The Apprenticeship Way with Marc Alan Schelske

Tell Your Monkeys to be Quiet! (TAW007)

Sep 24, 2018

Explore the chaos of a busy mind likened to a computer bogged down by malware. Discover strategies to quiet mental distractions that block your connection with God. Embrace stillness and tranquility in a noisy world to cultivate a deeper spiritual relationship. Learn that God is always present, and you don’t need to wait for special moments to connect. The discussion reveals the power of overcoming anxiety and embracing peace for personal growth.

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ANECDOTE

Computer Malware Story

Marc Alan Schelske tells a story of fixing a friend's malware-infested computer that was overloaded and slow.
Removing the malware freed up processing power, enabling the computer to function well again.

INSIGHT

God's Presence Is Everywhere

Jesus teaches we don't need special places or times to find God; God is present everywhere.
This means all life is God's temple, and we can connect with God anytime and anywhere.

INSIGHT

Monkey Mind Mental Noise

The mind's constant chatter is called the "monkey mind" in Buddhist tradition, depicting distracted mental noise.
We need stillness to quiet this "monkey mind" and hear the Spirit clearly.

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Episode 007 – Tell Your Monkeys to be Quiet!

If you’re like me, you’ve got a busy mind, always rushing on to the next thing; full of ideas, plans, questions, fears, and irritations. Or maybe your thoughts are constantly caught up in worry about the future, or maybe regrets from the past? Or do you find swirling anxiety cluttering your head? Well, all that noise is an obstacle in your life and your pursuit of Jesus. It’s time to tell your monkeys to be quiet.

Show Notes

Show notes will not be a transcript. At least not now. You’ll find a few key bullet points, any scriptures references, as well as any other books or resources referenced.

The noise in our minds can be compared to computer viruses that have gotten installed in a computer, and are now taking up precious processing power working for someone else’s agenda. For the computer to serve you well, those viruses need to be removed.
The way we think about God contributes to our problem:
- Jesus word to the Samaritan woman (John 4:23) tell us that we don’t have to go to a special sacred place in order to access God. That’s good news!
- In the upper room, Jesus told the disciples that they would know that they had an ongoing intimate connection with him. (John 14:20) This means we don’t have to wait for a special time to connect with God.
- God is right where we are, whatever we are doing. God is with us, and the whole of life is God’s temple. That’s great news!
One of our chief obstacles to experiencing the reality of God’s presence is the noise in our heads. The Buddhist tradition has a clever name for all this mental noise: The Monkey Mind. A perfect mental image of the chittering distraction we carry around with us. We need silence!
- Psalms 46:10: Be still and know that I am God.
- Jesus affirmed Mary’s desire to sit quietly at his feet.
Stillness is hard. It’s a mental habit that we build
- Stillness comes in a variety of forms.
- Full-focus stillness.
- Awareness of presence in the midst of life is also a form of stillness.
- Sometimes we need full-focus stillness where we carve out times of solitude to be present to God. Many times we just need to practice “carried stillness,” the ongoing awareness of God’s presence in the midst of our day.
Greg Boyd:
- “Whatever is going on in our environment we must remain aware that one other thing is also going on–and it’s the single most important thing in any given moment: namely, we are submerged in God’s loving presence.” (Present Perfect, p.89-90)
- Psalms 131:2. I have calmed and quieted my soul.

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