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During today's conversation on Back Porch Theology, Allie and I are tiptoeing carefully into foreign territory

because we're talking about the massive benefit of having moments when we're not talking. In Eugene Peterson's

the message paraphrase of scripture, Jesus's admonition in Matthew chapter 6 versus 5 through 6

reads like this. And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production

either.

All these people making a regular show out of their prayers hoping for 15 minutes of fame.

Do you think God sits in a box seat?

Here's what I want you to do.

Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role play before God.

Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.

The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace.

When the Son of God extols the benefits of silence and solitude, even relational windbags like Ali and I zip it and

pay attention. My pretend theological boyfriend, C.S. Lewis, obviously paid attention to our

Savior's sermonette in Matthew 6 because he wrote extensively about the value of solitary moments, and he considered silence to be a powerful

force for spiritual transformation. C.S. Lewis described silence as a strategic way to get closer

to God. He wrote some really profound things about why God gave his image bears two ears

and one mouth, but my favorite C.S. Lewis

quote regarding silence and solitude is this. Walking and talking are two very great pleasures,

but it is a mistake to combine them. Our own noise blots out the sounds and silences of the outdoor world, and talking leads almost inevitably to smoking, and then farewell to nature as far as one of our senses is concerned.

I'm not sure if the connection C.S. Lewis made between nonstop talking and nicotine is biblically

defensible, but it is certainly memorable. It's going to be a good day on the porch, y'all,

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