Turn Off the PHONE!

I'm in church.

I'm in church every week.

I'm in church every week and some body's PHONE starts ringing, typically during Eucharist or Eucharistic Prayer.

Do you know where my phone is? My phone is in the car. OR my phone is at home.

Yeah, yeah, I know...so I won't be making sainthood anytime soon just because I leave my phone in the car!

Still! I can't help it:

YOU DO NOT NEED YOUR PHONE AT CHURCH (exceptions for firefighters, detectives working on critical cases, and doctors). But I don't see doctors, firefighters, or detectives looking for their phones and, when the phones ring, running out to solve murders and insure the safety of all Miamians, unless they are really undercover. I see women, pawing through their purses. I see men, slapping at their belt bags. I have seen said people not simply turning off their phone and blushing with embarrassment. I have seen them ANSWER their phones, and mutter quietly, "I'm in church...uh, huh...uh, huh..." I know, Christianity is about not judging, but really....really...even if I don't judge you, could you PLEASE not bring your phone into church?

I would like to include a plea to silence or turn off phones for other venues as well: public lectures, libraries, bible study, missions...feel free to add your preferences.

I promise you will be able to contact whomever you missed about whatever their concern as soon as the event is over. I PROMISE you will have a voice mail or "missed call" notification. Whatever cultural change has led us to believe we must be available every minute of every day, it is an erroneous assumption. You CAN turn off the phone. You CAN leave it at home. You CAN skip checking your email for one, if not several days (I personally think that's CRAZY TALK, but since its my crazy talk, I'll have to give it some credence).

Let it go. Try for some quiet. Quiet with yourself. Quiet with your family. Quiet with God.