Did you ever encourage your child to invite the whole class to their birthday party, and then worry about what to do if they all responded that they would attend? That’s how I felt after my husband Greg and I agreed to host a small group for Lord of Life’s book study of The Tech-Wise Family. When Pastor Corey asked us to host, we felt it was a great project, and so we said yes. But then the what-ifs started filling my head: What if too many people signed up? What if nobody did? What if I read the book and didn’t understand it? What if I didn’t like it? What if I had to pray out loud in front of everyone? What if I served snacks that nobody liked?
Pastor Corey was able to relieve some of my anxiety. Group size at any one location would be capped at around a dozen people. There was a terrific study guide that would help us all to walk through the discussion points each week -- with all the prayers included. I started to read the book, and it wasn’t hard to understand. I didn’t agree with everything the author proposed, but he did raise some interesting points. So, stocked with sweet and savory snacks, we welcomed eight people into our home.
What a great group we ended up with! I knew some of the folks and some faces were new. We represented many generations: from folks who grew up and raised their family before modern technology existed, to parents of teens, to parents with little ones. We had some great discussions, sharing our thoughts on the author’s ideas, and sharing our own hopes and fears for how technology would shape our lives and the lives of our children. How fascinating that a group of people gathered together at random could connect the way we did. How ironic that the little ones entertained themselves with our old-school Mattel electronic football game while we talked about technology.
As the weeks went on, we had one person drop out, and a few others miss a meeting or two, but overall the group held together and completed the study. I asked them for their thoughts on the experience, and overall, the response was positive.
“I enjoyed the conversation; great to hear other people's perspectives. The book challenged all of us.”
“A comfortable way to meet and connect with Lord of Life members that I didn’t know well. Great topic to learn from each other while having faith-based discussions.”
“We enjoyed getting to know some new people. See you around church!”
I hope you had the opportunity to participate in the book study. If you have finished the book, consider passing along the book and study guide to someone who might enjoy it. If you are interested in participating in or leading a small group study during Lent, please contact Pastor Corey (
Hopefully Tech-Wiser,
Cara Hasselbeck
image by Corey Holms on Flickr