Romans 12:2

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  
Romans 12:2    ESV version

     I found this verse from a handout Matt gave us from a while back called "Emergency Memory Verses". It gives out the perfect verses that can relate to you when you are either worried, don't know what to do, when you feel alone, angry, feel like a failure, and so many more. This particular verse is for when you feel peer pressure and I think this verse is perfect for the media fast because we will all go through moments where we want to listen to other music, check our Snapchat or any other social media, its especially hard when you're with friends who aren't doing the media fast and go on see them go on their phones to check their social media at any given time. But this also gives you an eye-opener of seeing how many people instinctively fall onto checking their phones. And perhaps once this media fast ends, we stop our habits of checking our phones so often.
     Well I am praying for all of those who are doing the media fast. You guys have committed to something that is quite the challenge especially in today's day and age. But this media fast is an eye opener and will change your way of seeing yourself and catching on to distractions.It won't be easy but I believe in you and you will make it through the month of March. Good luck!

Here's another verse you can look up on your own time when you are tempted: James 4:7

Third Time

Hey guys my name is Sophya. I am a junior at El Camino and this is my third time doing the media fast. Doing the media fast is something difficult for me because it’s become such a habit to check social media whenever I feel bored when it’s during class, lunch, home, anywhere where I am not doing anything that isn’t hands on. But I always thank myself for pulling through the month of March  and step away from any secular media that districts me from God because it makes me realize how many things are sending a wrong message or inappropriate on whatever is trending when I do come back on social media and realize it’s something that is so common that we see everyday which is crazy and upsetting to think of. These past two days I’ve had so much more time on my hands. It’s actually really nice because my phone is such a time hogger. I’ve been finding new Christian music that I actually enjoy listening to. Please pray for me that I look up to God in times of boredom and do something with that time to either read the Bible, journal, find new music, anything that is focused on God and that I will maintain my focus for him.

What I have learned so far

For the first week it was completely tempting to go on my social media but I fought off that temptation by completely deleting any social apps off my phone. Now that the month is more than half way done I have definitely learned something. And that is that social media was my everyday thing to go on, it was like some sort of necessity for me just having to go on it and checking what was up. But it really isn't important, my life hasn't changed whatsoever without it. It just takes up my time when I could be using it to build my relationship closer with God. There is this verse I read when I was reading Proverbs that goes "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6. So as this month is coming closer to an end I hope that I don't return back to how I was before, to how I went to watching Netflix when I had nothing better to do or just scroll down my feed on Instagram just to pass the time.  But instead stop myself and do something good for myself such as listening to the Arcade podcast or learn a couple of Christian songs on my guitar and instead of checking my phone before I go to bed I would read the bible, right now I am trying to make it my daily routine. Hope you guys could pray for me to accomplish my goals and that I will successfully complete this media fast.

Sophya Vecherkovskiy