Phantom Power

September 8, 2009
 
Dear St. Paul’s Family,
 
Every time I visit my family in Florida, I learn something new about their eccentricities.  My sister-in-law Amanda has made it a point of unplugging virtually every piece of electronic equipment prior to exiting their home. Gadgets of all sorts give way to her scorched earth ritual, as she pulls power cords of televisions, computers, kitchen appliances, and even alarm clocks.  
 
When asked about her peculiar practice, she told me about “phantom power.”  She informed me that many electronic devices continue to draw power from their outlets even after they have been switched off.  Appliances that display the time, computers that move to “sleep” mode, and even phone chargers that don’t have phones plugged into them continue to sip electricity in amounts that really add up over time.  In fact, simply unplugging these items can save a household upwards of $150 per year.  And if everyone in the country did the same? A savings of $4 billion dollars, not to mention the conservation benefits to the environment.
 
While I’m not sure if I’ll be mimicking my sister-in-law’s routine, I admire her for it.  It is a vivid reminder of an important life principle:  If you want to make a drastic change in your life, then you have to do the little things right.  
 
Nowhere is that truer than in one’s Christian commitment.  What are the “phantom powers” that are impediments to your discipleship?  What are the subtle yet considerable obstacles that demand your constant consideration and regular removal?
 
John Wesley knew nothing of electrical power, of course.  But he certainly knew that success in one’s spiritual growth depended on minding the details. He wrote in his journal:  
 
“Blessed are the pure in heart” who, whether they eat or drink, or whatever they do, have no end therein but to please God! To them all things are pure. Every creature is good to them, and nothing to be rejected.  But let them who know and feel that they are not thus pure use every help, and remove every hindrance; always remembering, “He that despiseth little things shall fall by little and little.”  (March 30, 1738)
 
So what are the “little things” that need to be unplugged lest your faith fall, “little by little?”  Perhaps it is a nagging temptation that you have trouble overcoming.  Or it’s those moments in your day that could be better spent in prayer or study.  Maybe it’s those words in your vocabulary that need to be phased out.  The list is as endless as the number of gadgets in your house.  
 
Jim Harnish, the senior pastor at my previous appointment, is fond of quoting a poem called “Those Stubborn Ounces,” by Bonaro Overstreet:
 
            You say the little effort that I make
            will do no good; they will never prevail
            to tip the hovering scale
            where Justice hangs in balance.
 
            I don't think I ever thought they would.
            But I am prejudiced beyond debate
            In favor of my right to choose which side
            shall feel the stubborn ounces of my weight.

Join us this Sunday as we conclude our “reFresh” sermon series with a focus on those stubborn ounces.  We’ll look for ways to overcome those sneaky, yet significant, detriments to our faith and experience the full and abundant life God has for each of us.  
 
Let’s unplug together!  
 
Magrey