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Hey everyone. Welcome to a little bonus edition

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of the p practicality podcast.

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Josh Smith is joining us again rem a

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call that he was with us for our

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last session talking about,

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addictions of biblical

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understanding and response.

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And after we talked for a while about

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that, Josh, thought it might be good just

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to do a little bit of a follow

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up focus specifically on our

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mobile phones, our cell phone So, Josh, I

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appreciate that thought and happy to have you

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back with us.

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Well, thanks again for having me Matthew, and

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a lot of times, we do have these

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conversations or we'll do presentations or or talks,

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or even a message on something like this

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and

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afterwards in conversation, 1 of the things that,

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is often expressed by individuals is we would

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love to hear

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more practical

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resources on how to actually

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make some of those changes that that we

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were referring to. And so we discussed

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you know, looking at

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reducing the amount of time that we might

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use our phone specifically,

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in the area of, we addressed pornography

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last time. And,

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not only do we address concerns on what

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we might look at on your phones,

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but things we might communicate on our phones.

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And so the idea is how do we

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as Christians especially

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reduce the amount of time

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in general that we're using our phones, kind

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of taking away

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the agency or the the the product

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that can create such a bad

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situation for us. How do we reduce the

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amount of time we're actually using the phone?

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Well, I appreciate that because

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I would confess it.

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I'm probably looking at my phone. I am

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looking at my phone more than I should,

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more than I would like to. So,

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happy to hear what you've got to say

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today.

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Mh. And I think we're all on that

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same boat. And if we checked in our

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in our apps at 8... In our phones,

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it will actually tell us you know, how

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long we've been on it for the day

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or the week. Some of them we even

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tell us how many times we open our

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phone per day.

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And that can be a humbling experience to

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take a look at some of the times

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that we've been on and the number of

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times we've looked at our phones. So... Hopefully,

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this will be a encouraging

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episode or or podcast because there is hope.

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There is encouragement

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in that we can address some of these

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issues.

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Alright. Well tell me what you got.

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Alright. So the first thing I'd like to

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do is just briefly reiterate that, in in

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the last episode, we looked at looking at

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our phones, viewing

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things we shouldn't be looking at, perhaps even

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inappropriate

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material.

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And so the concern is what we see.

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In addition to that, many people have have

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come to the conclusion that there's also concerns

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about this idea of constant comparison.

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So when we look at our phones, even

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if it's not

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inappropriate context, sometimes behind the scenes,

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there is

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a sense in which we're constantly

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comparing

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to 1 another. So for on Instagram or

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whatever app we use,

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and we're constantly seeing pictures of people at

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the beach or people on a vacation, or

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people having a wonderful time.

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Without even noticing it sometimes in our own

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minds in our own hearts, we can envy

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be or have jealousy and and it's not

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even intentional. And sometimes we get in the...

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Into this mode of, constant comparison, which doesn't

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always lead to

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thankful gratitude,

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and,

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contentment. And so

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you know, that's a that's another area that

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we wanna be careful of.

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But it's not only necessarily what we're viewing.

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But sometimes it's it's what we're communicating.

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Now, Matthew, I I think you know and

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and

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some some May know this too that I

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work in a high school. I work as

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in a public high school as a school

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counselor in many, many times,

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there will be,

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issues that arise

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potentially physical,

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altercation or,

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threatening language or just people who are sincerely

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upset

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because of something that was communicated by text

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or

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through social media apps. And while I don't

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think that's a a huge concern for our

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listeners,

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sometimes we do need to take note of

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the way that we

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communicate

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through our phones.

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Whether we're using Whatsapp or text or,

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any number of apps. And I think,

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Matthew, you you probably even experienced yourself different

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times where you've

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received the message or an email,

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and and maybe it wasn't... It was difficult

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perhaps to understand.

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What exactly was being communicated and could have

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been taken in the wrong way. Has that

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has that happened to you?

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Yeah. I'm often concerned about the tone

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that is getting communicated in our digital communications.

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I totally get what you're saying.

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Yeah. And so,

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again, we're looking at reducing the amount of

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time that we're spending on our phones and

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just being careful about the things that we

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say.

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In a previous

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podcast as well, a number of months is

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not even over a year ago. We discussed

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also anxiety and how that the cell phone

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the mobile phone plays an important role in

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that and that it's just an overload of

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information, and

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you know,

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as soon as cell phone

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sales increased, especially around the year 2007,

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so did anxiety among teenagers and adolescents. So

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what we'll do if it's okay with you

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is just spend a few minutes right now,

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looking at ways that we can understand and

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reduce the amount of time that we're looking

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at our phones.

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I would appreciate hearing that.

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Absolutely. So 1 of the things I like

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to do in in presentations that I do

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in different

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situations. Is to look at James chapter 3

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in light of our phones. Now, James 3,

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as you already know,

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as a listener, you know that James 3

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is talking about tam our tongues. And watching

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the way that we use our words and

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being aware of the...

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Potential dangers that there are, and it's talking

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about having that under control.

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With God's help. And 1 of the things

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I find to be very helpful is to

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use this passage,

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specifically in light of of our phones.

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Now, we have a very high view of

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scripture, and we want to make sure we're

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not reading something into the text that's not

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there.

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And so we're we're gonna be talking about

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putting phones

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in the place of the tongue or the

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mouth or or the... Words that we use.

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And so

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we always wanna be careful with that. We're

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not saying that this is what the text

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is

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specifically talking about. But it is useful in

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application. Yeah. Matt Smith has given an alternate

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translation of James chapter 1 verse 26 for

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the digital age. If anyone thinks he is

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religious without controlling his thumbs,

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his religion is useless and he has deceived

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himself.

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Well, that's useful and. I've actually read some

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of his material to and found that helpful.

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So that's exactly what I wanna look at

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in chapter 3, but I did wanna note

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that

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that we wanna make sure

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what we're looking at

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in the text is is

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exactly what it's trying to tell us. But

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In this case, we'll buy application, we'll look

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at it from the stance of the cell

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phone. So I'm gonna read a couple of

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those verses.

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James chapter 3 and verse 2. It says

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we all stumble in many ways.

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And if anyone does not stumble in what

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he

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says or instead how he uses his phone.

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He is a perfect man

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able also to b his whole,

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body.

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If we put bits bits into the mouths

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of horses so that they may obey us,

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we guide their whole bodies as well.

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Look at the ships also,

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though they are so large, they are driven

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by strong winds, yet they are guided by

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a very small rudder, wherever the will of

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the pilot directs

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So also the phone is a small device

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yet it boasts of great things.

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How great a is set ablaze by such

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a small fire and the cell phone or

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the phone is a world of un unconscious.

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The phone is set among our members, staining

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the whole body setting on fire the entire

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course of life and set on fire by

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hell.

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For every kind of beast and bird and

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reptile and sea creature can be tamed and

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has been tamed by mankind, but no human

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can tame, the phone. It is a restless

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evil,

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full of deadly poison. And with it, we

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bless our lord and father. And with it,

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we curse people who are made in the

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likeness of God from the same phone comes

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blessing and cursing.

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My brothers and sisters, these things ought not

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to be so.

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And so, again, I think that helps us

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understand there are potential dangers with our phone

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just like with the words that we use.

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And so in the next few minutes,

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I'd like to just give 10 or so

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very practical,

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hopefully useful tips

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for reducing the amount of time that we're

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on our phones. Yeah. Well, thank you for

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those

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always good and challenging

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scriptures from James

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chapter 3. Let us know what number 1

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is on your list now, Josh. Okay. So

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number 1 is

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turning off our notifications.

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So if we don't have the the sound

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going off on our phone or the vibration

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on our phone when someone messages us or

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we get

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you know, somebody snaps us, then there's less

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temptation to go on to your phone. So

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number 1,

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is turn off notifications. Does that make sense?

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Yeah. That... Yeah. That's good and useful.

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I'm just thinking that, you know, there's some

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apps that I have notifications on email, for

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instance, I have off. Mh, I don't wanna

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get a notification every time an email comes

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in

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And... But, yeah, I, I'll put some more

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thought into what other apps I allowed to

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notify me. That's very good. Excellent. And then

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00:10:36,985 --> 00:10:39,221
number 2 is when we're home,

279
00:10:39,873 --> 00:10:41,855
to have a place that our phone goes.

280
00:10:42,964 --> 00:10:44,946
Amen. So we have a a counter on

281
00:10:44,946 --> 00:10:46,927
our kitchen right next to our sink.

282
00:10:47,578 --> 00:10:49,253
And that's where I'd like, all of our

283
00:10:49,253 --> 00:10:50,210
kids, our children,

284
00:10:51,008 --> 00:10:53,581
those that have phones. And and even

285
00:10:54,278 --> 00:10:56,112
Mel and I our our phones go in

286
00:10:56,112 --> 00:10:56,750
the same place.

287
00:10:57,480 --> 00:10:59,068
And so when we're home, that's where the

288
00:10:59,068 --> 00:11:00,100
phone belongs.

289
00:11:00,974 --> 00:11:02,664
Now if you want to

290
00:11:03,355 --> 00:11:06,071
take some time and and message some people

291
00:11:06,071 --> 00:11:07,739
or check some apps. You can do it

292
00:11:07,739 --> 00:11:10,759
right there in the kitchen where where everyone

293
00:11:10,759 --> 00:11:11,951
is present and can see.

294
00:11:12,841 --> 00:11:15,546
And so that's a another useful way to

295
00:11:15,546 --> 00:11:18,172
really reduce the amount of time that we

296
00:11:18,172 --> 00:11:19,048
spend on our phones.

297
00:11:19,843 --> 00:11:21,139
So if you if you

298
00:11:22,009 --> 00:11:23,367
just wanna lay out on the couch for

299
00:11:23,367 --> 00:11:25,284
a few minutes. You're kinda guaranteed of doing

300
00:11:25,284 --> 00:11:26,882
that without, Mh,

301
00:11:27,441 --> 00:11:29,208
looking at your phone because not near you

302
00:11:29,208 --> 00:11:30,952
it's not in your pocket. And you're... Exactly.

303
00:11:31,111 --> 00:11:32,379
So it's not in your pocket. And if

304
00:11:32,379 --> 00:11:34,837
you do have notifications on, which after this

305
00:11:34,837 --> 00:11:37,072
podcast, hopefully, you won't But if you do,

306
00:11:37,389 --> 00:11:39,372
it'll be on the kitchen counter instead of

307
00:11:39,372 --> 00:11:41,434
in your pocket and easy access.

308
00:11:43,178 --> 00:11:43,892
So number 3,

309
00:11:44,462 --> 00:11:46,368
Number 3. This was this is 1 that

310
00:11:46,447 --> 00:11:48,035
I have never done, and, yet, I've had

311
00:11:48,035 --> 00:11:49,464
a lot of clients and people that I

312
00:11:49,464 --> 00:11:51,393
worked with. Who found it to be helpful

313
00:11:51,608 --> 00:11:53,060
is to turn your phone

314
00:11:53,529 --> 00:11:55,702
to a setting that's called grayscale.

315
00:11:57,115 --> 00:11:59,107
Okay? So our... The people who design our

316
00:11:59,107 --> 00:12:00,914
phones are very smart. They are

317
00:12:01,272 --> 00:12:03,180
into... They are intuitive and that they want...

318
00:12:03,419 --> 00:12:04,475
They know what

319
00:12:05,485 --> 00:12:08,188
sounds and colors are going to attract our

320
00:12:08,188 --> 00:12:08,427
attention.

321
00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:10,600
And so 1 of the things we can

322
00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:13,720
do is turn it to a setting where

323
00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:16,839
the the colors will not be as attention

324
00:12:16,839 --> 00:12:17,240
grabbing.

325
00:12:17,973 --> 00:12:19,826
And thus less attractive to

326
00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:21,873
our time in our eyes.

327
00:12:22,908 --> 00:12:24,500
I never heard of that. Didn't know that

328
00:12:24,500 --> 00:12:25,590
existed. So it's us

329
00:12:26,028 --> 00:12:27,304
especially with the iphone and their steps so

330
00:12:27,304 --> 00:12:28,421
you can go through and turn it to

331
00:12:28,421 --> 00:12:28,900
grayscale.

332
00:12:30,654 --> 00:12:32,728
Number 4, And actually heard this 1, we

333
00:12:32,728 --> 00:12:34,323
were having a discussion at a youth conference

334
00:12:34,323 --> 00:12:36,254
a couple of weeks ago. On how to

335
00:12:36,254 --> 00:12:38,491
do this better. And 1 of the

336
00:12:39,450 --> 00:12:40,968
teenage girls who was in our group,

337
00:12:41,767 --> 00:12:43,445
made this suggestion, and so I'd like to

338
00:12:43,445 --> 00:12:43,685
share it.

339
00:12:44,499 --> 00:12:46,577
She said that when she begins scrolling,

340
00:12:47,456 --> 00:12:48,734
again, it's not a sin to do so,

341
00:12:48,814 --> 00:12:50,972
and it's not like it's it's evil necessarily,

342
00:12:51,212 --> 00:12:53,303
but we want to reduce the time. She

343
00:12:53,303 --> 00:12:55,055
says what she does is she sets a

344
00:12:55,055 --> 00:12:56,112
10 minute timer

345
00:12:56,488 --> 00:12:57,307
on her phone

346
00:12:57,842 --> 00:13:00,549
and allows herself to scroll and kind of,

347
00:13:00,708 --> 00:13:01,027
you know,

348
00:13:01,759 --> 00:13:04,156
snap or message for 10 minutes and when

349
00:13:04,156 --> 00:13:06,553
that timer goes off, she turns off the

350
00:13:06,553 --> 00:13:08,470
phone and puts it back where it needs

351
00:13:08,470 --> 00:13:10,799
to go. So 10 minute timer when you

352
00:13:10,799 --> 00:13:11,357
begin using.

353
00:13:12,075 --> 00:13:12,873
Does that make sense??

354
00:13:13,910 --> 00:13:15,664
I thought we'd be surprised how quick that

355
00:13:15,744 --> 00:13:17,738
U. 10 minutes gets away on us without

356
00:13:17,738 --> 00:13:18,775
that time. Absolutely.

357
00:13:19,980 --> 00:13:22,596
The fifth 1, the fifth of 10 is

358
00:13:22,596 --> 00:13:24,894
to not use your phone as an alarm

359
00:13:24,894 --> 00:13:25,211
clock.

360
00:13:26,574 --> 00:13:28,487
So many people do that? That's that's how

361
00:13:28,487 --> 00:13:29,842
they wake up in the morning. And so

362
00:13:29,842 --> 00:13:31,676
what's the first thing you grab on the

363
00:13:31,676 --> 00:13:32,951
nights stand next to the bed as soon

364
00:13:32,951 --> 00:13:33,589
as you wake up?

365
00:13:34,959 --> 00:13:37,431
My phone phone. Right? So using something other

366
00:13:37,431 --> 00:13:38,787
than the phone as an alarm clock.

367
00:13:39,585 --> 00:13:41,260
Some people, this was 1 discussed a few

368
00:13:41,260 --> 00:13:43,094
weeks ago, also, which I found very

369
00:13:43,573 --> 00:13:44,371
interesting and helpful.

370
00:13:44,864 --> 00:13:46,692
Is to actually put your bible on top

371
00:13:46,692 --> 00:13:48,917
of your phone. Now, ideally,

372
00:13:50,189 --> 00:13:51,937
especially teenagers, if you're listening to this,

373
00:13:53,870 --> 00:13:55,149
don't keep your phone in your bedroom.

374
00:13:55,790 --> 00:13:56,910
Not a good place to have it.

375
00:13:58,029 --> 00:13:59,870
If you're older and you're using your phone

376
00:13:59,870 --> 00:14:00,429
as an alarm,

377
00:14:01,081 --> 00:14:03,141
then put your bible on top of it.

378
00:14:03,379 --> 00:14:04,805
So the first thing you grab in the

379
00:14:04,805 --> 00:14:06,889
morning is not your phone. It is your

380
00:14:07,340 --> 00:14:07,657
bible.

381
00:14:08,468 --> 00:14:10,382
And so that is number 5.

382
00:14:11,100 --> 00:14:12,296
So then what are we supposed to use

383
00:14:12,296 --> 00:14:14,610
as as an alarm clock? An actual alarm

384
00:14:14,610 --> 00:14:15,965
clock? Using an alarm clock.

385
00:14:16,603 --> 00:14:17,481
Absolutely. Right?

386
00:14:18,372 --> 00:14:20,283
Some people have watches too that you can

387
00:14:20,283 --> 00:14:22,353
set with timers for a for an alarm,

388
00:14:22,512 --> 00:14:23,012
but

389
00:14:24,025 --> 00:14:25,776
you, using alarm clock. Very good.

390
00:14:26,982 --> 00:14:29,680
And and I know... So we sometimes use

391
00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:30,576
phones as

392
00:14:30,949 --> 00:14:34,481
white noise, but, of course, there's also, alternate

393
00:14:34,936 --> 00:14:37,484
white noise machines too. So... Yep. There is

394
00:14:37,484 --> 00:14:38,939
there is a way around

395
00:14:39,633 --> 00:14:40,929
the things that we

396
00:14:41,639 --> 00:14:43,152
feel that we need the phone for.

397
00:14:43,789 --> 00:14:46,100
There are other alternatives like you're saying. 100

398
00:14:46,100 --> 00:14:48,569
percent. Use a fan, use an air purifier

399
00:14:48,569 --> 00:14:50,083
or something like that to give you some

400
00:14:50,083 --> 00:14:50,561
white noise.

401
00:14:52,007 --> 00:14:54,870
Number 6, this was actually really useful is

402
00:14:54,870 --> 00:14:57,891
to log out of your apps after using

403
00:14:57,891 --> 00:14:58,129
them.

404
00:14:59,561 --> 00:15:00,276
So log out.

405
00:15:01,086 --> 00:15:02,437
And then what does that mean? You have

406
00:15:02,437 --> 00:15:03,946
to do next time you wanna check your

407
00:15:03,946 --> 00:15:06,727
feed or check your snaps or whatever it

408
00:15:06,727 --> 00:15:06,886
is.

409
00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:10,080
You have to log back in. Which is

410
00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:10,955
kind of annoying.

411
00:15:11,592 --> 00:15:13,421
And what you can do, this... This... Actually

412
00:15:13,501 --> 00:15:14,932
I was working with another person who was

413
00:15:14,932 --> 00:15:17,580
telling me this is if you make your

414
00:15:17,580 --> 00:15:19,680
password this long annoying

415
00:15:20,540 --> 00:15:21,500
password to put in.

416
00:15:22,220 --> 00:15:23,820
Suddenly, you're like, it's not worth my time.

417
00:15:24,059 --> 00:15:25,752
It's not worth the effort. And you end

418
00:15:25,752 --> 00:15:29,260
up logging in significantly fewer times. So almost

419
00:15:29,260 --> 00:15:32,688
like those those terrible Wi F passwords that

420
00:15:32,688 --> 00:15:34,776
you have to go and actually look up

421
00:15:34,776 --> 00:15:36,212
every time you wanna get back on the

422
00:15:36,292 --> 00:15:39,562
Wi f, making your app login something like

423
00:15:39,562 --> 00:15:42,353
that that actually make you go through a

424
00:15:42,353 --> 00:15:44,678
process to get in. And so logging out

425
00:15:44,678 --> 00:15:47,063
of your apps is a sixth way of

426
00:15:47,063 --> 00:15:48,176
reducing your phone time.

427
00:15:50,879 --> 00:15:52,071
Yeah. These are all good, Josh.

428
00:15:53,279 --> 00:15:53,779
They're

429
00:15:55,029 --> 00:15:58,052
they're they're challenging, but they're wise and they're

430
00:15:58,052 --> 00:15:59,722
not impossible to do either. Mh.

431
00:16:00,294 --> 00:16:02,279
Now here's an interesting 1 too, number 7.

432
00:16:02,915 --> 00:16:05,615
Have a contest with your friend group. Have

433
00:16:05,615 --> 00:16:07,601
a contest to see who spends the least

434
00:16:07,601 --> 00:16:08,157
amount of time.

435
00:16:08,729 --> 00:16:11,046
On their phone throughout the week. And there's

436
00:16:11,046 --> 00:16:12,084
2 ways this can go.

437
00:16:12,803 --> 00:16:14,800
It can be that the winner of your

438
00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:15,280
contest,

439
00:16:15,693 --> 00:16:17,598
gets rewarded in that if you all go

440
00:16:17,598 --> 00:16:19,900
out for pizza or ice cream, the winner

441
00:16:19,900 --> 00:16:21,965
the contest doesn't have to pay, like, somebody

442
00:16:21,965 --> 00:16:23,809
else has to pay for them. Or they

443
00:16:23,809 --> 00:16:26,129
win some sort of a of a, you

444
00:16:26,129 --> 00:16:28,529
know, a funny trophy or prize.

445
00:16:29,570 --> 00:16:32,083
And or the other end, of the spectrum

446
00:16:32,140 --> 00:16:33,972
is that the loser has to pay for

447
00:16:33,972 --> 00:16:36,043
the pizza for everybody else when they go

448
00:16:36,043 --> 00:16:38,374
out. So sending some sort of a phone

449
00:16:38,671 --> 00:16:39,808
time contest

450
00:16:40,757 --> 00:16:41,555
which can be fun?

451
00:16:42,432 --> 00:16:43,708
Yeah. That 1 interest me. I think I'm

452
00:16:43,708 --> 00:16:45,244
gonna propose that to Esther

453
00:16:45,701 --> 00:16:46,201
and

454
00:16:46,578 --> 00:16:47,775
see if she'd like to buy me ice

455
00:16:47,775 --> 00:16:49,704
cream or something if I win. Or you

456
00:16:49,704 --> 00:16:50,823
had to buy her some ice cream.

457
00:16:52,661 --> 00:16:55,058
I'm I'm quite curious as to who would

458
00:16:55,058 --> 00:16:57,616
win that 1. So number 8 is have

459
00:16:57,616 --> 00:17:00,579
a creative homes screen, Get get creative with

460
00:17:00,579 --> 00:17:02,250
the screen that you put on your phone

461
00:17:02,250 --> 00:17:04,477
so that, when you open it up or

462
00:17:04,477 --> 00:17:06,163
even when you turn it on screen it's

463
00:17:06,163 --> 00:17:08,714
a reminder of what's actually important in life.

464
00:17:09,750 --> 00:17:12,620
Many of us have our families on the

465
00:17:12,620 --> 00:17:14,630
the lock screen of our phone. So that

466
00:17:14,630 --> 00:17:15,429
when we log in,

467
00:17:16,309 --> 00:17:17,670
we are acknowledging,

468
00:17:18,150 --> 00:17:19,670
you know, much like people would do above

469
00:17:19,670 --> 00:17:21,670
a, a Tv or a computer where they...

470
00:17:22,323 --> 00:17:24,315
Have a verse up there or their family

471
00:17:24,315 --> 00:17:24,714
portrait,

472
00:17:25,670 --> 00:17:28,061
putting something in there that reminds you of

473
00:17:28,061 --> 00:17:29,119
the responsibilities,

474
00:17:29,989 --> 00:17:30,786
And the

475
00:17:31,343 --> 00:17:33,256
you know, the things that are most important

476
00:17:33,256 --> 00:17:35,486
in our lives, even more important than looking

477
00:17:35,486 --> 00:17:37,319
at our phone. So the question is for

478
00:17:37,319 --> 00:17:39,072
you, Matthew, who's on your home screen, Who's

479
00:17:39,072 --> 00:17:40,440
on your locks train for your phone.

480
00:17:41,155 --> 00:17:43,064
Well, it's a picture of Ester and I

481
00:17:43,064 --> 00:17:44,415
when we were out on a hike together.

482
00:17:44,654 --> 00:17:47,596
So what's your suggestion? Perfect. No, That's exactly

483
00:17:47,596 --> 00:17:49,400
it. Just something like that frame

484
00:17:50,077 --> 00:17:51,671
it's it's just 1 of those things that's

485
00:17:51,671 --> 00:17:54,221
a reminder of who and what is important

486
00:17:54,221 --> 00:17:55,495
in our lives. It could even be a

487
00:17:55,495 --> 00:17:56,611
a verse of the bible.

488
00:17:57,977 --> 00:17:59,485
If if you're... If you don't have a

489
00:17:59,485 --> 00:18:01,708
significant other, that would be a wonderful thing

490
00:18:01,708 --> 00:18:03,137
to put on there. Sure.

491
00:18:03,931 --> 00:18:06,096
2 more to go, Just briefly. Number 9.

492
00:18:07,133 --> 00:18:09,526
Many people will put stickers on their phone

493
00:18:09,526 --> 00:18:10,026
cases

494
00:18:10,404 --> 00:18:11,974
that, again are a verse

495
00:18:12,332 --> 00:18:13,548
or a reminder

496
00:18:14,002 --> 00:18:16,887
of what's important and where where their responsibilities

497
00:18:17,580 --> 00:18:20,601
lie. And so I've seen some stickers that

498
00:18:20,601 --> 00:18:22,129
say things like Christ is. Explore,

499
00:18:23,487 --> 00:18:24,846
something about the lord Jesus,

500
00:18:25,805 --> 00:18:27,962
just a burst that they really enjoy. Those

501
00:18:27,962 --> 00:18:29,720
are helpful things to put on your phone

502
00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:29,880
case,

503
00:18:30,693 --> 00:18:32,289
not only as a witness so that if

504
00:18:32,289 --> 00:18:34,283
other people see it, they might ask, but

505
00:18:34,283 --> 00:18:36,198
as a way to remind yourself of what's

506
00:18:36,198 --> 00:18:39,089
important in life. Mh. And lastly,

507
00:18:39,490 --> 00:18:41,569
we just wanna remind ourselves that this is

508
00:18:41,569 --> 00:18:43,109
a heart issue primarily.

509
00:18:43,970 --> 00:18:46,304
And I'm speaking to myself that... When I'm

510
00:18:46,304 --> 00:18:48,381
on my phone, more than I'm in my

511
00:18:48,381 --> 00:18:48,701
bible,

512
00:18:50,139 --> 00:18:50,959
that's problematic.

513
00:18:51,577 --> 00:18:52,935
At a conference I was at a few

514
00:18:52,935 --> 00:18:55,423
weeks ago, 1 of the speakers actually asked

515
00:18:55,423 --> 00:18:57,576
the young people in the audience to text

516
00:18:57,576 --> 00:18:59,091
him. During his message,

517
00:18:59,648 --> 00:19:01,721
if they had spent more time in their

518
00:19:01,721 --> 00:19:02,040
bible.

519
00:19:03,089 --> 00:19:05,157
Then they had spent on their phones throughout

520
00:19:05,157 --> 00:19:06,691
the week. And

521
00:19:07,224 --> 00:19:08,576
you know, I think it was more of

522
00:19:08,576 --> 00:19:10,326
a play on words and and more of

523
00:19:10,326 --> 00:19:12,210
a illustration than anything else

524
00:19:12,730 --> 00:19:13,210
but

525
00:19:13,849 --> 00:19:15,470
you know, that's that's a thought

526
00:19:15,849 --> 00:19:16,890
provoking question.

527
00:19:17,849 --> 00:19:19,289
And so it's a heart issue. And I

528
00:19:19,289 --> 00:19:20,305
hope that will be

529
00:19:20,664 --> 00:19:22,340
just as we wrap things up here Matthew.

530
00:19:22,659 --> 00:19:23,718
I hope this will be

531
00:19:24,255 --> 00:19:25,373
our heart cry.

532
00:19:26,091 --> 00:19:27,767
The desire of our heart as many of

533
00:19:27,767 --> 00:19:28,586
the songs

534
00:19:29,539 --> 00:19:32,019
reiterate to us that we... Our desire would

535
00:19:32,019 --> 00:19:34,039
be toward God. And that

536
00:19:34,339 --> 00:19:35,000
instead of

537
00:19:35,460 --> 00:19:37,871
because we're very big counseling on, not just

538
00:19:37,871 --> 00:19:39,460
saying stop doing something,

539
00:19:40,016 --> 00:19:42,320
but instead replacing it with something better.

540
00:19:43,036 --> 00:19:45,199
So what... How great would it be? If

541
00:19:45,199 --> 00:19:46,876
every time I went to scroll through my

542
00:19:46,876 --> 00:19:47,196
phone.

543
00:19:47,995 --> 00:19:50,232
Instead, I spent a few minutes in prayer

544
00:19:50,232 --> 00:19:50,711
beforehand.

545
00:19:51,924 --> 00:19:53,199
I think it'd be a blessing in my

546
00:19:53,199 --> 00:19:55,111
life, And and, again, I speak to myself

547
00:19:55,111 --> 00:19:55,987
first and foremost.

548
00:19:57,660 --> 00:19:59,573
Josh, Thank you very much for these. I

549
00:19:59,573 --> 00:20:01,619
really appreciated this. I've got a little challenge

550
00:20:01,659 --> 00:20:02,136
for you now.

551
00:20:03,011 --> 00:20:03,171
Okay.

552
00:20:04,602 --> 00:20:06,272
We are likely gonna see each other in

553
00:20:06,272 --> 00:20:07,147
about a month's time.

554
00:20:07,784 --> 00:20:10,224
So, I want you to ask me for

555
00:20:10,344 --> 00:20:12,020
there when we see each other how I'm

556
00:20:12,020 --> 00:20:13,377
doing on some of these things. And if

557
00:20:13,457 --> 00:20:13,957
I've

558
00:20:14,335 --> 00:20:17,289
reduced some screen time and ask how how

559
00:20:17,449 --> 00:20:18,885
I'm doing in my contest with Esther.

560
00:20:19,935 --> 00:20:20,992
Okay. And,

561
00:20:21,445 --> 00:20:22,955
you know, I might even up the game

562
00:20:22,955 --> 00:20:25,101
a little bit Matthew and challenge you, and

563
00:20:25,101 --> 00:20:27,326
we'll see maybe in the week leading up

564
00:20:27,326 --> 00:20:29,411
to that time. Which 1 of us,

565
00:20:30,288 --> 00:20:32,202
and and you might I might end up

566
00:20:32,202 --> 00:20:34,834
you buying some some tea or you might

567
00:20:34,834 --> 00:20:36,269
end up buying me some coffee, and we'll

568
00:20:36,269 --> 00:20:37,306
just have to see how that goes.

569
00:20:38,118 --> 00:20:38,915
Or a Kombucha.

570
00:20:39,632 --> 00:20:40,588
Right. Exactly.

571
00:20:41,783 --> 00:20:44,332
Alright. Very good. Thanks, Josh for these very

572
00:20:44,332 --> 00:20:44,832
helpful

573
00:20:45,382 --> 00:20:45,882
practical

574
00:20:46,416 --> 00:20:46,814
suggestions,

575
00:20:47,371 --> 00:20:49,541
and we appreciate your time and and

576
00:20:49,996 --> 00:20:51,666
contributions very much. Thank you, Matthew.

577
00:20:52,239 --> 00:20:53,518
Alright. We pray that these will be a

578
00:20:53,518 --> 00:20:54,955
help to you all. May the lord bless

579
00:20:54,955 --> 00:20:55,914
you in the week ahead.