Just in time to support our Lenten intentions of cutting back on one thing so we can do another, author Ed Cyzewski offers the little book 10 Ways to Use Your Phone Less…and Pray a Bit More. At only $0.99, it’s worth the money and the 10 – 15 minutes it takes to read it.

Here are a couple of my takeaways:

The stability of prayer and our awareness of God will begin to motivate us to pray rather than relying on our phones to numb or to disconnect us. (From Idea 1: Identify your motivation for phone use and for prayer)

It’s far better to start small with the things you know you can do, even if they prove to be a very slight challenge. For instance, if you’re using your phone for an average of four hours per day, try to bump that down to three and a half hours over the next month. If you average fifty minutes on a social media app daily, try cutting it down to forty minutes. (From Idea 6: Set realistic goals for your phone use and prayer practices)

Remember, please write me a note to share what you’re doing this Lenten season (bob@ewell.com). I’ve heard from some of you already.

[Jesus] would withdraw to desolate places and pray. (Luke 5.16, ESV)