Media Fast 2020
Monday-Wednesday, October 26-28
The purpose of our media fast is to expose and eliminate. We want to eliminate distractions from our lives that keep us from real intimacy with God and others. We want to expose how the anxiety, fear, judgment and polarizations we can experience during this time (especially during the election cycle) are driven by and amplified by our media diet.
That is why we are intentionally and communally pausing our ingrained media diets. During the dates of October 26-28, 2020 we are calling you to abstain from ALL media that you consume through your eyes and ears: the gateways to our soul. This means cutting out Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Snap-Chat, Netflix, etc. It also means not watching or listening to the news and podcasts.
Why so radical? Fasting from food is necessary and commanded to show you that life is more than just about nourishing and care of the body. A media fast is necessary to show us that life is not about sound bites, headlines, tweets and photos or the consuming of the information that our itching ears want to hear. True life is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:17–19 (CSB)
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and receives human approval. So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.
Click the link above to access the journal, where you are encouraged to explore silence, contemplation, prayer and recreation that is not electronic. A hard copy of the journals will be available for pickup at 646 Magnolia Ave, Brea CA.
Reflection questions around media fast:
What was the media fast like for you?
Which of the days was most fruitful for you?
Do you think you’ll implement anything to control your relationship with digital media?
Healthy Media Tips
Be patient with yourself. Don’t start with getting rid of every app right away or setting timers that are super harsh. You’ll need to start where you are, and that is okay. Ask for the Holy Spirit to help you, and over time continue to ask if you should limit yourself more. Self control is a fruit of the Spirit.
Don’t look at your phone first thing in the morning. It is way easier to look at your news feed or social media instead of spending time with God. Help yourself by making your phone less accessible.Allow the reality of God’s presence and word to wash over you before you take in the world.
Set app timers. This will help you limit yourself for each app. For the apps that seem to take your time, it lets you enjoy the app, but avoid spending too much time on it.
Give your phone a bed time. Resolve to not take your phone to your bedroom and pick a time to turn it off. Buy an alarm clock if you need to. As the saying goes, “nothing good after 10 PM”.
Setup “focus” time. Most phones will allow you to set a do not disturb time or focus time where you can turn off access to apps during times where you need to be doing other things.
Turn your phone to grayscale near bedtime. Instagram posts don’t look as good without color. This will help your phone be less distracting.
Set “no screen” zones. This could be physical spaces like the dining room or times of day or the week where screens are set aside so that you can enjoy others.
Ask “why am I on this?”. It is okay to engage with media, but it is helpful to give yourself a gut check if you are just watching or scrolling just to scroll, or if you are intentionally engaging.