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Thursday, February 8, 2007

iPod prayer

This world that we live in constantly bombards us with images and sounds. It is nearly impossible to escape from the media and advertising assault. But most of the time we don't even try to escape it. We put in front of ourselves the cool newfangled gadgets to keep up with the times. We always want to be entertained somehow. I can look around before my classes start and see most people surfing the web on their laptop or text messaging or listening to their iPod. It's the same thing almost everywhere I go. People are in public, but they are in their own little world at the same time. If they weren't doing something all the time they may have to actually interact with those around them or think to themselves a little - and that would be a horrible thing! We really need to take some time out from all this sensory overload and listen to what God has to say to us in the silence. The amazing thing is that people even bring such things into their prayer times. Yesterday I saw a girl come into the chapel to pray with her iPod blasting the whole time she was in there. I expect it was praise and worship music but still... that's a bit much. Or the praise and worship leader who had his blue tooth earpiece in so he could take a call in the middle of a song - that's a bit over the top too. How about we pull out the head phones and look up from our cell phones every once in a while and interact with the world around us.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I see a world of difference between the worship leader with the bluetooth headset taking a call during a song and the girl who decided to incorporate her iPod into her private devotions. I frankly don't understand what your problem with the latter is, unless it is simply a fear of technology. Why would her method of devotion is not be legitimate? How can any method of prayer be offensive?

Matthew said...

I suppose you're right - there is nothing wrong with incorporating music into your prayer time. The point I think I was trying to make is that people often use technology to isolate themselves from the world around them.
In regards to prayer, I guess I was trying to emphasize the importance of silence and just being with God, but that certainly doesn't mean that you can't use music sometimes too.
I stand corrected. Thanks for calling me out, Heather.