Digital Thorns | Joey Odom | Menlo Church Live Stream

May 03, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Tears in Terminal A

The man wheeled around, eyes red. "My dad just died," he said. Four words dissolved Joey’s anger into shame. In that crowded airport, two strangers faced the truth: pain ignored becomes thorns. The phone’s glow had blinded Joey to the man’s grief—and his own capacity to wound. Jesus saw Zacchaeus in the tree and Bartimaeus by the road. He noticed the bleeding woman’s touch. [26:47]

Thorns grow when we default to distraction. Digital avoidance numbs us to real pain—in others and ourselves. Jesus modeled presence as healing: stopping for one leper, kneeling beside a grieving sister, cupping a widow’s shaking hands.

Your screen habits train your eyes to glaze over faces. Today, practice seeing. At the coffee shop, in the break room, during pickup: notice one person’s posture, their tone. What story might their eyes tell if you looked up?

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion."
(Luke 10:30, 33 ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to show you one person today who needs your undivided eyes.
Challenge: Leave your phone in another room during mealtime.

Day 2: Thorns That Choke Joy

Jesus described thorns as "worries" and "pleasures" that choke seed. First-century thorns stole sunlight; 21st-century ones steal focus. A TikTok scroll replaces bedtime stories. ESPN alerts drown out a spouse’s sigh. The seed—God’s design for connection—withers while we swipe. [33:40]

Fruit requires uncluttered soil. Every "quick check" of email or newsfeed fertilizes anxiety. The disciples left nets to follow; we clutch devices that net our attention. Jesus prioritized Peter’s confession over Pharisaic debates, Mary’s listening over Martha’s distraction.

Identify one daily ritual hijacked by screens. Morning scroll? Lunchtime likes? Replace it with 5 minutes of silence. What fear or boredom drives that habit?

"Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful."
(Mark 4:7, 18-19 NIV)

Prayer: Confess one digital thorn that’s choking your joy this week.
Challenge: Delete one app that fuels worry or escapism.

Day 3: Tampa vs. Tahiti

The Tampa vacation felt perfect—until Instagram showed Tahiti. Comparison’s thorn pricks with every influencer’s post, every friend’s highlight reel. Jesus warned against wealth’s deceit: it lies about sufficiency. The rich young ruler’s net worth blinded him to the Pearl of Great Price. [39:44]

Contentment grows where gratitude is watered. Paul wrote Philippians from prison, yet 19 times he used "joy." The Israelites gathered manna daily; we hoard virtual breadcrumbs of approval. Jesus fed 5,000 with a boy’s lunch, not a five-star spread.

Next time envy flares during a scroll, speak three thanks aloud. What has God given that no filter can enhance?

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
(Philippians 4:11-13 NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for three unfiltered blessings in your actual life.
Challenge: Write down one comparison trap; burn or tear it as an offering.

Day 4: Fruit Party Invitations

Jesus’ seed grows in uncluttered moments: a walk, a meal, a drive. Joey’s airport fight began because he brought thorns (his phone) to a fruit party (human interaction). The disciples left boats to feast on Christ’s words; we bring Twitter to the table. [48:23]

Fruit parties happen offline. Mary anointed Jesus’ feet while others debated budgets. The Emmaus Road revelation came during a walk, not a webinar. Your family movie night is a potential harvest.

Where have you RSVP’d "yes" to distraction? Designate one daily space as a "no thorns zone." What relationships might bloom there?

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
(Romans 12:2 NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to highlight one "fruit party" moment you’ve missed this week.
Challenge: Eat one meal today with phones stacked face-down in the center.

Day 5: Eyes Up, Heart Open

Jesus looked up at Zacchaeus. He saw the widow’s mites. He noticed the disciples’ storm panic. In Atlanta, Joey finally saw Ron’s tears—and his own need to prune thorns. Presence starts with physical posture: chin up, palms open, ears unplugged. [54:27]

Your unlocked phone is a bowed head. Every glance downward whispers, "This matters more." The Good Shepherd lifts our heads to still waters; we lower them to stagnant streams.

Tomorrow, walk your neighborhood phone-free. Who might God place in your path? How will you signal availability?

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
(John 13:34-35 NIV)

Prayer: Confess times you’ve prioritized screens over someone’s need to be seen.
Challenge: Initiate a 10-minute conversation without checking your phone once.

Sermon Summary

A vivid airport confrontation becomes the lens for examining how smartphones function as modern thorns that choke spiritual and relational fruit. An unexpected apology and a moment of clear sight reveal how distraction and unchecked anger hide deeper pain, and how phones often prevent noticing that pain. The parable of the sower supplies the frame: seed equals the word of God and the soil equals human lives, while thorns represent three digital threats today, the worries of life, the pleasures or desires for other things, and the deceitfulness of wealth. Each of these digital thorns crowds out joy, presence, and truth by flooding hearts with anxiety, offering constant escapism, and encouraging endless comparison.

The talk insists that distraction is not a new temptation; CS Lewis showed how trivial diversions can accomplish the devil’s aim of separation. Today’s devices simply magnify that old strategy by delivering an endless stream of actionable and unactionable content that paralyzes will, erodes attention, and reorders priorities. Fruit remains the goal. Fruit denotes the visible outcomes of a life shaped by God’s word, and phones, left unchecked, rob daily seed moments of the light and nutrients they need to grow.

Hope arrives in the form of intentional pruning. The phrase before they attack, I must prune the thorns back crystallizes a proactive ethic: do not wait for choking to be obvious. Practical steps begin with identifying an us, a shared context that can hold new habits, then committing to three interlocking practices. First, live differently by refusing to bring phones into every seed moment; create physical distance daily. Second, look different by choosing to be visibly present in public and at tables; this nonverbal witness invites curiosity about what life without screens feels like. Third, love differently by slowing down, making eye contact, and listening longer so the lonely and the hurting feel seen.

Those practices aim less at technology removal and more at cultivating soil receptive to God’s word, producing generous fruit that surpasses what was sown. The final prayer ties these actions to a generational hope: small, disciplined changes can ripple into future lives and embody the works Jesus did through a people who look up.

Key Takeaways

1. Phones act as modern thorns Phones now supply the worries of the world, endless avenues for escapism, and a constant comparison economy that rewrites value. When these three pressures embed themselves in daily rhythms, they slowly suffocate joy, presence, and truth so spiritual seed never matures. Recognizing devices as potential thorns reframes technology stewardship as spiritual cultivation rather than mere time management. [35:16]
2. Prune thorns before they attack Waiting until choking is obvious allows damage to become habitual and deep-rooted; proactive pruning preserves future fruit. Intentional boundaries and small rituals free daily seed moments to receive light and nutrients instead of being wrapped by distraction. A short regular practice of pruning reshapes identity and creates space for growth to accelerate. [46:32]
3. Choose presence over constant distraction The phone promises relief from boredom and loneliness but usually deepens those very states by anesthetizing feelings and shortening attention. Choosing presence turns ordinary moments into invitations for spiritual and relational fruit, where attention itself becomes an act of love and worship. Practicing brief periods physically apart from screens trains the heart to resist the pull back toward escapism. [37:34]
4. Look up to love others Visible attention functions as soft proclamation of a different kingdom where people matter more than feeds. Looking up in lines, at tables, and in public signals that worth attaches to persons, not profiles, and opens doors to real compassion. Slowing, asking one more question, and making eye contact align everyday actions with Christlike presence. [52:36]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:03] - Airport confrontation
[27:42] - Technology and common feelings
[30:34] - Distraction is not new
[32:58] - Parable of the sower explained
[35:40] - Worries of life as thorns
[37:08] - Pleasures and everyday escapism
[38:46] - Deceitfulness of wealth and comparison
[40:56] - Seed, fruit, and what fruit means
[46:32] - Prune thorns before they attack
[47:46] - Live differently: practical steps
[50:52] - Look different: public witness
[52:36] - Love differently: slow and see
[55:58] - Closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Mark 4:18-19 (ESV)
“And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.”

Observation Questions

According to the parable, what three things "choke the word" and make it unfruitful? How do these relate to modern smartphone use? [[33:40]]
What specific examples were given in the sermon of how phones amplify the "worries of life" and "deceitfulness of wealth"? [[35:40]][[38:46]]
How does the sermon define "fruit" in the context of a life shaped by God’s word? What visible outcomes does it produce? [[40:56]]
What practical habit did the sermon suggest to create space for "seed moments" (e.g., family dinners, conversations) to grow? [[49:57]]

Interpretation Questions

Why might distraction (like phones) be more effective at choking spiritual growth than overtly harmful temptations? How does this align with C.S. Lewis’ point about trivial diversions? [[30:34]]
The sermon argues that "choking is not an instant death" but happens slowly. How does this explain why many people don’t notice their phones’ impact on their relationships or faith? [[42:58]]
How does the call to "look different" in public (e.g., phone-free tables) serve as a "soft proclamation of a different kingdom"? What biblical principles support this idea? [[51:11]]
Why is alignment with an "us" (family, church community) critical for pruning digital thorns effectively? [[47:05]]

Application Questions

Identify one daily "seed moment" (e.g., morning coffee, bedtime routines) where you could practice leaving your phone in another room. What resistance do you anticipate, and how will you overcome it? [[48:00]]
When you’re in public this week (e.g., grocery line, restaurant), commit to looking up instead of at your screen. What might you notice about the people around you that your phone usually distracts you from? [[52:23]]
The sermon warned that phones often deepen loneliness even as we use them to escape it. When do you most often turn to your phone to numb discomfort? What one step could you take to lean into that feeling instead (e.g., prayer, journaling, reaching out)? [[38:03]]
Choose a "thorn" to prune this week: worries (e.g., news apps), escapism (e.g., games), or comparison (e.g., social media). What specific boundary will you set (e.g., deleting one app, turning off notifications)? [[46:32]]
How could your family or small group hold each other accountable to "look different" in public spaces? What playful phrase or signal (like "fruit party") could you use to remind each other? [[49:26]]
The sermon urged listeners to "ask one more question" and "listen longer" in conversations. Who in your life needs to feel seen this week? How will you intentionally create space for them? [[54:27]]

Sermon Clips

49s

#LookUpLiveDifferent

“The the way we use our phones in public around others, this is an outward representation of what we value most or what we value least. So as Jesus followers, it is so critical that we look different. You may have heard that phrase, preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. You may have heard that phrase. I'll say something that that sounds a little bit shocking. In 2026, the greatest way to preach the gospel without words in public is simply to be off your phone looking up. It doesn't stop there, but it does start there. See, Jesus, he walked, talked, lived, and looked different. This is our way to look different.”

32s

#ComparisonChokesContentment

“And all of a sudden, next to Tahiti, Tampa's not all that great anymore, is it? If you could just have that Tahiti money, everything would be okay. The digital thorns strike again, choking out our contentment. You see, the constant comparison of our social media feeds is a reminder of what we don't have, which opens up our hearts to the lie that we are incomplete without that wealth. See, the worries of the deceitfulness of wealth, this is the thorn that chokes out truth.”

35s

#QuitWorryScrolling

“How about this? When was the last time you woke up and the very first thing you did was check your email? In in all of those instances, did you feel the worries of life begin to flood your heart? See, if you wanted to to build a warehouse for all the things you could possibly worry about, you just build an iPhone or an Android and let them hold all those things for you. And and the interesting thing about the worries of life that we consume on our phones is that most of them are completely inactionable by us. I can do very little about what I read on my news feed, but here's what it does. It gets in there, floods my heart, and it paralyzes me.”

40s

#ThornsChokeLife

“See, the thorns have one goal, and that is to choke and kill. And you can see it in how they grow. Thorns grow a couple different ways. One one way they grow, they grow by entirely taking over an area. And here's why they do that. They wanna take the sunlight from above. They wanna take the nutrients from the below in the soil, making life only sustainable for themselves and nothing else. The other way they grow is they grow by wrapping themselves around a healthy plant. So just by looking at it, you can tell what its goal is. It's to choke. And that may be the most important thing about this entire message is how they kill. It's choking.”

49s

#PruneThornsForLove

“See, this message I told you at the very beginning, this message is not anti technology. This is not a message on how to reduce your screen time. No. No. This is about something so much greater than that. Second Peter says, the ultimate crescendo to our faith is love. So this is about the incredible opportunity that all of us have to set aside the greatest impediment in our lives to walking alongside Jesus in love. So starting today, what about this? What if we what if we prune back the thorns before they attack? What if we cultivated good soil that will produce fruit? So let's let's live differently. Let's look different. All so that we could love the people and the world around us differently.”

47s

#LookListenLove

“You see this knowledge, this was the distinctive of Jesus. Jesus knew in the forefront of his mind at every moment of the day that there was pain in every room he entered. So what did he do as a result? Well, he walked a little bit slower. He made eye contact just a little bit longer. He asked one more question. He listened a little bit more intently. John 14, Jesus says, if you believe in me, you will do the works that I do. So today, Jesus is giving us all an invitation to do the works that he does by putting down our phones and by loving the world around us differently.”

45s

#TimelessWordDaily

“Quick little side note that I think worth noting here. This this parable, I think, above all of them, this shows us that Jesus is the goat. I mean, this is the greatest of all time. Jesus tells a story two thousand years ago to farmers in an agrarian society, and it's the perfect message, application, illustration for their lives. He tells us this same story two thousand years later, Menlo Park, California, the tech hub of the world, and it's the perfect application illustration message for our lives today. So so the bible tells us that the word of God is living and active. This is what it's talking about right here. This this is timeless principles that apply to our lives today. So this is why we should all be reading our bibles every single day because it is living and active.”

43s

#WordSeedsFruit

“So fruit the the seed that is not yet fruit. Fruit the seed is the potential of fruit. Seed represents the potential of something that can be greater later. And in this parable, Jesus tells us the seed represents the word of God. So this seed represents everything about the way God designed us to live. This seed represents everything that God says about us. This this seed represents what it means to live abundantly in Jesus. This this applies to our vocation. This applies to our studies. This applies to our relationships and everything in between. This seed represents the potential of every good thing in our lives, and it is in danger from the thorns.”

40s

#SmallDistractionsBigDamage

“If you can relate to that, more good news. You're not alone, and distraction is nothing new. In the nineteen forties, CS Lewis wrote a book called the Screwtape Letters that you may have heard of. Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis talks about the way that Satan tempts us, the the the tools that he uses to tempt us. And he uses a line in there talking about temptation, and he says that says that murder is no better than cards, referring to a deck of playing cards. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. So Satan's goal is to separate us, our mind, our will, our consciousness, our actions, intentions to separate all of us from God.”

33s

#ScrollingIsntRefreshing

“Quick question for the group. When when was the last time you went on Twitter, x, you scrolled for a few minutes, read through the comments, and you sat back and said, I feel very refreshed right now. Yeah. What a great place. Everybody's so nice in the comments. People are helping people out there. That that's a no? Okay. How about this? When was the last time you opened up your news feed? You scrolled for a few minutes and sat back and said, feels pretty good out there. Maybe go ahead and book that beach trip to the Strait Of Hormuz this summer. Things feel pretty good.”

28s

#GuardYourGround

“Okay. We got a few different characters in the story. Let's go through the characters. First thing we have, we have the ground. The ground in this this parable represents us and our lives. Second thing we have, we have seed. Seed represents God's word. Third thing we have, we have fruit. This is the potential outgrowth of the seed. And then the fourth thing we have is the thorns. The thorns are the threat to the seed and they represent three things, the worries of life, the pleasures of life, and the deceitfulness of wealth.”

53s

#DontLetThornsWin

“Choking can happen slowly. Choking can happen almost indecipherably, overgrowing our gardens, wrapping around our lives, sucking the oxygen out of all the things that are most important to us sometimes without us realizing it's even happening. Y'all, the garden we've been planted in in 2026 is surrounded by digital thorns. We have them with us everywhere. We take them with us to every moment of our lives, and they have the potential to choke out every good thing we want in our lives sometimes without us noticing it's even happening. And let's be honest with each other. It can feel a little hopeless, And hopeless is how I felt standing in the middle of the Atlanta Airport nine years ago.”

35s

#PutPhoneDownSeePeople

“And I saw who I was in that moment. I saw myself. I'm a father spent most of his time as a dad just telling his kids to be kind to other people, which is advice I really could have used in that moment. I saw myself, a little boy in a grown man's body who couldn't control his tongue. See, this is a moment as Jesus followers. Like, this is Super Bowl moment. Like, this is a prime time moment for me to show the love of Jesus to someone who is hurting. But because I was lost in the world of my phone, I didn't have the physical eyes. I didn't have the spiritual eyes to see that this man was in pain.”

27s

#PhonesDerailIntentions

“But there was a part of that story that bet you could relate to. The the this idea that our phones can be distractions in the way of our great intentions. So we think about our day. We wanna have a great quiet time in the morning, or we wanna we wanna be really focused at work. We wanna be focused in our studies throughout the day. We wanna have quality time at the end of the day with the people we love. But then that little buzz in our pocket gets us, and we find ourselves lost in the world of our phones, completely detached from the great intentions we have for ourselves.”

33s

#ThisOneIsForYou

“That if today, if you feel a feeling of shame as we talk about this, this this feeling that, I haven't really gotten this right, I have good news. None of us have gotten this right, so you're in great company today. Second thing we often feel, we feel blame. We feel this thing that maybe this is somebody else's problem. If you feel that way today, I have good news for you. This message is not for your spouse. Message is not for your kids. Message is not for your parents or your in laws. This message is for you and for the good of your life, so please internalize this for yourself.”

27s

#WealthIsAStory

“Finally, the deceitfulness of wealth. And y'all, I love I love this phrasing. You see, it's not it's not wealth. It's the story that wealth tells us. Wealth tells us that everything would be okay if we just had, what, more. If we just had more. We even use wealth as a barometer of our own value when we use the term net worth. And there's no greater reminder of our value, especially compared to others, than our social media feeds.”

38s

#NoThornsAtFruitParty

“It's kinda like that. You you see, when we bring our phones, when we bring our thorns to a potential moment of fruits to a fruit party, it's just like bringing thorns to a fruit party. You know, one glance at a phone, our phones in the middle of a date night can kill that moment. So what if for that hour long date night, what if we just didn't bring our phones there in the first place? So I want you to use this phrase, don't bring thorns to a fruit party. And I wanna encourage you, I think how to say this, playfully weaponize this with each other. Daughters, if your dad takes out his phone in the middle of a family movie, say, dad, you silly goose.”

49s

#SeePainLoveBetter

“Let's just see what happens. And here's what will happen. When we live differently and when we look different, we will have the opportunity to love the people and the world around us differently. One of the most piercing quotes I've heard over the last year is to never underestimate the amount of pain in any room you enter. In the Atlanta Airport nine years ago, there was pain in a man who had lost his father. In this room today, there is pain. You may have lost somebody that you love. You may be in a divorce that feels like it's ripping your heart out. You may you may have a financial situation. You may have a medical situation that feels absolutely inescapable.”

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