Sunday, September 12, 2010

Prayer Pt. 5: Solitude

Prayer Pt. 5: Solitude
Speaker: Crispin Schroeder
I.               Frenzied, Busy and Distracted
A.    How To Be Alone
B.    What The Internet is Doing to Our Brains
II.              A Life of Solitude
A.    Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42)
B.    Jesus’ public ministry was anchored in a private life of solitude (Matthew 4:1, Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Luke 4:42)
C.   Solitude in the Psalms (Psalm 42:1-2, Psalm 23)
III.            The Benefits of Solitude in the Spiritual Life
IV.      Conclusion and Homework (Philippians 4:4-8)

1 comment:

  1. Having spent 21 years in the crazy high school setting, where my life was literally dictated my the needs of a hundred kids a day and scheduled bells that rang whether you wanted them to or not in spite of what was going on in your life or how you felt, I can honestly say that I now enjoy being alone more than ever. My wife, too. The down side of that is I have developed such an aversion to being micromanaged in any way that I am extremely picky about whom I do spend time with (on a social basis). That said, I still don’t like to eat by myself in a restaurant. Ha! What’s up with that?

    I hear ya’ on the technology literally changing the way we process and perceive things. I spend more than enough time on-line as it is, which is why I don’t blog (though I follow a few and usually comment on them as you know) or use My Space, Twitter, Face Book, or whatever will be the next “new and exciting” communication medium. They are all destined for the “Short Attention Span Cemetery” anyway, LOL! I do email, and that is enough for me, even though that is viewed as archaic and obsolete by predominantly those younger than me. I’m not a big phone talker either, and even with Skype and Google Talk, etc., as even that gets old quickly. Certainly I know that is not going to change, but I’m glad my foundation is solid, and I can now simply say “no” when I’m bombarded with advertisements that say I can’t be “successful” without the latest technological innovation. I absolutely am not against the latest “stuff,” but I can tell you that it takes discipline and maturity to decide what one really “needs” as opposed to what one really “wants.” Certainly one’s occupation dictates much of that need for the latest device/application. My son, Tim, Jr., just got his Ph.D. in Psychology and for all the schools he services, he told me that – and these are his exact words – his “… iPhone has literally changed my (his) life….” I thought he was kidding at first. Then I realized, he’s dead serious. Frankly, that concerns me more than a little….

    In the final analysis, spiritual disciplines take, well, discipline. Given enough time and priority in one’s life, they can eventually become (hopefully) good and meaningful habits. May we have the clear thinking to know what is truly important, what is truly necessary, and what it is that God would have us do, and reprioritize our lives accordingly. Thanks Crispin. TA

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