Can't we Shut Up and Listen?

OK, I think it's a bad idea to complain about 'real life' things on one's blog, but I'm going to take a small risk here as this isn't really the end of the world.

I'm going off on a retreat for Probationer Ministers over the next few days. Last year it was a total talk-fest and I came back absolutely shattered, totally drained and feeling grouchy and out of sorts.

You understand that I hope that by posting this, I'll have to report to you at the end of the week that actually everything was utterly wonderful and that I'm totally refreshed.

But what is the deal with Methodists and talking? Why do we think that if we talk, talk, talk, talk that somehow we'll have fellowship with God? What gets me is that we seem to have absolutely no respect whatsoever for theology ('God talk') as a way to encounter God, but we think that if we get together we have to talk our heads off. Why? I just don't get it.

I'm not that introverted. I'm actually barely introverted on the Myers-Briggs scale, but I do have a need for a bit of quiet and a bit of space to 'just be'. Why do we seem to think that listening to God instead of telling him what to do all the time is next to demonic?

I'll let you know how things turn out. I hope to come back with egg on my face reporting that we had lots of quiet time and space to encounter God. Chance would be a fine thing.