We are all wrestling with technology’s enhancement and disruption of our daily lives.

If you are trying to find a balance and make sense of how technology fits into your life and that of your family, you are cordially invited to The Kindling’s WinterFest 2014 with Dr. Craig Detweiler who will deliver four lectures on the subject of emerging technologies and their effect on everyday life.

Detweiler directs the Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. His books include: “iGods: How Technology Shapes our Spiritual and Social Lives,”“Don’t Stop Believin: Pop Culture and Religion from Ben Hur to Zombies,” and “Halos and Avatars: Playing Video Games with God”. His cultural commentary has been featured on Nightline, CNN, Fox News, Al Jazeera, NPR, and in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Here is the line-up:

Friday, March 28 at 7 p.m.: “The Apple of Our Eye”. Steve Jobs transformed Apple into the most beautiful (and profitable) walled garden. How should we respond to the possibilities and temptations contained in our smart phones? Can we cultivate our call to create rather than merely consume?

Saturday, March 29 at 9 a.m.: Celtic Worship with Jeff Johnson and Wendy Goodwin.

10 a.m.: “More than Metrics.” In the online world, you are what you click? How do we get beyond the filter bubbles created by Google, Amazon, and Netflix to something deeper? What will it take for us to see ourselves and each other as more than numbers?

7 p.m.: “Our Social Selves.” From Facebook and Instagram to Twitter and YouTube, social media allows us to aggregate friends and followers into an audience. What does it mean to join an online community? How do we care for others in an age of digital discipleship?

Sunday, March 30 9:30 a.m.: “Faith and the Telos of Technology.” Where is technology heading? From hip replacements to pacemakers to hearing aids, we’re all becoming cyborgs enhanced by technological upgrades. Futurist Ray Kurzweil has envisioned a point of “singularity”  at which artificial intelligence exceeds human capacities. How do the values of technological efficiency (fast, cheap, convenient) square with faith?

Admission is a suggested donation of $80 for the weekend or $25 per session. All lectures will be held at the Orcas Island Community Church. Visit www.orcaschurch.org or call 376-6422 for more information.