Very different.

When a committed Christian understands the necessity for progressive sanctification and exerts himself to increase his understanding of scripture some strange things begin to happen. The Hebrew writer speaks of going from milk to solid food for babes in Christ. He chastise them for not doing so. When one begins to grow the long standing relationship with his church begins to grow pale and the connections with other members weaken. They have less and less in common as his conversation abandons sports, politics and weather for Biblical issues.

It is possible to “outgrow a church,” IMO and it presents peculiar problems. Church shopping is difficult – especially with children – leaving friends behind and starting new spiritual relationships. Children need stability, but not at the expense of their spiritual development.

That being said, moving on is very important to any believer if he expects to grow in his faith. Home fellowships are on the increase in America for this very reason. The church is not the building or the institution – it is the Body of Christ – and it must be nurtured, stimulated and cared for regularly. As mainline churches undertake environmental programs and introduce entertainment into their worship services the teachings of Christ suffer from a lack of time – people only sit still for one hour. Perhaps that is why so many are empty on a Sunday morning.

Dave Charles

The three great Christian traditions – Orthodox, Catholic, and Prostestant – all say in their spirituality/theological writings that for those of faith, God resides within the person. Where and how? Well, those are other, profound questions, but somehow God indwells the person of faith.

At minimum, that God indwells (resides in) in individuals means that a conversation between the God of the Universe and the human being begins. God’s Spirit speaks to our spirit.

The spiritual disciplines, such as silence, create space in our busy lives to nurture that conversation, to begin to recognize the voice of God, to listen for it

So the discipline of silence allows us to wait on God. For what God might say about our crazy life.

If you ask some, they may say, “I’ve never heard God speak to me.” Well, one reason may be they’ve never developed an aptitude for listening for God’s voice. God is always at work in our life, but we need the disciplines to be able to recognize when God is working in and through us.

So silence is a tool of sorts to get us to slow down enough to pursue God inwardly. The spiritual journey is, first of all, a journey inward. Not into our self, so to speak, but through our self to that place where God resides.

If an acquaintance, for example, spent more time in silence, perhaps he might be more reflective about why it’s so important to him to trumpet endlessly to his friends and acquaintances how bright his 10 year old son is.

Silence provides the quiet to listen and recognize the voice of God. It’s not like a faucet; you can’t simply turn it off and on.

The idea is not for us to spend large blocks of time in silence, necessarily, though half day and full day retreats can assist us in key moments. The more practical idea is to find a minute here, two minutes there, five minutes several times a week – to quiet our minds. To slow down. To listen for what God might say to us.

Thanks for the terrific question.

I’m struggling with something in the second chapter of your book and I can’t find a place to ask you the question. Please forgive me for asking it here but it’s bugging me and I need to ask it somewhere.

How does solitude deconstruct my notion that I’m not in control of my life? Is the countercultural choice to listen and wait for God(pg26) the deconstructing mechanism? How does me sitting in silence get me to the place of thinking that I realize and embrace that God is in control of my life?

There are many good reasons to change churches, but I wonder if Christ wouldn’t be better served by followers who’d allow a disappointing church experience to change them.