{"id":853,"date":"2026-03-06T20:03:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T19:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/?p=853"},"modified":"2026-03-06T21:58:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T20:58:23","slug":"disconnect-from-social-media-and-reconnect-with-god-elder-blackburn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/?p=853","title":{"rendered":"Disconnect from Social Media and Reconnect with God- Elder Mark"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Sabbath, February 14, 2026, Elder Mark  urged congregants to re-examine their relationship with social media, encouraging them to disconnect from digital platforms and reconnect with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He reminded the church that from the beginning, God created man and woman to communicate face to face. Noting that social media consumes significant time, he challenged worshippers to reflect on their first action each morning. \u201cWhen you wake up, what is your first move? Do you reach for your Bible, or your phone?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While acknowledging that technology can be both beneficial and useful, Elder Mark cautioned that it becomes harmful when it replaces prayer, Bible study, and meaningful family interaction. He cited common scenes in restaurants where individuals scroll through their phones instead of engaging in conversation, emphasizing that \u201cwe are not islands\u201d and that without communication, life begins to break down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Elder encouraged families to establish \u201ccommunication seasons\u201d, intentional periods when devices are set aside to focus solely on God and one another. Couples were urged to protect their intimacy by keeping the bedroom a sanctuary for rest and prayer rather than a charging station for electronic devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents were also challenged to teach children healthy digital habits, including setting \u201cbedtimes\u201d for devices and helping them understand the connection between their digital behavior and their emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elder Mark suggested practical steps such as holding regular family devotions, scheduling unplugged time, sharing meals, organising game nights, participating in service projects, and creating rituals that mark the transition from digital time to sacred time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Concluding his message, he called on everyone to intentionally disconnect from devices, spend time in prayer and Bible study, and prioritise quality time with God and family.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"alignwide wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/05e16f0b-ce90-4b22-9e3b-90677aa48dc1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"object-fit:cover;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/05e16f0b-ce90-4b22-9e3b-90677aa48dc1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/pisdac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/05e16f0b-ce90-4b22-9e3b-90677aa48dc1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/pisdac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/05e16f0b-ce90-4b22-9e3b-90677aa48dc1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pisdac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/05e16f0b-ce90-4b22-9e3b-90677aa48dc1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/pisdac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/05e16f0b-ce90-4b22-9e3b-90677aa48dc1-810x1080.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Sabbath, February 14, 2026, Elder Mark urged congregants to re-examine their relationship with social media, encouraging them to disconnect from digital platforms and reconnect with God. He reminded the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-classe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=853"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":951,"href":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853\/revisions\/951"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pisdac.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}