Social media. Phones. Portable music. Ongoing commentary on everything from the presidential election to the tragic outcome of the gorilla in the Cincinnati zoo. Sometimes it seems like there is so much information to take in, that it all gets so overwhelming.

Last week I had the good fortune of spending two days of my study leave at a conference for pastors held at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. The speakers were great, the fellowship was great, the food was great. It was one of the most refreshing and challenging conferences I’ve ever been to. But the best part was the morning I did devotions by the lake. I found a quiet place and read some scripture and listened. No phones (though I did use my phone to snap a picture – see above), no email, no social media, no…noise.

In Psalm 46:10 we read these words:

Be still and know that I am God.

How often we do the opposite? We try to know God more by doing more and more. As an old friend told me long ago, God did not creating human doings, he created human beings.

Sometimes, all we need to do is be.

Blessings,

Pastor John