Tomorrow we’ll begin to discuss some more of In Praise of Slowness‘s content, but I am so grateful Carl has taken part in these conversations. Below are some more thoughts from Carl (he left them in the comment section in yesterday’s post) on the church’s responsibility of taking on this movement of slow. I’ll offer some thoughts after his notes.
From Carl:
I think the church can spearhead the move to slow down. And by ‘church” I mean both ministers and congregations. After all, every religion has slowness at its core.
The idea of a Sabbath, of setting aside time to rest, reflect and reconnect with the self, with others and with God, is common across all faiths. It’s spelled out in black in white in the Bible: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
The problem is that the church has been infected by the same virus of hurry that has accelerated the rest of our culture.
Last year, I gave a talk in the chambers beneath St. Peter’s church in Vienna, Austria. It was the first time the crypt had been used for a secular event in nearly a thousand years. With the dim lighting, ancient altarpieces and faint whiff of incense, and with the stone walls blocking out all mobile phone reception, it was the perfect setting for an evening devoted to Slow. My hosts were a group of high-flying businesspeople but the monsignor in charge of the church was there, too. I felt a bit uneasy seeing him in the front row, but in the end he laughed along at my more risqué jokes. Afterwards, he came up to me with a confession. “You know, as I was listening to you, I suddenly realized how easy it is to do things in the wrong way,” he said.
“Lately I have been praying too fast.”
I live in England (my father-in-law is a retired vicar) and see the same problem in the church here: ministers forced to serve multiple parishes, dashing between congregations, grappling with red tape, spread so thinly that they struggle to minister properly and hover permanently on the edge of burnout. These days, we already have Speed Yoga and Drive-Thru Art Exhibitions. Maybe Speed Praying will be next.
There is a serious point here.
How can someone stuck in roadrunner mode preach the wisdom of slowness? The answer is they can’t.
It’s like Wall Street bankers singing the praises of salary restraint. Or Tiger Woods promoting monogamy. It doesn’t wash.
As Gandhi said, you must be the change you wish to see in the world.
The church is uniquely equipped to make the case for slowness.
But it must put its own house in order first.
It has to practice what it preaches…
—–
Anne’s Thoughts:
I know religion often screams at us to hurry because “souls are dying” and “ministry is 24/7” and “we have to keep up!” I get it. I lived in that world for a long time. One of the examples Carl uses in his book is the classic race between the tortoise and the hare. I think we all know the outcome of that.
Yesterday, I also watched Carl’s TED talk, which someone had recommended. He talks about several European countries who have intentionally embraced the idea of appropriate slowness in the workplace. Not only are they healthier and more well-rounded people, the quality of their work exceeds the quality of work in nations who spend up to twice as many hours working a week.
The bottom line with taking on a slower, more intentional pace in faith, I believe, is this:
Who are we relying on?
Are we relying on the power within ourselves to accomplish the work in the world that we believe needs to happen? Or are we relying on our faith, and the power of community to do it?
Comments
14 responses to “Speed Praying”
Thanks Anne! I needed to read this today!
I think this is so important in our own lives and I hadn’t even thought of it in terms of the church. Carl is absolutely right. I just never took the time to think about it. I need to work on slowing it down a bit. Quality not quantity. Thanks Anne!
.-= Jacklyn´s last blog ..Have I Mentioned Yet That I Love These People? =-.
You are in my google reader and I don’t comment that often, but I had to comment on this book discussion you are doing…this is a journey that God has had me on for a few years. And though I haven’t heard of this book, it is now on my amazon wishlist and the next time I have “extra” I will be purchasing it. God used depression in my own life to physically SLOW ME DOWN. It has been one of the hardest journeys of my life (through depression) but also one of the times that has had more growth than any other. God has had to slow me down and teach me that when I am so busy, I am too busy to worship, too busy to pray…to busy to listen to Him…and those are the things that keep me going, yet I wasn’t even having time to truly live in Him. Anyway…I could go on and on, but just wanted to say THANK YOU for showing us this book and having this discussion. I think it is so very vital for us today and so many are missing out.
.-= Candace´s last blog ..A Journey – Part 1 =-.
Great question at the end of this post, Anne. I think we all know what the answer should be, but what is truly the reality?
I think the speed issue here also leads to what I believe could be one of the biggest issues we face today, and that is having a listening problem.
I wonder if God is looking at us saying, “Hey…remember me? I’m the one who gave you breath to me. You may want to tap into what I’m saying….just sayin’.”
Yeah, I think God would say “just sayin’.” He’s good like that.
.-= Josh´s last blog ..Wrestling: It’s Not Fake =-.
I do a talk where I talk about God rolling his eyes. I think he does. And he also re-enacts the SNL “Really?!?” skit. :)
I’ve not seen him re-enact that skit, but in knowing him, I believe that to be entirely true. :)
.-= Josh´s last blog ..Wrestling: It’s Not Fake =-.
I was involved in a play that, in hindsight, wasn’t too theologically sound in the details, but it still had a good point to make. I was running the sound board. The end had a “voice of God” voice-over that this one fellow with a major-league awesome radio voice was going to do. The problem was, he was also part of the backstage crew, and was heavily involved in lighting that scene just right. So I offered to use a mike at the board & do the voice-over myself. (I did a quiet, baritone voice directly into the mike. It turned out cool.)
Anyhow, those of us who did these plays & skits had a tradition to get all the clowning around out of our systems during the dress rehearsal (well, unless the play/skit was a comedy, in which case we’d prank someone the night of the performance, but that’s another story). At the end the main character was pleading to God, and that was when the voice-over was to begin.
I started out with the deep voice: “Have you forgotten so soon?” Then a quick shift to a voice you’d expect to hear in a Mel Brooks film: “Oy, gevalt, what a meshuggina!” I then continued on with the original script in the same tone & manner, until the main character (played by our pastor) turned around & looked at me. I then said, “What, you think the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob should sound like Charlton Heston?”
When we go too fast and don’t slow down – I think we are trying to do it all ourselves and we can’t do it on our own. Only God gives us the strength to minister, help, love, live… If we are going too fast – we are relying on us – not HIM! Excellent point and question!
Amen, Leigh. We aren’t giving God the time He wants to respond. Satan, though, is quite willing to jump in “on time.”
This really resonates with me. I think self-sufficiency is alive and well among ministers and churches – which makes it impossible to take days off, and to depend on others. (sabbath and community, as you’ve said)
It’s difficult to step back, to slow down and to remember – it all doesn’t depend on me. There is a God and it is not ME! (thankfully!)
.-= Jan Owen´s last blog ..What Are You in Love With? =-.
As I read this I thought of the messages I have heard from churches over the years to do more, be more involved, pushing people to come to home group because they are missed instead of praising them for taking time to care for themselves.
Once as I was looking for a new church home I attended a very large church for a short time that had a countdown clock on the main screen for the start of the service. When it hit zero the music started. The music was always high energy (never slow, responsive, and contemplative), and the stage presence came across as a performance. It took awhile, but I finally realized I left church feeling warn out because the morning was so high pressure to abide by the clock and perform. I am not trying to express those things are wrong, but I realized it wasn’t the right church for me because I wanted time to be still and hear God and let him minister to me. I believe that can happen even during a church service. =)
.-= Sherie´s last blog ..Disquieted =-.
I went there, too. :)
Seriously, our former church did the same thing, but there were more practical reasons behind it. For one thing, the pastor respected the time & commitments of others. Without the “count-down clock,” too many churches would never start their service, because too many people would be too busy “catching up” (getting that offline “fix”) and not even notice nor care when the service began. I’ve seen that elsewhere, too.
The other reason involved the two Sunday morning services. They had to make sure the sanctuary was cleared out after the 8:30 service for the 10:45 crowd. Not saying that’s necessarily a good thing, but there wasn’t always much choice in the matter.
Funny you mention this.
I have been reading my Bible out loud (because I memorize/catch things better audibly). When doing so, I pretend to read out loud in public. In this thought, I have to read it intentionally and slowly.
It has made all the difference in the world.
.-= Joseph Louthan´s last blog ..The Future by Guy or Why Stop Writing? =-.
From a church community that literally talks about “microwave prayers,” I am SO thankful for this post. While I’m teasing a little bit about the microwave prayers because that’s certainly not what’s preached as the “norm,” Josh’s point is the key for me: If we’re not going slow, how are we going to shut up long enough to actually hear God’s voice?
When we’re speed praying it’s more like just leaving a message on His answering machine.
(And, yeah, I think God wants to tell us to “shut up” sometimes). : )