Connected 3D: Embracing Relational Connection in a Digital Age
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Intro:
Intro:
Today, we are going to talk about something that has infiltrated our world at an unbelievable pace.
It is something that has more impact on us that I think we will ever know.
We want to talk about the impact of technology, specifically the screens that seem to keep finding their way in front of us.
Go back in time with me for a moment….
Think about when “The Cloud” just meant something that brought overcast or rain.
And when Tick-Tock was just something that a Clock did.
Zoom was a sound your kids made on their bikes.
When Amazon was just a River in South America
Think about when you’re car broke down and you had to go find a Phone Booth
When getting on the internet sounded like this…..PLAY VIDEO
We live in a time where Technology is being introduced at a faster rate than ever before!
And this Technology has been embraced and few questions are asked!
Oh this tablet helps keep my child entertained, lets get it.
This phone now allows you to have 14 hours of Battery life where I can stream videos for hours upon hours, Lets Get it!
Oh this AI can read an entire book in seconds and summarize it for me, Let’s get it!
And hear me, I am not ANTI-Technology….although I certainly believe times were much simpler without it!
However, I THINK IT WOULD BE WISE TO ASK QUESTIONS OF HOW THESE THINGS AFFECT US!?
We live in a World where we ARE MORE CONNECTED THAN EVER BEFORE…..yet ARE MORE RELATIONALLY ISOLATED THAN EVER BEFORE.
Think about it…every screen you have in your house becomes an avenue for more isolation.
And think about the Power that these Screens have over us…
We are giving Kids Technology that has potential to negativity impact their lives for years to come…
FAMILY DINNER VIDEO
They have the power of completely disengaging you
SMASH IT VIDEO
We struggle even useing bathroom if we dont have the phone
PRIORITIES VIDEO
Honestly…….Most people cannot leave their phone somewhere…..
What would we do….
They wouldn't be able to text….to play the games….scroll social media…..they wouldn't have it to pull out when they are awkward.
You go to get tires changed…and set inside….
On their phones
You go to a Restaurant to eat a meal….look around
On their phones
You go to a Ball game to watch your kids and grandkids….look around
On their phones
AND CHILDREN…
Taking away the tablet has become the only form of discipline thats ever threatened.
Not to mention the Energy Spent with Having the Capability to do Just about anything at our Fingertips…
Have you noticed the answer that we all seem to have….when asked how are you!
“Been Busy”….. “I’m Tired”….. “I’m Busy and Tired”
No one ever says…. “Man, I am getting a full nights sleep and knocking things out….doing well”
We understand that Technology CHANGES…..but HOW DOES IT CHANGE US!
A Survey 1997: Kids (9-11) Ranking their Top Values
Fame was 15th
A Recent Survey: Kids (9-11) Ranking their Top Values
Fame was number 1
I see this with my own kids!
Which by the way have no Tablets nor Phones (as we have made that decision as we consider these things)
But Jaci will ask if she can make a video cooking or a video dancing or a video doing something funny
She will go around Pretending to be talking to the Phone…….she’ll say “Subscribe to my channel”
And I ask her why she wants to do that….. and her response is “SO WE CAN GET PEOPLE TO WATCH IT”
Why do you want people to watch it?….her response is “I dont know”
But our society has instilled in their minds THAT THEY ARE TO BE SEEN….TO HAVE FOLLOWERS…..TO BECOME INFLUENCERS
THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS TO THINK ABOUT…
It affects YOU, YOUR KIDS, and YOUR GRAND KIDS
Biblical Grounding:
Biblical Grounding:
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.
28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”
God created us and gave us a Job.
We are to Multiply and Fill the Earth and SUBDUE IT….and have DOMINION OVER IT
What a great responsibility this was….
To Name the animals and tend to the World
This was perfect, until we rebelled against God.
We see this rebellion continues…
And now man’s dominion is corrupted…
8 Cush fathered Nimrod, who began to be powerful in the land.
9 He was a powerful hunter in the sight of the Lord. That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a powerful hunter in the sight of the Lord.”
10 His kingdom started with Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
1 The whole earth had the same language and vocabulary.
2 As people migrated from the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make oven-fired bricks.” (They used brick for stone and asphalt for mortar.)
4 And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth.”
Technology Advanced….
Allowing them now to have OVEN-BAKED BRICKS
How does the Technology affect them…..
Not that Bricks are bad, but how the Technology UNCHECKED can be used by our own sinful desires
“Let us Build ourselves a tall tower…..so we CAN MAKE A NAME FOR OURSELVES …..SO WE WONT BE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE EARTH”
The very thing God told them to do…. “Be Fruitful and Multiply”….was now being DISOBEYED and they are using Technology to Do it!
And we see Gods response in Genesis 11:8-9
8 So from there the Lord scattered them throughout the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 Therefore it is called Babylon, for there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth, and from there the Lord scattered them throughout the earth.
If you will…..The BRICK of Shinar IS LIKE the IPHONE TODAY….SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY
And Nimrod used Technology for his own Glory in disobedience to God….
However, cant we be called NIMRODS Today…
How much of technology is used to GLORIFY OUR SELF in DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD!
We have a responsibility to HAVE DOMINION OVER THE EARTH
How’s our obedience in this!
Not just our use of Technology…..BUT HOW WE USE IT!
We want to start asking some questions….
WHAT PROBLEM DOES THIS DEVICE SOLVE AND WHAT PROBLEM DOES IT CREATE?
A Phone to a 9 year old may solve the PROBLEM of being able to see where they are and to get ahold of them
But that Phone also causes the problem of having an endless world of filth now at their fingertips.
“Oh my kid wont do that”…”They are a Good Kid”
THEN, YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL THAT SATAN HAS IN THIS WORLD.
DO YOU RULE OVER YOUR DEVICE OR DOES IT RULE OVER YOU?
Is what was meant to be an ACCESSORY now become a PRIORITY?
We were created to have dominion under God’s Authority.
Rebellion tries to take that authrority and then we become dominated!
Salvation in Christ is seeing that Christ has His rightful Seat….He returns our responsibility of dominion over this world under His authority!
****VIDEOS WITH PHONES****
3D PLAN FOR REAL CONNECTIONS
I. Disconnect to Connect
I. Disconnect to Connect
We see several times where Jesus Disconnects To Connect
He Disconnects with those around him SO THAT HE CAN CONNECT TO GOD!
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there he was praying.
He Disconnected with the Crowds SO THAT HE COULD CONNECT WITH OTHERS IN FULFILLING HIS PURPOSE
40 When the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to him. As he laid his hands on each one of them, he healed them.
41 Also, demons were coming out of many, shouting and saying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
42 When it was day, he went out and made his way to a deserted place. But the crowds were searching for him. They came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them.
43 But he said to them, “It is necessary for me to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.”
He Disconnected with the Twelves SO THAT HE COUD CONNECT WITH PETER, JOHN, AND JAMES
28 About eight days after this conversation, he took along Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.
29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.
We too need to DISCONNECT TO CONNECT!
Disconnection to the World is SO IMPORTANT TO OUR CONNECTION WITH GOD!
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.
It seems as if much of our fruit can be tainted by being attached to the wrong VINE.
We are too curious about the MODERN GRAPEVINE….that WE LOSE OUR TRUE CONNECTION TO THE VINE OF CHRIST
And at some point WE MUST say that I have said YES TO THESE PEOPLE….that I HAVE TO SAY NO TO THESE AT TIMES
Studies show that we spend nearly 7 hours a day on a SCREEN
We want to challenge you to HAVE LESS SCREEN TIME, but TO ALSO HAVE REAL CONNECTION IN YOUR LIFE!
In your Packet….
We talk about Tech-Free Zones
Real Connection Idea Cards
II. Deepen Internal Values
II. Deepen Internal Values
What we value is so important.
And this is part of the problem that Technology has created…
People have come to VALUE FANTASY more than REALITY!
1,000 Followers is VALUED more that 1 TRUE FRIEND
Valuing Sexual Fantasies have created an Industry that is worth more THAN the NFL, NBA, and MLB COMBINED
What Google says is VALUED more than what a TRUSTED FRIEND says
We are so ENGULFED in THIS VIRTUAL WORLD…..THAT WE LOSE INTIMACY IN THE REAL WORLD
We see this with the rise of ANXIETY and SOCIAL AWKWARDNESS in the Digital Age
I do not think those are disconnected
So how do we fix it?
God gives us the answer!
Learn and Teach God's Word: The foundation of internal values is God's Word.
6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.
7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
We must consistently teach and discuss God's Word.
This helps us understand His commandments and principles.
This will instill godly values in our hearts and minds.
Model Godly Behavior: Much of what we learn comes from observing one another
1 Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.
We must strive to model godly behavior in our own lives.
When others (especially our children) see us making wise decisions, treating others with kindness, and prioritizing our relationship with God, they are more likely to adopt those values themselves.
“JACI TALKING ABOUT MOMMY TALKING TO PEOPLE”
Encourage Critical Thinking: Help develop critical thinking skills by discussing real-life scenarios and guiding them to make decisions based on their internal values.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity
Encourage others to seek God's wisdom and understanding in every situation.
Rather than just telling them….
Ask questions like, "Does this align with God's Word?" and "What does the Bible Say About this?”
Foster a Relationship with God: Ultimately, internal values are rooted in a personal relationship with God.
3 This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent—Jesus Christ.
Encourage others to develop a close relationship with God by COMING TO KNOW HIM MORE through prayer, Bible study, and worship.
Knowing HIM is ETERNAL LIFE
Set your Mind on Things above: Internal Values are from Above
8 Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.
DWELL ON THESE THINGS….
TRUE…..HONORABLE….JUST……PURE…..LOVELY…..COMMENDABLE…..MORALLY EXCELLENT…..PRAISEWORTHY
INTERNAL VALUES.
External Boundaries are great….and we will talk about that….
But what happens when you are away from those boundaries or a way around those boundaries.
Internal Values will always trump External Boundaries
They become a guide, a compass.
ILL…..PSALM 32:8 and Colossians 3:23
III. Develop External Boundaries
III. Develop External Boundaries
With the rate that Technology is changing and at the power that it has…WE NEED TO DEVELOP EXTERNAL BOUNDARIES
The Temptation comes when you no longer understand a device, YOU LEAN OUT
But we should not trust generations under us THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR with a POWER THAT WE OURSELVES DO NOT UNDERSTAND
And so if the devices and Technology is introduced in the HOME….WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND IT!
And we have these envelopes for your family to help you start with these boundaries.
We have a Guide and a Family Contract to help with these conversations.
We have Recipe Card to help you connect with….
YOUR FAMILY
YOUR SPOUSE
KIDS AND GRANDKIDS (YOUNGER and OLDER)
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Disconnect to Connect
Deepen Internal Values
Develop External Boundaries