Technology at Home in a Time of Pandemic

Written by Reid Monaghan

[This article was originally posted on the Power of Change website.]

As the global coronavirus pandemic has inevitably lead many governments around the world to recommend social distancing, curfews, and even quarantine, all of us have been led to spend more time at home than usual. Along with this, we also live in a time where personal technology has proliferated and innumerable work and entertainment options abound. It is not hard to imagine that screen time, for both young and old, will be going up in the weeks and months ahead. There will also be the opportunity to simply veg out in long runs of binge watching shows. Let’s think through how we can engage this indoor season with technology without letting the screens, devices, and stories take over our lives. The following are a few suggestions for navigating the tech scene in your home during this season. 

MAKE A SCHEDULE

In this time when normal rhythms of schooling, work, and extracurricular activities are disrupted, it is easy to flow through the days and weeks without much structure. If your normal schedule is toast, make a new one together as a family. Be sure to include a family worship/sync time to turn on hearts to the Lord, think Christianly about the news and our neighbors, share our hopes and fears, and genuinely connect as human beings. If you do not already have screen time limits on devices this would be a good time to figure that out together as a family. Limiting access is a kindness to each of us as it helps us to not be consumed by devices.

Additionally, as we live in what some some have called a golden age of television, there are strong shows to watch. Try to prioritize things that bring people together in small, socially distanced, groups rather than just binging alone. If you are watching a serialized show, discuss episode limits for each day to be rested and have time for other things.

Finally, if you are now working from home, try creating work times in your schedule and work locations in your home. Use transition routines to enter in and out of work time and spaces to let others in your household have clarity. Is Mom or Dad working now? Let them know.

ENFORCE YOUR RULES

Discipline in this time of pandemic is important so that we do not neglect eating healthy, spending time with the Lord, exercise, time outdoors, as well as managing our technology use. Rules often get made, but they often go unimplemented. If you set some rules, please try and enforce them. If you have young children explain the why behind your limits. In fact, if you have teenagers, you will probably have to explain things to them more than once! If you need help from research and statistics about the effects of technology, I would recommend Jean Twenge’s book iGen.

One final reminder here is definitely warranted. When our time is unstructured and we are walking in a stressful season,  temptation can arise through various avenues. Keep a watch on your heart during this time and be aware of the sin and temptation that can come to us through technology. God is faithful and will help us here! (1 Corinthians 10:13)

ENJOY TOGETHER

Technology, movies, and maybe even video games can be a gift for community and family unity in a time of quarantine. It can also be a force that separates us from each other and from the Lord. If we watch our lives during the season we may find margin to enjoy the gift of technology, engage some of the good stories being produced for television, as well as engaging the story of God and real human beings around us. 

Quarantine Corner: Curated content for life on lockdown

Written by Michael Worrall

I grew up hearing the Jif peanut butter slogan, “Choosy moms choose Jif.” The ad claimed Jif looked, smelled, and tasted better than bargain PB because it was made with the real stuff. 

Jif had real substance, not filler. The clear implication was that “choosy moms” knew substance when they saw, smelled, and tasted it.  

I’m proposing that we be “choosy moms” in our media consumption - in our listening, reading, and watching. In this season of social distancing and quarantining, it can be easy to become media gluttons who unthinkingly scroll social media, watch Netflix, or follow the news. Let’s not be gluttonous consumers but choosy eaters. Let’s follow Paul’s exhortation to think about whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy using Christ as the standard and the substance of our consuming. 

With that, here are some suggestions for your listening, reading, and watching from a (hopefully) choosy dad and pastor.

Listen: Spiritual Songs - a Spotify playlist by Josh Garrels

This playlist is filled with almost 13 hours of songs about Jesus: everything from folk to hip-hop, It was Jesus by Johnny Cash to Doxology by Beautiful Eulogy. Put this on and have a dance party, get some house cleaning done, or just sit back and listen.

Read: “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor

This short story is particularly relevant to this cultural moment. It is a jarring look at living in view of death/eternity--how our character is formed and changed when we keep ours and our neighbor’s end in mind. This story challenges us with the question, “When COVID-19 passes, will we continue to sacrifice to love and serve our neighbor?”

Watch: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Netflix)

The title is a mouthful, but the movie is easy to digest. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (T-GLAPPPS for short) follows an English author who sets out to write about a small community formed during World War II on the German-occupied island of Guernsey. What she uncovers is a beautiful picture of community, sacrifice, and compassion.

Bonus Read: “Learning in War-Time” by C.S. Lewis

This essay, written just after England entered World War II, sets out to answer the question: Should the university continue education during war-time? Should we continue to study philosophy, make art, and conduct scientific exploration when the nation is in crisis? His answer is timely and applicable for us in our own crisis.

From Thick to Thin: Creating thin spaces in the home

Written by Craig Robinson

Have you ever inhabited a space where God’s presence seemed tangible? Where the experience of God walking with humans in Eden felt possible again? Perhaps it was a grand space—a quiet forest, a mountain top, a cathedral? Perhaps it is an ordinary one—where your church body gathers, where you take the elements with your brothers and sisters, where God speaks to you each week as you habituate that space together for his glory? The Celtic tradition calls these “thin spaces”—spaces where the veil between heaven and earth almost seems transparent. In thin spaces prayer becomes our native language, worship becomes our ordinary posture, and love becomes our instinctive action all because of one reality: we are present to God’s presence. Thin spaces are gifts because in them we relearn that on our sojourn through life, Jesus is not just our goal; He is our companion. He is with us! Emmanuel.

But in a world of social distancing and virtual liturgies done at home, where is the thin space? When I look around our living room and see an explosion of toys or look at our table and see dishes, I don’t see a thin space. When I’m constantly distracted by technology with no one to hold me accountable or when all I see is work that should be done, I don’t see a thin space. These seem to be thick spaces. Thick spaces that have many obstacles preventing me from recognizing God’s presence. Thick spaces where the veil is opaque.

And in this cultural moment, the church asks us to worship at home, among the thick spaces...

The question that we must ask is this: can thick space become thin space? The answer must be a resounding “Amen!” If this task was impossible, the church would be foolish for choosing to disperse worship outside the “sanctuary.” It would be a sinister act to send her members to places where access to God’s presence was near impossible. But find rest friends! Thick spaces can become thin!

Ultimately, this is possible because God’s presence is not limited to space. Paul proclaims to us the “Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man” so we should seek God, knowing that he is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:24-27). Whether our perception of the veil is thick or thin, opaque or transparent, the reality is God’s presence is available, and we must seek it!

So how do we do this? Particularly, how do we do this in a season of digital home worship liturgies? How do we seek God’s presence in what feels like thick space so that it becomes thin? A few thoughts:

1. Create a visual reminder that God is present. The word the Old Testament uses for such a thing is altar. In Exodus 20 God tells His people that at altars where His name is remembered, He will come to them and bless them. What could this look like in your living room or on your table? How can you create a space of remembrance? At The Cairn we’ve equipped each household with communion elements and rocks so they can recreate the altar we worship around each week. We encourage our families to tend to its beauty so that, as they sit in its presence, they are reminded of the beautiful reality that God is with us.

2. As responsibly as possible, gather with others. Jesus promises in Matthew 18 where two or three gather in His name, He will be there among them. Likewise, Paul reminded the Corinthians that they (collectively) were God’s temple where the Spirit dwells. The gathered people of Jesus create a thin space! So during this season, make every effort to gather for liturgy with someone else. That may be your spouse, partner, roommate, or friend. Do it responsibly, but enjoy God’s presence together!

3. Make your space distraction-free. In Hebrews 12 the author commends us to lay aside things that disrupt our ability to face and run toward Jesus. This is good counsel when it comes to worshipping in our homes. Put away your phone, your work stuff, your to-do list. Don’t attempt to multitask just because you can. Declutter your space and slow your body so that your mind and heart may be renewed while you tune in to worship.

4. Lastly, interact with the digital liturgies. When God’s people confronted thin spaces, from the burning bush to Jesus himself, they responded! This is going to feel weird for a time, but overcome the weirdness by leaning in—sing loudly, recite the prayers, respond to the sermon, serve the bread and the cup. God is there; respond to him!

Every space holds the possibility of thinness. Even in a time where our presence as a family is disembodied, God wants to meet with us. He wants to continue to form us into His image. Jesus is still our goal on this journey, and Jesus is still our companion.

So, may your home be a space where you welcome the presence of the living God! May He dwell richly with you and all who gather under your roof. May your home be a harbour of refuge from which you will journey forth to love your neighbour. May it be a garden of nourishment in which the roots of your love for God grow deep. May the veil between heaven and earth in your space grow ever thin! Amen.

Suddenly Homeschooling: Reflections on an unwanted way of life

Written by Holly Paulette

When we received the email about a week ago that public schools would be closed for the next two weeks (and what now is, essentially, forevermore), I immediately got out a piece of paper and wrote down a half-hour-by-half-hour schedule. A self-proclaimed control freak, I knew one thing for certain: I would become nothing less than the world’s greatest homeschool teacher in the next 48 hours. 

We’d start our days with scripture memorization time, followed by happily completing math worksheets, a snuggle session on the couch reading a classic novel, learning cursive on dry erase boards, outdoor recreation time, and finishing off the day making dinner side-by-side, giggling. 

Reality: Wake-up. Start the morning reading my Bible and telling the kids they aren’t allowed to talk to me until my coffee cup runs dry. Have a worship music dance party. Complete half of the well-intended math worksheets I printed the night before, then make paper airplanes out of the rest. Run two laps around the backyard for P.E. class. See him cut corners and make him start over. Read half of classic novel but then just watch the Muppets version on Disney+. Repeat. And then I send them outside until their dad gets home. 

And here I am. Five days into homeschooling my high-energy, easily-distracted, wonderful handful of a son. A week ago, those three descriptors would’ve been at the top of my “WHY I WILL NEVER HOMESCHOOL” list. But today, a week in, they’re at the top of my new list. My list that says: “Why I finally understand why all of these families voluntarily do this homeschool thing.”

I’ve spent the last two years sending my son off to public school--a great public school, at that--witnessing him come home with reading proficiency, math skills, new friends, funny stories, and an appreciation for diversity. 

But this week, I learned I’ve missed out on two years of watching his eyes light up (and his body bounce up and down, and his legs sprint around the kitchen table, and all other boundless-energy things) when he learns something new. I’ve missed out on countless chances to talk through his big existential questions. I’ve missed out on the inevitable stature of humility all homeschool moms must live in, remembering my need for grace upon grace upon grace, every minute of every hour. 

This virus has added threats to our world and mayhem to my mind. But I’ve spent more intentional time with my son in the last five days than I have in a while. Even in the madness, God has offered up an opportunity to be present, to eat lunch together, to read in silly voices, to Google “how to be a ninja” without rushing to the next thing, to delight in my child in a way I hadn’t in a long, long time. Don’t get me wrong--it has certainly been a “baptism by fire” experience, and the fire has been a little unruly at times. But fire refines. 

I don’t know about next week, next month, or the years to come, but just like our family-favorite Slugs and Bugs sings: “God makes messy things beautiful like only he can.”

Update from South City: Trusting God in difficult times

Written by Jonathan Bowell

In Greek mythology there was once a giant named Antaeus, the son of the sea god Poseidon and the earth goddess Gaea. Not surprisingly, Antaeus was a powerful warrior--but not in the way you might expect. His source of strength came from his mother, the earth, so that every time he was thrown to the ground he would rise stronger than before. The more times he landed on his back, the more powerful he became. 

If your news feeds, Facebook walls, and conversations with friends are anything like mine, you are inundated with bad news. Not that they are telling you something you didn’t already know. Many of you are facing the prospect of job loss, social isolation, sickness, and even death. On the surface, the bad news abounds. But in God’s world, which is precisely where we are, he is always up to something. We have a Father who rules over all things and uses the waves of suffering that slam against our life to wash us upon the shore of his grace. Because His Spirit lives within us, we have a “super power” similar to that of Antaeus whereby suffering is repurposed into strength.

South City Church has recently experienced this firsthand through open doors at Blackwell Elementary School in South Richmond. We originally planned to move our Sunday gathering to Blackwell last weekend, but, because of the school shutdown, a different kind of service began, not on Sundays but throughout the week as we participated in their food distribution program for families who rely on the school for daily meals. It has only been five days, but I have built meaningful relationships with the kitchen staff, the volunteers, and the families who came to receive food each day. I became fast friends with Janice, Mark, Chefonya, John, Yvette and others. We prayed each morning with the kitchen staff to start the day and were able to pray with 62 people from the community throughout the week!  

Many church plants spend years--even decades--building enough trust to gain passport into their community. For us it happened in a matter of days, so much so that Yvette invited me into her pain from losing her cousin this past week and asked if I would be willing to officiate a small memorial service for her family. You can’t make this stuff up but God makes it happen because he loves Yvette, and the families of Blackwell, and South City Church, and me, and you.  

Talk to me two weeks ago and you would have heard a torrent of fear, doubt, and complaining. Something like, “How are you supposed to plant a church during a time like this!?” or, “We built all this momentum only to slam into a wall!” or, my personal favorite, “We’re not gonna make it.” But God is reminding me that suffering is not an insurmountable obstacle but an instrumental opportunity. COVID-19 is not a constraint--it is a catalyst.

Could it be that the obstacles you fear are actually opportunities? Perhaps God will open doors for your church to serve the needs of the elderly in your community. Perhaps He will give you that chance you’ve been looking for to share the hope of Christ with your neighbor down the street who is about to get laid off from their job. Perhaps He will use your financial hardship, loneliness and even sickness to pull you closer to himself to prepare you for a new season of ministry he’s about to launch you into.

The day will come when we all look back at this pandemic and say along with Paul that it "has actually served to advance the Gospel” (Phil. 1:12), but the sooner we recognize it, the sooner we can regain what the church has always been marked by: our compassion and our courage. The Coronavirus will throw many of us down, but by God’s grace we will rise from our knees stronger than before.