Sept 16 - Quiet Time

This post has been cooking in my brain for a couple weeks now and Chambers' reading for today (see previous blog post) brought this issue to my attention again.  We are told from the pulpit and by Jesus himself (Matthew 6:6) that quiet time with the Father is important.  I recently watched a snippet from one of Dr. Charles Stanley's sermons in which he talked about listening to God and its importance.  While I was at Dr. Stanley's web site I poked around and found a link to a "quiet time toolbox." 

I'll spare the details of all that to say that quiet time is nearly non-existent for me.  Just ask Ann what my biggest complaint is (well OK, maybe it's one of my biggest) and she'll tell you that it's my lack of quiet study time.  The only time I have the house to myself and it's quiet is workday mornings between 5:00 - 6:00 a.m. when I'm getting ready for work.  I try to do my daily devotional then but, depending on how my preparation for work goes, I find that that doesn't usually happen.  Add to that my increased need for more study & reading time due to PESM and I'm really seeing a quandary.  The only quiet retreat in the house is a corner of our bedroom which Ann set up for me--a rocking chair, lamp and end table.  However, even this escape is at the mercy of the bedroom cats who see my presence there as an opportunity to sit on my lap and get petted.  While I enjoy my cats, they can and usually are a distraction from study.  And, being that this corner of the bedroom is still inside the house, it is subject to all the noise and distractions offered by the kids downstairs doing whatever they're doing.  Over the summer I've enjoyed reading on the back patio.  Our neighborhood is very quiet for its size and I can enjoy the summer weather in our backyard.  That will be going away soon however, it's just about time to put away the canopy before the winds of Fall blow our way (I've learned the hard way that you don't want to put off taking down the canopy or the weather will take it down for you). 

I was excited to notice this past summer that the Albany Public Library has several study rooms upstairs that are free for library patrons to use.  "This is exactly what I need," I thought, "a quiet escape where I can read, study and even have Internet access!"  I asked at the reference desk about the study rooms and was told that they are in very high demand during the entire school year.  No surprise there I suppose.  I haven't yet actually tried to reserve one and use it.  I'm still trying to settle into the new routine of the kids being back in school along with me being back in school; the Fall routine has yet to be established. 

I've also been entertaining the idea of using one of the small rooms as SafeHaven's new building in Tangent as a study room.  The building is used by SafeHaven staff for various meetings throughout the week, but otherwise it's a pretty quiet place and even has wi-fi Internet access. 

The problem with studying somewhere other than home is that you have to pack everything with you that you might need.  I'm sure that I'll want to reference some book that I left at home on the shelf.  Still, I'm thinking the benefits would outweigh the costs.