Our Stories
Noise
By Mac Taylor | posted 11/21/2007
"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting." (Acts 2:1-2)
As I sit at my desk, the next door office wall is being used as a backboard by the workers getting a new office space ready... or maybe they are just hanging pictures on the wall. It's a noise that interrupts my audio space, but that I cannot quite identify. Upstairs, footsteps are a constant reminder of other tenants. We have taken on the challenge. Creekside is definitely winning the Inter-Office Noise Contest with Rob's Thursday evening worship rehearsals. No complaints ... yet. In our new offices, most of the people are the same (except for Reverb Rob), but the noises are new. The view to the street brings with it the sounds of traffic and conversations of unidentified passers by. For three years, I enjoyed a secluded office down a long hallway. In our new office, there are no hallways, bringing closer community, but also unsolicited conversations of visitors and co-workers. I am no longer am I in the dark about the noises my co-workers make when the internet is down (mostly sweet "Praise the Lord's".) Now I hear Stacey's cell phone ring with her funky dance music - making me want to break out into dance each time I hear it. I don't really want to hear her phone conversation, but how does one's mind filter out extraneous noise?
I try to drown out some of the noise with an internet radio station, Pandora.com (Cool site, BTW). Most likely, I just add to someone else's noise threshold. Sometimes I shut my door, with the risk or looking like a mean pastor guy who doesn't like people. It's not that I don't like people; it's just that sometimes I need quiet space. We live in a noisy world. Actually our world is much quieter than many parts of the world. Try visiting a Third World urban setting. Try sleeping through the night in Managua, Nicaragua; the neighbors on the right have dogs who work their canine vocal chords overtime, the neighbor on the left fixes breakfast starting at 5:00 AM, but that is after the rooster announces his territorial presence. Did I mention that the neighbors' houses share a common wall and that the walls do not go up to the ceiling?
When I'm at home, I notice sounds I have previously managed to filter out. Some sounds I must respond to - the alarm clock, my neighbor saying "hi", my wife requesting help on the computer, my wife saying "I love you" (anything Debbie says is on the "must listen to" list - at least theoretically). Other sounds are better to filter out - the neighbor with the chain saw, a squeaky dryer, the local TV news, commercials that tell me to buy more stuff to make me happy. How do we filter the noise out of our lives? How do we tune into the important conversations? And most importantly, how do we listen to God's noises?
At the start of the book of Acts, the disciples were together praying - listening. They were listening for the voice of their Lord. Jesus says, "My sheep recognize my voice." (John 10:27). The Shepherd's voice came, but not in the way they had expected. His voice was the sound of the blowing of a violent wind. Then His voice spoke through them as they declared the wonders of God in other languages (Acts 2:1-13). God continues to speak to us today - many times in ways we do not expect. How do we tune into those important sounds? How do we filter out the extraneous noises in our lives? How do we listen for God's voice? I don't have all the answers, but I feel the nudge of the Father as he speaks to us about listening to him in our noisy world. Take some time today to be still and listen for God's "gentle whisper" (1 Kings 19:12):
"Be still, and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10).
"The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him." (Habakkuk 2:20)
"Pay attention, Job (insert your name here _________), and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak." (Job 33:31)
"Speak, for your servant is listening." (1 Samuel 3:10).
Psalm 29 - A psalm of David.
To respond to this message, email Mac at mact@ecreekside.com.
Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD strikes
with flashes of lightning.
The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.
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"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting." (Acts 2:1-2)
As I sit at my desk, the next door office wall is being used as a backboard by the workers getting a new office space ready... or maybe they are just hanging pictures on the wall. It's a noise that interrupts my audio space, but that I cannot quite identify. Upstairs, footsteps are a constant reminder of other tenants. We have taken on the challenge. Creekside is definitely winning the Inter-Office Noise Contest with Rob's Thursday evening worship rehearsals. No complaints ... yet. In our new offices, most of the people are the same (except for Reverb Rob), but the noises are new. The view to the street brings with it the sounds of traffic and conversations of unidentified passers by. For three years, I enjoyed a secluded office down a long hallway. In our new office, there are no hallways, bringing closer community, but also unsolicited conversations of visitors and co-workers. I am no longer am I in the dark about the noises my co-workers make when the internet is down (mostly sweet "Praise the Lord's".) Now I hear Stacey's cell phone ring with her funky dance music - making me want to break out into dance each time I hear it. I don't really want to hear her phone conversation, but how does one's mind filter out extraneous noise? I try to drown out some of the noise with an internet radio station, Pandora.com (Cool site, BTW). Most likely, I just add to someone else's noise threshold. Sometimes I shut my door, with the risk or looking like a mean pastor guy who doesn't like people. It's not that I don't like people; it's just that sometimes I need quiet space. We live in a noisy world. Actually our world is much quieter than many parts of the world. Try visiting a Third World urban setting. Try sleeping through the night in Managua, Nicaragua; the neighbors on the right have dogs who work their canine vocal chords overtime, the neighbor on the left fixes breakfast starting at 5:00 AM, but that is after the rooster announces his territorial presence. Did I mention that the neighbors' houses share a common wall and that the walls do not go up to the ceiling? When I'm at home, I notice sounds I have previously managed to filter out. Some sounds I must respond to - the alarm clock, my neighbor saying "hi", my wife requesting help on the computer, my wife saying "I love you" (anything Debbie says is on the "must listen to" list - at least theoretically). Other sounds are better to filter out - the neighbor with the chain saw, a squeaky dryer, the local TV news, commercials that tell me to buy more stuff to make me happy. How do we filter the noise out of our lives? How do we tune into the important conversations? And most importantly, how do we listen to God's noises? At the start of the book of Acts, the disciples were together praying - listening. They were listening for the voice of their Lord. Jesus says, "My sheep recognize my voice." (John 10:27). The Shepherd's voice came, but not in the way they had expected. His voice was the sound of the blowing of a violent wind. Then His voice spoke through them as they declared the wonders of God in other languages (Acts 2:1-13). God continues to speak to us today - many times in ways we do not expect. How do we tune into those important sounds? How do we filter out the extraneous noises in our lives? How do we listen for God's voice? I don't have all the answers, but I feel the nudge of the Father as he speaks to us about listening to him in our noisy world. Take some time today to be still and listen for God's "gentle whisper" (1 Kings 19:12): "Be still, and know that I am God"(Psalm 46:10). "The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him." (Habakkuk 2:20) "Pay attention, Job (insert your name here _________), and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak." (Job 33:31) "Speak, for your servant is listening." (1 Samuel 3:10).
Psalm 29 - A psalm of David. To respond to this message, email Mac at mact@ecreekside.com. |
