LENT 2013

  Sadly, this picture can be how my son and daughter see me and I confess it is more me (by like a gazillion) than my wife.

    I love to portray myself as a really good Daddy and I think in a lot of ways I am a pretty decent Daddy but here is where I fail: I am distracted by my phone...a lot!

  My wife posted a blog on her Facebook the other day that struck such a chord with me that I felt the pain of being the person the blog author was mentioning.

  The author was describing how parents can miss their children's childhood by being distracted by the screens we place in front of our noses.  Here's one thing the author said:

"Carry your phone around so much that when you happen to leave it in one room your child will come running with it proudly in hand—treating it more like a much needed breathing apparatus than a communication device."

MJ does that with my phone and before I read this line of this blog I felt as if MJ being excited to bring me my phone was simply cute.  Now I feel ugly, disgusting and like a neglectful parent because something so STUPID looks so IMPORTANT to my son.

  My wife has mentioned my addiction to my phone plenty of times but I've ignored it (and her).  I am just as likely to answer a text while talking to her as I am my son.  I neglect the loves of my life in order to answer a text that could wait?

  A problem is that I am lauded for my ability to respond quickly by many and it's that praise that keeps me distracted from the things most important.

  If you think this is how I am with my family...you should see some of my devotion times.  I like to do my devotion times on my phone or iPad, which are not inherently bad but when it's buzzing, beeping and changing screens every 5 seconds with a new message, new Facebook update or a new tweet I miss time with God.

 So, I've prayed about this and God smacked me with an answer.

I heard clear as day: "Take Facebook and email off of your phone for lent.  Use it for calls and texts ONLY"

Imagine only using my phone (or you using your phone) for only calls and texts!  Sounds so 1999, right?  But for me, it's going to be liberating.  When I'm home, I'm going to turn my text noise off and leave my phone in my room, instead of in my pocket!

 I may find emails from the day before in my inbox *gasp* or a Facebook comment un-liked for a day *DOUBLE gasp* and I may even get a mean message or so stating I am hard to get ahold of but you know what?  I will be PRESENT with the people I am with and that means more to me than any old nice comment about my "quick replies".

  I will definitely find more QUALITY time with Jesus too and to me that time is my LIFE BLOOD and sustains, lifts up and grows every other aspect of my life.



Well, that's my Lent story and I'm gonna stick to it! Who knows...I might even like it!