Week One | Rush
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Week One | When Less Becomes More Online Bible Study
Reading Assignment – Pages 1-36 | Rush & Technology
Still waiting for your book? Click here to listen to the first chapter!
I did not get my first cell phone until I was a junior in college and at that time all it could do was make a phone call… barely. I had to sit in on my window sill with my face pressed up against the glass in order to get reception. It was especially fun trying to make a call in the middle of winter. It’s laughable to think about how much has changed, especially as I sit in my office, on the same campus, scrolling the internet and carrying on three conversations at the same time via text.
It’s laughable, but also kind of astounding just how accessible we are and make ourselves out to be to others.
When I was working as an Executive Director at an outreach ministry and retreat center, I conducted a lot of my business through email and text messages. I was coordinating volunteers and answering to a board of directors that were scattered across the state. I was very careful not to give out my cell phone number to the public because I did not want them to have that kind of access to me, yet in the wintertime, when I moved my office into my home (to save on expenses of heating our large office space), I transferred the office phone calls to my cell.
I remember being startled awake by a phone call from a woman at 4:45 a.m. who wanted to stop by our food pantry. At 4:45 a.m! When I told her that our pantry wouldn’t be open until 9:00 a.m., she was appalled.
In chapter one of When Less Becomes More, author Emily Ley asks two very important questions:
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- Were we created to be pulled in this many directions, to be this ‘on’ all the time? (Pg. 3)
- What would it look like to reject modern social norms of living a constantly connected, overfull life and adopt a life that was a little less… and yet a more? (Pg. 11)
While listening to podcasts, and scheduling social media posts, and organizing our busy schedules via apps and synced calendars, as well as having notifications to remind us to pay our bills and pick up the kids is all very convenient and handy, what are we missing out on in life when our noses are buried in our devices?
I loved reading the painted picture of the woman’s day that Emily shares at the end of chapter two. Though it sounds like a pretty average day for most, it is missing one thing. It’s lacking the demands of a life shackled to technology.
You were not created to be constantly overwhelmed. You were not created to function at max capacity day after day. You have not been forgotten. You are a daughter of the King, and you have the power to make choices about the way you live your life. – Emily Ley, When Less Becomes More (Pg. 22)
Amen! As a daughter of the King, you have been given the kind of access that I gave by having the office phone transferred to my cell phone. You can call upon Jesus at any moment. Even at 4:45 a.m. and He will lovingly tend to your needs.
COMMUNITY CHAT
Letโs chat! Weโd love to hear from you once youโve had some time to read through this weekโs reading assignments. Come back to this space & share your thoughts in the comments below about:
Identify โ In this weekโs reading weโre learning, through Emily’s vulnerability, that it is easy to get wrapped up in being connected to technology and being accessible to people all of the time.
What boundaries can you put in place that will allow you to protect the space in your head and your heart as holy?
In the Word โ This weekโs Scripture focus comes from Isaiah 46:10 (NIV). Download our weekly Scripture card. Print it and hang it in a place where youโll come across it often this week, to aid in memorization and God’s reminder that we have access to Him and we are permitted to pause and let Him be God.
How does this verse speak to you in the present moment?
Share with us in the comments; weโd love to hear from you!
Bree is a recovering perfectionist whose weaknesses include the dollar spot at Target and any pretty office supplies. Though she is an introvert, she has an insatiable craving for community and a desire to bring light to Godโs purpose in the imperfections of life. Read More
Reading all of Isaiah 46 God is warning us of worshiping false gods. HE is the only GOD we should be worshiping. As Emily talked about, the internet and social media can be used for good, but even for good it can be too much. Unplugging is a necessity especially when we are seeking to be closer to God. Thereโs just something about opening the pages of the Bible and reading what God says as opposed to clicking on the scriptures using the Bible app. Only God can tell us the future so unplug and listen to Him.
Leslie, I LOVE that you chose to open the pages instead of the app to read the rest of this chapter. Thank you much for sharing the insight you have gathered from the additional reading! It’s beautiful how the remainder of that chapter fits so perfectly with what we’re reading from Emily, and how important it is to unplug and use what can be seen as good in moderation, but to soak ourselves fully in His Word! Be blessed!
For me, setting a time limit for social media is an important boundary. Also, having a tech free zone is helpful. I do not always need my phone on my person.
This verse reminds me to stay in the present moment, to stay in the One in whom I live and move and have my being – regardless of what is happening around me.
Abby, I think having a “tech-free zone” sounds blissful! Is this a particular spot in your home that you have set up, or just time periods throughout your day that you limit your usage? Being present is something that I struggle with and that is something that I hope to be more intentional with this year as well. Blessings to you!
When I get home from work, I leave my cell phone in the mud room with my purse. I find that I check my phone less if it is not on my person. And when I do get up to check or use my phone, I am conscious of it because I needed to stop what I was doing and walk into another room to get my phone. God bless!
What an easy, but intentional move towards being more present! Thanks for your insight into just how do-able this can be for any of us.
I have told EVERYONE about this book and Iโve started reading Saturday. Even though I have felt these same feelings and thoughts, itโs almost comforting to know there are more woman they feel and think the same. So many things weโre underlined and circled and notes all over the place in the book. Amazing.
Some of the (many) things I have notated are:
*having a โmanifestoโ and family values posted. Those nonnegotiables for our family
*when we choose yes to things we are choosing no…seems contradicting but makes complete sense. I cannot keep choosing yes to and for people because I am choosing no to and for my family
The verse spoke differently to me after reading this week. He is always there. Through ups and downs, highs and lows (my absolute favorite song right now is Tauren Wells โHills and Valleysโ). So in the midst of moving in anxiety and fear…..be still. Know that He is God. And as simple as that is, itโs peaceful and comforting.
Iโm this busy, overwhelmed, fast paced life…Be Still. KNOW He is God.
Jennifer, I’m so happy to hear that you’re loving the book as much as I am. My book is also littered with underlinings, notes, and little doodles to help me really take it all in. Thank you for sharing some of your notes with us. I completely understanding the “yes vs. no” dilemna. Our 2nd online study, back in 2015, was on Lysa Terkeurst’s book, “The Best Yes”, and it talks in-depth about this topic. I highly recommend it for your next read, if you haven’t already! Have a blessed day!
I took this chapter as a challenge and set up screen time limits on some of my most used apps. After I set them, I became much more aware every time I picked up my phone. Until I actually started tracking my time, I never realized how much of my precious time I was wasting with my nose pressed to my phone, so to speak. Itโs been super liberating! I am surprised to find that I really do feel significantly less rushed. And Iโm getting so much more done! My house is cleaner than itโs been in a long time and today during naptime I actually started a puzzle – the first one Iโve started since my son was born almost a year ago!
Way to go, Kristin!! So proud of you for challenging yourself to put some boundaries in place to protect your time and be more present. I haven’t set it up for myself, simply because I’m checking my phone more with the study, but I do get a weekly report of my screen time and I’m always amazed at how much I’m plugged in! Excited to hear how far you get with your puzzle in the coming weeks!
I think the first step for me in taking control of the chaos that is my schedule is to start saying no. For so long Iโve tried to be everything for everyone. This just leaves me tired, angry, and resentful. Instead I am aiming to learn to say no to things that are not fullfilling or that I feel God has not called me to.
The line “my purpose will stand” jumps out at me. He has a purpose for and in our lives. This world and the culture we live in has bombarded us with so much distraction. But through it all… His purpose still stands. This is so reassuring to me. I’m honestly at a loss for words. I’m very humbled and grateful that no matter what His purpose for my life will still stand.