Catching up on the TV show everyone is talking about.
Reading that classic book I've always wanted to read.
I even found Mega Man II for the iPhone (only $0.99). My inner child went crazy as I beat Dr. Wiley.
But I'm to the point of information overload.
Even written media is all too accessible. With book printing cheaper and self publishing possible, most people can (and will) write their own book. Some established authors have decided to give away their eBooks and audiobooks. They don't want the money. They want to spread their ideas.
All of this is great. Except that excess runs counter to the spiritual disciplines.
Spiritual disciplines: environments we create for God to speak to us.
(Prayer, fasting, silence, study, solitude, worship, simplicity, giving)
We practice these, not legalistically, but to slow ourselves down, orient ourselves unto God, and to be quiet long enough to hear Him speak.
In the South, when we talk about Church Tradition, we think the typical. Hard pews. Choir robes. Hymnals. Pot lucks. But these traditions are a mere hundred years old. Last week, I brought up the fact that Catholic church traditions run thousands of years old. The sacrament. Confession. Creeds.
These traditions have always been with the Church.
The same is true with the spiritual disciplines. The old saints spent their lives pursuing God through disciplines. Practicing and honing it like a craft or a skill. Caring deeply for the disciplines as if taking care of a child.
And to think, I get caught up in Twitter instead.
So this is me, slowing down.
This is me saying that I need God more than whatever shiny distractions present themselves.
So next week? Prayer.
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Have you had similar or different experiences with media and distractions?
