Life Unplugged

In 1989 MTV's Unplugged aired its first episode with Squeeze, Syd Straw and Elliot Easton. These aren't exactly household names today, but nevertheless the hit series was born. Not a completely original concept. MTV drew from the popularity of performances over the previous two decades where artists gave a more stripped down, intimate, acoustic look at their music. Artists like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Pete Townshend, Sting, and Phil Collins had big success with this format. MTV went on to showcase acoustic sets of music from popular artists over the last two decades. Apparently you can take away the amps, effects, electronic modification, and high tech production and still have a hit. What MTV ended up with is a more intimate, accessable look at music. Something about stripping away layers upon layers of exterior noise and production created a great connection with viewers and listeners. I'm realizing this week that we often have to "unplug" to really get to this level of honesty and intimacy in our lives. This struck me the other day as I was checking my facebook and two email accounts while texting my wife, listening to music on Pandora, singing outloud and organizing my desk. When is the last time you just unplugged and enjoyed the silence? If you cant remember when, its been too long. God wants us to experience a deep level of intimacy with him, but the question is how many layers of noise and technology does He have to break through? The irony that I'm writing this in a blog is not lost on me. Technology is not the enemy. Sometimes its just a good idea to unplug, and maybe...just maybe it will be quiet enough to hear the whispers of God.