I was recently at a renewal event in Pennsylvania. I was one of the key leaders and did a significant part of the teaching for the day. But as always happens, even though I do a lot of teaching, people say things that make me think. I almost always learn something new everywhere I go.

     My friend Tim Seitz-Brown said to the group, “"If you are listening to cable TV more than you are to Jesus, that may be a problem.” 

     He was talking about the basic spiritual practices that many regular church attenders have. It seems clear that more people spend a lot of time watching cable news and formulating all sorts of opinions about the world and what should happen.

     But many of those same people are not reading scripture, praying and participating in personal and corporate spiritual practices. Tim’s point is a good one. If you are spending more time basing your decisions on TV pundits than you are gaining insights from the presence of the living God, then it is time to rebalance your sources of wisdom.

     Likewise, congregational life should teach this, encourage this and model this. If you are a leader in a church setting, your role includes both practicing this and also helping others practice this in their own lives. It also includes finding how to do this together so that congregational decisions also are grounded in the gospel witness, prayer, and dialog.

     So, who are you listening to? And how are you being sure that you and the others with whom you live, are listening to God?