Artwork

Content provided by Learn to be steady even if the world around you is not. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Learn to be steady even if the world around you is not or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.
Player FM - Podcast App
Go offline with the Player FM app!

How to Break Free from Technology and Get Your Life Back

23:19
 
Share
 

Manage episode 419285570 series 3551717
Content provided by Learn to be steady even if the world around you is not. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Learn to be steady even if the world around you is not or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

In the beginning technology seem like such a great idea. It liberated us from the hardest parts of manual labor.

But then it just kept invading our lives deeper and deeper until most of us now feel that tech is running our lives and actually has power over us instead of just being our tool. AI is coming and things are only going to get worse.

That’s what this week’s podcast is about and I hope you’ll check it out.

For my part I’m on a weeklong fast from all forms of social media. This is a bit difficult for someone whose ministry involves media to a growing extent, but exactly because of that, it felt even more important to do.

Once I start checking what’s happening on social, sometimes it’s hard to get my full attention back for the rest of the day. Does that happen to you?

I’m on day six of my social media fast and I’m definitely going to change my interaction schedule with it going forward. I just feel more present now and more in charge of the attention of my mind.

So, that’s one important part of this discussion. We need to limit the domination of screens in general so we can have a full life.

How is your interaction with social media affecting your life? How are you controlling it? I’d love to hear from you about that.

More Than Media

It’s more than media, however. It’s technology in general. We’re talking about everything electric, starting with electric lights. In this episode, I talk about the massive shift that was initiated by the introduction of artificial light, lengthening the usable day to 24 hours.

Artificial man-made electric light created the modern world, bright cities, nightlife, Shiftwork, the end of families growing their own food, people cocooning around their devices, living mostly inside comfortable homes, and kids hitting puberty at age 12.

A lot has changed in the past 125 years since the first cities started to use electricity. Imagine that? All this change to the world in just over a century!

A century later we got that other electrical invention, the personal computer, in desktop and handheld versions.

Now, it’s the AI revolution. The change we’ve been through in our lifetime has disrupted the way humans have lived for 10,000 years.

One of the side-effects has been a growing disconnection of humans from the normal rhythms of nature.

Why Genesis Matters

I think the Genesis narrative is a blueprint for living successfully. Day four of the creation story tells us to allow the Sun and moon to rule us. The two of them set a natural rhythm for each day and create the cycles of darkness and light, evening and morning, day and night, weeks, months, quarters and years.

They divide life into seasons and enforce a pleasant and necessary cadence in living—if we follow this cycle vs overpowering it with technology.

Now we can have light all the time if we want. We can control our climate and most of us do the same things daily regardless of the seasons.

We live above nature.

This is a mistake. We are part of nature, and natural rhythms are purposeful. They are part of the original creation design.

Thanks for reading Grounded! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Back to Nature

There are many ways to reestablish our conscious connection with nature. I mention quite a few in the podcast. It seems like it needs to start, however, with an established daily pattern that honors the coming and going to light.

It seems like an insult to the Creator not to watch the sun go down every day, like drawing the blinds to a 4th of July fireworks extravaganza. It seems like the grand finale to the day’s light show should start some cherished evening pattern of settling in with our loved ones, planning for the next day, filling our mind with good thoughts, worshipping our Maker again, then resting securely under His watchful eye and expecting revelation in our dreams while our body is restored.

Actually, since sleep is so very important to our health, it seems like we ought to get some kind of parental instruction as children in how to sleep well. Never heard of anyone getting any though. Something to think about parents.

Life is health and the more we flow with the ebb and flow of nature, surely, the healthier we will be.

What morning and evening rituals help you to connect your body to the coming of day and night? Drop a comment in the chat.

Hope you enjoy this podcast and will pass it to others. I work hard on it and I appreciate your support in the effort.

Sherry and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this important subject in the comments section below and in the chat box.

Blessings on every aspect of your life, dear friend,

Chuck (and Sherry) Quinley

Here’s a link to the video version on YouTube

============

Here’s a Transcript of the Video/Audio podcast:

(00:00:00):

Welcome to the Grounded Podcast.

(00:00:02):

Today,

(00:00:03):

we're talking about the invasion of technology into our lives,

(00:00:07):

and we're looking back at the blueprint of how God designed humans to pattern their

(00:00:13):

life on the earth.

(00:00:15):

I think we're gonna learn a lot from this lesson.

(00:00:17):

It's got everything to do with a holistic view of what life should be like,

(00:00:23):

and God is leading us forward so that we can live a life that is healthy,

(00:00:28):

that has deep relationships and a life where we overcome our challenges every day

(00:00:35):

and a life that's productive and fruitful because that is the original design.

(00:00:41):

And in this passage in Genesis chapter 1,

(00:00:43):

back in the creation narrative,

(00:00:45):

we're going to see the way God designed life to function.

(00:00:50):

You know,

(00:00:50):

technology seemed like a great idea,

(00:00:52):

but it just keeps making intrusions into our life,

(00:00:57):

deeper and deeper invading our world.

(00:01:00):

And now they're talking about this little chip to go inside all of our heads so

(00:01:05):

that we can be online 24-7.

(00:01:06):

This is nuts.

(00:01:12):

It wasn't always like this in the beginning.

(00:01:14):

They were mainly labor-saving devices.

(00:01:16):

They helped us with the burden of our farm work, but it has just never stopped.

(00:01:21):

And so we've got to ask ourselves, is this how we're supposed to be living our life?

(00:01:27):

What is the solution?

(00:01:29):

Well, the solution clearly is not more technology to govern our use of technology.

(00:01:34):

Oh, you need an app, so you'll know if you're using apps too much.

(00:01:37):

or more chemicals in our body.

(00:01:39):

You need sleeping pills.

(00:01:41):

When the problem is the blue light and the constant buzz that we're getting from

(00:01:46):

our devices all day long.

(00:01:47):

What we need is a holistic, natural, God-given way to live our life.

(00:01:54):

And God did not create humans to swim in a sea of technology.

(00:02:00):

He's got a clear vision for our life, a beautiful vision for our life, but our lives need structure.

(00:02:06):

And that structure...

(00:02:08):

Humans have struggled to figure out how to best structure lives.

(00:02:13):

Now, about 200 years ago, we started the Industrial Revolution.

(00:02:17):

And when we did that,

(00:02:18):

we all of a sudden seized on machinery and the concept of time,

(00:02:25):

that we could control time.

(00:02:27):

We could become more...

(00:02:29):

time efficient and so all over the world you can see this in in towns all over the

(00:02:34):

planet they built these towers in the middle of the town about 150 years ago it was

(00:02:40):

the thing to do and they put a clock mechanism a human built machine to govern time

(00:02:47):

now that isn't how time was ever looked at before farmers know it's almost sunrise

(00:02:52):

then oh it's the dawn it's mid-morning

(00:02:56):

it's noon time it's the afternoon it's the evening oh it's the darkness and late at

(00:03:01):

night but no that wasn't good enough we had to know it's exactly 8 10 and we

(00:03:06):

started slicing time thinner and thinner and we started wearing this human

(00:03:11):

invention of the watch

(00:03:13):

and carrying them around on our body all the time.

(00:03:15):

It went from that, and it continued to go even deeper, and then we had our phones.

(00:03:20):

And through our mobile devices, we had all kinds of other ways to try to build a structure in our life.

(00:03:27):

And now they're telling us that we each need our own personal artificial intelligence,

(00:03:33):

a counselor,

(00:03:34):

a wise person with endless knowledge that knows everything there is to know about

(00:03:40):

about everything and you can ask them for help as you go along your day and as you

(00:03:46):

build your life is this how humans are supposed to live the bible is not about the

(00:03:52):

bible the bible is about life

(00:03:55):

It is a blueprint for living in the way that God intended His creation to flow and

(00:04:02):

function because He intends to be part of this creation and He will enter into

(00:04:07):

creation with us and He will be present with us and we will live in partnership

(00:04:13):

with Him.

(00:04:14):

And so that's where we come to in Genesis chapter 1.

(00:04:20):

Genesis chapter 1 verse 14 talks about

(00:04:24):

the creation of sun, moon, and stars, and the imprint of designated cycles of nature upon the planet.

(00:04:37):

Just really quick recap.

(00:04:40):

We start off this creation story with a world in chaos, a world without life.

(00:04:45):

It's not possible to have life because there are these threats,

(00:04:48):

these three great threats to life,

(00:04:50):

but God conquers them.

(00:04:52):

and he puts his presence throughout the universe.

(00:04:55):

He bathes the universe in Shekinah glory light, the glow of God.

(00:05:02):

This is not photon lights.

(00:05:05):

It's not any of the lights that are created later.

(00:05:09):

Now we're not down to day four.

(00:05:12):

He creates sun, moon, and stars.

(00:05:15):

And that begins an entirely new chapter for life on earth.

(00:05:21):

I'll read two verses, verses 14 and 15.

(00:05:24):

Then God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night.

(00:05:30):

Let them be for signs and seasons for days and years.

(00:05:34):

And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth.

(00:05:38):

And it was so.

(00:05:40):

Then God made two great lights, the greater to rule the day, the lesser to rule the night.

(00:05:46):

And he made the stars also great.

(00:05:50):

Let's look down at the end of verse 18.

(00:05:52):

And God saw that it was good.

(00:05:55):

So the evening and the morning were the first day.

(00:06:01):

So, OK, we've got sun and moon and stars.

(00:06:04):

We've been told we know scientifically.

(00:06:07):

That the sun provides us with five different kinds of light.

(00:06:11):

One of those is visible.

(00:06:12):

The other four we can't see.

(00:06:14):

But the one that's visible creates photosynthesis.

(00:06:17):

It causes our planet to be able to have life.

(00:06:21):

We can't exist without this light from the sun.

(00:06:25):

That light is not warm.

(00:06:26):

There's another light that is warm.

(00:06:28):

We feel it and we think it's all the same thing, but it's not.

(00:06:31):

That's infrared light.

(00:06:32):

It's a totally different light.

(00:06:34):

We can't see it, but we can feel it.

(00:06:36):

And then there's other kinds of light besides that.

(00:06:40):

So the sun is the energy pack that runs our world.

(00:06:44):

The moon, without the moon, the tilt of the earth would spin off.

(00:06:48):

And so we also could not have a living world without a moon that large.

(00:06:52):

It influences us and it keeps the tilt of the earth just right for our orbit.

(00:06:59):

It controls our climate.

(00:07:01):

And besides the moon, we've got the stars.

(00:07:03):

And the stars rain down on us every day, tons and tons and tons of elements from exploding stars.

(00:07:12):

That's where all the heavier metals, everything heavier than iron comes from above.

(00:07:17):

It filters down from the sky, and it does it every single day by the ton.

(00:07:24):

And so we are a planet whose elements come from the stars.

(00:07:28):

We have the sun every day as our energy source.

(00:07:32):

Without it, we die immediately.

(00:07:33):

We have the moon to regulate us.

(00:07:35):

Our planet exists and is kept in stasis because of sun, moon, and stars.

(00:07:43):

What is this telling us?

(00:07:45):

What's the spiritual lesson and the practical lesson?

(00:07:48):

Number one, it's that we are connected to something much bigger than ourselves.

(00:07:55):

We're not just the smart ape.

(00:07:58):

We are part of a created order.

(00:08:00):

It is a universe designed by a benevolent creator.

(00:08:03):

We look up, and up is where we see all of our source, all of our resource.

(00:08:10):

It's coming from above us.

(00:08:12):

And so that lets us know our life is more than just our life.

(00:08:15):

It's not just my one little life.

(00:08:18):

But I'm being invited by the God who made the world to reach up and connect to him.

(00:08:24):

And as I look up and as I connect my heart to his heart,

(00:08:28):

he will help me live a productive life,

(00:08:31):

a life that's got meaning here.

(00:08:34):

And he does that by establishing a natural system of light and dark in the world.

(00:08:42):

Now we have, as always, humans resist everything that God has done.

(00:08:47):

So he gives us the sun.

(00:08:49):

He gives us the moon.

(00:08:50):

He says clearly in this passage, these are to govern the way you live your day.

(00:08:57):

They should rule you in the day and in the night because they create a cycle.

(00:09:03):

They create an ongoing cycle that we've come to just call nature.

(00:09:09):

And this cycle,

(00:09:11):

if you'll let it,

(00:09:12):

it will govern you and it will give you the structure that you need so that you can

(00:09:17):

weave the fabric of your life.

(00:09:20):

because all of us are trying to build a life, and a life has a lot of components.

(00:09:24):

It's got relationships.

(00:09:26):

It's got a physical body.

(00:09:27):

I've got a certain limited supply of resources and time and strength and energy.

(00:09:34):

We've got the schedule that we keep.

(00:09:36):

We've got the activities that we do.

(00:09:39):

We have our family connectedness.

(00:09:42):

We have our calling.

(00:09:43):

We have our skills that we're developing and that we put to use to bring value

(00:09:47):

to society, and as we bring value, we are valued, and we have exchanges of goods and services that way.

(00:09:55):

And so we've got all this to work out how to build a life.

(00:09:59):

And so God gives us sun and moon and stars,

(00:10:04):

and these are,

(00:10:05):

we're told,

(00:10:06):

you are to live by the seasons and the patterns of the sun.

(00:10:13):

Well, we decided that wasn't quite good enough.

(00:10:16):

So we invented 150 or so years ago, we invented artificial light.

(00:10:21):

And here's five things that light,

(00:10:23):

artificial light did,

(00:10:25):

because up to this point,

(00:10:26):

the only light on planet Earth was sun and moon.

(00:10:29):

And then we had learned how to use fire.

(00:10:31):

So we had candlelight, lamplight, or firelight, but that was it.

(00:10:37):

And then the Industrial Revolution kicked in.

(00:10:39):

We invented artificial light so that we could do even better than light and

(00:10:45):

darkness as a pattern of our day.

(00:10:48):

And we would extend light.

(00:10:50):

So what did we do?

(00:10:51):

We extended our working hours to 24.

(00:10:55):

And we allowed for there to be night shifts and for people to move around at night

(00:11:00):

and even to create night life so that we didn't have to sleep.

(00:11:04):

And we've got city's

(00:11:05):

All over the planet now that never sleep.

(00:11:09):

activity never stops.

(00:11:10):

There's never a moment that someone isn't at work 24 hours a day only because of artificial light.

(00:11:18):

Second thing artificial light did to us is it wrecked our sleep.

(00:11:23):

We had a very set,

(00:11:25):

stable sleep schedule because,

(00:11:28):

say that five times quickly,

(00:11:31):

we had the dawning of the sun.

(00:11:33):

It was the wake up time.

(00:11:35):

We had the setting of the sun.

(00:11:36):

It was the calm down and everybody,

(00:11:39):

was inside their house because the world went dark at night.

(00:11:42):

It isn't safe to be out.

(00:11:43):

And so went home, locked things down.

(00:11:47):

Everybody had good long nights of sleep.

(00:11:51):

But now we have light 24-7.

(00:11:54):

It advanced puberty by five years.

(00:11:57):

And so now young people are coming sexually mature at a very,

(00:12:02):

very young age because of a combination of diet and electric lights that are always on.

(00:12:09):

Plants and animals,

(00:12:10):

because the entire planet,

(00:12:11):

when we electrified it,

(00:12:13):

we affected the life of everything that lives on the planet.

(00:12:18):

And so I guess the last thing that this electric light did,

(00:12:22):

urbanization,

(00:12:23):

and it's we built cities because we had a way to electrify our lives.

(00:12:28):

Then that drove everything else that built these huge mega centers across the world.

(00:12:34):

You know, my wife Sherry is from Amish country, and the Amish basically opted out of electricity.

(00:12:41):

When it came along,

(00:12:42):

they just saw all the problems and everything it would bring into their life,

(00:12:46):

and so they continued to farm with horse-drawn mechanical systems,

(00:12:51):

and you would think that they would be the most worn-out people in the world,

(00:12:56):

but we go back to Pennsylvania every year,

(00:12:59):

and in fact,

(00:12:59):

they seem to have a lot of time

(00:13:01):

to socialize and you'll see them outside by three o'clock in the afternoon playing

(00:13:06):

baseball and their gardens are absolutely beautiful and their families are hanging

(00:13:11):

out together with the neighbors because they live by circadian rhythm.

(00:13:17):

They let their lives be governed

(00:13:21):

by the rising and setting of the sun and the moon and the presence of the stars above.

(00:13:27):

What would happen if we live by circadian rhythm?

(00:13:30):

Well, number one, you have improved sleep quality.

(00:13:35):

And with improved quality of sleep,

(00:13:37):

because of the absence of electrical interference in our lives,

(00:13:42):

we get enhanced mental health.

(00:13:46):

Because we're completely down, our body has long good days,

(00:13:50):

dark season to restore itself and it lifts us out of depression and anxiety because

(00:13:57):

there is a natural sleep system that goes with the world the birds go to sleep

(00:14:04):

animals

(00:14:05):

burrow down in the night.

(00:14:06):

There's a thing that's going on all over this planet except among humans and you can drive.

(00:14:12):

I've done it.

(00:14:13):

I've driven through Cambodia in the middle of the night and looked and you'd see

(00:14:17):

complete darkness because they lacked the infrastructure and you would see the dark

(00:14:23):

outline of huts but in every one of those huts there was a blue light that

(00:14:28):

glowing inside because by battery power they were running their tv sets and cell

(00:14:34):

phones into the darkness so if we live by circadian rhythm we're going to have

(00:14:39):

better mental health because we're going to have better sleep and because of better

(00:14:43):

sleep and mental health we're going to have better metabolic health we're going to

(00:14:48):

have better

(00:14:49):

energy levels to deal with life.

(00:14:51):

This sense of fatigue is not usually something that comes out of a tired body

(00:14:57):

because our bodies are rested when we sleep.

(00:15:00):

It's a tired mind because we never give it a break.

(00:15:04):

And with all the technology we're surrounded by, a lot of it causes us to always be elsewhere.

(00:15:11):

You know, we're sitting right beside living humans, but we are somewhere else in our mind.

(00:15:17):

We're never where our body is.

(00:15:19):

And this is, it's tearing us apart.

(00:15:22):

And God has given us a system to get this, to get our life back together.

(00:15:28):

And it has to do with following the circadian rhythm of sun and moon.

(00:15:32):

Let the world change.

(00:15:34):

Keep spending and work with it.

(00:15:36):

It's going to give us a stronger immune system.

(00:15:39):

It's going to lead to more longevity of life because we'll be rested and we'll be

(00:15:45):

walking in step with nature,

(00:15:50):

following the path of the sun as God intended.

(00:15:54):

Well, what would it be like?

(00:15:56):

If the world went back to following the sun,

(00:15:59):

actually,

(00:15:59):

I don't know that we can make the world do that,

(00:16:01):

but you and I can do it.

(00:16:02):

We can choose to build our life on the movement of the natural movement of the sun

(00:16:08):

and moon and stars and take charge of technology and its presence in our life.

(00:16:15):

Well, that would mean we would align our work hours with daylight.

(00:16:21):

And as the daylight waned,

(00:16:23):

you need to have completed your work because nighttime is not a time for working.

(00:16:28):

And if you notice it,

(00:16:29):

you know,

(00:16:30):

in the summertime when there's more to do,

(00:16:32):

there's crops to plant,

(00:16:34):

we get more daylight.

(00:16:36):

It's all built into the system.

(00:16:37):

And in the fall and the winter,

(00:16:39):

our light is shortened and that's a signal of a new season for us and a new way of living.

(00:16:46):

So our work hours would need to be

(00:16:48):

Aligned with daylight,

(00:16:49):

we would need to be flexible with the seasons and start to live according to the

(00:16:56):

schedule of a season.

(00:16:58):

It would mean that we would have less exposure to artificial light.

(00:17:02):

We would allow the darkness to come on in the evening rather than flooding our

(00:17:07):

house with screens and artificial light.

(00:17:10):

We would just let the darkness gradually take over our home.

(00:17:14):

Hopefully this could lead to revival.

(00:17:17):

of some cultural festivities that we had before.

(00:17:21):

We had the excitement of spring and the spring festivals as new life breaks out everywhere.

(00:17:28):

We had the summertime,

(00:17:30):

just the busyness of summer and the outdoor activities and get-togethers out in

(00:17:35):

public picnics and family get-togethers.

(00:17:39):

And then in the fall, we had the celebration of harvest.

(00:17:43):

And we can still do that.

(00:17:44):

We can bring things in from nature inside our house to celebrate each of the seasons.

(00:17:51):

We can change our decor.

(00:17:53):

We can change the clothing that we wear.

(00:17:56):

We can change the pattern of our life because that's what Genesis said to do.

(00:18:01):

It said that the sun and moon were supposed to set the seasons of our lives together.

(00:18:07):

They're supposed to govern us.

(00:18:10):

And I think if we would walk with nature, we will find ourselves stronger and healthier.

(00:18:17):

What it says to me,

(00:18:19):

what I think God is telling us in this passage is,

(00:18:23):

number one,

(00:18:24):

we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

(00:18:28):

It doesn't matter that you can squeeze more work into an hour than anybody else.

(00:18:32):

He's not called you to do that.

(00:18:35):

He has put sun and moon above us so that we would look up and realize that although

(00:18:40):

we are physical creatures,

(00:18:42):

we are part of a universe that is very complicated and very wonderful.

(00:18:48):

And there is a heavenly realm and it is providing for us.

(00:18:53):

And there is a God who created us and he gives our life meaning and purpose and

(00:18:58):

protection and provision.

(00:19:01):

And we can rest and enjoy our physical activity of life on earth,

(00:19:06):

knowing that we can tap resources that are beyond ourselves.

(00:19:11):

the physical world.

(00:19:13):

We can reach into the world beyond.

(00:19:15):

And that's what worship does.

(00:19:17):

That's what prayer does.

(00:19:18):

It bridges this gap because we're moving in our study of Genesis to see what a human is.

(00:19:27):

But that's coming soon in our story.

(00:19:30):

But right now,

(00:19:31):

we're talking about the context and the world that God has built for us to live in,

(00:19:39):

that this world is governed by higher powers.

(00:19:43):

Our very existence is a constant collaboration between heaven and earth.

(00:19:49):

We would be destroyed every day except for the protection of God and the provision

(00:19:55):

God and this great provision of Sun Moon and stars and I think the second thing

(00:20:01):

that God is telling us through this creation story is that we are integrated into

(00:20:07):

the created order we are we are heavenly in a way we are earthly made from the soil

(00:20:15):

and returned to the soil we are this planet the earth of this planet raised up to

(00:20:21):

interact with God to know God to walk with God and

(00:20:25):

but we affect you know the sun a heavenly body affects us and we affect the rest of

(00:20:33):

creation we are part of one integrated system i really think christians ought to be

(00:20:40):

the most you know not the silly side of environmentalism but i think christians

(00:20:45):

ought to be tree huggers and animal lovers

(00:20:48):

and good to the earth and the least likely to ever pollute and the most likely to

(00:20:55):

take care of earth because this is our Father's world.

(00:20:59):

He built it as His eternal home.

(00:21:03):

And if you just read the rest of the story,

(00:21:05):

read the last pages of the Bible,

(00:21:08):

God very much intends that this planet be renewed and fulfill a purpose that He

(00:21:14):

created it for.

(00:21:15):

And so he has given us at this season of our life the ability to draw strength from

(00:21:22):

heavenly bodies and to create vitamin D from the light of the sun.

(00:21:29):

And for the animals and the insects and the plants to draw their life from the sun

(00:21:34):

and the strength of the moon and the elements that rain down on us every single day

(00:21:41):

from the stars.

(00:21:42):

We are connected to a huge system of life.

(00:21:47):

And it's just a beautiful thing,

(00:21:48):

and it ought to give us all hope and a lot of comfort that nothing's going to

(00:21:53):

happen to this world.

(00:21:55):

This is our Father's world, and we are part of it.

(00:21:58):

So let's just do our part to make this as much a Garden of Eden as we possibly can.

(00:22:04):

God has governed the circumstances around your life,

(00:22:09):

and you and I are born for this exact moment in history.

(00:22:14):

He's called us to be here and he is giving us a way,

(00:22:17):

even in an age of technology,

(00:22:19):

he is giving us a way that we can return to a more ordered,

(00:22:23):

natural way of living.

(00:22:26):

And we can govern our days by the simple waning of light.

(00:22:31):

darkness every day let's just start with that and start unplugging in the afternoon

(00:22:37):

and let our house be as as tech-free as possible in the evening go back to quiet

(00:22:44):

evening spent with other people go back to conversations go back to phone calls if

(00:22:49):

you don't have anybody living in your house and

(00:22:51):

and not just allow our mind to be wired to the Internet until the last second of

(00:22:57):

our consciousness every day.

(00:22:58):

It's not good for us.

(00:23:00):

We know that, and it's breaking us down.

(00:23:02):

So here we're given the pattern, sun, moon, and stars.

(00:23:07):

God's in your corner, and so am I. So let me know if there's any way I can help you.

(00:23:12):

We'd love to hear your comments or your insights on these lessons in the comments section below.

(00:23:17):

We'll see you next time.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chuckquinley.substack.com
  continue reading

14 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 419285570 series 3551717
Content provided by Learn to be steady even if the world around you is not. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Learn to be steady even if the world around you is not or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

In the beginning technology seem like such a great idea. It liberated us from the hardest parts of manual labor.

But then it just kept invading our lives deeper and deeper until most of us now feel that tech is running our lives and actually has power over us instead of just being our tool. AI is coming and things are only going to get worse.

That’s what this week’s podcast is about and I hope you’ll check it out.

For my part I’m on a weeklong fast from all forms of social media. This is a bit difficult for someone whose ministry involves media to a growing extent, but exactly because of that, it felt even more important to do.

Once I start checking what’s happening on social, sometimes it’s hard to get my full attention back for the rest of the day. Does that happen to you?

I’m on day six of my social media fast and I’m definitely going to change my interaction schedule with it going forward. I just feel more present now and more in charge of the attention of my mind.

So, that’s one important part of this discussion. We need to limit the domination of screens in general so we can have a full life.

How is your interaction with social media affecting your life? How are you controlling it? I’d love to hear from you about that.

More Than Media

It’s more than media, however. It’s technology in general. We’re talking about everything electric, starting with electric lights. In this episode, I talk about the massive shift that was initiated by the introduction of artificial light, lengthening the usable day to 24 hours.

Artificial man-made electric light created the modern world, bright cities, nightlife, Shiftwork, the end of families growing their own food, people cocooning around their devices, living mostly inside comfortable homes, and kids hitting puberty at age 12.

A lot has changed in the past 125 years since the first cities started to use electricity. Imagine that? All this change to the world in just over a century!

A century later we got that other electrical invention, the personal computer, in desktop and handheld versions.

Now, it’s the AI revolution. The change we’ve been through in our lifetime has disrupted the way humans have lived for 10,000 years.

One of the side-effects has been a growing disconnection of humans from the normal rhythms of nature.

Why Genesis Matters

I think the Genesis narrative is a blueprint for living successfully. Day four of the creation story tells us to allow the Sun and moon to rule us. The two of them set a natural rhythm for each day and create the cycles of darkness and light, evening and morning, day and night, weeks, months, quarters and years.

They divide life into seasons and enforce a pleasant and necessary cadence in living—if we follow this cycle vs overpowering it with technology.

Now we can have light all the time if we want. We can control our climate and most of us do the same things daily regardless of the seasons.

We live above nature.

This is a mistake. We are part of nature, and natural rhythms are purposeful. They are part of the original creation design.

Thanks for reading Grounded! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Back to Nature

There are many ways to reestablish our conscious connection with nature. I mention quite a few in the podcast. It seems like it needs to start, however, with an established daily pattern that honors the coming and going to light.

It seems like an insult to the Creator not to watch the sun go down every day, like drawing the blinds to a 4th of July fireworks extravaganza. It seems like the grand finale to the day’s light show should start some cherished evening pattern of settling in with our loved ones, planning for the next day, filling our mind with good thoughts, worshipping our Maker again, then resting securely under His watchful eye and expecting revelation in our dreams while our body is restored.

Actually, since sleep is so very important to our health, it seems like we ought to get some kind of parental instruction as children in how to sleep well. Never heard of anyone getting any though. Something to think about parents.

Life is health and the more we flow with the ebb and flow of nature, surely, the healthier we will be.

What morning and evening rituals help you to connect your body to the coming of day and night? Drop a comment in the chat.

Hope you enjoy this podcast and will pass it to others. I work hard on it and I appreciate your support in the effort.

Sherry and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this important subject in the comments section below and in the chat box.

Blessings on every aspect of your life, dear friend,

Chuck (and Sherry) Quinley

Here’s a link to the video version on YouTube

============

Here’s a Transcript of the Video/Audio podcast:

(00:00:00):

Welcome to the Grounded Podcast.

(00:00:02):

Today,

(00:00:03):

we're talking about the invasion of technology into our lives,

(00:00:07):

and we're looking back at the blueprint of how God designed humans to pattern their

(00:00:13):

life on the earth.

(00:00:15):

I think we're gonna learn a lot from this lesson.

(00:00:17):

It's got everything to do with a holistic view of what life should be like,

(00:00:23):

and God is leading us forward so that we can live a life that is healthy,

(00:00:28):

that has deep relationships and a life where we overcome our challenges every day

(00:00:35):

and a life that's productive and fruitful because that is the original design.

(00:00:41):

And in this passage in Genesis chapter 1,

(00:00:43):

back in the creation narrative,

(00:00:45):

we're going to see the way God designed life to function.

(00:00:50):

You know,

(00:00:50):

technology seemed like a great idea,

(00:00:52):

but it just keeps making intrusions into our life,

(00:00:57):

deeper and deeper invading our world.

(00:01:00):

And now they're talking about this little chip to go inside all of our heads so

(00:01:05):

that we can be online 24-7.

(00:01:06):

This is nuts.

(00:01:12):

It wasn't always like this in the beginning.

(00:01:14):

They were mainly labor-saving devices.

(00:01:16):

They helped us with the burden of our farm work, but it has just never stopped.

(00:01:21):

And so we've got to ask ourselves, is this how we're supposed to be living our life?

(00:01:27):

What is the solution?

(00:01:29):

Well, the solution clearly is not more technology to govern our use of technology.

(00:01:34):

Oh, you need an app, so you'll know if you're using apps too much.

(00:01:37):

or more chemicals in our body.

(00:01:39):

You need sleeping pills.

(00:01:41):

When the problem is the blue light and the constant buzz that we're getting from

(00:01:46):

our devices all day long.

(00:01:47):

What we need is a holistic, natural, God-given way to live our life.

(00:01:54):

And God did not create humans to swim in a sea of technology.

(00:02:00):

He's got a clear vision for our life, a beautiful vision for our life, but our lives need structure.

(00:02:06):

And that structure...

(00:02:08):

Humans have struggled to figure out how to best structure lives.

(00:02:13):

Now, about 200 years ago, we started the Industrial Revolution.

(00:02:17):

And when we did that,

(00:02:18):

we all of a sudden seized on machinery and the concept of time,

(00:02:25):

that we could control time.

(00:02:27):

We could become more...

(00:02:29):

time efficient and so all over the world you can see this in in towns all over the

(00:02:34):

planet they built these towers in the middle of the town about 150 years ago it was

(00:02:40):

the thing to do and they put a clock mechanism a human built machine to govern time

(00:02:47):

now that isn't how time was ever looked at before farmers know it's almost sunrise

(00:02:52):

then oh it's the dawn it's mid-morning

(00:02:56):

it's noon time it's the afternoon it's the evening oh it's the darkness and late at

(00:03:01):

night but no that wasn't good enough we had to know it's exactly 8 10 and we

(00:03:06):

started slicing time thinner and thinner and we started wearing this human

(00:03:11):

invention of the watch

(00:03:13):

and carrying them around on our body all the time.

(00:03:15):

It went from that, and it continued to go even deeper, and then we had our phones.

(00:03:20):

And through our mobile devices, we had all kinds of other ways to try to build a structure in our life.

(00:03:27):

And now they're telling us that we each need our own personal artificial intelligence,

(00:03:33):

a counselor,

(00:03:34):

a wise person with endless knowledge that knows everything there is to know about

(00:03:40):

about everything and you can ask them for help as you go along your day and as you

(00:03:46):

build your life is this how humans are supposed to live the bible is not about the

(00:03:52):

bible the bible is about life

(00:03:55):

It is a blueprint for living in the way that God intended His creation to flow and

(00:04:02):

function because He intends to be part of this creation and He will enter into

(00:04:07):

creation with us and He will be present with us and we will live in partnership

(00:04:13):

with Him.

(00:04:14):

And so that's where we come to in Genesis chapter 1.

(00:04:20):

Genesis chapter 1 verse 14 talks about

(00:04:24):

the creation of sun, moon, and stars, and the imprint of designated cycles of nature upon the planet.

(00:04:37):

Just really quick recap.

(00:04:40):

We start off this creation story with a world in chaos, a world without life.

(00:04:45):

It's not possible to have life because there are these threats,

(00:04:48):

these three great threats to life,

(00:04:50):

but God conquers them.

(00:04:52):

and he puts his presence throughout the universe.

(00:04:55):

He bathes the universe in Shekinah glory light, the glow of God.

(00:05:02):

This is not photon lights.

(00:05:05):

It's not any of the lights that are created later.

(00:05:09):

Now we're not down to day four.

(00:05:12):

He creates sun, moon, and stars.

(00:05:15):

And that begins an entirely new chapter for life on earth.

(00:05:21):

I'll read two verses, verses 14 and 15.

(00:05:24):

Then God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night.

(00:05:30):

Let them be for signs and seasons for days and years.

(00:05:34):

And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth.

(00:05:38):

And it was so.

(00:05:40):

Then God made two great lights, the greater to rule the day, the lesser to rule the night.

(00:05:46):

And he made the stars also great.

(00:05:50):

Let's look down at the end of verse 18.

(00:05:52):

And God saw that it was good.

(00:05:55):

So the evening and the morning were the first day.

(00:06:01):

So, OK, we've got sun and moon and stars.

(00:06:04):

We've been told we know scientifically.

(00:06:07):

That the sun provides us with five different kinds of light.

(00:06:11):

One of those is visible.

(00:06:12):

The other four we can't see.

(00:06:14):

But the one that's visible creates photosynthesis.

(00:06:17):

It causes our planet to be able to have life.

(00:06:21):

We can't exist without this light from the sun.

(00:06:25):

That light is not warm.

(00:06:26):

There's another light that is warm.

(00:06:28):

We feel it and we think it's all the same thing, but it's not.

(00:06:31):

That's infrared light.

(00:06:32):

It's a totally different light.

(00:06:34):

We can't see it, but we can feel it.

(00:06:36):

And then there's other kinds of light besides that.

(00:06:40):

So the sun is the energy pack that runs our world.

(00:06:44):

The moon, without the moon, the tilt of the earth would spin off.

(00:06:48):

And so we also could not have a living world without a moon that large.

(00:06:52):

It influences us and it keeps the tilt of the earth just right for our orbit.

(00:06:59):

It controls our climate.

(00:07:01):

And besides the moon, we've got the stars.

(00:07:03):

And the stars rain down on us every day, tons and tons and tons of elements from exploding stars.

(00:07:12):

That's where all the heavier metals, everything heavier than iron comes from above.

(00:07:17):

It filters down from the sky, and it does it every single day by the ton.

(00:07:24):

And so we are a planet whose elements come from the stars.

(00:07:28):

We have the sun every day as our energy source.

(00:07:32):

Without it, we die immediately.

(00:07:33):

We have the moon to regulate us.

(00:07:35):

Our planet exists and is kept in stasis because of sun, moon, and stars.

(00:07:43):

What is this telling us?

(00:07:45):

What's the spiritual lesson and the practical lesson?

(00:07:48):

Number one, it's that we are connected to something much bigger than ourselves.

(00:07:55):

We're not just the smart ape.

(00:07:58):

We are part of a created order.

(00:08:00):

It is a universe designed by a benevolent creator.

(00:08:03):

We look up, and up is where we see all of our source, all of our resource.

(00:08:10):

It's coming from above us.

(00:08:12):

And so that lets us know our life is more than just our life.

(00:08:15):

It's not just my one little life.

(00:08:18):

But I'm being invited by the God who made the world to reach up and connect to him.

(00:08:24):

And as I look up and as I connect my heart to his heart,

(00:08:28):

he will help me live a productive life,

(00:08:31):

a life that's got meaning here.

(00:08:34):

And he does that by establishing a natural system of light and dark in the world.

(00:08:42):

Now we have, as always, humans resist everything that God has done.

(00:08:47):

So he gives us the sun.

(00:08:49):

He gives us the moon.

(00:08:50):

He says clearly in this passage, these are to govern the way you live your day.

(00:08:57):

They should rule you in the day and in the night because they create a cycle.

(00:09:03):

They create an ongoing cycle that we've come to just call nature.

(00:09:09):

And this cycle,

(00:09:11):

if you'll let it,

(00:09:12):

it will govern you and it will give you the structure that you need so that you can

(00:09:17):

weave the fabric of your life.

(00:09:20):

because all of us are trying to build a life, and a life has a lot of components.

(00:09:24):

It's got relationships.

(00:09:26):

It's got a physical body.

(00:09:27):

I've got a certain limited supply of resources and time and strength and energy.

(00:09:34):

We've got the schedule that we keep.

(00:09:36):

We've got the activities that we do.

(00:09:39):

We have our family connectedness.

(00:09:42):

We have our calling.

(00:09:43):

We have our skills that we're developing and that we put to use to bring value

(00:09:47):

to society, and as we bring value, we are valued, and we have exchanges of goods and services that way.

(00:09:55):

And so we've got all this to work out how to build a life.

(00:09:59):

And so God gives us sun and moon and stars,

(00:10:04):

and these are,

(00:10:05):

we're told,

(00:10:06):

you are to live by the seasons and the patterns of the sun.

(00:10:13):

Well, we decided that wasn't quite good enough.

(00:10:16):

So we invented 150 or so years ago, we invented artificial light.

(00:10:21):

And here's five things that light,

(00:10:23):

artificial light did,

(00:10:25):

because up to this point,

(00:10:26):

the only light on planet Earth was sun and moon.

(00:10:29):

And then we had learned how to use fire.

(00:10:31):

So we had candlelight, lamplight, or firelight, but that was it.

(00:10:37):

And then the Industrial Revolution kicked in.

(00:10:39):

We invented artificial light so that we could do even better than light and

(00:10:45):

darkness as a pattern of our day.

(00:10:48):

And we would extend light.

(00:10:50):

So what did we do?

(00:10:51):

We extended our working hours to 24.

(00:10:55):

And we allowed for there to be night shifts and for people to move around at night

(00:11:00):

and even to create night life so that we didn't have to sleep.

(00:11:04):

And we've got city's

(00:11:05):

All over the planet now that never sleep.

(00:11:09):

activity never stops.

(00:11:10):

There's never a moment that someone isn't at work 24 hours a day only because of artificial light.

(00:11:18):

Second thing artificial light did to us is it wrecked our sleep.

(00:11:23):

We had a very set,

(00:11:25):

stable sleep schedule because,

(00:11:28):

say that five times quickly,

(00:11:31):

we had the dawning of the sun.

(00:11:33):

It was the wake up time.

(00:11:35):

We had the setting of the sun.

(00:11:36):

It was the calm down and everybody,

(00:11:39):

was inside their house because the world went dark at night.

(00:11:42):

It isn't safe to be out.

(00:11:43):

And so went home, locked things down.

(00:11:47):

Everybody had good long nights of sleep.

(00:11:51):

But now we have light 24-7.

(00:11:54):

It advanced puberty by five years.

(00:11:57):

And so now young people are coming sexually mature at a very,

(00:12:02):

very young age because of a combination of diet and electric lights that are always on.

(00:12:09):

Plants and animals,

(00:12:10):

because the entire planet,

(00:12:11):

when we electrified it,

(00:12:13):

we affected the life of everything that lives on the planet.

(00:12:18):

And so I guess the last thing that this electric light did,

(00:12:22):

urbanization,

(00:12:23):

and it's we built cities because we had a way to electrify our lives.

(00:12:28):

Then that drove everything else that built these huge mega centers across the world.

(00:12:34):

You know, my wife Sherry is from Amish country, and the Amish basically opted out of electricity.

(00:12:41):

When it came along,

(00:12:42):

they just saw all the problems and everything it would bring into their life,

(00:12:46):

and so they continued to farm with horse-drawn mechanical systems,

(00:12:51):

and you would think that they would be the most worn-out people in the world,

(00:12:56):

but we go back to Pennsylvania every year,

(00:12:59):

and in fact,

(00:12:59):

they seem to have a lot of time

(00:13:01):

to socialize and you'll see them outside by three o'clock in the afternoon playing

(00:13:06):

baseball and their gardens are absolutely beautiful and their families are hanging

(00:13:11):

out together with the neighbors because they live by circadian rhythm.

(00:13:17):

They let their lives be governed

(00:13:21):

by the rising and setting of the sun and the moon and the presence of the stars above.

(00:13:27):

What would happen if we live by circadian rhythm?

(00:13:30):

Well, number one, you have improved sleep quality.

(00:13:35):

And with improved quality of sleep,

(00:13:37):

because of the absence of electrical interference in our lives,

(00:13:42):

we get enhanced mental health.

(00:13:46):

Because we're completely down, our body has long good days,

(00:13:50):

dark season to restore itself and it lifts us out of depression and anxiety because

(00:13:57):

there is a natural sleep system that goes with the world the birds go to sleep

(00:14:04):

animals

(00:14:05):

burrow down in the night.

(00:14:06):

There's a thing that's going on all over this planet except among humans and you can drive.

(00:14:12):

I've done it.

(00:14:13):

I've driven through Cambodia in the middle of the night and looked and you'd see

(00:14:17):

complete darkness because they lacked the infrastructure and you would see the dark

(00:14:23):

outline of huts but in every one of those huts there was a blue light that

(00:14:28):

glowing inside because by battery power they were running their tv sets and cell

(00:14:34):

phones into the darkness so if we live by circadian rhythm we're going to have

(00:14:39):

better mental health because we're going to have better sleep and because of better

(00:14:43):

sleep and mental health we're going to have better metabolic health we're going to

(00:14:48):

have better

(00:14:49):

energy levels to deal with life.

(00:14:51):

This sense of fatigue is not usually something that comes out of a tired body

(00:14:57):

because our bodies are rested when we sleep.

(00:15:00):

It's a tired mind because we never give it a break.

(00:15:04):

And with all the technology we're surrounded by, a lot of it causes us to always be elsewhere.

(00:15:11):

You know, we're sitting right beside living humans, but we are somewhere else in our mind.

(00:15:17):

We're never where our body is.

(00:15:19):

And this is, it's tearing us apart.

(00:15:22):

And God has given us a system to get this, to get our life back together.

(00:15:28):

And it has to do with following the circadian rhythm of sun and moon.

(00:15:32):

Let the world change.

(00:15:34):

Keep spending and work with it.

(00:15:36):

It's going to give us a stronger immune system.

(00:15:39):

It's going to lead to more longevity of life because we'll be rested and we'll be

(00:15:45):

walking in step with nature,

(00:15:50):

following the path of the sun as God intended.

(00:15:54):

Well, what would it be like?

(00:15:56):

If the world went back to following the sun,

(00:15:59):

actually,

(00:15:59):

I don't know that we can make the world do that,

(00:16:01):

but you and I can do it.

(00:16:02):

We can choose to build our life on the movement of the natural movement of the sun

(00:16:08):

and moon and stars and take charge of technology and its presence in our life.

(00:16:15):

Well, that would mean we would align our work hours with daylight.

(00:16:21):

And as the daylight waned,

(00:16:23):

you need to have completed your work because nighttime is not a time for working.

(00:16:28):

And if you notice it,

(00:16:29):

you know,

(00:16:30):

in the summertime when there's more to do,

(00:16:32):

there's crops to plant,

(00:16:34):

we get more daylight.

(00:16:36):

It's all built into the system.

(00:16:37):

And in the fall and the winter,

(00:16:39):

our light is shortened and that's a signal of a new season for us and a new way of living.

(00:16:46):

So our work hours would need to be

(00:16:48):

Aligned with daylight,

(00:16:49):

we would need to be flexible with the seasons and start to live according to the

(00:16:56):

schedule of a season.

(00:16:58):

It would mean that we would have less exposure to artificial light.

(00:17:02):

We would allow the darkness to come on in the evening rather than flooding our

(00:17:07):

house with screens and artificial light.

(00:17:10):

We would just let the darkness gradually take over our home.

(00:17:14):

Hopefully this could lead to revival.

(00:17:17):

of some cultural festivities that we had before.

(00:17:21):

We had the excitement of spring and the spring festivals as new life breaks out everywhere.

(00:17:28):

We had the summertime,

(00:17:30):

just the busyness of summer and the outdoor activities and get-togethers out in

(00:17:35):

public picnics and family get-togethers.

(00:17:39):

And then in the fall, we had the celebration of harvest.

(00:17:43):

And we can still do that.

(00:17:44):

We can bring things in from nature inside our house to celebrate each of the seasons.

(00:17:51):

We can change our decor.

(00:17:53):

We can change the clothing that we wear.

(00:17:56):

We can change the pattern of our life because that's what Genesis said to do.

(00:18:01):

It said that the sun and moon were supposed to set the seasons of our lives together.

(00:18:07):

They're supposed to govern us.

(00:18:10):

And I think if we would walk with nature, we will find ourselves stronger and healthier.

(00:18:17):

What it says to me,

(00:18:19):

what I think God is telling us in this passage is,

(00:18:23):

number one,

(00:18:24):

we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

(00:18:28):

It doesn't matter that you can squeeze more work into an hour than anybody else.

(00:18:32):

He's not called you to do that.

(00:18:35):

He has put sun and moon above us so that we would look up and realize that although

(00:18:40):

we are physical creatures,

(00:18:42):

we are part of a universe that is very complicated and very wonderful.

(00:18:48):

And there is a heavenly realm and it is providing for us.

(00:18:53):

And there is a God who created us and he gives our life meaning and purpose and

(00:18:58):

protection and provision.

(00:19:01):

And we can rest and enjoy our physical activity of life on earth,

(00:19:06):

knowing that we can tap resources that are beyond ourselves.

(00:19:11):

the physical world.

(00:19:13):

We can reach into the world beyond.

(00:19:15):

And that's what worship does.

(00:19:17):

That's what prayer does.

(00:19:18):

It bridges this gap because we're moving in our study of Genesis to see what a human is.

(00:19:27):

But that's coming soon in our story.

(00:19:30):

But right now,

(00:19:31):

we're talking about the context and the world that God has built for us to live in,

(00:19:39):

that this world is governed by higher powers.

(00:19:43):

Our very existence is a constant collaboration between heaven and earth.

(00:19:49):

We would be destroyed every day except for the protection of God and the provision

(00:19:55):

God and this great provision of Sun Moon and stars and I think the second thing

(00:20:01):

that God is telling us through this creation story is that we are integrated into

(00:20:07):

the created order we are we are heavenly in a way we are earthly made from the soil

(00:20:15):

and returned to the soil we are this planet the earth of this planet raised up to

(00:20:21):

interact with God to know God to walk with God and

(00:20:25):

but we affect you know the sun a heavenly body affects us and we affect the rest of

(00:20:33):

creation we are part of one integrated system i really think christians ought to be

(00:20:40):

the most you know not the silly side of environmentalism but i think christians

(00:20:45):

ought to be tree huggers and animal lovers

(00:20:48):

and good to the earth and the least likely to ever pollute and the most likely to

(00:20:55):

take care of earth because this is our Father's world.

(00:20:59):

He built it as His eternal home.

(00:21:03):

And if you just read the rest of the story,

(00:21:05):

read the last pages of the Bible,

(00:21:08):

God very much intends that this planet be renewed and fulfill a purpose that He

(00:21:14):

created it for.

(00:21:15):

And so he has given us at this season of our life the ability to draw strength from

(00:21:22):

heavenly bodies and to create vitamin D from the light of the sun.

(00:21:29):

And for the animals and the insects and the plants to draw their life from the sun

(00:21:34):

and the strength of the moon and the elements that rain down on us every single day

(00:21:41):

from the stars.

(00:21:42):

We are connected to a huge system of life.

(00:21:47):

And it's just a beautiful thing,

(00:21:48):

and it ought to give us all hope and a lot of comfort that nothing's going to

(00:21:53):

happen to this world.

(00:21:55):

This is our Father's world, and we are part of it.

(00:21:58):

So let's just do our part to make this as much a Garden of Eden as we possibly can.

(00:22:04):

God has governed the circumstances around your life,

(00:22:09):

and you and I are born for this exact moment in history.

(00:22:14):

He's called us to be here and he is giving us a way,

(00:22:17):

even in an age of technology,

(00:22:19):

he is giving us a way that we can return to a more ordered,

(00:22:23):

natural way of living.

(00:22:26):

And we can govern our days by the simple waning of light.

(00:22:31):

darkness every day let's just start with that and start unplugging in the afternoon

(00:22:37):

and let our house be as as tech-free as possible in the evening go back to quiet

(00:22:44):

evening spent with other people go back to conversations go back to phone calls if

(00:22:49):

you don't have anybody living in your house and

(00:22:51):

and not just allow our mind to be wired to the Internet until the last second of

(00:22:57):

our consciousness every day.

(00:22:58):

It's not good for us.

(00:23:00):

We know that, and it's breaking us down.

(00:23:02):

So here we're given the pattern, sun, moon, and stars.

(00:23:07):

God's in your corner, and so am I. So let me know if there's any way I can help you.

(00:23:12):

We'd love to hear your comments or your insights on these lessons in the comments section below.

(00:23:17):

We'll see you next time.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chuckquinley.substack.com
  continue reading

14 episodes

All episodes

×
 
Loading …

Welcome to Player FM!

Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices.

 

Quick Reference Guide