Modern Disciple Magazine for Men (MDM4M), published in Canada
JUNE / JULY 2004
Cover |
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One-On-One with Jeff Frankenstein |
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Socially Acceptable Sin
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The Music of Duvall
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More Than Accountability
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God in the Wild
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The Pond or the Power
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Surrender
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LifeLine
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Viva III
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GOD IN THE WILD (page two)
Solitude
Heaven for me is this: kneeling against the thwart, just back of
centre in my Nahanni (canoe) in the middle of a perfectly still
lake. Mist is circling off the surface in the early morning
sunlight. The only sounds are loons and songbirds. I love
solitude, because God speaks clearest to me when there's no
background noise.
Hearing God's voice in solitude is like listening to your
favourite song in headphones. Sure, you can pick it out from
among the background noise in a department store loudspeaker, but
how much more can you hear when it's jacked straight into your
ear?
I'm not the first. It's no coincidence that John the Baptist was
raised in the desert. He needed serious uninterrupted listening
time for his prophetic mission. In a sense, our mission is the
same: John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ to enter
history. Now, Jesus is made visible to the world through our
lives (his church).
The saints of history understood the value of solitude. Saint
Anthony is probably the best example. He sold everything he had
and gave all the money to the poor when he was only twenty! He
spent his life living in a cave in the desert in order to hear
God's voice. I'm not suggesting that's a reasonable way of life
for us. In fact, that's a pretty good way to be called crazy in
our world. Still, Anthony knew that he could not hear God's voice
clearly through his affluent clutter.
Time in the wilderness is essentially fasting. We usually think
of fasting as avoiding food-and that is certainly part of it. The
true meaning of a fast, however, is to detach yourself from
something you value in order to spend time with God. In our
society, we are addicted to our Playstations, cell phones,
Day-Timers, and televisions almost as much as we are to food!
Time spent in the wilderness brings about a detachment from these
things. It's amazing how much time you have when you loose
yourself from the clutter of modern living.
Next: Temptation - Page 3.
