Dear Family and Friends,

I hope everyone’s Easter Sunday was wonderful.

This year’s Easter was totally different for us. Although we didn’t make it to service, we had a two day Easter celebration.

How was that possible?

We woke up and spent Easter Sunday in Seoul. Then we flew home, arriving on Easter Sunday.

Let me share that one can’t help but draw nearer to Jesus after spending two days reflecting on all that happened on that Momentous Day!

I liken the experience to the times we and other volunteers went to help those who survived the horrific Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Traveling and hanging out with brothers and sisters all day and night for a week while being the hands and feet of Jesus changed us just as much as those we served.

This of course led me to wonder – why do we celebrate Easter just one day a year?

Have you noticed that despite the tremendous effort that pastors and churches put into Easter, many of us tend to snap right back to our normal lives on Monday?

Since I’ve spent more time in the pews than the pulpit, let me share my perspective on why the significance of Easter may have little to no impact on us.

Despite hearing many inspiring Easter sermons, the unfortunate truth is: Life is Busy.

Juggling life, work, family and all the other responsibilities pressed upon us, leaves us very little personal time with Jesus on a daily basis.

It’s nearly impossible to spend quality time with Jesus, even for a short while, given our priorities and distractions. 

So we think.

I lost count of the times I had to step aside while walking around Seoul – – to avoid people heading straight towards me while staring at their phones.

It’s a national obsession in South Korea. And it’s an obsession in America too.

Surveys say that, on average, Americans look at their phones anywhere from 3.5 to 7 hours per day.

And they say a great deal of that time is spent on either social media or news media sites.

My time waster is news websites. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone.

These websites are designed to draw us in and keep us from leaving. They create in us a false need to always know what’s going on. A false sense that we will miss out if we miss a minute. Why?

Well, it’s not because they want us to be well informed.

Simply put, viewership drives revenues. These websites have become tools of the enemy to distract us. 

The scriptures tell us to, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”  ‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭15-‭16 NIV

Using this verse as our guide back to Easter every day, one area of our lives we should consider being wise about is our phone time.

Rather than social or news media websites, consider spending more time on God media websites. 

One example of God media is the Bible. If you don’t know what to read, allow the YouVersion Bible app to guide you.

There are many good YouTube worship videos. Read the lyrics. Many songs carry wonderful uplifting messages.

If you struggle to control your screen time, allow your phone to do the work.

Did you know that the iPhone allows us to set daily screen time limits on our apps? This allows the phone to cut access to certain apps after a certain amount of time.

And let’s not forget, our phone is just one of many ways the enemy distracts us from God.

If you’re feeling ambitious, check other areas where you spend your time.

My friends, celebrating Easter every day is not beyond our reach.

We can do this. We just need to be wise about where we spend our time.

In love always,