Technology Stole My Life

March 19, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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One of the blogs I always enjoy reading is Challies.com.

Tim Challies is about to release a book about how our increased ability to use technology to connect with people all over the world we’re losing touch with those closest to us. It asks the questions whether all this connection to technology is good for our souls.

Check out the video above and see if it resonates with you.

Two weeks from today is the official release date for my book The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion. And if you’re planning to order the book (and really, you should, don’t you think?), it makes some sense to pre-order it before the official release date.

If you are going to be reading it in Kindle format, you will definitely want to order ASAP. For every 200 people who order on Kindle, the price will drop by $1 (and since you’re not charged until the day it actually releases, you’ll get those savings). Other ebook platforms will also get those savings, but not until the book actually releases. The price has already fallen and I’d love to see it fall some more.

The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion will be available in hardcover or Kindle version.

So, do you find that you’re ‘connected’ to more people than ever but that technology is stealing your life?



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700 Billion Minutes

November 23, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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So think about this one. Four years ago most of us did not use Facebook at all. And today we are using it compulsively.

Tim Challies has written a fairly confronting article for those of us who use Facebook titled 700 Billion Minutes. It focusses on the time we spend on Facebook and highlights some alarming statistics.

While I was away last week I did manage to ‘stay connected’ with various online sites to a limited degree but I must admit that it was rather freeing to be somewhat disconnected while making real life connections with other members on our cycling team.

I certainly thought about my involvement online and about achieving a better balance in that area of life. I’m not going for a knee jerk reaction and closing down accounts all over the web but I do want to use my time wisely. I think the thing that most hit me while I was cycling last week is how our time can be so consumed with things that didn’t even exist a decade ago. Tim’s article brings that out very clearly.

For the majority of us, Facebook is a new thing. Those 700 billion minutes are not minutes that we’ve taken away from other online pursuits. They are minutes that we’ve taken away from real life. Studies show that time spent interacting online comes at the expense of face-to-face relationships and about at a 2:1 ratio. So every hour we spend on Facebook comes at the expense of 30 minutes talking to a person face-to-face.

Do you think you need to step back and look at your time priorities? Have you noticed your online life robbing you of ‘real life’ relationships? Are you taking time away from your family and close friends to interact with those you’ve never met?

If you want some great food for thought I encourage you to read through 700 Billion Minutes and then consider your own plan of action.



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Challies Monthly Competition

May 1, 2008
by Rodney Olsen
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Challies April GiveawayTim Challies has been running monthly competitions for quite some time and he has a heap of books to give away this month.

You’ve got just seven days to enter before the draw and you can enter by clicking the photo in this post or simply clicking here.

There are three prizes, each with a collection of quality books.

The competition sponsor this month is Reformation Heritage Books.

If you’re looking to build up a library of solid Christian reading, this is a very quick way to do so.

3rd prize: the Profiles in Reformed Spirituality series
Profiles in Reformed Spirituality is a series of books designed to introduce the spirituality and piety of the Reformed tradition by presenting descriptions of the lives of particular Christians with selected passages from their works. This combination of biographical sketch and collected portions from primary sources gives a taste of the treated person’s contribution to our spiritual heritage and some direction as to how the reader can find further edification through works of those people treated in this series. Under the guidance of series editors Joel R. Beeke and Michael A. G. Haykin, Profiles in Reformed Spirituality promises to provide a valuable primer to our rich Reformed heritage. The 3rd prize winner will receive all four current title available in this series:

* “A Consuming Fire”: The Piety of Alexander Whyte of Free St. George’s

* “A Sweet Flame”: Piety in the Letters of Jonathan Edwards

* “Dedicated to the Service of the Temple”: Piety, Persecution, and Ministry in the Writings of Hercules Collins

* “Christ Is All”: The Piety of Horatius Bonar

2nd prize: Soli Deo Gloria selections
Soli Deo Gloria Publications has done more to bring Puritan writings back in to print than any other organization. Now under the direction of Reformation Heritage Books, SDG will continue to make these gems from the past an enduring supply of gospel ministry for generations to come. The 2nd prize winner will receive the following Soli Deo Gloria titles:

* Freedom of the Will, by Jonathan Edwards

* Excellency of a Gracious Spirit, by Jeremiah Burroughs

* Keeping the Heart, by John Flavel

* Parable of the Ten Virgins, by Thomas Shephard

* Plus the books in the 3rd prize package

1st prize: new and bestselling RHB titles
The 1st prize winner will receive some of RHB’s new and bestselling titles:

* God with Us: Knowing the Mystery of Who Jesus Is, by Daniel R. Hyde. Here is a captivating introduction to who Jesus really is. Admirably displaying his pastoral gifts, Daniel R. Hyde winsomely relates the orthodox doctrine of the person of Christ to the people in the pew. The book is well grounded in Scripture, historically informative, and doctrinally precise. You will walk away from this book understanding the necessity of Jesus’ two natures for our salvation, and praising God for all that He is for us in the glorious person of Christ.

* Reformation Heroes: An Illustrated Overview, by Diana Kleyn and Joel R. Beeke. With this beautifully illustrated book, families will enjoy learning about the people God used to bring about the Protestant Reformation. This book is written at a level for older children and teenagers, but is equally enjoyable for adults. Its attractive 11” x 8.5” coffee table book format makes it a great gift, while the content is useful enough for a history text.

* Meet the Puritans: with a Guide to Modern Reprints, by Joel R. Beeke and Randall J. Pederson. Meet the Puritans provides a biographical and theological introduction to the Puritans whose works have been reprinted in the last fifty years, and also gives helpful summaries and insightful analyses of those reprinted works. It contains nearly 150 biographical entries, and nearly 700 summaries of reprinted works. If you have wanted to start reading the Puritans but do not know where to begin, this is the resource for you.
* Plus the books in the 2nd and 3rd prize packages



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