Author Topic: Spend More Time With Jesus! (Read 256 times)

Änσnymσus · « **on:** November 01, 2021, 10:26:34 AM »

Spend more time with Jesus and less time using technology. Take a hike in the woods to pray.

https://tinyurl.com/fsj4rab8

Änσnymσus · « **Reply #1 on:** November 01, 2021, 10:27:25 AM »

FASTING
6 Ingredients That Will Help You Fast From Technology
Meghan Posey

Technology, Fasting

The constant vibrations of your phone pushing you notifications can feel like being in a crowded place even when you’re physically alone.
Solitude and silence were a significant element of Jesus’ ministry. He often withdrew from the crowds and went into the wilderness to pray (Luke 5:16).
If you want to reconnect with God, taking a digital fast could be the modern equivalent you need.
What’s the point of fasting?
Fasting is about saying, “God, I love You above everything. I will not be enslaved to anything else. I want to get life from You and You alone, and because of that I will abstain from food, to remind my body and mind that it needs to depend on You.”
So what does this look like with the things we consume daily via smartphones, tablets and other digital devices?
6 Tips for Digital Fasting

Your fast needs a purpose. Write down why you are unplugging and what you are hoping to gain out of the experience. When your digital fast gets hard, remember why you started. Share the purpose of your digital detox with a trusted friend so they can help keep you accountable.
Engagement is the goal — not isolation. When constantly looking at our phone we can become distracted and not fully present with others. During your digital fast, look for ways to connect with others. Have a conversation over lunch or sit in front of someone and give them the gift of your full attention.
Your fast needs definition. What you are going to fast from? Maybe it’s your social media or perhaps it’s Netflix. You decide. Determine your parameters and the length of time you are going to fast. If this is your first digital fast, start with a 24-hour period. After it’s done, evaluate how it went to figure out what will work best for you in the future.
Notice your behavior. At the beginning you might find yourself reaching for your phone every time you are bored or lonely. A digital fast is not easy to start. Pay attention to your behavior, emotions and desires. A fast can be an incredible opportunity for the Lord to show you deeper things that you would not have noticed otherwise.
Notice what your fast is telling you. The dark side of technology is that it feeds our insatiable need to be known without actually satisfying it. Ask yourself the hard questions during your fast, like “Where do I seek my identity from?”
Feed your mind without scrolling. Read a newspaper or book instead of scrolling through your Newsfeed. Did you know we are more creative when we have down time? Go for a walk and let your mind wander.

Next Steps:

My Story: Why I Had to Try a Digital Fast
Help, I’m new to fasting. Show me where to start.
Devices have taken over my family. Show me how to put technology in its proper place.

Änσnymσus · « **Reply #2 on:** November 01, 2021, 10:28:55 AM »

Why I Had to Try A Digital Fast
Meghan Posey

Technology

Sometimes it’s necessary to disconnect from the world in order to reconnect with God.
Sometimes it’s necessary to reorder your priorities to notice what is happening to your soul.
I chose to do a digital fast for six months. I turned off Facebook and started looking at the people present in my life rather than the happenings on my cell phone.
Life felt overwhelming. I was beginning a new job in a new country, so I chose to hide from it by escaping into the digital world. My symptoms:

I spent much of my time living online, instead of engaging with people in my new location.
I didn’t feel emotionally present and most of my conversations were virtual.
I poured over pictures on Facebook for hours thinking, “Look at what I’m missing out on.”
I felt social media trapping me in my past and in other people’s present.

Then one day I asked myself, “What would it look like to live fully present with those around me?”
It was time for something radical.
I decided to deactivate my Facebook account. Only when I removed social media from my daily life did I realize it had become a coping mechanism for me.
What I Learned

God made me for relationships. I learned that I had a deep need to bond and form connections with other flesh-and-blood people. Not only did I want real relationships, I wanted them to go deeper. I wanted more meaningful conversations with the people in my life.
My Facebook fast uncovered my longing for God. My friend Sheri has a tattered Post-it note on her fridge with this C.S. Lewis quote: “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
Digital fasting added relationship time to my life. I noticed I had more hours on my hands. Instead of reaching for my phone to see what people were up to, I used that extra time to catch up with them in person.

The power of digital fasting was proven to me in a moment with a friend that made me laugh. She couldn’t understand why I didn’t know about something that was going on in her life at that time.
She asked me, “Didn’t you see my pictures on Facebook?”

“Nope, I sure didn’t,” I replied. “Why don’t you tell me all about it while I drink this coffee and enjoy the smile on your face.”
Is the idea of fasting new to you? Start here Fasting Starter Kit.

Änσnymσus · « **Reply #3 on:** November 01, 2021, 11:15:47 AM »

bodeens · « **Reply #4 on:** November 01, 2021, 11:49:05 AM »

Another effective thing is the time spent with technology can be Christ-centered. TradCathSermons is great for this and offers mp3s of everything. Being able to sort by topic and hear sermons on the same matter and meditating on those things is fantastic. Just load up your mp3 player before work and listen to this kind of content instead of politics or whatever garbage. When I chop wood or work at the warehouse I will listen to something like this. There's great content for beginners lurking this topic too... Check out Fr. Benedict Hughes' doctrine series, he covers the ENTIRE Baltimore Catechism. This content is all absolutely free too. If you are nowhere near a traditional priest you can get Catechesis... Thank God for the internet. He certainly has allowed the evils of internet porn etc for holy priests to help souls.

I think, in this day and age, learning to use tech to learn the faith is fantastic. In the 50s or 60s there was Catholic content on radio and TV but you couldn't just hop on New Advent and spend your afternoon learning. What other period in history has almost ALL Catholic writing been available for FREE? While this article is good I do believe we must harness tech to strengthen our knowledge of the faith. I think many people paint technology as the adversary... While some wicked aspects are, there is so much fruit just waiting for you to pick.

Author Topic: Spend More Time With Jesus! (Read 256 times)

Änσnymσus

Spend More Time With Jesus!

Änσnymσus

Re: Spend More Time With Jesus!

Änσnymσus

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Änσnymσus

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bodeens

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