Gospel Tech with Nathan Sutherland

Over the last few weeks we’ve talked a lot about what we should do to have an intentional summer full of healthful fun and healthy tech. This week Anna and I talk about what these plans and fun look like in our own lives. As always, Anna brings the fire, and we get to walk out how this conversation isn’t about being perfect but being intentional with the time and opportunities we’re given. We cove...

We are called to disciple our children in the way they should go, but how? Today we're going to address what discipleship looks like in a tech world, and how we can all do it starting wherever we are today. Guiding verses today: Deuteronomy 6:4-9: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.[fn] 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your...

This past week I received a message from a concerned parent: "How can I keep the internet safe for my children at home?" She shared that a family friend recently disclosed a long-running struggle with pornography, and she was overwhelmed both by the potential dangers online but also by the sheer volume of potential solutions. Which options are best? How many do we need? How much is "safe enough" t...

We’ve been talking deeply about what it looks like to prep for summer, to live life intentionally in light of the Gospel, and today we’re going to talk about five ways to apply all that great info in our summer prep and plans. This is because today I’ve got five activities we can all do, immediately or in the future, to help us walk out this conversation on tech and keep it thoroughly rooted in th...

Today is a unique episode: I couldn’t fall asleep because this podcast was burning a hole in my brain. That’s never happened before. In fact, I had another conversation all queued up, and I bumped it to a future week. Today’s podcast is here as an encouragement, as a public sharing of the reminder I very much needed from the Lord, and that I get to share with you: That our faith in Christ doesn’t...

Summer time is amazing because it’s a break from the norm. Even though workdays continue at the same old pace, the weather changes, our kiddos are out and about, and there is a sense of freedom in the air that just doesn’t exist at any other time of year (except, maybe for Christmas break). The last thing we want is to let our summer fall victim to an endless list of “to dos” or to a series of unp...

Chris McKenna is a former CPA with Ernst and Young, turned youth pastor, turned family tech specialist and youth advocate. As you will hear in our conversation today, Chris has a passion for seeing young people use tech well and a nearly limitless knowledge of what it takes to keep safe and healthy for our kids.  Resources: the article on routers: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Routers a grea...

We are hot on the heels of our first-ever work trip. It involved five talks in three days, a pair of cross-country flights, and three lessons that are amazing reminders that God is working in hearts around the US and the world. Thank you all for being on this journey with us! So excited to see where the Lord takes this work and conversation.

Today we get a special treat: A conversation with my friend and former student, Micah Roberts. Micah is an avid gamer, he's gamed since before he can remember, and his insights are a valuable look not only into the world of gamers but also into the world of how we can lovingly parent children who love video games (and model healthy gaming for them). He's also the one who coined the phrase: "Game l...

Having high expectations doesn't mean being unreasonable or mean. It means knowing what our children are capable of, and acting towards that belief in hope not fear. In today’s conversation Nathan talks through how he’s been learning this lesson the hard way, raising kids who are interested in (of all things) video games. He discusses what it looks like to parent out of hope not fear, and to base...

Today we have a chance to talk with Reilly Flynn, Co-Founder of Lome and someone who has dedicated his life to pursuing Christ in all avenues, including product design and tech use. In the process he's made Lome, a family organization platform intended to help families be more present both with, and without, their tech.  In today's conversation Reilly is going to guide us through the big ideas of...

Greta joins us again for another great conversation about raising healthy youth, porn resilience, and how adventure is an amazing vessel for relationship with our children (even on a budget). Resources: Check out Greta's latest book! 100 Days Of Adventure And her first book: Adventuring Together A great intro resource Greta suggests for talking about pornography: Good Picture, Bad Picture by Krist...

There’s a really good chance your child has asked you to get them a smartphone. My first conversation was with my oldest child when he was in kindergarten. His classmate had one and used it to play games during the school day. Whatever age you child, this conversation is fraught with big emotions, a predictable “but everyone else has one” argument, and the difficulty as a parent of threading the n...

Tech can be a confusing topic for many parents, but not anymore! In today's conversation we're going to tackle the three things every parent needs to know when talking, and acting on, the tech in their family. By the end of today's episode you will know: 1. There are actually two types of tech 2. If your tech use is healthy 3. What steps to take for healthful tech at home

Josh is co-founder of Be In Touch, an organization focused on educating families about digital wellness. In today's conversation we get to hear how God set Josh free from compulsive and addictive behaviors, both in tech and other areas of life, and how Josh now works to help see their full potential and make choices that line up with it in this digital world. He and his co-founder Kate do this thr...

Our kids are going to ask us, at some point, to use tech and their argument will sound something like: "All of my friends are on there!" So what do we do? As loving parents we have probably given them all the tech we are comfortable with. They play the games we know about, they use the devices we believe are age appropriate, and they engage the apps and websites we believe are helpful. So if they'...

Today Anna and Nathan assess the tech use of their own family using the resources of RESET and RENEW. They talk Tool & Drool Tech, and Nathan gets one spontaneous (but timely) reminder that just because he talks healthful tech for a living doesn’t mean he’s flawless with his own tech use. Resources mentioned: .Our Spring calendar is filling quickly. We are currently booking mid-May and into summer...

There's lots of good information out there on tech. You can watch a documentary, read a book, or review the research. But often ingesting that information doesn't motivate change. Until today. Today we focus on what we CAN do, wherever we are in our tech use and with whatever information we've got on us as of this morning. We'll talk about what it looks like to RESET & RENEW. Then we'll apply thos...

Doug is a computer programmer, speaker on tech health, and author of the book [Un]Intentional: How Screens Secretly Shape Your Desires And How You Can Break Free. We cover a lot of ground in today’s conversation, but the one take-away is the same: There is great hope for raising healthy youth in a tech world We as parents play a major role in making tech health happen within our homes and with our...

Today's conversation builds on the last two, and can be summed up simply as: Being humble & kind will make us curious. When I’m humble enough to realize I have mistakes as well and that leads me to be kind because I realize their value is equal to mine, and so is their opportunity then what once would have seemed like obstacles that inconvenience me and problems I have to solve become questions I...

The second attribute we need as parents when raising healthy youth in a tech world is Kindness. It’s going to impact our tech parenting in three ways. Kindness will change our tech: 1. Direction 2. Correction 3. Inflection Bible Verses Referenced God’s kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4) We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19) Our goal is to always listen, and do, what the Father...

Parenting healthy youth in a tech world is about more than just the right rules. It requires humility, which allows us to make two key realizations: Our children will make mistakes Those mistakes don’t impact their value in God’s eyes (or our value as parents) In today’s conversation we’ll cover the practical ways humility changes our tech conversations, and how parenting from a place of humility...

22 months ago Justin Pavey and I took to the microphones to talk all things tech, nerd, and adulting. Today we continue that conversation, discussing everything from our tech low-points as youths to what it looks like to raise kids who are amazed by life, God and still able to appreciate Escape in its most Tolkienian form. Resources Mentioned: A Biblical standard for tech use: Phil. 4:8, Gal. 5:22...

We made it to episode 100! We are so excited to share this episode with you, so grateful for the fact that we have the chance, and we look forward to seeing what the Lord continues to do in the future! Today we’re going to celebrate what God has done and talk about the three tech steps every family can take to help raise healthy youth in a tech world. Resources Mentioned In This Episode:  How do w...

The changes to daily life have impacted all of us, but how have they impacted our children with special needs? Specifically, if I have a child with developmental-behavioral complications, such as ADHD or Autism, how might the increased social isolation and technology impact their growth and health? Today get to hear from a professional in the field who speaks to the benefits and practical steps we...