Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Tonight we’re starting a new series here at APEX called “Building Blocks.” In this series, we’re chasing after some foundational ideas that are critical to a growing relationship with Jesus.

[noise]

Distracting, isn’t it? The blitz of images. All that noise. There’s just no way you could focus with all that stuff going on. And yet this is the stuff that we are constantly filling our lives with.

A study that was released in December of last year tells us that the average American spends more than 9 ½ hours a day consuming media. This takes into account time spent watching TV, listening to the radio, surfing the Internet and reading newspapers. And this study also drove home that this is not a generational thing. People in all age brackets, very young to very old, are really ratcheting up their time spent in the media. Here is the ultimate conclusion from this study: You know the only thing that we do more often than consume media? Breathe.

Like I said before we fired up all these different media elements, we’re starting a series called Building Blocks. Over the next few months here at APEX, we’re going to be talking about some key foundational issues that will help us grow in our walk with God. And we’re starting tonight with this critical issue of quieting our lives.

God tells us in the Bible, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life…” (1 Thessalonians 4:11a, NIV) With the media whirlwind we’re living in, our lives are anything but quiet.

Actually this verse from the Bible more accurately describes our lives. “I have no peace, no quietness… (Job 3:26a, NIV)

The problem with all this media in our lives isn’t necessarily the content. Consuming too much media can be just as destructive as consuming immoral or inappropriate media.

The destructiveness is found in the distraction. It’s the distraction that all this stuff provides that is the real problem. Earlier all the TVs and stereos that were blaring were distracting you from hearing God’s Word. The effect is the same day in and day out in your life and in mine. Our lives are so filled with noise that we are distracted from more significant things.

So tonight we’re going after a plan to help restore some balance and some sanity in our lives.

And the first step in the plan is to know your distractions. Before you go into battle, you have to know your enemy. If we hope to defeat our distractions, then we have to know them. What are they? How do we rationalize them? When do they come at us?

My media distractions are often TV and the internet. I don’t listen to a lot of music. I only skim through a couple of newspapers a week. Those aren’t huge distractions for me. My time gets eaten up with TV and surfing the internet.

TV is often how I choose to unwind. Ryan goes to bed, I hit my recliner and the TV comes on. Now here’s where it gets even crazier. A lot of the time I’ll pick up my laptop and start surfing the web while the TV is still on. I just take a distraction and top it off with another distraction. It really is insanity. And a lot of you can relate.

You don’t go anywhere without your iPod. You’d give up your right arm before you’d give up your cell phone. You give hours to a newspaper everyday. A Blackberry is a way of life, not a fruit. The TV remote is your best friend. The internet eats up hours of your day, everyday. You’re on the frequent flyer program at Hollywood Video or with NetFlix.

Whatever it is, if we hope to deal with our distractions, we’ve got to know what and where they are. Think through your average day. How much time does media carve out of your day? Is it more in the morning, afternoon, or evening? More or less on weekends or weekdays? That’s the kind of inventory that we all have to do.

And then we need to take it a step further. The next step in this process is to see your regrets ahead of time.

Ben Folds Five has a song called Regrets. Some of the lyrics from that song: I thought about the hours wasted watching TV, drinking beer…I thought about the things I thought about until immobilized with fear…

Regret is a power packed emotion. But it is often avoidable. Many of the regrets people have stem from choices they made. Choices that could have easily gone the other way.

The challenge is to see those regrets ahead of time. As you’re thinking through your average day of media consumption, start asking yourself these questions. What is this taking me away from? What could I be doing instead of watching TV or surfing the internet? Am I missing something more significant?

Recently, Nicki and I spent the evening reading. Ryan was in bed and we were downstairs just reading. At one point, it occurred to me: Hey, the TV isn’t on. I’m not online. I’m reading a book. What a “novel” idea (pardon the pun)! And I still can’t figure out why this was difficult because it was a book that I actually wanted to read. It was a great book! But I couldn’t have read it unless I unplugged from my media distractions.

What is the media in your life keeping you from doing? Having a meaningful conversation with your spouse? Reading a book? Spending more time in prayer or in God’s Word? Interacting with your kids? Getting more sleep? Developing a new hobby or interest?

We are on the cusp of a new regret that is going to be pervasive as people in our culture get older. If we are spending 9 ½ hours a day plugged in to some form of media, there is a wave of regret coming as people age and look back over their lives. No one is ever going to say, “Man, I wish I had watched more TV. If only I had surfed more websites. I wish I had read more newspapers. Why didn’t I download more MP3s? I’m sorry that I didn’t watch more movies.”

That’s not how regrets are packaged. Most regrets involve our inattention to important relationships. And if we know that and we see that ahead of time, we can change the course of our lives.

That’s the last step in the process of dealing with our media distractions. Make the changes now! We can do something about it now. We can unplug now. We can reorganize and reprioritize our lives now. We can do it now and avoid the regrets later.

So tonight we’re laying down the “24 Challenge.” No, it’s not a challenge to go home and watch “24.” The 24 Challenge is a media fast. When we talk about fasting, we usually tie it in to abstaining from food for a period of time. Not a bad idea at all, but tonight we’re talking about a media fast.

The challenge is to choose a 24 hour period this week and unplug. For those 24 hours, you abstain from your media distractions. Now, for a reality check, some of us use technology everyday at work and at school. That’s different. But here’s the deal…during the 24 Challenge, you don’t surf around on the internet for personal stuff. You don’t send personal emails. You do what must be done for work or school and that’s it.

This can happen at the time of your choosing. This week, you choose the 24 hour period where you will totally unplug. And then, you fill that time with something significant and meaningful and lasting. You don’t just sit there like a bump on a log. You get proactive and you do something. And if you take this seriously, you may just find that this is a good idea next week. And the next week. And the next week. And maybe 24 hours is just a start. Who knows where this thing will take you? For some of you, this will require a small adjustment. For others of you, this is a major shift in the way you spend your day. But it’s worth the effort.

We’re going to pass out copies of the 24 Challenge right now. Take some time to prayerfully consider it. Are you willing to be proactive and take some practical steps to deal with the media distractions in your life? Are you willing to surrender to God’s leading, to surrender everything to him including your distractions? If so, take a minute to fill in the blanks on the challenge. And then when you’re finished, you can take this time to pray, to reflect. Or you can stand and worship with us. It’s up to you.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: distractions, media, noise, quiet, regret, apex