Gospel Tech with Nathan Sutherland

We get told a lot of things in a day:

our kids tell us what they want from us.
our spouse tells us what he or she needs.
our boss tells us (usually) that we could do better.
social media tells us how amazing other people are.
the news tells us the world is going down in flames.
our flesh tells us we’ve worked hard and deserve an escape.

Yet what does God tell us? We only know when we listen.
Let’s make time to read God’s word today.
Carve out a total of 10 minutes.
Start in Psalms, maybe alternate each day between that and the Gospel of Matthew.
Finally, don’t expect it to be perfect. Expect it to be intentional. Expect God to show you that he’s never left you nor forsaken you, and he will continue to walk through this season—and the next—for as many as he’ll give you.
Take some time today, plan some time for tomorrow, and let’s make the space and time to hear God in our lives.

Today marks one year of doing this podcast! 
A year ago Anna and I sat in our kitchen trying to figure out how to do this podcast thing. I spent two hours trying to figure out why only one mic would work (spoiler alert, it’s because computers can’t recognize two yeti mics at the same time. THAT SHOULD BE ON THE BOX).
Now we're in 2021 and so thankful to God for His many provisions and to each of you for joining us on this journey as we work together to love God and use tech.
In today's episode we'll share some of how God has been faithful and also share a few of the big dreams we're praying through as we look into year two of the podcast!

Resources referenced in the podcast:
Top 5 Most Listened to Episodes.

Tech Boundaries - Ep.1.
How do we address pornography with our children? (ep. 20)
Why your child doesn’t need a smartphone (ep.24)
How do I know if my tech use is healthy? (ep.2) - we talk about it again here (s.3, ep.19)
Interview with Roger Smith—Raising healthy youth in a tech world (30 year educator and VP of largest basketball camp in the US) (s.3, ep.1)

Today we complete our conversation about the seven steps to healthy tech. Do you want to have healthy tech? Do you want to know what to do if your tech isn't healthy? We'll get you there by the end of today's conversation.
Today we specifically address:

Replace with Amazement
Create Analog Adventures
Question what you’re consuming
Have hard conversations

In the last two years of running Gospel Tech I've been asked the same question a LOT: "What does my family need to do to fix our tech?"
Today I'm diving in to give everyone what they have asked for: A few simple steps to get this healthy tech conversation started! Ok, I say a few, but I mean seven...it feels like a few. 
I've broken it into a two-part conversation and today we will focus on the critical first steps that we can all take today to begin our journey toward better loving God and using tech.

Let’s be real: The reason Drool Tech is so prevalent as an outlet for kids and adults is it’s SO convenient and it works SO well!
Sometimes we just need that one show to buy us 20 minutes to shower, or have a quiet time, or even just sit in another room with our palms pressed into our eyes and think our own thoughts for just one minute! The problems come when we start to train our children to behave by subduing them with Drool Tech.
Today we'll talk through simple analog adventure options that will help us, and our children, delight in the amazing world and adventures God has made for us. 


Resources I reference in the episode:
The Gospel Tech Handbook & Workshop: These will help you make a family tech framework.

Art


 Art for Kids Hub
How To Hand Letter
Digital Art For Beginners has some great resources.
Audacity (free recording program)
Andrew is music: in this case, nature sounds!


      2. Building

legos / duplos
snap circuits
magna tiles
TinkerCAD (3D design and ties in with Autodesk).


      3. Board Games

 S.3, episode 12: Specific games and details.
An article with a list of some great family-friendly games by age range.
A walkthrough on how to do it for your fam: “Which Board Game Should I Buy My Kids: Marvel / Star Wars Edition”
*please avoid Minecraft


      4. Read!

S.3, episode 13: Specific books and resources for finding great reads. 
An article with a list of high-interest books by age that you can check-out here
The CD player we use
.Two great book resources: Read Aloud Revival (@readaloudrevival),  Honey for a Child’s Heart

Anna's back on the podcast! Today we look at the norm of TV in culture and push back on it a little bit. We’re not saying you need to throw your TVs out the window—but like anything  our culture presumes to be “normal”, we want to align our ideas with a Biblical worldview, including our beloved televisions.

We all make mistakes, and our tech lives are no exception. So what can we do if our tech isn’t healthy?

We ask God to give us new hearts that want to do his will (Psalm 51:10).
we remove anything that causes us to sin (Matthew 5:29-30).
we replace the unhealthy with faith in action (Matthew 7:24-27).


Resources referenced: 

Last week's episode (S.3, ep.19) will help you determine if your tech use is healthy!.
The Gospel Tech Handbook, and accompanying videos, will help you make a tech framework for your family!

Let's start this year of right with a reminder of the Gospel and a clear look at how we can know if our tech use is healthy. Today we'll talk about:

The good news of the Gospel
The two types of tech
How to apply a RESET to our own lives and extend that to our children

Today we’re talking about HOW to make a Family Tech Framework. We know it’s something we SHOULD do, but it feels overwhelming. Where do we start?
We start by making some basic ground rules, like all tech expectations apply to all family members, and then we build into five other areas that must be covered. The point isn’t the finish the framework, the point is the conversations that will come up with your child as you talk through what it looks like to love God and use tech.
In this episode we reference some resources:

Great accountability option - Covenant Eyes: covenanteyes.com
Games that have valuable conversations - That Dragon, Cancer: https://youtu.be/vlKCJlhJwxU, homepage: http://www.thatdragoncancer.com/#home
Teens spend 8 hours a day on Drool Tech - Common Sense Media, 2019: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/news/press-releases/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-tweens-and-teens-new-research

The Gospel Tech Handbook is here! As part of the Gospel Tech workshop this tool empowers parents to be the tech resource for their kids, so you don't have to outsource your expertise on your child!  It helps you assess your tech, discuss it in meaningful ways, and create a plan to love God and use tech.
In today's podcast we walk through some of the "why" behind this resource (and they're probably not the reasons you think).
We also look at practical steps for how we can help re-establish healthy tech as we wrap up 2020 and get ready for what 2021 has in store. As we do we must remember that tech is not a problem to fix, it's one more area we can serve our children and model for them what it means to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.

You can check out more about this online workshop at: Gospeltechworkshop.com