Perhaps you have come across or heard about ‘The Anxious Generation’ by Jonathan Haidt? It is a book which is causing ripples as he exposes the negative impact on the life of young people of social media and the internet. He traces this back in particular to the introduction of smartphones in 2010, and produces evidence to show that ‘phone based childhood’ is one of the major reasons behind the rise in anxiety experienced by those born after 1955 (often called Gen Z).

Haight recognises 4 harmful effects of over exposure to technology: social deprivation (a lack of real relationships), sleep deprivation, addiction (to social media and internet surfing) and attention fragmentation (the inability to concentrate).

What caught my eye was the growth in attention fragmentation because, whilst each of these harmful effects impacts the spiritual life negatively, attention deficit is perhaps the most serious for without realising it our relationship with God is massively held back when we have difficulty attending to God. And it is not only the younger generation that suffer – all generations are being affected adversely.

This is why I think my new book, ‘Attentive to God’, soon to be released by BRF (Sept 19th) is so timely. There I look at Biblical stories to see why being attentive to God matters so much, and how we can grow in our ability to recognise God’s presence in our everyday, ordinary lives. The book also contains spiritual practices to help us become more aware of God, as well as inspiration from some of the great personalities in church history who lived deeply with God.

Why not pre-order the book now? The contemporary church desperately needs to become centred on God again, and to show a fragmented generation whom we know are spiritually hungry, what it means to know God deeply.

Author

Tony Horsfall is a freelance trainer and associate trainer with EQUIP, a missions programme based at Bawtry Hall near Doncaster, England. He is an elder of his local church in West Yorkshire, and , regularly travels abroad leading retreats and Quiet Days. He has written a number of other books for BRF, including Servant Ministry (2013), Rhythms of Grace (2012), Working from a Place of Rest (2010) and Mentoring for Spiritual Growth (2008). He also contributes to New Daylight Bible reading notes.

Get your copy of Attentive to God here.