Gospel Tech with Nathan Sutherland

Hey friends, just a quick heads-up that today’s conversation touches on some mature and important topics, so you might want to pop in some earbuds or wait for a quiet moment alone.  Using the best tech well means using it to see God's kingdom come, and His will be done. But how do we do this when it comes to topics that are politically charged and high stakes, like abortion? Today we talk with Rol...

Having fun at the pace of real life is a skill these days. It takes practice, flexibility, and the creativity to say yes as often as possible. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/407qPr1 

It's easy for Summer to get busy, and then for good things to crowd out the best things. Today we discuss setting summer priorities, and Cal Newport's encouragement that:    1. We must limit ourselves to a max of three priorities   2. We delegate, or relegate, non-priorities (even awesome ones)   3. Plan a max of 1 priority event each day  In doing this we allow ourselves the space to faithfully a...

Summer break is amazing for students, but not for their learning. Research shows us that more than half of students lose up to 40% of their proficiency in reading and math over the summer months. Today we'll talk about why this happens, and what we can do to intentionally and consistently help our students keep their learning edge through the school-free months. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/45SsjsK 

Our children are creative. They create from a young age as they design, draw, sing, and play their way through new experiences. Sometimes tech builds on these beautiful creative moments, and sometimes, as Jake Weidmann points out, they simply exist within the confines of other peoples' creative endeavors. Today we'll talk with Jake Weidmann, husband, Christ-follower, and master Penman, about his l...

Walking in freedom from pornography doesn't simply mean having better rules, it means having a better focus on who, and whose, we are. Today we'll put a bow on this five-part conversation and look at how we: 1. Remove and replace 2. Remember our identity 3. Live in Victory Show Notes: https://bit.ly/43V6pTf 

How do we parent children well in a world saturated with pornography? It's actually quite simple, but that doesn't mean it's easy. It takes hard work, and diligent relational parenting, to do these three steps well. First, we define the term p*rnogrpahy, then we talk about it in a way that equips our children to spot the lie, then we build hedges around our family to give them every opportunity to...

The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us more than forgiveness, it gives us identity and power in the face of our sins. In Christ we are:    1. New creations   2. Children of God   3. Given everything we need for life and godliness Because of this we can live in freedom, starting today, no matter our history of mistakes or current struggles. Real victory is possible, in this life, and there is a real w...

To better understand our conversation on pornography, we need to understand the lay of the land when it comes to research about pornography. Today we'll address three specific questions: Why is pornography different from other digital inputs, or even other sins? How does pornography impact the brain? What does research tell us about porn and our world? Show Notes: https://bit.ly/43HS0L3 

Today we begin our short series on walking in freedom in an area of sin that is pervasive within the church: pornography. This conversation is hope-focused and aimed at equipping parents, students, friends, pastors, and believers from all walks of life to experience fullness of the freedom Christ has saved them for (Galatians 5:1). Today's conversation focuses on the lie of pornography, and how po...

Parenting means showing up. I've been wrestling with how to be a better parent, and often feeling like I'm falling short. When I'm laying in bed I'll run through all the ways I could've done a better job. In praying about this I've been convicted that, while I can always do better, I'm making it more complicated than it needs to be. My job as a parent is to show up. Today we'll talk about the thre...

Jesus instructs us on just about every topic we run into during our human lives: He addresses abiding, suffering, love, grace, compassion, right living, being made new in him, and faith. He addresses Hell a lot. He’s pretty specific about his teaching on wealth, and on the fact that we all have borrowed time. In thinking about it, I think Jesus addresses play pretty comprehensively. He even mentio...

AI can be an amazing tool, if we use it right. Today we'll discuss the three best ways to use AI well, and three uses of AI that we should avoid. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3EQhAE0 

As a follower of Jesus, every day is Easter! Jesus is alive, and that's a big deal in every area of life: How we think about ourselves, how we parent our kids, and how we go about doing the good works we're called to do. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/4lLNQsQ 

Has your child ever been irritable after using his or her favorite tech? Does a certain show or game ever consistently lead to fights? If so there's a good chance your child is overstimulated and needs help getting back on a healthy path. In today's conversation we'll discuss the five signs of a brain overstimulated by screens and talk through specific steps we can take to ensure tech use remains...

We live in a culture that encourages low focus, low attention, and low discipline in doing the hard stuff. To raise up our children well in a tech world requires a clear understanding of our goals, our priorities, and our plans. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/42uzQLg 

There are three ways to get into trouble online: Look for trouble Lack a plan for safety (not-not looking for trouble) Accidents Yet in all three scenarios loving parents take the same actions: We build hedges around our family, networks, and devices, and we have the intentional conversations about how to use the best tech well. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/4l9WkJW 

Tech is amazing at helping us leverage our strengths for productive purposes. Organized people become more organized, social people become more social, and the doers of life get more done. Yet that same tech that allows us to truly shine in areas God has gifted us can be equally distracting, and even destructive, when our weaknesses show up. We can make more mistakes, faster than ever before. We c...

We are parenting in a time-stretched world. After sleep, school, food, and travel we have, on average, five discretionary hours a day. How will we spend that time? More importantly, as followers of Jesus, how are we called to spend those moments that aren’t prescribed for us? Today we’ll talk about the top five priorities we have as parents, and discuss how each is an opportunity to raise our chil...

What can we do to ensure our tech stays healthy even when the weather is bad? I live in the Pacific Northwest, and our rainy season isn't set to stop for another three months at least. It's easy to pick up some bad tech habits, and make excuses about them because the days are so long and the weather is so poor. So what can we do instead? Today we'll talk through five great alternatives to build he...

Every family in America knows someone who has been harmed by pornography. Talking about phonography is fraught with challenges because it is personal, hurtful, potentially even an ongoing situation. It is into that environment that we join John-Michael Bout and his ministry Into the Light, which is committed to helping families have the difficult and important conversations--including those around...

Gaming can be a wonderful experience, but it can also be a good thing that distracts from the best things. Today's conversation is to equip wives to have the important, and sometimes difficult, conversation with their spouse about why we game, if it's a good fit, and how we can game on purpose not for purpose. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3XagMzT 

Video games can be amazing, but many young gamers struggle with balancing their digital adventures with their real life opportunities. Today answer three questions every parent needs to ask about video games: Is this a priority for our family? Is this game safe, ready, and good? Does this game line up with our family for: Characters, Violence, Language, Time, Content, and Player Experience Show No...

Making friends in an internet age can be tough. Everyone is online (90+% of teens), and more than half of teens say they are online “almost constantly”. So how do we help our children make good friends? We start by teaching them what it means to be a friend: someone who is of equal value, a priority to you, and real world. Then we look at which tech best supports developing these friends, and whic...

3/4 of teens have seen p*rnography. More than half of them seeing it on accident. This means the battle isn't just with the internet, but with our children's peers. The good news is that we can make a plan, talk it out, and build meaningful hedges that help us raise porn-resilient youth. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/3WHsKAO