Adding to the noise

I just now realized how much I love Switchfoot. I don't know why I didn't admit it before--but three blog titles that reference their songs must mean something. And I was just listening to their older stuff, both "Amy's Song" and "Let that be Enough" always get to me. Oh, and "Company Car" for me is such a great summer driving song.



Any way, the title this time is in reference to the last week of the Green Eggs and Ham Series on Spiritual Disciplines. The point was that even though these disciplines may be weird, or even appear distasteful, they're worth trying. And who knows, you may even like them.

We started off with Bible Study, and the podcast can be heard at highpointstuff.com. To get there you just click on the "Senior High" button, then scroll to the bottom of the page to find the podcast link. It might be a little funny because we had used two movie clips to transition, but hopefully you will get the point.

The second and third weeks were taught by other leaders, and they discussed Fasting and Prayer. This final week looked at Solitude, and I was very much looking forward to it.

I had a few of the students put a band together to play "Adding to the Noise" as the intro, which immediately led into a moment of silence accompanied by a powerpoint. The powerpoint looked at Psalm 46 and introduced the Hebrew term "selah," which means to stop and listen. I had never heard (for lack of a better term) the students so quiet before. Then came the conglomeration of Amanda Stooke, Mark Poshak and myself to speak about different parts of solitude and interrupted once by a time of silent communion. All of this ended with a music video to yet another Switchfoot song, "This is Your Life," which was made by a junior who is very good at editing videos. Very cool, and very fun.

Even in the weeks leading up to this one, I had noticed a lot of my own habits of adding to the noise. I have been convicted of how much I watch t.v. and for what reason; how much I listen to music, and what I listen to; and how much time is spent on the internet. Thinking about this Sunday, coupled with reading Youth Culture 101 by Walt Mueller, has helped a lot with my perspective on what comes into my mind by the things that I do and don't do.

I'm encouraged to filter what I see/hear, without necessarily putting a complete stop to it all. I guess it goes along with that "in and not of the world" thing.