Peace and Blessings to you, Beloved Church.

The UNPLUGGED experience

Late last fall, a “for sale” listing popped up on Facebook Marketplace. It almost seemed too good to be true: “Old iPods - $25 each.” The seller had a good rating and wasn’t too far away, so we agreed to a meetup. The model I wanted was a little banged-up but it functioned just fine, so we made the exchange. I got to work figuring out how to open it up, replace its ancient battery, and get music loaded onto its tiny old hard drive. I ripped some of my favorite CDs to an old computer, downloaded a few albums from some other artists I like, and loaded it all up. Success! But the real payoff was not in saving this e-waste from a landfill or successfully reassembling its dented case. No, the real payoff came when I laid in the hammock on a recent warm day and listened to music *uninterrupted* for as long as suited my soul.

In an era of constant connectivity with email, text messages, mobile phone calls, and social media notifications, the immersion of an uninterrupted listening session was pure bliss. More than that, though, such a practice of “unplugging” allows our minds to wander and slows down our reactivity cycles amidst the immediacy of a world that’s always trying to grab our attention. And our attention is one of the most valuable things we have, especially when it comes to the wellness of our spirits. The scripture stories remind us again and again that God knows us, and loves us, and pays attention to each and all of us, seeing us through life’s hardships. We have the chance to similarly steward our attention so that we might also care well for each other, especially amidst the busyness and difficulty of life these days.

So here’s my suggestion for the weeks ahead: find that practice which helps *you* unplug. Whether it’s reading a book or taking a weekend trip to the theater or reciting a special prayer you remember from a loved one or simply sitting in your favorite sunny spot by the window. Find that practice that calms your mind and opens you to wellness and love. It won’t solve all the world’s problems, but it might just give us a little bit of the space we need to recognize that God is always with us.

~Pastor Paul

August 12, 2018