public and private prayer...you are now free to move around the country...and piss everyone off

I now have Nextel for my wireless phone service. It works fine for the most part. But, I’m not sure about this two-way radio connection. I can talk to my wife and a couple of neighbors, but I just don’t use it much of the time because I get annoyed when others use it publicly with the volume blasting. For most folks in a restaurant (McDonald’s for me this morning) who are having a conversation face-to-face, respectfully they keep their voices low. But, for one woman that was impossible. That piercing beep/chirp unique to Nextel was constantly alerting the entire restaurant that one side of the conversation was over. Her volume was entirely too loud letting all of us in on the conversation about where she was to meet her friend/mother/sister and what time. Also, the restating of every other sentence was equally annoying. To make matters worse as Annoying Person #1 continues her conversation in walks another Nextel user beeping his way to the counter saying something about his many morning tasks that he had to finish before responding to his partner’s radio request. (BTW, this included consuming two McGriddles, a cup of coffee, and some kind of lengthy morning ritual in the men’s room.) By the end of writing this paragraph, three other Nextelians invaded the place chirping their way all of my nerves. Maybe our phones are different, but there is a way to keep these kinds of conversations private (or at least half of it.) We also have volume switches to keep in down in public.

I am reminded of what Jesus said about keeping things to yourself, especially spirituality.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6.5-8, TNIV)

I am afraid we live in a culture that values the public display of piety much more than persons whose inner lives are rich and deep in the ways of God. I am afraid even further that the hypocrites and Pharisees may be winning the public debate on church. It is possible that the majority of evangelicals in America would much rather have a Nextel than a prayer closet. (And I don't think aforementioned "morning ritual" included any sort of prayer."