Too Much Noise -- Too Little Hearing God's Voice

Back to reality from being away in our favorite fishing location. Wifi is spotty there – so not the place to be for being entertained by current world events. But, who cared? We were immersed in the beauty and sounds of creation. It just seemed God’s quiet voice could be heard there so much easier.

So, back to my routine here at home. Instead of choosing the silence to hear His voice, I put in my new cordless ear buds, silenced the sounds of the great outdoors and let my upbeat Christian music blare in my ears. The first song was too loud. I turned the volume down. Second song was too slow and I got the message from Heaven Central. I could sense God wanted my undivided attention. As soon as I “unplugged” while walking westward at 5:55 am – the most incredible view of the moon going down came into vision. It was like the Man in the Moon was winking at me – all bright with his orange glow. Then I looked eastward, and there was God showing off His artistry with an incredible sky painting. It took my breath away.

I posted those two heaven-sent views yesterday with the confession that I almost missed it all because of the noise. I posted: “I think God is saying something to me and you. Let’s shut out the noise and listen and watch for Him in the middle of it all.” I sincerely got the message: “less noise – more Him”.

I’ve come to terms with God being a quiet God. Yes, He speaks, but He seems to say it best when He chooses to communicate through His creation. I know He is free to speak loud and boisterous like when He blasted out: “I Am that I Am” to Moses, but He most often chooses to speak in quiet ways. Though He wows our eyes with His masterpieces, He usually reveals Himself to our ears -- quietly.

All around us, humanity is shouting and screaming about something they agree or disagree with -- while God whispers His presence and reveals His character through the brother and sisterhood we are witnessing as well. This noisy world, and our quiet God, are a reason so many people don't believe God is real or loving. Having not heard from Him, they assume He doesn’t exist. But He does…He just speaks with a softer voice than the crass, loud voices.

If ever humanity needs to pay attention to hear God speaking, it is today. If we aren’t intentional in seeking to hear His voice, we will likely never hear Him. Not in this culture. Not in the noisyness of our times. I am convinced that our gracious heavenly Father speaks to every one of His children constantly, giving us all the information and guidance we need to be total overcomers. There isn’t a problem with His transmitter; it’s our receiver that needs help.

Most people are imploring God to speak, when it’s our hearing that needs to be adjusted. Taking this faith-stance that God is speaking and then learning to listen and obey will transform our relationship with the Lord. It could save our lives.

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." John 10:27

Technology ROCKS!!!

I get amused when I hear folks talking about the “good old days” when we could leave our doors unlocked, where the worst thing we did in schools was chew gum, where kids played outside using their imaginations, and gas was 23 cents a gallon (or less). But were the good old days -- really that good? Were the good old days that good when tornadoes came without warning because, without technology, no one could see them building ahead of time. And were the good old days that good when it took days to communicate with a loved one because the only communication was "snail mail". Now we can communicate instantaneously by social media and email. In the good old days we had to stop at a pay phone to make a call. We had to carry a camera for photos, and an extra “Palm Pilot” that carried our contacts in it. Now we have cell phones that do it all. I love this photo of “Before and After" photo.

My word for today is TECHNOLOGY: methods, systems, and devices which are the result of scientific knowledge being used for practical purposes.

Yesterday I posted that I had been on a retreat for the weekend. That meant being unplugged from technology. As most know, my personal mission since my husband graduated to heaven 7+ years ago, has been to provide a daily blog and Facebook post (without exception). I do my best to post before 6 am, with the only exceptions being when I’m out of the country or out of cell coverage. I didn’t like those “exceptions”, so I set out for a solution. That’s when I discovered Hootsuite, which is an app that gives me the ability to schedule my Facebook or any other social media platform to post at the specific time I need it to. Now, I use Hootsuite and for my blog, I simply schedule it in my Google App – blogger. So, when a friend, who knew I was on an "unplugged" retreat, asked on my FB post “How do you do this when I know you are on retreat?,” I explained Hootsuite to her. Just maybe you can use that app if the need arises, too!.

Sometimes it’s good to UNPLUG from technology so we can hear more clearly from God, to walk a short distance rather than taking the car, to climb stairs instead of taking the elevator or escalator. Sometimes it’s better to visit someone face-to-face, rather than texting or calling. It's a treat to recall good memories from the past, but being alive in this day and this time, in this generation.....is right when and where God planned for us to be. We are here on purpose and if we embrace the opportunities, the technologies, the possibilities and the experiences of these good new days, they will be the BEST DAYS of our lives.

Thanks be to God for TECHNOLOGY and those incredibly wise and gifted inventors and innovators who used their God-given minds to give us shortcuts and conveniences – especially when we need them the most. And, I'm grateful to get to connect with amazing people like you. Thanks, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and to all the other inventors and innovators that made life so much easier for us. Thanks, God, for being the unparalleled Creator of all of us -- Who can give us ideas, creativity and witty inventions on a daily basis. We just have to tap into His wisdom and creativity!

Jesus said “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these...." John 14:12. Jesus took His message by donkey or by foot. Today, TECHNOLOGY has taken that same message around the world and the spread of Christianity is nothing short of supernatural. There are still huge segments of the world’s population that have never even heard the name of Jesus. May we pray continually for TECHNOLOGY and INNOVATION that will open doors for ALL to hear the GOOD NEWS so we can say, "Even so, Lord Jesus, COME!"

Unplugged To Get Plugged In

My cousin and I were going on a “girls night out”, but I couldn’t find my cell phone. I went to pick her up (she lives just a few blocks from me) and brought her back to my house so she could call me to see where my phone was at. (I forgot about the iPhone Find app I could have used from my PC.) Sure enough, I had left it in my bathroom. Being the “mature” ages that we are now, we starting laughing about how important our cell phones are to us, which led to our conversation about the old pay phones that we relied on when we were driving somewhere. There are so many “new and improved, time-saving” ways of doing things today.

My all-time favorite app that has saved me hours upon hours of time and stress, is the GPS system on my phone – in particular, my WAZE app. Going or coming home from Austin has been a challenge when I pass through Temple, TX. It seems they have eternal road construction going on that causes up to an hour of delay because of the traffic. Aw – but my WAZE app guides me to the off-roads that gets me around it – saving a lot of time.
This post, today, was written a couple of days ago. I knew I would be heading out on a retreat where I’ll be completely unplugged from technology for several days so that I get “plugged in” to complete focus on God. But in order to get my daily posts out, I relied on the wonders of technology. I used a great app called “Hootsuite”. It gives us the tools to set up a Facebook post for delivery at a later date and time – thus this post today, as well as the ones that will be posted through to Sunday. On Monday, I’ll be back on “live” again.

How blessed I feel to live in this day of innovation, technology and seemingly endless opportunities to truly be the best we can be at anything we attempt to do. Continuing to be in a learning mode has been my modus operandi and it has served me well. It impresses upon me that this "mature" dog can continue to learn new tricks. I don’t want to live in a state of complacency – sitting in a rocking chair, just flipping channels on TV, and let life slip through my fingers. I want to squeeze everything I can out of this life while I still can. There are adventures to be had, lessons to be learned, trails to blaze and imprints to be left behind.

Over the next few days, technology will be unplugged from my world as I’ll be intentionally plugging into focus on God without the everyday distractions of my doorbell or cell phone ringing, or my incessant need to check my emails, text messages or my Facebook page. I’ll be learning some “God-first” lessons without technology to assist me. I will be “present” with Him to experience Him in the beauty around me. But, believe you me – I’ll be excited to get back on-line, come Sunday. As sweet as getting away from it all can be, it doesn’t compare to knowing no matter what I’m doing in the busy-ness or quiet of my life – God is ALWAYS there. I’ll be coming back to the scripture “Whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do EVEN GREATER THINGS than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12).

I think He must have had technology, television, satellite and social media in mind, to spread His good words and works, when He said that. He is as close as a whispered prayer and He is also so close, I can communicate this minute with my friends around the world. It’s a blessing to “unplug” and a great blessing to “plug in” to all the conveniences and blessings of making this big world come right into our homes and lives. Let’s make the most of what we’re blessed with, to become the best we can be in sharing the light of Christ to our world….doing the GREATER WORKS THAN THESE, that He promised.

Unplugged

Day 53 of Photo Inspirations -- UNPLUGGED!!
I just returned home from a 3-day; 3-night ACTS Retreat where I was completely unplugged from technology -- can you even imagine that I could survive without my computer, social media or my phone OR a clock or watch for that long?

Most of you know I'm ALWAYS on my phone, talking about mobile services, texting, checking emails -- it's my business.  You know I'm always on social media -- it's my mission to bring light to the world.   And, probably most importantly, is my watch -- that provides my ability to be on-time for this and that --  for when I get up, when I'm at my next meeting, when I eat, when I go to bed.   But, this weekend -- it was all about ESSENTIALS -- essentials like meeting with other women, meeting with God,  and giving devotion and 100% focus on Him.   And it was exactly what I needed.

There are no adequate words to describe the refreshing I received just from cutting lose of the chains that held me captive......and I didn't even realize it.  My heart is full to overflowing of the awe and wonder and absolute life-transformation that took place in me and the others.  Indeed, the acronym for ACTS: adoration, community, theology and service -- all became so tangibly real to me by beautiful women who welcomed us into a place of all-out abandonment from distractions for full-on pursuing of intimate time with God.

Now that I'm back home -- unpacking and getting reaquainted with business-as- usual, routines, expectations from others, dealing with life and all the stuff that life brings, I still will draw from the peaceful waters of peace, reflection, simplicity of listening to His still small voice even in the noisy chaos of this busy world.  I know I'll find Him there -- because it's not about the noise or the lack of it -- it's about Him and me -- finding a moment here and a moment there to continue whispering sweet words into each other's ears -- recognizing Him in the wind, the snow, the savory smells in the air and in a warm home, in the bustling of little children running around, in the smile and touch of a friend.  I will still find a place to BE STILL and KNOW HE IS GOD.