Noise!!!!!

I was very fortunate to be able to go on retreat this weekend. I have been attending this annual men's retreat for over 20 years. Wow, that is a long time. While it is always good some are better than others. I was not expecting much this year. Probably because I really needed it.

The one thing I wanted during this retreat was quiet. To retreat from the world and spend alone time with God. The Holy Spirit was on the ball. As I sat there for the first talk our retreat leader talked about noise and all of the things in our lives that keep us from hearing God. The list is long; TV, radio, cell phones, computers. I mean, like how many of us are permanently attached to our smart phones?

The day before the retreat I got to go fishing at the coast. It was about a 4 hour drive and the 5 of us in the car talked a little bit but we all sat there with our iPhones busily looking up different information(the weather, sports scores, best route to take or playing games). In our world to day we have more information flow than ever. Sometimes this is good but it can often block the information that we really need. Information from God.

The retreat center has a great feature. No cell phone reception. It is a blissful oasis of quiet. Many of the retreat participants would walk around like Spock from Star Trek with his tricorder looking for a signal. 

I am back in the real world now. I pray that I can find the way to keep the noise out of my life and to hear that still soft voice of God.