Silence is Golden

Psalm 131:2
"But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me."

One of the most needed disciplines in our life is silence!  There is so much noise: TV, Radio, Podcast, iTunes, Blue Ray, HD, CDs, DVDs, etc.  With so much noise it makes it very difficult to set and keep our mind on Jesus.

 Jesus is our teacher and model.  One thing He models in the gospels is His need to be silent.  As you walk through Galilee and Judea with Jesus in the gospel stories, you may notice how often He finds quiet places. This is essential for us if we are going to be transformed into Christlikeness.  God spoke through David the great warrior poet and told us to "be still and know I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

So our experiment this week is to be still and silent. 

Experiment 001: Turn off the noise.

Almost all of us travel to work during the week. Most likely we are listening to the radio, CDs or the famous iPod.  Maybe it's sports radio, NPR, right-wing talk, country music, kidd kradick, rap music, praise & worship, or a sermon. One thing i've discovered over the past 2 years, is our cars, trucks, SUVs and vans turn out to be unique opportunities for silence. Our drive to work doesn't have to be a race, it can be a rest.  So, i am proposing that one morning this week we turn off the noise as we journey to work.  This may mean 10 minutes or 45 minutes, it doesn't matter how much, it just matters that we do it.  

What do i do while i am driving? i have two suggestions. meditate on one of your favorite scripture verses, or pray for your family members & friends.  One of my favorites for meditation is Psalm 23, 'the Lord is my Shepherd..." or use the verses quoted in this blog.

If you find that this special time of silence helped set your mind on Jesus then think seriously about how you can incorporate it into your weekly schedule (Luke 14:28-33). Enjoy the silence this week! Let Jesus transform you and shape you as you set aside time in your car, truck, SUV or van  just for Him.

Remember please comment on your experiment this week. Let's create some community on this blog! We may not be able to see each other everyday or week, but at least we can stay in touch. Also, if you want to receive an email when a new experiment is posted please let me know by posting it in the comments section.

 

Seek the Kingdom,

Jon 

"If we desire to have a true understanding of His gospels, we must study to conform our life as nearly as we can to His"

Thomas A Kempis

The Imitation of Christ

(Brought to you by Zach Silvers study time on Monday morning. Thanks Zach!)

Welcome & Introduction

This blog is all about taking Jesus seriously.  It's so easy to go to church and tip the preacher and be done. It seems there is (at least from where i am from) a lot of frustration with Christianity and church.  My goal is just to provide practical applications for Christians who really want to become like Jesus.  We are tired of quick fixes, 7 steps to whatever and church hopping. We need a place to really learn and live with Jesus. And i believe that turns out to be right where we are.  So, hopefully this blog can at least help us move in the right direction. 

You can expect a new experiment every week (probably Monday or Tuesday.) I will call them experiments but my hope is they will become disciplines.  The goal is to try an experiment every week, and if it really fits your station of life, then make it a discipline.  Disciplines help us follow Jesus. Disciplines are not righteousness, but wisdom (Dallas Willard). Jesus said, "take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart" (Matt 11:28-30).  So this is how we learn from Jesus by actually putting into practice what He teaches in the gospels.  

It would be great to get feedback going from people and see how the experiments are going.  Tell about your experience in the comments section.  You may want to say, 'that was really great", or 'that sucked!' Either way, lets just talk about it and create some community and help each other on the Jesus Way.  

A disciple is someone who is learning to be, not so much know. We want to be like Jesus, not just know stuff about Him. A disciple of Jesus is someone who has  decided that the most important thing in life is to be with Him learning to be like HIm.

I hope you will journey with us as we journey with Jesus.

Seek the Kingdom,

Jon

P.S. If you would like to be notified by email when the new post is up just let me know and I will add your email address to the automatic blog send list.