The reality is that most of us are rarely, if ever, alone with our own minds and souls. Even when we do find a few minutes of quiet, we're driven to check our devices for emails, texts, etc.

The monumental digital shift has taken place so fast, we haven't really had time or invested the energy to evaluate what this is doing to our culture, or how it's impacting us as individuals - physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

The 24/7 internet connection means we're never really free and we always feel behind. The Internet also continually entices us to explore its options through hyperlinks and ads so we can spend a lot of time on things for which we have little to show, adding to our unrest.

I'm dependent on technology like most 21st century human beings. More and more I need to be connected in order to communicate with family, teach seminary, minister to my community, and write as I'm called to do.

If we can't even spend a short amount of time each day with God in solitude, our spiritual formation will be seriously stunted.