Podfasters

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. Joel 1:3

I must admit up front that I have not been a frequent listener to podcasts. Maybe I’m old fashioned (at my age, I suppose that’s obvious). I have been encouraged to make podcasts out of these posts by both my son (a Gen X) and a Jessica Choy (a millennial). They both see the possibility of using podcasts as a means of reaching the next generation.

For me, it is a step into the unknown, so I thought I would do a little research to see what impact podcasts have in today’s culture, and also how they are being used by the next generations.  The results surprised me.  Podcasts are a growing segment of a source of information for the millennials.

Research actually shows that podcasts in the 18-35 age group exceeds their listening to AM-FM radio. While a large part of the podcasts is listened to at home, most are listened to in the car or elsewhere.

Edison Research puts out an annual “Share of Ear” report which quantifies the scope of how Americans consume audio of all kinds. It includes statistics on the reach and amount of time spent listening. Of all audio listening, podcasts are growing rapidly in audience share, going from 21% of audio to 24% year over year in the latest research.

According to Lauren Vetrano on Share of Ear, research shows that heavy podcast listeners are media junkies who are early adopters of the latest technology and listen to at least 10 podcasts a week. I recently asked a couple of millennials if they listened to them, and all but one said yes.

The primary podcast audience is in the 18-54 age group, but it is very concentrated in the next generation. It’s estimated that 118 million listened to podcasts in 2017. With stats of an audience like that, I might have to reconsider doing a podcast.

Another relatively new trend is occurring, mostly with millennials. A “podfaster” is a dedicated listener of podcasts at a higher than normal speed. These are people who listen up to 50 podcasts a week.

How do they do that? Well, they increase the speed so that it is 2x, 3x or even faster. Some do it because they have such a backlog of podcasts that they don’t have the time, patience or attention span to listen to all of them at normal speeds.

In fairness, one neuroscientist, Stephen Porges, said that increasing the speed of a podcast actually aids listening because the slightly higher pitch is easier to hear and therefore understand.

I was fascinated about the people who are podfasters, and their stories are interesting.  On average, people who are devoted listeners of podcasts consume an average of 5 podcasts a week. Some 20% consume more than 6, and podfasters listen to a great many more.

The podfaster currently represents only about 1% of those listening to podcasts, but their numbers are growing due to technological changes and apps that make listening to podcasts at higher speeds easier. An app called Rightspeed allows you to listen at up to 10x normal, not that you would want to.

When I first read about this, I was really curious and intrigued.  What are they listening to? Well, that’s not an easy answer because they listen to podcasts about everything you can think of: politics, music, literature, history, philosophy. They listen to TV shows or dramas. Pretty much everything.

Doree Shafir authored an article entitled “Meet the People Who Listen to Podcasts at Super Fast Speeds.” In the article, Shafir notes: “You could read these tendencies as a symptom of our sped-up culture, of a listening population too impatient or distracted to listen to anything for longer than, say, half an hour.”

That conclusion meshes with the research that shows the attention span of the millennial is 8 seconds which is less than a gold-fish whose attention span weighs in at 9 seconds.  This is a generation who thinks that a movie scene that goes longer than 2 minutes is too long and they lose interest.

Several takeaways on this topic:

• It is a technology that is gaining acceptance by all ages, and particularly millennials
• While a podcast doesn’t replace reading, it is a way to reach an audience with real content
• Podfasters tend to be people who will listen to an entire series of podcasts, even if that number is 100 or more
• Church’s need to adapt to this trend to be relevant to the next generation

Our challenge here is to reach the next generation where they are.  If they aren’t sitting in pews on Sunday, they are listening to podcasts. They are also seeking something spiritual that they can connect to. That’s the opportunity, and leaders need to be thinking of how to use podcasts to reach the next generation.

MENTOR TAKEAWAY:  As mentors, you need to realize that new technology like podcasts may play an important role in your mentee’s life. Take time to learn about how and where to use them so you can be prepared to offer suggestions.

FURTHER STUDY:  Research on Podcast use: http://westwoodone.com/BLOG/ArtMID/8027/ArticleID/158/The-Podcast-Download-Fall-2017-Report-Video

The annual report by Edison Research on Podcasts: http://www.edisonresearch.com/the-podcast-consumer-2017/

The Podfaster trend: https://www.buzzfeed.com/doree/meet-the-people-who-listen-to-podcasts-at-super-fast-speeds?utm_term=.taA6Pkexe#.jqvQ7mn3n

WORSHIP:  Listen to Tommy Walker sing “Taste and See”:

Taste And See – YouTube

COMMENT:  I would be delighted at comments on this or any other post. You can comment by clicking on the icon at the top of the page, or emailing me at otterpater@nc.rr.com.

SUBSCRIBE:  You can receive an email notice of each post by clicking on the icon at the top right corner of the site (www.mentorlink.wordpress.com)  and entering your email address.

 

Advertisements

Grace

 

 “…each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. “These men who were last worked only one hour,” they said, “and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.”  Matthew 20:1-15

The concept of grace is an important one in Christianity because it allows everyone to be accepted into God’s kingdom regardless of their situation. Sinners and saints alike are welcome. Grace is unmerited favor. No one earns it.

Grace trumps a works theology – the idea that you can earn your way to heaven through good works. That’s not what grace is about.  Most understand the theology of grace where we are accepted into the kingdom by faith.

What is more difficult is how we adopt grace into our own lives. Becoming a disciple of Christ means that you strive to be more like Him. Jesus said to his disciples “Follow Me!” It is not a linear path, and there are lots of places where you can stumble.

So, the question becomes: How do you exhibit grace in your life to those in the world or your workplace?  If you are a leader, the question is: How do you create a grace environment?

At MentorLink, we hold the value of grace as one of the five transformational values of leading like Jesus. In my post on Leadership a couple of weeks ago, I suggested that I might unpack kingdom leadership values that are important to leaders in any venue.  One of them is grace – specifically, building a grace environment.

Timothy O. Olonade in his book Nuggets of Life puts it this way: “A gifted but graceless life will become a disgrace in spite of its giftedness. To avoid becoming a spent force in your calling, arm yourself with the gift to function and the grace to serve.”

When you ask people what type of leader Jesus was, you get a pretty consistent answer: “He was a “servant leader”. But if you ask what that looks like in action, most are unable to give specifics.

This post will explore the critical differences between leaders creating a grace environment versus one lacking grace.

To begin, I start with the biblical story of the rich landowner in Matthew 22 who hires people to work in his fields. He successively hires workers throughout the day. The landowner pays all of them the same amount which brought grumbling from those that worked the longest.

To one accustomed to a performance-based economy, the landowner’s generosity seems out-of-place. In the business world, one gets paid a days’ wages for a days’ work. Had I been the worker who toiled all day, I might have complained, too.

The landowner replies that the day-worker agreed to work for the wages he received. Nothing unfair about that.  Yet, grace is often perceived as unfair, and can lead to hostility and misunderstanding. Note, that all the workers had his daily needs met and the landowner treated all of them graciously.

This passage is one picture of grace in the workplace. The landowner was a leader – bestowing grace on all who worked for him, paying them fair wages regardless of how long they actually worked.

This is one example of grace versus a performance-based environment. But grace extends beyond generosity.  It extends to the very attitude of the employer.  Is he or she a person that wears a mask, keeping his own failures and feelings inside? Moses wore a veil in Exodus which hid the fading glory of the Lord from others.

In the business world, the leader who wears a mask is perceived as not being authentic, honest or real, and it leads others to do likewise. Instead of being able to collaborate freely and with transparency, it retards open discussion. The result is obvious: none of the collective wisdom gets shared or discussed.

Paul nailed this concept when he wrote 2 Corinthians 3:7-18: “we are not like Moses.” Paul urges us to boldly lead with unveiled faces. Leading with an unveiled face means being accountable for ones’ own shortcomings or mistakes. A leader’s “unveiled face” starts with a leader recognizing his own inadequacies.

Unfortunately, we see the world’s leadership model leaning toward wearing a mask – one modeled by Moses. An environment without masks is one where free and open discourse can exist with transparency. One can share their true thoughts and feelings without fear of whether or not they are accepted.

Van VanAntwerp, formerly the head of the US Army Corps of Engineers, continues to do leadership consulting to Boards of Directors and companies today. He did a leadership seminar at our church which introduced me to different levels of leadership espoused by Jim Collins.

Collins developed the concept of five levels of leadership in any organization. Level 5 is at the top. Collins notes that it is difficult to become a great leader without the characteristics of a Level 5 leader. Very few leaders make it to this level. It is rarefied air at the top.

Ironically, what makes a leader a Level 5 leader is humility. No, that’s not a misprint. A Level 5 leader has humility and a fierce resolve. I find it interesting that the biblical value of humility tops the chart of what it takes to be a great leader.

Having a strong will and being humble might seem a paradox, and perhaps they are. It’s described as the Stockdale Paradox, named after Admiral James Stockdale, who survived 7 years of POW camp in Vietnam by adhering to what would seem to be contradictory beliefs.

“Good-to-great leaders confront the most brutal facts of their current reality, yet simultaneously maintain [..] absolute faith that they will prevail in the end.”

A Level 5 Leader holds “both disciplines – faith and facts – at the same time, all the time.” So, what does this humility look like in practice?  Well, the Level 5 leader tends to be modest and they don’t talk about their own accomplishments. They would rather talk about the accomplishments of others.

They empower others to become better as opposed to hogging the spotlight. They recognize their own shortcomings and realize that their success was based on the contributions of others. They surround themselves with a team that compliments them and often provides expertise in areas that are not their strength.

They know that those that surround them have shortcomings, too. But they also recognize that success is a team sport, and that they are not able to do it all on their own.  They need a team that believes in them because they are authentic and humble.

Why are grace and humility important leadership values in today’s culture?  According to Tim Elmore: “…more people want to be a servant-leaders among the two youngest generations than among the older generations. Generations Y and Z clearly perceive leadership as a legitimate place to make a difference and to improve the community in which they lead.”

The difficulty is that there are few models out there in the corporate world for them to see what a servant leader looks like, how one acts and what one actually does. One of the highest values of the millennials is authenticity. That means a level of transparency by others, and if they find it in a leader, they are willing to follow.

Unfortunately, most current leadership training employs the corporate model which is a power based model.   With few exceptions, most leadership models espouse a “CEO” or model where transparency may be perceived as a weakness.

That line of leadership does not connect with the next generation.  They seek authenticity and transparency. They want their voice to count and be heard and validated. They will thrive in an environment of grace where their input is solicited and welcomed.

I feel like I have just touched the surface with this topic – there is more to say, but I plan to cover other aspects of kingdom values at work in leaders in later posts.

Our challenge here is to guide the next generation to biblical leadership values. It starts with us. We must exhibit grace, authenticity and transparency.  While we may not be a Level 5 leader at the top of an organization, we can learn from the best as to what it takes. These are best practices.  Living a life full of grace and humility pays dividends to all around us.

MENTOR TAKEAWAY: Your mentees who seek servant leadership are looking for models to follow. You can help them start by being authentic and exhibiting grace and humility in your own life.

FURTHER STUDY: A PDF of a presentation of a Level 5 leader: http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/unssc/unpan021788.pdf

An article on Can you grow into a Level 5 Leader? by Jim Collins: http://www.jimcollins.com/article_topics/articles/can-you-grow-into-level-5.html

Nuggets for Life – Insights for Daily Living by Timothy Olonade is published in Nigeria by God’s Global Glory Publishers (email: eglf.info@gmail.com). It has a Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Elrehoboth/posts/?ref=page_internal

WORSHIP:  Listen to Matt Redman sing “Help from Heaven” where the lyrics  describe that you can get help when the world is on your shoulders:

https://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=Y7PKLGNX

COMMENT:  I would be delighted at comments on this or any other post. You can comment by clicking on the icon at the top of the page, or emailing me at otterpater@nc.rr.com.

SUBSCRIBE:  You can receive an email notice of each post by clicking on the icon at the top right corner of the site (www.mentorlink.wordpress.com)  and entering your email address.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friends

 

Do not be misled; Bad company corrupts good character. 1 Corinthians 15:33

I’ve always believed that you are what your friends are. Not sure where or why it was instilled in me.  When I became a believer at age 38, I learned that this was also biblical.

I have posted frequently about the value of friends in your life. All of them point to the benefits of having friends that you can count on. Sadly, in this day and time, the concept of friendship in the age of social media has gotten watered down.

The millennials and Generation Z have a lot of mobile “friends” who they interact with, sometimes almost constantly. Yet, in many cases, their interaction is digital, leading them to become isolated. Isolation leads to depression, and worse. The research on this is quite consistent.

I recently was meeting with Daniel,  one of my mentees and a member of Gen Z. He is always challenging me with questions. I think he spends the time in between our meetings to dream up interesting questions. No matter.

His latest question was one that has caused me to reflect on it in-depth after we met. He told me that he had a lot of friends, many of whom he has had from childhood, but that he felt they may not be good for him at this point in his life. He wondered what, if anything he should do.

My answer, after consideration, was to suggest that he pick his friends carefully. I cited an old proverb that if one lays down with the dogs, he will get their fleas. I then gave him the biblical version of that which comes from 1 Corinthians 15:33, above.

Friends can be a good influence, or a negative one. I suggested that if he was interested in “upgrading” his friends to those who might have a positive impact on his life, he should consider striking up friendships with people that he admired, or who had skills that he desired.

Now I have found that neuroscience has confirmed the value of having the right friends. Moran Cerf, a neuroscientist, has “made a living studying how people make choices.” has now determined that choosing the rights friends may lead to a happier life.

The studies done by Moran suggests that we should focus on who we spend our time with. This science behind this suggests that our brainwaves “synch” with those we spend time with so that the brainwaves start to resemble each other.

I must pause here to note that science is now confirming biblical truth. The writers of scripture didn’t need a neuroscientist to tell them what is observable data of life: Having the right friends is important to maturity.

With this science as a backdrop, Phoebe Weston, in an article about Dr. Cerf’s research  in The Dailymail,  said this: “If people want to make life improvements, such as reading more or getting better at cooking, they should spend their time with someone who has those desirable traits.”

For example, choosing which restaurant to go to is less important than choosing who you go with. This was essentially, the advice I gave to my mentee.

Dr. Moran Cerf  also suggested that we are better off not worrying about small decisions like what to wear or what we want to do. Instead, he suggests the important decision is deciding who we want to spend time with.

If we are on the same wavelength as another person, we can often anticipate what they are going to say, which helps us understand them better. Having been married for 51 years, this insight was helpful for me. There are lots of times that my wife finishes my sentences. Now I know how she does it.

The upshot is that people on the same wavelength work better as a team. Researchers have previously suggested that this “neural-coupling” is a key to improved communication. 

Being on the same wavelength doesn’t mean that you think alike at everything. What I think it does do for one is that you will be able to understand more quickly your friend’s position or opinions. I think the old-fashioned word for this is “bonding”, but now we have a more scientific explanation on how that works.

Another study done by researchers at New York University and Ultrecht University found people’s brainwaves sync up with colleagues at work. They used electroencephalography (EEG) to record the brain activity of a class of students and their teacher over a semester.

The results showed that the more a student’s brainwaves were in sync with those in the classroom, as a whole, the higher the likelihood for the student to give the course a favorable rating. But, the study showed that pairs of students were more in sync in class, but only if they interacted face-to-face before class.

The last finding only puts more emphasis on face-to-face interaction (not through texts or media) in our lives and our friendships. These studies were done in the context of finding out what affects our health and happiness in life. Their conclusion is basically that it is wise to invest in friendships that make you happiest, but that investment must be in person and not through social media.

Dr. Cerf had one additional suggestion:  do good for others. His conclusion that you will be happiest when you are doing something for others.  It can be in the form of donating money or donating your time for others. The payoff is that this leads to reduced stress and a reduction in physical illness. Good stuff from an academic.

The studies also give credence to the expression of “being on the same wavelength” with a friend or colleague.

As I have unpacked these studies, I cannot help but think about the traits of the next generation whose friends are mostly digital.  Face-to-face interactions are declining. The next generation is isolating themselves to their detriment, and often are not investing in face-to-face relationships.

The takeaways are multiple:

• Pick your friends carefully. Not all friends are beneficial to your maturity or growth as an individual. Choose friends that will help you advance in life. You can influence them in return. It can be mutual.
• Spend time in face-to-face dialogue. Texting is inadequate.
• Skip small decisions like which restaurant to go to and focus on who you go with.
• Get involved in serving others by volunteering.
• Seek out an older mentor that you admire. They are all around you waiting to be asked.

The challenge here is to encourage the next generation to invest in the right friends and go beyond a digital connection. Mentors should challenge their mentees as to who are their friends. The litmus test is whether their friends are a positive influence to help making them the best they can be with the gifts and talents that God has given them.

 MENTOR TAKEAWAY:  You can be a great influence as a friend to your mentee. You can also encourage him to evaluate his friends to see if he or she might want to seek new relationships with those whom they admire or have traits or skills they desire.

 FURTHER STUDY: The article on Choosing Friends by Phoebe Weston: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5061965/Friends-key-happiness-says-neuroscientist.html

Another article in Inc. magazine by Chris Weller on the six important things you can do to have a stress-free and happy life:  https://www.inc.com/business-insider/important-choices-happy-stress-free-successful-life-neuroscientist-moran-cerf.html

WORSHIP:  Listen to Travis Cottrell sing “Friend of God” showing us that we always have one friend in our corner:

FRIEND OF GOD – Travis Cottrell.m4v – YouTube

COMMENT:  I would be delighted at comments on this or any other post. You can comment by clicking on the icon at the top of the page, or emailing me at otterpater@nc.rr.com.

SUBSCRIBE:  You can receive an email notice of each post by clicking on the icon at the top right corner of the site (www.mentorlink.wordpress.com)  and entering your email address.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selfie-Esteem

 

 

 

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, Philippians 2:3

 No, that’s not a misprint or misspelling.  Selfie-esteem is a new term coined to describe the effect of taking selfies on self-esteem. A recent study said that 65% of teenage girls said seeing their selfie had a positive effect on their self-esteem.  Another 40% said that social media helps them present their “best face possible to the world.”

The issues I talked about in prior posts (Identity and Image) were aimed  at the millennials. They also apply to Generation Z – those who are just now getting out of high school and entering college.

The iPhone didn’t appear until 2007, but by 2012, over half of the American population had a smartphone. At that point, something remarkable happened, and it was not all good. According to Jean Twenge, a PhD from California, she began to see a dramatic rise in depression, suicide and isolation.

Twenge wrote an article in The Atlantic entitled “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation.”   For those who are overusing their smartphones, you should consider downloading Moment, an App that measures your smartphone use and even rewards you for not overusing. My 15 year-old granddaughter introduced me to it last week.

Fast forward to this topic – where just the existence of selfies brings good vibes to teenage girls. That, of course, is superficial.  It only shows the mask that they portray to the rest of the world.

It am reminded of the book for men entitled “The Man in the Mirror”.  The author, Patrick Morley, talks about men’s issues that they face. It is written in the context that, when you look at yourself in a mirror, you see more than just your outward appearance. Only you, while looking at your image in the mirror, know the real you inside.

Underneath this “feel good” approach is an insecurity that is masked by the feigned smile on the selfie. As Tim Elmore puts it, the next generation has been hiding behind a mask of social media for a decade. They are hiding behind what they are comfortable with – social media. But, beyond that, the mask that it provides hides their real insecurities.

According to research, Generation Z is more private than the millennials. It may be because they are “digital natives” – they have grown up in a world that has always had a smartphone technology.  To my generation, which didn’t even have mobile phones, it is a little mind-boggling.

They appear confident, but their confidence is limited to the known: they know and understand how to use technology, but that’s the limit of their comfort zone. Once they wander outside, the truth is that this Generation Z is very uncomfortable and often lack self-confidence.  In fact, a 2016 study by Growing Leaders shows just the opposite. They were generally frightened about:

• Their grades
• Their future
• The impact of terrorism
• Getting a job they like
• Getting into college
• The future of the world

Their confident selfies covers up their real inner discomfort.  Their picture becomes a “mask” as described by Tim Elmore.  The confident picture obscures what is really going on inside. Additionally, depression and suicide have greatly increased over the past decade.

For mentors and parents, there is an opportunity to build confidence in Generation Z, but it takes a little encouragement. Elmore suggests five ways to help:

* Encourage them to do public speaking. Most (like me) are afraid of public speaking. Suggest that they get into drama (that was something that helped my own son years ago).

* Help them find personal strengths – use various tools that can help evaluate their strengths.  Find out what they are good at and encourage it.

*  Teach them social etiquette.

*  Help them narrow their focus to concentrate on what they are good at. They often feel overwhelmed at trying to be good at everything.

* Empower them to serve others. Serving others can transform how they see the world and take their focus off themselves.

To those, I would add two more:

• Help them discover their purpose in life
• Encourage them to be involved in organizations that provide good role models such as Young Life (YL) and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)

I attended a Young Life banquet last night in the Research Triangle, and am currently mentoring the area director of the Sandhills YL.  I have financially supported YL and FCA for over 30 years. I believe they are ministries that have lasted well over the decades.

They are both successful at providing an opportunity for those in middle school and high school an opportunity to have an encounter with Jesus. That encounter can be life changing. One benefit they offer: Generation Z spends more time with their peers than their parents at this stage of their life.  Encouraging them to find a faith life on their own can be instrumental in their emotional and spiritual well-being.

In addition to youth ministries is the opportunity for mentors to impact young lives. The first step in the mentoring is to help identify what the mentee’s strengths, interests, talents and gifts are.  You can do that using various tools that readily available, including some old ones like Myers-Briggs. This works with Generation Z, too.

Most people want to know what their purpose is in the world.  Rick Warren’s book “Finding Your Purpose” has sold over 30 million copies world-wide. This is a quest of every generation, not just Generation Z.   Christianity Today had a recent article entitled Celebs from Michael Phelps to Kim Kardashian want a Purpose-Driven Life. All of them had read Warren’s book and were impacted by it.

Just a footnote here.  Warren’s book, which is one of the best-selling books ever, has never been reviewed by The New York Times, The Washington Post or The Los Angeles Times. I find that a remarkable fact, and one which confirms that we are living in a post-Christian era.

People who are comfortable in their purpose, their gifting and talents have more self-confidence as to who they are and what they are about.  As mentors, you can play an instrumental role in helping a mentee gain insights into his identity and purpose in God’s kingdom. With a developed sense of their identity in hand, relying on a selfie to boost their self-esteem and confidence will not be an issue.

I am currently meeting with one member Generation Z – in fact, I will meet with him later today. He’s the youngest of my mentees, and it’s been invigorating for me to meet with him. He comes to our meetings with all kinds of questions. One of them was “Can you perform at a Picasso level at more than one thing?”  That resulted in a fascinating discussion.

The challenge here is that too many of the Generation Z are overtly confident, but inwardly insecure. I have always considered adolescence to be a period in life where one seeks to find an identity – answers to who they are, why they are here, and where they should be going. Having a mentor walk alongside them in their journey may be an invaluable investment in their life.

MENTOR TAKEAWAY:  Every generation needs mentors – those who will take the time to walk along side and help them become the best they can be. Generation Z is no exception so think about meeting with members of this younger generation, not just millennials.

FURTHER STUDY: Tim Elmore in Growing Leaders: https://growingleaders.com/blog/masked-generation-five-ways-to-build-confidence/

Article on the impact of the book Purpose Driven Life in Christianity Today: http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2016/august/celebs-from-michael-phelps-to-kim-kardashian-want-purpose-d.html

Jean M. Twenge’s Article in The Atlantic on Smartphones and the next generation: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/

RESOURCES:

To find out more about “selfie-esteem”: Selfie-esteem: Teens say selfies give a confidence boost – TODAY.com

Patrick Morley’s website for The Man in the Mirror, which has recently been revised: http://www.maninthemirror.org

Jean Twenge’s book iGEN can be obtained from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/iGen-Super-Connected-Rebellious-Happy-Adulthood/dp/1501151983/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509549784&sr=8-1&keywords=igen+jean+twenge

The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in its Proper Place by Andy Crouch is available from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Wise-Family-Everyday-Putting-Technology/dp/0801018668/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509550463&sr=1-1&keywords=tech+wise+family

Want to find out how much you or your family is addicted to smartphones?  Download the App Moment and it will track how much you use our smartphone every day. It keeps track of your history, and can even track usage on individual Apps.

WORSHIP:  Listen to Chris Tomlin sing “I Will Follow” encouraging us to follow God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ODe4sGCKxc

COMMENT:  I would be delighted at comments on this or any other post. You can comment by clicking on the icon at the top of the page, or emailing me at otterpater@nc.rr.com.

SUBSCRIBE:  You can receive an email notice of each post by clicking on the icon at the top right corner of the site (www.mentorlink.wordpress.com)  and entering your email address.