silence

I should be in bed. Everyone has been asleep for at least 45 minutes and I'm still up. Had a free drink coupon for Starbucks, though, and just ran out to get a Frappucino with Jesus before I start my week. As I drove around for about 15 minutes all by myself, I flipped on the radio and heard this little interview with some author about her practice of silence for the last 17 years. She wasn't a believer, but she had some good insights. Practicing a day of silence once a week for the past several years has made her a better listener. It has made her slow down and notice things around her, increasing her gratitude. She pointed out that we our world is so noisy now - if not with actual noise, then with activity. She attributed most of that to technology. Even if we're not speaking, we're on the internet (yes, guilty as charged! :)). When asked why we do that, she said that it's because we're trying to escape from ourselves. Certainly not always true, but how often do I get on this computer or play with our latest gadget (or see my kids do this) because I am trying to escape something else? I am full of a growing passion right now for reading and the power of words - that's for another post, but her words made me think. How much more difficult is it to hear God and anyone else when we can't seem to slow down and LISTEN? I think I may try this discipline of silence in our family soon because I've definitely noticed that we are not quite yet as skilled as we could be in the Jesus art of listening to people. :) Blah, blah. Just some random thoughts I wanted to record before I forget. I'll blog about one of the many things on my heart, hopefully sometime this week. Reading aloud, literacy, beauty and the poor, the Bible study that God has started on our street, kids and character training, Holy Spirit and His life lived through us, gratitude for our church Body....