The past few weeks I have been serving at Trail West Lodge Young Life Camp and have had my phone taken from me throughout the week. For many of you, this sounds terrible, but it is one of the best parts of this experience.

At camp, we like to provide old school fun, real conversations, and let you connect with nature and it's Creator. The real experiences that take place would be severely nullified if viewed through a screen. Having a community with the same heart striving to serve makes the days so full of life that I don't even realize my phone is gone.

The other night we got our phones back, but after checking in with some good friends and family, I was over it, and I think most other people here were too. At around 11 we all decided to hike to this lookout and see the Colorado stars. We all had our phones in our pockets but we were so awed by the experience that we just watched, talked, and praised, not thinking about the black boxes that had been returned to us.

At home, nothing dilutes a real experience more than looking around and seeing that everyone is a zombie on their phone. I think my least favorite question I get asked is, "Can you do that thing again so I can put it on snapchat?" Everything from concerts to sporting events has become slightly less exciting due to phones, which has made this experience that much more meaningful.

The only thing I really find myself missing is any sports information, but the big stuff still travels through. Having no technology cannot stop the news of LeBron joining the Lakers from getting to me. Also, taking a crap has become a little more boring.

If there is one thing I really want to stress from my past 3 weeks it's the freedom you get when you leave your phone behind. I feel way more connected spiritually and to others than I could have if I was constantly needing to check twitter.

Life is a beautiful gift, don't waste it living through a black mirror.