Wednesday, July 09, 2008

God's talking, is anybody listening?

Fell asleep in front of the Phillies game last night.  

This is not a new, nor particularly uncommon experience.  The Phillies seem to be a powerful barbiturate.  But that's not the point i'm trying to make.  

i don't have a teevee in our bedroom.  i have always resisted this.  i feel it is actually detrimental to a marriage.  The bedroom is the last refuge of the couple.  Where they are alone, naked, together before their God and each other.  Why would i invite Jay Leno into that.  But that's not the point i'm trying to make either.

So last night when i finally turned over the remote to the missus and stumbled off to the last refuge of the couple (yes, i appreciate the irony), i was surprised at how hard it was to fall asleep.  Here i had been unable to pay attention to a dramatic contest between athletes just moments before without my eyes closing of their own volition and now, when it was silent, dark and perfect conditions for catatonia, i was unable to still the voices in my head.  It was as if my mind had woken up.  And i realized something simple and obvious that i had never really thought about before, which is kind of the only realizations and epiphanies i have, but that's not the point either.

Y'see, i don't have a teevee in the bedroom, nor do i really like it on unless i'm engaged in watching it.  And here's not only why, but my point.  My really obvious and simple point, prepare to be underwhelmed.

Teevees silence the voices.  

When i was napping in front of another pathetic offering by the Phillies (not the point but still an aside i'd like to make; the Phillies suck) my mind was off.  Nothing.  Niente.  Incommunicado.  But, as soon as the sensory overload ended and my mind could get my attention again, the voices came back.  Thoughts, imaginations, prayers, they all crowded round again, each with its own agenda.  And like old friends i laid there and listened to their stories, points, petitions and anecdotes.  Much more entertaining than the tying run popping out to end the ballgame.  Somewhere in that Babel i'm sure the Spirit was whispering as He is wont to do as well and that's one voice i really want to hear.

Now i know people for whom the teevee is ALWAYS on, they even have to sleep to it.  i don't think that's wrong, it seems to work for them but i have never understood that before and now i wonder...

...is that so they don't have to hear?

Monday, July 07, 2008

Your grace is enough

Just a quick thought that i found really cool...

No sin, nothing i've done, no matter how heinous, how disgusting, how embarrassing, how demeaning, mean, spiteful, uncaring, selfish, bastardly, dastardly, mother blushing ignorant it was...

is greater in its depravity than Jesus' act of grace is in its ability to cover, forgive and redeem said sin.  

For me to even think so would be a sin of arrogance, like saying God isn't good enough.

Fortunately, His grace covers that too.