Week 9 - Joey Craig - Be Still

Joey Craig, the service manager at Brindlee Mountain Fire Apparatus, shares a devotional titled "Be Still". He reads from Psalms 46:10, which says, "Be still. Know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations and I will be exalted in the earth".

Joey talk about what "being still" truly means, beyond just sitting down and watching TV or looking at a phone. He asks if we are really being still when we sit down at the end of a hard day, and if our minds have time to stop.

• Being still means true stillness, not being distracted by anything, and not having external inputs that take your mind away from resting and listening.

• The speaker believes God will talk to us through distractions, but questions if we give God a chance to talk to us if we don't take time to stop and be still.

• A co-worker named Jeremy recommended the book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer, which talks about cutting out distractions and slowing down to find true peace and rest.

• Tips from the book include intentionally slowing down in traffic and purposefully choosing the slowest checkout line at the grocery store.

• Observing the Sabbath by taking a full day to rest and worship was something that greatly helped the speaker.

• The speaker recently went on a camping trip alone with his dog, where the plan was to be still, listen to God, and have no distractions like his phone. He found peace and rest in not having a plan.

• The speaker suggests that a "constant state of distraction" and entertainment is what the devil would use to pull people away from God. To battle this, you have to set aside time to be still.

• The speaker notes that while the Bible tells us "Be still" multiple times, it does not say "hurry" or "be quick" often, and the few times it does, it is for an urgency to do something for someone.