ScottRoss 05/11/11
Hello folks. See if you can identify with this:
“We are afraid of silence. I get into the car, I turn on my radio. I get into the elevator, they play music for me. Why? Because we’re afraid to be alone for two seconds with ourselves. It’s OK to be quiet. It’s OK to just sit and listen. It’s OK to not fill the air with small talk and cheap talk and sports talk. Just leave enough silence in which something can be felt.” (Rabbi Jack Riemer as quoted in, The Book of Jewish Values, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin.)
The following “parable” is adapted from an unknown source. I have taken the liberty of making personal annotations.
In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, “We can’t keep the people from going to church. We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. So let them go to their churches, let them have their lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can’t gain that relationship with Jesus Christ.”
“This is what I want you to do angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day.”
“How shall we do this?” shouted his angels.
“Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered.
“Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow.”
“Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6 and 7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles.”
“Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!”
“Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or CD player whenever they drive. To keep the TV, VCR CDs and their PCs going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays music constantly.”
“Twitter and Face-less book, cell phones and texting… talk, talk, talk.”
“Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogues, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services, and false hopes.”
“Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines so the husbands will believe that external beauty is what’s important, and they’ll become dissatisfied with their wives.”
“Ha! That will fragment those families quickly!”
“Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week.”
“Don’t let them go out in nature to reflect on God’s wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts, and movies instead.”
“Keep them busy, busy, busy!!!”
“And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotions.”
“Crowd their lives with so many good causes that soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and families for the good of the cause.”
And meetings, meetings, meetings!
“All this will jam their minds and break that union with ‘the still small voice'.”
“It will work! It will work!”
It was quite a convention. And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing people everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and to rush here and there. I guess the question is: Has the enemy been successful at his scheme?”
With writer, poet, Annie Dillard: “I have a taste for solitude and silence.”
And this prayer:
“I'm asking GOD for one thing,
only one thing:
To live with him in his house
my whole life long.
That's the only quiet, secure place
in a noisy world,
The perfect getaway,
far from the buzz of traffic.” (Psalm 27.4-5)
Selah: stop and think about these things. I’d be interested in your comments and this will be continued.
Thanks,
Scott Ross
Sounds of Silence - Getting Unplugged
Hello folks. See if you can identify with this:
“We are afraid of silence. I get into the car, I turn on my radio. I get into the elevator, they play music for me. Why? Because we’re afraid to be alone for two seconds with ourselves. It’s OK to be quiet. It’s OK to just sit and listen. It’s OK to not fill the air with small talk and cheap talk and sports talk. Just leave enough silence in which something can be felt.” (Rabbi Jack Riemer as quoted in, The Book of Jewish Values, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin.)
The following “parable” is adapted from an unknown source. I have taken the liberty of making personal annotations.
Satan called a worldwide convention.
In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, “We can’t keep the people from going to church. We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. So let them go to their churches, let them have their lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can’t gain that relationship with Jesus Christ.”
“This is what I want you to do angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day.”
“How shall we do this?” shouted his angels.
“Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered.
“Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow.”
“Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6 and 7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles.”
“Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!”
“Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or CD player whenever they drive. To keep the TV, VCR CDs and their PCs going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays music constantly.”
“Twitter and Face-less book, cell phones and texting… talk, talk, talk.”
“Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogues, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services, and false hopes.”
“Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines so the husbands will believe that external beauty is what’s important, and they’ll become dissatisfied with their wives.”
“Ha! That will fragment those families quickly!”
“Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week.”
“Don’t let them go out in nature to reflect on God’s wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts, and movies instead.”
“Keep them busy, busy, busy!!!”
“And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotions.”
“Crowd their lives with so many good causes that soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and families for the good of the cause.”
And meetings, meetings, meetings!
“All this will jam their minds and break that union with ‘the still small voice'.”
“It will work! It will work!”
It was quite a convention. And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing people everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and to rush here and there. I guess the question is: Has the enemy been successful at his scheme?”
With writer, poet, Annie Dillard: “I have a taste for solitude and silence.”
And this prayer:
“I'm asking GOD for one thing,
only one thing:
To live with him in his house
my whole life long.
That's the only quiet, secure place
in a noisy world,
The perfect getaway,
far from the buzz of traffic.” (Psalm 27.4-5)
Selah: stop and think about these things. I’d be interested in your comments and this will be continued.
Thanks,
Scott Ross