Hey friends! 👋🏼

We're back.

I know its been a hot minute since we sent out a Three Things newsletter (it's just been one of those seasons...) and I even talked it up on a podcast episode recently where I made it sound like Three Things was going to be a regular staple by the beginning of 2024.

But I was wrong. Life got in the way and Three Things had to take a back burner.

But now we're back. So without further ado, let's dive right in.

A thought. 💡

A couple of weeks ago, my family traveled down to the beach for our annual vacation. Every year this trip is special and something I look forward to, but I had a feeling early on that this year was going to be different.

Most years as the trip gets closer and closer, I start to think about how I can make the most of the time that I spend by the coast. I want to soak up as much of the time as I can because I know that for some strange reason time seems to speed up while you're on vacation. It feels as if you unpack your bags one day and are heading home the next. But again, I had a feeling that this year to be different.

Going on vacation is a unique opportunity to change up your regular routine and rhythm of life for the sake of finding a bit of rest. One of the ways that I wanted to be intentional with changing my routine this year was by unplugging from technology and social media for the duration of our trip. I used Focus Modes on my iPhone to get really intentional about what notifications I did or did not receive and what applications showed up on my Home Screen. These were subtle yet significant shifts in something I use regularly that I was hopeful would reorient my mind and heart toward rest and presence instead of hurry and distraction. While the first couple of days were filled with moments where I'd instinctively find myself trying to open my email or Instagram, by midweek I felt fully disconnected from the things that took up so much of my time on a regular basis.

And the results were wild.

It was as if time began to slow down. I took notice of things that otherwise would have passed me right by. I read books that were genuinely life changing (more on one of those in a minute). I felt my soul catch up with my body and I felt at peace.

The reality is that when I got back home, it didn't take very long for me to get sucked back into the vortex that is Instagram, Facebook Marketplace, and all of the other things that keep me distracted from my actual life. But this time, I felt the tension and the rub more significantly. Because of my experience on vacation and the disconnection from the digital, I was able to see my real life for what it was, with all of its beauty and chaos and heartache and excitement. I'm finding that the practice of going "off the grid" for a few days while at the beach is making its way into my every day life. I'm not nearly as interested in the glowing rectangle in my front left pocket and I find myself craving reality much more than the fake.

So maybe I was right. This year's trip to the beach was different. But more than that, my life is turning out to be different as a result. I've got a lot more that I want to say, but we'll get to some of that next week. For now, I just want to encourage you to experiment with what a digital detox would look like. How might stepping away from technology for a bit open you up to experience your actual life in a more meaningful way? And if you're interested in reading about one possible way you could do this, check out Darren Whitehead's book, The Digital Fast.

A Resource 📚

I mentioned above that taking some time away from technology while we were on vacation gave me the time and space to read a real book. I don't read nearly enough fiction, but I was committed to reading something that would purely bring enjoyment and life.

And boy did this book do that.

I cannot recommend Craig Cunningham's book "One Night in A Thousand Years" enough to you. It's a coming of age novel about a high school senior who gets plugged in with an interesting group of guys and a mentor who leads them toward making the most out of life. It was a beautiful and easy read, with a story that kept me wanting more. It's stellar. You can pick up a copy here.

A Verse ✝️

I read this passage on Sunday over our church as a blessing at the end of our worship gathering, and I'm praying it over you today as well.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

-- Ephesians 3v14-21 NIV

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Blessings, my friends. 🙏🏽

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