2010-09-27T15:48:50-05:00 GCI info@gospel.com /feeds/topics/silence/ http://delveintojesus.com/Devotionals/42/Obsessed-with-Distraction.aspx 2010-09-27T15:48:50-05:00 We live in an amazing technological age. From anywhere and at anytime, I can read the news, watch a movie and check my email. We're more entertained, informed and productive than we have ever been. But what effect is this having on our relationship with God? http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2010:19&version=NIV 2009-09-25T11:40:52-05:00 Sometimes too many words can merely cloud an issue rather than shedding light on it. In numerous places in the Bible, we are encouraged to remember the value of thoughtful silence and discernment. http://hutchcraft.com/A-Word-With-You/Your-Personal-Power/Jamming-Communications-5689 2008-10-30T15:36:20-05:00 You literally have to fight for those quiet times in a world of noise. You drive without the radio on just so you can listen to your Lord. You leave the TV off, you skip the news, you exercise without the music, you go away if necessary just to be still and know He is God. Begin by praising Him specifically for attributes and actions that you've been experiencing, and then listen to Him through extended time in His Word. Pour out your deepest feelings to Him in prayer and listen in your soul for His responses. Keep a note pad handy and write down whatever He seems to be saying during this time when His voice is the only one you're listening to. http://sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=10038 2008-01-28T21:42:23-05:00 Has God trusted you with a silence - a silence that is big with meaning? God's silences are His answers. Think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything analogous to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking for a visible answer?. http://christiananswersforthenewage.org/Articles_ContemplativePrayer1.html 2008-01-14T20:24:43-05:00 Contemplative Prayer, also called Centering Prayer or Listening Prayer, has been taught by Roman Catholic monks Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, and Basil Pennington, as well as by Quaker Richard Foster, and is being advocated by many others. http://ymexchange.com/Youth-Ministry-Articles/Introducing-the-Ignatian-Examen-to-Your-Students.html?ed=1 2008-01-09T08:26:46-05:00 Why teach your students about the Examen? There are lots of reasons! It is a valuable tool for self-assessment, which is a critical skill for developing spiritual independence. It draws students towards silence and solitude, two disciplines that are nearly non-existent in their worlds.