My Tech-Wise Life by Amy Crouch and Andy Crouch would be an awesome Christmas gift for just about anyone on your list. I read it over Thanksgiving break and am having my 12 year old read it over Christmas break. Back in August 2017, I posted a review of My Tech-Wise Family written by Andy Crouch. My review is HERE. My Tech-Wise Life is a follow written by Andy’s daughter who is now off at college and reflecting back on how she was raised and how that has impacted her and the decisions she is making now. So good!
For many who are feeling weary, this book helps unlock why. Are you feeling anxious or overwhelmed? I believe that Amy Crouch really gives voice to what the struggle is in a way that is helpful and practical. This is not a “phones are from the devil” kind of read at all. It helps identify areas where we need to evaluate what the priority is. One minor step I’ve taken since reading this book is replacing my phone alarm clock with a real alarm clock to eliminate the temptation to scroll first before getting up in the mornings. A few weeks in, that has been really helpful!
I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those notes below…
- What does a tech-wise life look like? What does my tech-wise life look like? It looks a lot like baking bread: a little leavening, a lot of kneading, and patiently waiting to enjoy the fruits of my labor. p. 18
- Keeping up is hard enough–let alone putting our best face forward. Half of us admit to being exhausted by the endless stream of online posts. p. 27
- When we engage with technology, we’re surrounded by messages that our lives are missing something. Reminders of our imperfection are always lurking in our pockets. p. 27
- Here’s what I hope we can commit to: when our daily troubles and lurking fears overwhelm us, let’s not turn to tech. You and I–we are broken, ragged people. We can’t be healed by technology’s seamless flow. We need fellowship with our broken, ragged friends. p. 34
- I know fundamentally how I want to live. But tech has the power to distract me from it. My devices are made to do just that, so they have perfectly calibrated algorithms to keep me scrolling. p. 51
- Our devices make pretty great secret-keepers. But our lives shouldn’t be secretive. p. 89
- If we share the most intimate details of our lives with tech, our private lives may suddenly turn public–perhaps even without our knowledge. But our generation is regularly doing just that. I’m afraid it will come back to hurt us, and already has. p. 93
- I’ve come to learn that the real highlights of life are often mundane. p. 126
- Here’s the problem I’ve noticed: when I try to distract myself with technology, I end up just as bored. p. 139
- The cure for boredom is not distraction. It’s wonder. p. 145
- If we spend too much time in virtual worlds, our sense of wonder may be in danger. p. 146
- Boredom is a problem that the modern world created and then tries to solve with more technology. But as you’ve discovered, technology somehow makes our boredom worse even as it serves up an endless series of distractions. I’m pretty sure, actually, that the more distracted we are, the more bored, and bore-able we become. p. 157
- In Psalm 127, an ancient poet counsels us: “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for (God) gives to his beloved sleep.” Sabbath offers us the sleep of the beloved. Sabbath offers us not the bread of anxious toil but the glorious feast of rest. p. 179
- The power to numb is one of technology’s most tempting promises. Our devices are pretty great at making our lives easier. They entertain us; they distract us. They help smooth away the annoyances and inconveniences of life. p. 189