Technology Detox Challenge

I can remember the weekend when I attempted to give up caffeinated coffee, It was a rough couple of days – for me and for anyone around me. The whole experience felt a lot like I imagine rehab might fell like. My body fought it every step, in fact, in a lot ways, getting off coffee was like going through detox – a painful and excruciating detox.  Detox is defined as a period of treatment when a person is helped to overcome physical and psychological dependence on a substance.

This week we are calling on you and me to go through a sort of detox – but not from caffeine. We are inviting you to take a week to detox from technology. In the first session of Babel, we asked you what your relationship was with technology – to be really intentional about figuring out your dependence on all the different aspects of it. Not because technology is bad, or evil, but because it is a tool. And how we use it, the priority that we choose to give it in our lives, is what determines the kind of relationship we have with technology. For a lost of us, because of how dependent we have become on it, and how unhealthy our relationship with technology can be – a detox is the best way to see what that relationship really is.

So what does detoxing from technology look like? Well, the best way to see how dependent you are on something is to step away from it for a while. So we want to do more than just have you ask yourself a question. We want to give you a real practical way to try it out – we want to give you an experience that helps you define your relationship with technology.

We are asking you to detox, or “fast”  – temporarily take a break – from the technology of your choice. The purpose of a fast is to put focused, intentional effort towards seeking God by depriving yourself of something. Whenever you desire to have what you are fasting from, the idea is to turn your attention towards God instead. I challenge you to replace the time you would have spent on Facebook, e-mail, playing Wii or texting, with participating in things that will help you lean more fully into Christ – like prayer, service, Bible reading, worshipping and journaling. You can also use those times to connect with the people around you in a way that their dependence on a certain element of technology maybe didn’t allow you to do before.

What technology are you going to detox from?  Are you ready?  I dare you to try it…

Comment below if you ACCEPT this challenge!

To start read Genesis 11:1-9.