Was able to take the bike and get in two good rides while in the Windy City
Moving down the highway toward Chicago to spend the week with a group of more than 1000 pastors. The conference is a great refresher for a parched soul.
Living squeezes the life out of a person. We can all say that things are fine, but reality is time, money, conflicts, crisis, politics and a host of other stuff makes for a thing called stress. Jesus gave some advice, “Come apart” and I will add “or fall apart!”
People everywhere plug in iPods and earphones trying to separate from the stuff that wears us out. “Earplugs” come in many shapes and sizes, but it is sufficient to say nearly everyone has been tempted to shut out the noise with something that really made things worse. It might have been legal, but it wasn’t healthy.
Jesus wants us to turn to Him, but how can He bring silence to the chaos? His grace can cancel out the noise of world’s grinding. It is an active power of His provision over the clanging of the streets. I have a friend with some really high priced earphones that actually put out sound waves that mute the noises before they get to your ears. It is a force against the forces.
This is the calm that being in the presences of God offers. Before God can silence the noise around me He often silences me. I need this muffling of my heart. It may start with a rebuke, but it also is a soft reassuring that quiets the beating of my fears. He starts deep within me to bring silence that will ultimately overcome the noise. “Be still and know that I am God.”
Gobbler Comin' 