01/16/2023

“What is the real risk of becoming comfortable with a distracted life?” wonders I Choose Brave blogger Westenberg in this middling entry. Today’s social media–filled world, fueled by restless “pinball patterns of thinking,” is diminishing believers’ attention spans and their relationships with God, Westenberg contends. Often, she writes, “we’re just too busy scrolling... to engage with Him.” Mixing anecdotes from her life and scriptural references, Westenberg tackles different elements of memory and distraction, and considers how to approach each with a godly focus. A chapter on managing time, for instance, distinguishes between unhelpful “distractions” and potentially enriching “interruptions,” such as when Jesus “stopped what he was doing, and tended to the needy hearts” when accosted by followers as he entered new cities. She also suggests that, even when “change and time” feel unstable, God remains the “unchanging ruler.” Elsewhere, the author discusses the importance of remembering through retelling, which reflects believers’ mission to be “relentless sharers of truth.” Though Westenberg’s sermonesque tone (and habit of addressing the reader as “friend”) can be off-putting, her unabashed encouragement bolsters the earnest if predictable argument for the transformative power of God’s love. Believers looking to put down the phone would do well to pick this up. (Apr.)