Sermons and teachings from Rev. Mark Reynolds, a Pastor in the United Methodist Church (Florida Conference). These transformative messages will speak directly into your life!
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/pastormarkreynolds
From Silence to Song: The Regenerative Power of Solitude
All of us know the dangers of frenetic busyness, but what about the dangers of hyper-connectivity? Ancient and modern wisdom tell us that silence and solitude are required if we are going to stay connected to our true self and receive the gifts of peace, love, joy, hope, and creativity. Like busyness, the competing voices of our hyper-connectivity pull us in a hundred different directions and drown out the still small voice of God, which is the only thing that can stop the madness. In this message, we reflect on the importance of silence and solitude before entering one of the busiest times of the year. The recording started late, cutting out the introduction to the message. The transcript of the introduction is included below.
Transcript:
"17th century mathematician, Blaise Pascal wrote, 'All of humanity’s problems stem from [our] inability to sit quietly in a room alone.' This insight, written so long ago, about the value of silence and solitude is confirmed in some recent research done by Cal Newport. In his provocative and sobering book 'Digital Minimalism,' he explains how our culture is paying the price for our “compulsive connectivity.” Our constant texting, tweeting, posting, liking and swiping have become “a nervous twitch that shatters uninterrupted time into shards too small to support the presence necessary for an intentional life.” In other words, it’s become extremely difficult to tolerate solitude and silence anymore.
"The author goes on to explain that our “solitude deprivation” is one of the significant causes of our cultural anxiety, along with rising rates of depression and suicide. It’s a state in which you “spend close to zero time alone with your own thoughts and free from input from other minds.”
"The problem is that human beings are not wired for this kind of constant connectivity. Our brains need time to rest, reflect and process. Solitude and silence allow our brains the space to clarify hard problems, regulate our emotions, and strengthen our relationships.
"Newport’s suggestion is that we try some digital fasting, and Advent, a season of preparation for Christmas that begins next Sunday, is a good time to try something like this. We usually think of Lent as a time for changing habits and doing some deep repentance and reflection, but Advent is a time that naturally lends itself to embracing silence . . . ."