Can I confess something to you? There’s one thing Aileen does that really bugs me. We will be talking together and enjoying one another’s company. But then, as we chat, I’ll hear the telltale buzz of her phone. And I can tell that I’ve lost her. I can see it in the look on her face, I can hear it in the tone of her voice. She goes from making eye contact to breaking it, from engaged to distracted, from involved in conversation to muttering toneless “uh huhs.” I know immediately that I may as well just pause and wait so she can check her phone and reply to the message.
An old author once pointed out “the Pharisee in the temple confessed a great many sins—but they were his neighbor’s sins and the publican’s sins; he made no confession of sin for himself.” Ouch.
So on that note, I am guilty as charged. I know I do the exact same thing as Aileen. Yet for some reason, my own behavior doesn’t trouble me nearly as much as her’s. I suppose I’ve convinced myself that I alone have the ability to remain fully involved in two things at once, that I alone can remain engaged in meaningful conversation with her while at the same time dashing off a message to a friend. But she’d probably be the first to say, “There’s something Tim does that really bugs me.”

I was recently listening to a sermon in which the pastor was assuring us of God’s heart of kindness toward us and his concern for us. He assured us that God loves it when we pray and that he always hears our prayers. And he dropped a little line that’s been rattling around my mind ever since. He said simply, “God’s never distracted by his phone.” On the one hand that’s perfectly obvious as I’m pretty sure God doesn’t have, need, or want a phone. But on the other hand, it’s thought-provoking. It’s comforting. It’s challenging.
The fact is, I have become accustomed to having a phone between myself and the ones I love. My family has been known to gather in a single room yet be a million miles away from one another, each of us wide-eyed in the light of our little glowing rectangle. We all know what it is to try to relate to people who are distracted by a phone. And we all know how much better it is to be undistracted. The challenge, of course, is in living that out.

I heard the other day that one of the best things a couple can do for their sex life is refuse to take phones into the bedroom. That makes perfect sense because in the bedroom the phone is the enemy of intimacy. Likewise, I am sure that one of the best things an individual can do is refuse to take a phone into the worship service, and one of the best things a pastor can do is refuse to take a phone into his study, and one of the best things a family can do is refuse to take phones to the dinner table.
Little did we know that just as our phones would come to serve us, we would come to serve our phones. Little did we know that slowly but surely it would mold us into its image.Share
Do you remember when Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone? As we gasped at that device and as we rushed to place our orders for it, little did we know how it would transform our lives, our families, our marriages, our faith, our world. Little did we know that a few ounces of silicon would have so much power and influence, that a few ounces of technology could impact the dining room, the classroom, the study, the bedroom, the sanctuary, and everything in between. Little did we know that just as our phones would come to serve us, we would come to serve our phones. Little did we know that slowly but surely it would mold us into its image.

Apple recently launched The Vision Pro as their cutting-edge entry into the field of what they are calling “spatial computing.” Though I have not yet used or even seen one, I have watched a number of reviews and what’s clear is that it dramatically increases the distance between the user and the world around. It inserts yet another device between the user and the environment—between the user and other people. If a device I can hold in my hand already has the ability to keep my attention from the people I love, how much more a screen that is mounted to my head and that sits in front of my eyes? Could there be a more obvious visual demonstration of how it is meant to impact us? Could it be any clearer how it intends to constantly insert itself between me and others? Apple literally wants me to see the world through its eyes!
Of course, we all know the Vision Pro is just a rough beta of the product Apple would unveil if it had the technological capability—a product that will be constantly before our eyes instead of occasionally there, a product that will “enhance” all of reality and not just a few hours of the day. That may seem like the realm of science fiction, but so did the iPhone until Steve Jobs announced it. The Vision Pro is a glimpse of the future Apple wants for us, a glimpse of the future Silicon Valley wants for itself—a future in which it mediates our lives even more than it does today. In that way, it’s like an iPhone, only more so. Much more so.

And so, at the dawn of a new technology—a new category of technology—I am reminded that one of the best things any of us can do is to embrace new technology thoughtfully rather than naively and with a thorough examination of its inevitable drawbacks rather than a brief skim of all its great promises. The challenge is that the benefits will be immediately apparent (they’ll be written on the box!) while the drawbacks will take time to understand. I hope, I pray, I trust that as we are introduced to something new, something that wants to be omnipresent (and probably brag about being nearly omniscient) in our lives, we will think deeply, pray earnestly, and introduce it only when we know what it is, what it does, and how it seeks to change us to be more like it.

I’m grateful to Radius International for sponsoring the blog this week to let you know about their forthcoming conference (which you can attend in-person or virtually). Sponsors are crucial to the functioning of this site, so I’m thankful for each and every one.

Today’s Kindle deals include a small selection of classics.
(Yesterday on the blog: Urban Legends of Theology)
Forgiving Ourselves
This is a good take on the idea of forgiving ourselves. “I don’t think it is appropriate to speak of forgiving ourselves in any way. But, at the same time, we need to acknowledge that the Bible does have quite a bit to say about how we should and should not think of ourselves and how we should and should not treat ourselves in light of who we are in Christ Jesus.”
Does Maturity Still Matter?
“American culture writ large seems stuck in a defensive adolescence that lacks both the innocence and wonder of childhood, and the realism and long-term thinking of adulthood. Comic book movies are the new American mythology, and the characters in these comic book movies are often just hard-bodied, fast-talking teenagers: the kind of people who, in the words of the most influential man of the 21st century, ‘move fast and break things.’”
What Is a Church?
Here’s a really helpful article that answers a simple question: What is a church?
Building Accountability around Counselees
Writing for the Biblical Counseling Coalition, Tim St. John provides counsel on accountability.
Are home groups really the best vehicle for Christian growth?
Home groups can be good and helpful. But are they necessary? Do they accomplish something in the life of the church that nothing else can?
Flashback: The Tone Deaf Singer
We sing best when that gospel is dwelling richly within us. God is not looking at the quality of our tone or the perfection of our pitch. He is looking at the heart.

The enemy of joy is not suffering, it is idolatry. —Matt Papa

Good morning. May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Westminster Books has Christmas books on sale today.
There are a number of Kindle deals from yesterday and today that you may enjoy.
How to Prepare for the Metaverse
“Even as the pace of technological change has felt dizzying and exhausting for churches in recent years, we’ve only seen the tip of the digital iceberg. The real change, which will truly transform our mental, spiritual, and ecclesial landscapes, is coming soon: the metaverse.” This is a concept you should probably get to know.
5 Takeaways From the Facebook Papers
Chris Martin has some good analysis of the Facebook Papers, which I’m sure you’ve heard of by now.
30 Recommended Books for Reformed Thinkers
Explore church history, study biblical doctrine, or deepen your faith… here are 30 recommended reformed books from Zondervan Academic. (Sponsored Link)
Are we living in the last days? (Video)
Are we living in the last days? Robert Godfrey answers in a brief video.
Medical Marijuana and Christian Ethics
Alan Branch takes a quick look at issues related to the medical use of marijuana.
Why Suffering Pushes Us Toward or Pulls Us Away from God
“One of novelist John Green’s best-known essays, ‘Googling Strangers,’ recounts a time in his early 20s when he worked for six months as a student chaplain at a children’s hospital, in preparation for a life devoted to ministry. One night, he was alerted by the Emergency Department to the arrival of a 3-year-old child who had suffered severe burns.” Trevin Wax reflects on it.
Quiet Faithfulness in an Ecclesiastes World
“I admit – sometimes I look around and see people flourishing in their work, ministry, families, etc, and at times, makes me wrestle with why trouble and hardship seem to be around every corner for us. Our hard work hasn’t paid off in an earthly sense, our perseverance and fight for faith seems to only lead us into new storms, and at times, I feel passed up and left bleeding on the side of the road while those around me flourish in ministry and opportunities, with only normal, everyday, challenges to overcome.”
Flashback: Do You Have the Faith to be Faithful?
I want to consider what it means to have an exemplary faith, the kind of faith that, if imitated by others, will lead them to become more like Christ. Do you have that kind of faith?

Spouses can be wonderful helpers, but they are sorry saviors. Jesus alone can satisfy something as large as the human soul. —Garrett Kell