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With Campus Cross Walk
Written by: CampUs4 1/28/2010 9:58 AM
Unplugging to Plug In by Mark W. Gibbs The noise … coming from my ear buds, coming from my Sirius satellite radio, coming from my iPhone, coming from my laptop computer, coming in audible form, coming in visual form… the constant barrage of stimuli coming in the form of television programming and advertisement, in the form of Internet social networks, in the form of text messages and constant telephone conversations leaves very little room in life today for prayer of any sort. When we factor in the noise created inside our own heads in the form of that running conversation we are constantly having with ourselves, is there any time at all left for communing with the Divine? Though the early desert Fathers and Mothers of the Christian faith had none of the above forms of noise other than face to face conversations and occasional reading and writing, these saintly men and women sought to escape the noise of their outside world in favor of a quiet leading to a life of contemplative prayer. It takes quiet to enter into a state of prayer that is more than just our cursory efforts at meals and before bed. St. Cyprian of Carthage (+258 AD) said, “There is need of constant prayer lest we defect from the heavenly kingdom…” Evagrios the Solitary (+399 AD) notes, “Prayer is the flower of gentleness and of freedom from anger. Prayer is the fruit of joy and thankfulness. Prayer is the remedy for gloom and despondency.” These early Christian writers are clear in their insistence on the benefit of a deep and abiding prayer life. In The Sacrament of Love, contemporary theologian Paul Evdokimov wrote, “It is not enough to say prayers; one must become, be prayer, prayer incarnate. It is not enough to have moments of praise; all of life, each act, every gesture, even the smile of the human face, must become a hymn of adoration, an offering, a prayer.” With contemplative prayer being so necessary for the Christian life, one wonders where our commitment to prayer goes. I wake with only moments left before dashing to class. I eat on the run. I fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day with barely a thought toward God, all the time being completely “wired” (or these days, “wireless”) to the outside world. The hustle and bustle of our daily “grind” seems to refuse to allow us to just stop and “become prayer.” St. Paul exhorts us to “pray without ceasing…rejoicing always” (1 Thess. 5:17-18). In this technological age in which we live, how do we unplug long enough to really “plug in?” How can we plug in to communication with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? It truly must begin with a more disciplined life of prayer and contemplation. I find it humorous that one of the early Church Fathers insisted that the dogs be put outside before we begin our daily prayers! I would suggest that we need to put our technological dogs outside before we begin our daily prayers as well! Now, in reality, each of us strives to live out our daily lives within academia with some level of success (as student, professor, or campus minister), so to unplug from our modern means of communication is relatively impossible. I do not expect that many of us will leave it all behind and escape into the desert of a monastery, much less a literal desert where we will find the quiet that allows serious prayer. However, taking small steps toward dampening the noise enables one to commune with the Holy Trinity through not only spoken prayers, but through silence as well. Perhaps we can just begin daily with the simple prayer of the publican: “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:9-14). Dr. Mark W. Gibbs is Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Spartanburg Methodist College in Spartanburg, SC. He is a graduate of Montreat-Anderson College, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and the University of Wales-Lampeter.
Unplugging to Plug In
by Mark W. Gibbs
The noise … coming from my ear buds, coming from my Sirius satellite radio, coming from my iPhone, coming from my laptop computer, coming in audible form, coming in visual form… the constant barrage of stimuli coming in the form of television programming and advertisement, in the form of Internet social networks, in the form of text messages and constant telephone conversations leaves very little room in life today for prayer of any sort.
When we factor in the noise created inside our own heads in the form of that running conversation we are constantly having with ourselves, is there any time at all left for communing with the Divine?
Though the early desert Fathers and Mothers of the Christian faith had none of the above forms of noise other than face to face conversations and occasional reading and writing, these saintly men and women sought to escape the noise of their outside world in favor of a quiet leading to a life of contemplative prayer. It takes quiet to enter into a state of prayer that is more than just our cursory efforts at meals and before bed.
St. Cyprian of Carthage (+258 AD) said, “There is need of constant prayer lest we defect from the heavenly kingdom…” Evagrios the Solitary (+399 AD) notes, “Prayer is the flower of gentleness and of freedom from anger. Prayer is the fruit of joy and thankfulness. Prayer is the remedy for gloom and despondency.” These early Christian writers are clear in their insistence on the benefit of a deep and abiding prayer life. In The Sacrament of Love, contemporary theologian Paul Evdokimov wrote, “It is not enough to say prayers; one must become, be prayer, prayer incarnate. It is not enough to have moments of praise; all of life, each act, every gesture, even the smile of the human face, must become a hymn of adoration, an offering, a prayer.”
With contemplative prayer being so necessary for the Christian life, one wonders where our commitment to prayer goes. I wake with only moments left before dashing to class. I eat on the run. I fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day with barely a thought toward God, all the time being completely “wired” (or these days, “wireless”) to the outside world. The hustle and bustle of our daily “grind” seems to refuse to allow us to just stop and “become prayer.”
St. Paul exhorts us to “pray without ceasing…rejoicing always” (1 Thess. 5:17-18). In this technological age in which we live, how do we unplug long enough to really “plug in?” How can we plug in to communication with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? It truly must begin with a more disciplined life of prayer and contemplation.
I find it humorous that one of the early Church Fathers insisted that the dogs be put outside before we begin our daily prayers! I would suggest that we need to put our technological dogs outside before we begin our daily prayers as well! Now, in reality, each of us strives to live out our daily lives within academia with some level of success (as student, professor, or campus minister), so to unplug from our modern means of communication is relatively impossible. I do not expect that many of us will leave it all behind and escape into the desert of a monastery, much less a literal desert where we will find the quiet that allows serious prayer. However, taking small steps toward dampening the noise enables one to commune with the Holy Trinity through not only spoken prayers, but through silence as well.
Perhaps we can just begin daily with the simple prayer of the publican: “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:9-14).
Dr. Mark W. Gibbs is Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Spartanburg Methodist College in Spartanburg, SC. He is a graduate of Montreat-Anderson College, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and the University of Wales-Lampeter.
4 comments so far...
Re: Unplugging to Plug In I read this on my cell phone. Such a bad example. :) Great article my brother! Now if only I could put those words into action.
Re: Unplugging to Plug In
I read this on my cell phone. Such a bad example. :) Great article my brother! Now if only I could put those words into action.
Re: Unplugging to Plug In Thanks, Mark, this is an excellent article and one that I needed.Don't know if you've seen the Nooma video on silence - it is excellent (although it's obviously a video!). http://nooma.com/nooma_noise_005_rob_bell.phpI think we need to be taught how to experience/deal with silence. We once had a devo with a couple of 5 minute blocks of silence, and one person told me they timed one of the times of silence at over 15 minutes. I went back and timed it on the tape and it was 6. But for some folks, that much silence - even with instructions on how to use the time - was nearly unbearable.This is a spiritual discipline that's natural for some and hard for others. Any suggestions on how to practice this discipline if we've never tried before? How do we silence the voices in our heads? How do we focus and not be distracted by every sound? How do we listen for God's voice?Thanks!Matt
Thanks, Mark, this is an excellent article and one that I needed.Don't know if you've seen the Nooma video on silence - it is excellent (although it's obviously a video!). http://nooma.com/nooma_noise_005_rob_bell.phpI think we need to be taught how to experience/deal with silence. We once had a devo with a couple of 5 minute blocks of silence, and one person told me they timed one of the times of silence at over 15 minutes. I went back and timed it on the tape and it was 6. But for some folks, that much silence - even with instructions on how to use the time - was nearly unbearable.This is a spiritual discipline that's natural for some and hard for others. Any suggestions on how to practice this discipline if we've never tried before? How do we silence the voices in our heads? How do we focus and not be distracted by every sound? How do we listen for God's voice?Thanks!Matt
Re: Unplugging to Plug In Thanks Matt,Your question is most likely one of those "eternal" sorts of questions....asked by all believers from time immemorial. Let me first say that I wrote that short article to MYSELF first and foremost. As an admitted facebook addict and owner of an iPhone, I have my own demons to deal with when it comes to being "wired."But, your question asks about how to deal with silence when we have found ourselves finally there... Since I do not consider myself to be a qualified "spiritual father," I would say first that one should seek the counsel of one's pastor, minister, priest for the type of spiritual counsel that should accompany the discipline of contemplative prayer. Having said that, I have found that the advice of the "staretz" (spiritual father) whose advice the pilgrim sought in the book "The Way of the Pilgrim" is one way to silence the "voices." Recitation of "The Jesus Prayer" or "the prayer of the heart" allows one to stay focused on the goal of contemplative prayer. The advice is to concentrate on the prayer of the tax collector (the Publican) that I mentioned at the end of the article..."Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." Now all that sounds very nice and good, but to put these things into practice is another story! :)This is just me, but when I pray extemporaneously, my mind wanders....when I pray the prayers of the Saints throughout the ages, by concentrating on his or her words, I can stay more focused.Forgive me for such a weak response to your questions.With much humility,Mark
Thanks Matt,Your question is most likely one of those "eternal" sorts of questions....asked by all believers from time immemorial. Let me first say that I wrote that short article to MYSELF first and foremost. As an admitted facebook addict and owner of an iPhone, I have my own demons to deal with when it comes to being "wired."But, your question asks about how to deal with silence when we have found ourselves finally there... Since I do not consider myself to be a qualified "spiritual father," I would say first that one should seek the counsel of one's pastor, minister, priest for the type of spiritual counsel that should accompany the discipline of contemplative prayer. Having said that, I have found that the advice of the "staretz" (spiritual father) whose advice the pilgrim sought in the book "The Way of the Pilgrim" is one way to silence the "voices." Recitation of "The Jesus Prayer" or "the prayer of the heart" allows one to stay focused on the goal of contemplative prayer. The advice is to concentrate on the prayer of the tax collector (the Publican) that I mentioned at the end of the article..."Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." Now all that sounds very nice and good, but to put these things into practice is another story! :)This is just me, but when I pray extemporaneously, my mind wanders....when I pray the prayers of the Saints throughout the ages, by concentrating on his or her words, I can stay more focused.Forgive me for such a weak response to your questions.With much humility,Mark
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http://www.p90xmall.com
The cost for P90X is about three months of a paid gym membership but you get to keep the program forever,P90x . You can try many of the online sites, but it will be the same as buying from the company or a Beachbody Coach. Make sure you are getting original DVD's. People are selling copies all over. The problem is how long will they last, P90x workout ,and you truly need the exercise and nutrition guide to even follow the program. You can go to any site or you can go and click on products. P90x dvd You can order directly from the site. You love a challenge,insanity and you don’t mind working out on a pool of your own sweat, you might just be crazy enough for the Insanity Workout. The extreme total body conditioning program that delivers mind blowing results in record time,Insaniy DVD.注册香港公司，香港公司注册
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