12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You

Oh wow. Reading through this book brought about quite a bit of reflection and self-criticism, not always easy to swallow. My phone has become a crutch for me. An escape from boredom, awkward social situations, quiet, and even my own thoughts. Reinke challenges readers to think deeply about their relationship with their smart phones. He neither calls for complete condemnation nor acceptance but rather encourages stewarding your smart phones both thoughtfully and intentionally. The questions throughout were particularly helpful in examining my heart's desires when engaging with my phone such as wanting affirmation or feeding my people-pleasing tendencies. This is a must read for EVERY believer in this digital age!

This book should be required reading for anyone who wants to live wisely in the 21st century. I've never read a book that's more relevant and relatable (the 34 pages of notes I took can attest to that)!

Each of the 12 chapters explained one way that we're being changed by our smartphones and social media culture. (We are addicted to distraction, we ignore our flesh and blood, we crave immediate approval, etc). The author's goal was for us to simply become more aware of our habits and their effects on us. And it definitely accomplished that with me! I have been forced to take a hard look at my technology use and reevaluate my boundaries in this area.

And wow did I need to do that!

As everything is constantly changing and updating, I know this is a topic that will need periodic revisiting, but this is a timely wake-up call for those of us “asleep at the wheel,” so to speak, letting our phones control us rather than controlling them. I am grateful that someone is calling Christians to live thoughtfully in this digital age.