Gospel Tech with Nathan Sutherland

By PurposelyReligion & Spirituality Christianity Education Parenting Kids & Family

Gospel Tech with Nathan Sutherland episodes

January 17, 2023156. START HERE: Adopting New Tech
If you haven’t heard it yet, it’s coming for you: “Mom / Dad, I want that new _______ (insert newfangled tech)”.

What do you say? You want to give your child amazing things they want, but how do you know if this is a good idea?

Today we’re going to build the base for this conversation and equip you with everything you need to answer this question well. Whether its an app, game, device, show, or album, you will be empowered to do more than win: you’ll be empowered to parent.

The basis of the conversation is three simple questions:
Is it safe? (Matt. 7:7-10)
Does it meet family expectations? (1 Cor. 10:23)
Does it support your child’s goals & purpose? (Luke 6:45, Gal. 5:19-23)
With this foundation you can address new tech in hope, not fear, and gain some parenting wins along the way.

Show Notes: http://bit.ly/3w9mDrf
29 min
January 10, 2023155. START HERE: How Do We Know If Our Tech Is Healthy?
Want to know whether your tech is healthy, but don't know where to start? Look no further! The START HERE series is designed to get you into these tech conversations quickly so that you are empowered to talk about healthy tech, communicate the Gospel, and connect the hope of the Gospel to your everyday tech life.

Understanding healthy tech requires that we:
Know the two types of tech
Assess our own tech health
Discern whether tech is a pebble or a blister
Today we'll cover all three and give you everything you need to begin these critical tech conversations in your own life and home.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3Gm9Nuu
26 min
January 03, 2023 154. Happy 2023! A Year of Hope
Welcome to the first episode of 2023! This podcast is called Gospel Tech because we parent in a tech world, from the hope of the Gospel. Today we walk that out!

Today we'll talk about hope, and how the Gospel gives us a reason for today and a purpose for tomorrow. In today's episode we discuss how the Gospel changes how we parents our kids with tech, how we look at ourselves, and the way we handle tough circumstances that may even be out of our control.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3jLpowa
40 min
December 27, 2022 153. Best of 2022: Finding a Balance with Video Games
What better way to celebrate 2022 than listen to the most popular episode of the year? I dug into the data and found that htis episode, #137, is the most listened to of all this year's productions. Maybe we'll have to talk some more video game content in the new year!

Episode #137 Description:
Video games can feel overwhelming for parents. How do we know if video games are a good idea? Which games should we pick? Today we answer these questions and give all parents a firm-foundation with which to love their children and make intentional tech choices when it comes to video games.

Resources mentioned:
Episode #133: What to do when your child asks for new tech:
https://www.gospeltech.net/133-back-to-school-3-what-to-do-when-your-child-asks-for-new-tech/

ESRB for game reviews: https://www.esrb.org
Watch the game for yourself: http://youtube.com
A wonderful example of story in games done well: The Bastion character video. https://youtu.be/to8yh83jlXg

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3PMs48q
37 min
December 20, 2022152. Living In Light Of The Three Advents
Advent means Arrival, and in this season of Christmas we celebrate Christmas and the arrival of the Christ child.

Yet as Christians we really celebrate three advents: The arrival of the Messiah, the Holy Spirit, and the glorified King.

Today we’re taking a look at the incredible joy, hope, and reverence that should accompany our celebration of Christmas this year; that there are really three advents at hand, and they each matter very much for how we live out our daily, and tech, lives.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3G33rB7

Some verses to read for your Advent this year:
Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-23 (a virgin and Joseph's doubt)
Micah 5:2-5, Matthew 2:1-6 (a savior and the magi)
Matthew 4:12-17, Isaiah 9:1-7 (I like reading the NT account first—I feel it adds beauty and emphasis to the Isaiah passage)
41 min
December 13, 2022151. Analog Adventures Made Easy This Christmas
How can we have fun at the pace of real life?

Video games are fun, movies are festive, but at some point we need a break. Our brains, hearts, and lungs need some space to breath. We need some Analog Adventures.

Three things to keep in mind:
1. “I’m bored” is really asking for a reset back to the pace of real life. 😵‍💫
2. Keep activities wonder-focused. Fun should never be a punishment. 🤗
3. Fun doesn’t have to mean expensive.

Today we discuss a few adventure ideas, how to make them work for your family, and give some options that even the Scrooge's out there will enjoy.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3hlcQdT

Resources:
.Amazing puzzles: Buffalo Games (on Amazon, 300pc, $13)
.Craft: Diamond Art
.Tag: Make a marshmallow shooter, or go with this laser tag set
.Game: Sushi Go ($7 at the time of this recording)
.Bake: My favorite pie book (The Perfect Pie), for kids Raddish is great!

That board game list (because I can’t resist):
ages 3-4: Animal Upon Animal (Hadley loves it!), Hoot Owl Hoot, Memory (Hadley prefers Pete the Cat)
ages 5-7: Sleeping Queens, Outfoxed, Labyrinth (our kiddos love the Pokemon version!)
ages 8-10: Sushi Go, Carcassonne, Clank!
ages 11-12: Wingspan, Dixit, Kingsburg, Imperial Assault
ages 13+: Superfight, Edge of the Empire Tabletop RPG, Lord of the Rings LCG
Party Games: Anomia, Codenames, Mad Gab
The Trampoline! It's sold out now, but it will come back. It goes on sale for $250 including shipping.
29 min
December 06, 2022 150. What To Do With Tech When Family Visits
What’s your plan for tech when family comes to town?

There’s a good chance someone in your life, maybe even someone you’ll see for Christmas, has a different tech standard than you and your family. So what can you do?

First, make sure you’ve listened to last week’s episode about making tech safe at home! 🤗

Remember that you’re not scared of tech: Your boundaries come from hope for your kiddos. You want them to become all they are made to be!

So ask:
is it safe (Drool Tech, Browser, App, Accountable)
does it mean family expectations (Phil. 4:8 - content)
does it line up with my child’s purpose and potential (Gal. 5:22—the fruit)

Then, take these three steps to ensure tech is a benefit for all this season:

1. Be open. Bring up your concern, your expectations for your child, and ask for suggestions on how it could be handled.

2. Be gracious. focus on the problems, not the people: We don’t let our kids play games (at all, very long, rated T or higher…)

3. Be focused. your experience, and solutions.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3UAkZc3
32 min
November 29, 2022 149. Making Tech Safe for Christmas
Christmas is officially on the way, so how do we ensure that our tech at home is safe and maximize the opportunity for fun, sharing, and engagement? In today's conversation we'll discuss how to build a hedge around our tech, create clear expectations, and be present in tech to ensure we use it in hope and for God's glory and our good.

Show Notes: http://bit.ly/3VBwfFS
30 min
November 22, 2022 148. Let's Talk Tech & Christmas (with Anna!)
Christmas is an amazing time to remember the gifts God has given us: His only son and the Holy Spirit (Lk. 11:11). As parents we get a chance to show our children a bit of what it means to give good gifts, and today we're going to talk about how. Today we address:

1. A great way to think about gift purchasing
2. How to assess new tech for your family
3. Ten analog adventure gifts for Christmas!

Resources:
.Check out our new partner: Gabb Wireless! (gabbwireless.com/promo/GOSPELTECH). Use this link to get a free phone with a 2-year contract and $20 towards accessories.
34 min
November 15, 2022 147. Thankfulness in a Digital World
As we head towards Thanksgiving, lets take this opportunity to call out these areas in our lives that steal our Thankfulness:
Control
Anxiety
Distraction

And let’s combat them in Christ with the tools we’re given:
Draw close to God
Stay connected to the vine
Check the fruit

Timeline:
0:00: Intro
2:10: Thank You

5:30: What deters our thankfulness?
6:30: Control
15:30: Anxiety
17:30: Distraction

21:30: Solution #1: Draw Close (James 4:4,8)
26:00: Stay Connected (John 15:4-5)
29:00: Check the fruit (Galatians 5:19-22)

Show Notes: http://bit.ly/3UVb69j
38 min

About Gospel Tech with Nathan Sutherland

From the publisher's feed

Gospel Tech is a resource for parents who are feeling outpaced and overwhelmed as they raise children in a tech world.

Our goal: Equip parents with the tools, resources, and confidence they…

need to raise kids who love God and use tech.

Gospel Tech’s mission is to equip families to love God and use tech. We want to empower parents to:

Talk about healthy tech
Communicate the Gospel
Connect the hope of the Gospel to their everyday tech lives

Introduction to Gospel Tech
Three years ago I (Nathan) started Gospel Tech as a ministry to help connect the Gospel to the daily tech lives of families in practical ways. As a middle school teacher I saw a need for intentional, Gospel-focused conversations about tech. Tech was creating more distraction than inspiration in the classroom, and I saw the need for more than just new habits—there was a desperate need for new hearts.

Gospel Tech bridges the gap between scary tech conversations and the hope of the Gospel. With engaging stories and practical applications I bring Gospel-centered tech solutions families can apply in everyday life.

Gospel Tech Resources Beyond The Podcast

The Parent Tech Workshops: A two-part series addressing:
- How should we handle Tech’s Big 3 (smartphones, gaming, pornography)?
- How do we make tech safe at home? (two types of tech, tech health, and building tech trust)

Youth Talks:
- The Tech Talk: Use the best tech on purpose, not for purpose.
- The Hope Talk: A conversation about our goals, purpose, and how making a mistake doesn’t make us a mistake.

The Family Tech Framework: A two-hour workshop where families leave with the words to say and the plan in place for healthy tech at home and in daily life.
- Part 1: Talk It Out: Parents learn key points of discussing healthful tech.
- Part 2: Walk It Out: Families work together to create a Family Tech Framework customized to their needs, goals, and season of life.

At the end of the day our children aren't problems to fix, they're people to love. We need to point them to the purpose and hope available in Christ, in the work he's already done to make them new and to call them on to good works, and then use tech from that hope. This is why I love to say that in Christ we use tech on purpose, not for purpose.

That's the goal of Gospel Tech. Thanks for letting me be on this journey of parenting with you.

-Nathan Sutherland