Hello All!

Just a quick post to let you know some exciting news!

Our research consent form and surveys have all received approval and we will begin conducting our research next week!

Please pray that our students will be excited and willing to participate in our research; they are ready for school to be finished (so are we!), but we need the opportunity to have them work with us to complete this section of our work quickly.

As I have conducted informal polls and discussions with my students this year concerning our research, I am more and more excited to see just what we are able to learn about how our students use social media and what the possible impact has been on their spiritual development and maturity.

The assumption has been made for so long that smart phones and tablets are mostly used for entertainment, gaming and social media, but as technology improves, these tools become more important for work, for study, and for community. We have the opportunity to gather solid data concerning community, discipleship, and just what role digital media play in spiritual formation.

It is an exciting time for us, so please keep Matt Dixon, Matt Vander Wiele and me in your prayers as we spend the next few months reading the data results and compiling our reports.

Here are a few dates for you to keep in mind and in your prayers in the coming months:

Parental Consent Forms: This week and next week. Please pray parents are willing to allow their students to participate and will be timely in returning the forms.

Student Surveys: April 21- May 5. Please pray that students will be open and transparent with us in their surveys so that we have the most accurate information possible.

Data Analysis and Writing: June-August.
Please pray we will collect and analyze the data we gather quickly, and that our results will be clear and productive for us to move forward with our writing.

September 15: The final drafts of our theses are due to the Doctoral Studies Office. Please pray they will be accepted so we can prepare for our defense hearings.

October 15-17: Thesis defense hearings, Louisville, KY. We will defend our research and results before a board of professors and experts in our field of study. Please pray for peace, wisdom, confidence in the work we have completed, and for approvals for us all!

Should everything go according to plan, we will graduate in December. What an incredible journey the last few years has been, and I am thankful for all of you who have been a part of it by praying, by sending notes of encouragement, and by donating financially to our research.

If you would like to donate, I am still in need of support to finish this work. I am a Timothy Scholarship recipient through The Generosity Trust, and you can make a tax deductible donation to this scholarship fund by check or online by marking your donation “TSF: Rebekah Mason.”

The Generosity Trust
736 Market Street, Ste. 1402
Chattanooga, TN 37402

Thanks again for all of your support, and I look forward to sharing more good news in the coming months!