doing the same thing. Choosing the distraction instead of connecting.

That’s just how life is now, right?

Wrong. At least it shouldn’t be.

We’re missing out on connecting with others – our spouse, friends, our kids. It’s stealing the sleep our body needs and the focused effort of our mind. It’s taking the margins of time that could go toward a good book, a good conversation, or a walk around the block.

We’re missing out on the life-giving things God has put right in front of us.

And, most importantly we’re missing out on the time and focus to stop, be still, and know God more deeply.

There’s a lot we’re losing.

And the problem is big, far-reaching, and has a lot of angles we each need to work through. I will be exploring those angles in the future on the blog and podcast.

But I’d like to propose some simple focused action in the here and now.

A 7 day challenge focused on simple steps to control the unhealthy grip our phones have on us.

Because our phones go with us they are distraction slot machines designed to keep us glued to the screen. But they are also a part of modern life and can be incredibly useful when managed well.

For each day of the 7 day challenge we’ll do one small thing to peel back the hold our smartphones have on us and replace them with a simple activity that is truly life-giving.

The first challenge will run from December 4-10 of 2017.

Each morning you’ll receive a short email with a simple thought, one action to take with your phone, and some ideas on what to replace it with. 5-10 minutes each day is all it will take.

We also have a Facebook Group (if you’d like) to get support and celebrate our wins together during the challenge.

Let’s work together to stop giving up so much to our phones and take the simple yet intentional steps to live well in the here and now.

Signup above to join the challenge. I can’t wait to walk through this with you! -Matt

 

 

*Facebook Group. I realize it’s a bit ironic to have a Facebook group for controlling your phone. I decided to include it because it’s a great way to encourage community during the process of the challenge. If part of your struggle with your phone is Facebook then don’t feel compelled to join the group. I want you to be successful.