One of the topics that comes up frequently in our small Christian community is distractions. We are constantly bombarded with messages from so many different messengers it can be overwhelming. When is the last time you were in a place that had complete silence? I am not talking about somewhere that had the television on mute with the closed captioning running. I am talking about nothing happening but you and God. That is the ultimate benefit of being unplugged and focused. You know that Jesus was very effective because he was very focused on his mission. He came to earth to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for us. Everything he did was about that. His training of the disciples and followers was about bringing his salvation message in service to others. His preaching was about helping us to understand why he was willing to give of his life for us--the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus also spent time in the desert and elsewhere in silence. If Jesus needed to separate himself in order to communicate with God, where does that leave us? It is imperative that you carve out time each day to talk with God and then just listen. Sit in silence with God each day. Start small (say one minute) and then increase the time gradually until you feel it is enough. God will talk to you but you have to be focused on listening. If your mission is to live eternally with God in heaven, don't you think you need to begin to work on that goal? God is waiting to save you. Will you answer his call?
Kurt Hilgefort, is a Catholic father of six who publishes his thoughts on his blog Shadows of Augustine . He responded to my seven question survey with the following answers. Kurt is the first layperson to respond to the seven question survey and I think that his experience is extremely relevant to me personally and I hope that you are inspired by his thoughts as well. If you would like to respond, please send an email to fellmananthony@gmail.com with your thoughts and I will be happy to publish them as well. 1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far? The biggest challenge for me has been the whole dying to self thing. On an intellectual level, there are no barriers. It comes down to a matter of accepting the authority of the Church that Christ founded upon Peter. My challenge is not in the intellect, but rather in the will. The challenge for me has always been to continually seek conversion. I want to be transformed, but I want it to be over all ...