Hi First name / friend,

 

I left social media (Facebook and Instagram—I was not on TikTok) in February of this past year. Many of you read my essay about social media’s effect on Christian women, written the previous fall during my maternity leave with Olivera. After several months of considering what I wrote, I decided to leave social media—despite the fact that our ministry relies on sales from the Every Woman a Theologian shop, advertised mainly through IG/FB—in obedience to what God was asking me to do. 

 

Since then, I haven’t doomscrolled. I don’t have the opportunity to do so.

 

“Leaving” social media as someone who teaches online doesn’t mean I’m completely gone from the online world. I post pictures of my family to my personal Facebook. I check into Instagram once a month or so to share recent articles and sales. I write long-form articles on Substack and post several notes a week there. But these things are a far cry from the life I lived for the past decade. Every week for ten years I followed a social media schedule posted to both Instagram and Facebook: Ask Anything Monday, Theology Tuesday, Day in the Life on Wednesday, Deep Dive Thursday, Friday Favorites—book reviews, promotions for other authors, links to new studies—you name it, I was doing it. 

 

While I never compromised my integrity, I certainly made myself tired. Even with weekend breaks, deleting the apps daily (to completely remove them from my phone), and two months off a year, I couldn’t shake the effects of social media. Low-level anxiety. Constant awareness of world events—far more than I could pray for. Unnecessary conflicts between creators. Nasty messages in my inbox. I felt like I was living my life on everyone else’s terms, and, worse, I could not discern what to teach about. I could not hear God’s voice through all the noise. 

 

Even with good boundaries, social media had the power to suck me in. I would go on IG to answer a message and find myself knee-deep in reels 20 minutes later, doomscrolling my way to the bottom. I’d find myself enraged by twisted Scripture, urgent in my desire to correct unbiblical takes, and yet unaware of what God—not the pressure of society—wanted me to do. It made me a bad mom. It made me a distracted person. And it made me a weaker Christian. I stayed because I was worried about providing for our team; ten people rely on our income! But ultimately I realized that God is the provider, not me. It was worth giving up a means of provision and exposure for our ministry to rely more fully on Him.

You might think doomscrolling isn’t as impactful on your life because you don’t have a team relying on you. Let’s think biblically about our relationship with social media and what God wants for our minds.

 

“Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” 

– 1 Peter 1:13 –

 

Peter mentions being “sober-minded” three times in his letters. The word can be taken literally, as in “abstain from wine,” but also means calm, collected, and temperate. Since Peter is writing to Christians who are under threat of persecution, he encourages them to be ready to defend their faith and to be prepared for action. To do these things, they need a calm, collected, temperate mind. 

 

Peter’s message is what tipped the scales for me regarding social media. I am called to defend the Christian faith: to explain it, to teach it, and to encourage people in it. I could not do this with a mind full of unrest, which led to impulsivity, battling with the extremes of the online world. Social media is not calm, collected, or temperate. When we regularly consume it, we aren’t either.

I may not be off social media forever. I still create video teachings (that my team posts for me), and I hope one day I can create routines where Every Woman a Theologian can fill an important void without contributing to a socially detrimental system. For now, I’ve found great peace being off these apps. I wake up each day without the latest travesty in my ears. I know what to pray for and how to pray for it. I know where God is leading me; I am not plagued by doubt because of a million voices telling me who I should be. 

Practically speaking, I made a few more changes:

I know analog is a “thing” right now, but this is not about hopping on a trend. Pursuing sober-mindedness led me from one thing to another until I found myself no longer desiring the ruthlessly online life our culture peddles as normal. You might not go as far as I have, but I want to encourage you in this: If I can do it, you can too. 

 

The ultimate goal of a sober mind is to set your hope fully on the grace we have in Jesus. When our mind is intoxicated with the latest trend, the latest news, and the latest drama, it’s hard to find hope in Jesus satisfactory. When you detox from that world, you find Jesus far more satisfying than you ever realized He could be. 

Open your email every Tuesday to read the latest “Thinking Biblically About . . . ”

Coming Up:  Doomscrolling, Spicy Books, AI, and Spiritual Warfare.

 

Reply to this email, and we will add it to the list. 

Moleskin Planner: You know I’ve used and loved many planners over the years, all good in their own way. My most recent was Cultivate What Matters—which is still an excellent planner, just too big and clunky for carrying around with my laptop. I switched to a very thinline 1½ year planner from Moleskin.

 

My latest thrift haul: On a recent mommy-daughter date (we do these once a month with each child), I stopped by our local Goodwill and found several things I’d been looking for! A clock for our mantle, a vintage Pyrex pie plate, some theology books, two bathing suits, two dresses, and an adorable set for Vera. 

Whether you've attended for years or are considering coming for the first time, we'd love to welcome you to the Every Woman a Theologian Conference this November 6–7 in beautiful Traverse City, Michigan.

FOR THE AWAKENING,