The title and description of this book totally sucked me in. I know that I love social media and technology! It's a way that I keep in touch with my family and friends and hubs when he's gone. But it can be consuming. I find myself at times falling into a rabbit hole of scrolling through things, liking pictures and posts and then not realizing that I should be asleep.
Groeschel has so many great points in his book about the struggles that we face in this new age of technology and the instant ability to keep in touch with people all over the world. He points out that friendship doesn't mean what it use to, and I can agree. I know that a lot of the people that I'm "friends" with on Facebook and Twitter, I've not met in person yet, but I still feel like I 'know' them.
Groeschel topics include: struggling with comparisons, struggling with likes (people liking you and liking your posts are two different things), struggling with idolatry (worshiping others things more than God), and finding a way to rest.
Chapter 8 was my favorite, since he lays out ways to try to deal with all of the interference that social media can cause. "Many of us, when we're bored, when we don't have anything else going on, or when we're between tasks or conversations have a default, brain-off habit of picking up our mobile devices and lazily clicking around. (p179)" Man, I do this all the time and it's a #struggle to figure out how to tune it out and tune in to the things in front of me.
This is a great book for anyone who finds themselves stuck in the never ending cycle of always being on social media. "We're living for Likes, but we're longing for love.(p52)"
Book Description
We all love the benefits of technology and social media, but even with the incredible upsides, many of us suspect there are unintended negative consequences that are beyond our control. We’ve lost perspective, even perhaps ourselves.
In this timely and life-changing new book, New York Times bestselling author and pastor of LifeChurch.tv Craig Groeschel encourages readers who are hungry to regain control over their lives and put Christ first again. He walks them through biblical values that all Christ followers know are essential, but are even more important for our maxed out, selfie-centered world.
The more you compare, the less satisfied you are. The more we interact online, the more we crave face to face intimacy, but the harder it is to find. The more filtered our lives become, the more challenging it is to be authentic. The more information about the pain in the world we’re exposed to the more difficult it is to care.
It’s time to refresh and rediscover our understanding of the biblical principles that life with Christ brings: contentment, intimacy, authenticity, compassion, rest and more. Groeschel taps in to some of the most up-to-date studies on the effects of social media on our emotions and our friendships. And he offers real-life examples of how we struggle with social media, how it masks our real struggles, and how we can reclaim a Christ-centered life.
With helpful appendices like the 10 Commandments of Using Social Media to Strengthen Your Faith, and Creating Safeguards for Your Digital Devices, you’ll find #Struggles to be just the guide to bring balance and real-life engagement to your everyday life.
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv, a pacesetting multicampus church and creators of the popular and free YouVersion Bible App. He is the author of several books, including Fight, Altar Ego, Soul Detox, Weird, The Christian Atheist, and It. Craig, his wife, Amy, and their six children live in Edmond, Oklahoma.
