A "Shallow" Generation?

FCA Staff — 2011-11-23T09:29:25-05:00

I recently came across an interesting book entitled The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. Based on some fascinating research on the brain through scanning, Carr suggests rather strongly that there is good reason to believe that our capacity to process and absorb large amounts of information from a wide and diverse array of sources is actually increasing. That means are brains are working better to capture all the various sound bytes we hear and read daily, if not hourly. Now, here’s the bad news to the story. It seems that the mental downside to this capacity is our ability to focus on larger readings and presentations. In fact, just this morning I was talking with a colleague who is a Keynote Speaker for large pharmaceutical conferences and he shared how difficult it is these days to capture and hold onto an audience’s attention for more than even a few minutes. Our capacity to think is broad, according to Carr, but shallow.

This does not bode well for those of us who are interested in and find great value in the spiritual and academic disciplines of reading, meditation, and stillness. It also means the average Church attender in the pew has a challenge in any homily or sermon that goes beyond 5 or 10 minutes. Perhaps we need to think more carefully about these changes and consider how we might bring balance back into our lives. Here are a few suggestions:

Purchase or download a book and try to finish reading it within a one-week period, devoting about an hour daily to the exercise, avoiding the temptation to move onto other literature in the process.
Take 10 minutes a day and practice the art of being still. Close your eyes, relax, breathe deeply and be still.
Try the ancient practice of Lectio Divina. Just locate a single passage from the Scriptures. Read only one verse and concentrate on one or two words or a phrase. Consider what the passage means to you. Meditate on the passage.
Take an inventory of your daily and weekly rituals, looking for the ways in which you focus, concentrate, meditate, and take time to learn and grow.

I hope these ideas are helpful and all of us can grow deeper in our understanding, faith, and relationships.

Gracefully,
Tim

The Man Behind FCA

FCA Staff — 2011-10-31T12:39:46-04:00

Gary Rowe passed from this life to the next last night, shortly after 10:30 pm. A room filled with his friends, sharing Scripture, singing songs, reminiscing, and loving him dearly helped to usher him to those who would greet him on the other side of this journey called life. Some of you may not know that Gary was on our Board of Directors at FCA. For several years, before his diagnosis of cancer, he worked alongside us as one of our Therapists. He was a well trained and highly skilled clinician whose services were sought after by many more than his time would allow him to see. Gary and I met in the fall of 1974 at Cincinnati Bible College for Freshman orientation. When I returned to Indianapolis in 1991, it was Gary who stood alongside me and helped me through the difficult transitions of my life. In 1993, when the group I was working with took a contract with St. Joseph's Hospital in Kokomo, it was Gary who suggested I start a Private Practice. A year later, he referred to me a young Therapist, Kristi Thompson, who had served with him at East 91st St. Christian Church as an Intern. She became my first associate at FCA and that is when I changed the name of the organization from Joshica (named after my two children, Josh and Jessica), to Family Counseling Associates. He continued to make those same kind of referrals of professionals, not to mention the client referrals, and we grew to where, in 1996 we needed more space than the Castleton Christian Church could provide. That is when we moved to our existing location in Castleton. Around 2004 I entered into a partnership with some folks to build a new building to house FCA. As most of you know, that partnership ended and it was one of the most difficult episodes of my life. Gary not only helped me through it, he continued to stay connected to the other good people who were hurt in the breakdown. And you should know that through his efforts and prayers, as well as the prayers and strong faith of all involved, we have all reconciled from that painful experience. Gary helped me to grow and learn some valuable lessons out of my failure.

Gary G. Rowe
October 9, 1956 - October 23, 2011

A couple years ago, Gary called me and asked me, "Tim, would you be interested in going to Haiti with me to work with some Missionaries?" It took all of 10 seconds to say yes to a trip back to a country my wife and I have come to love so much and Gary introduced us to some beautiful people with whom we and FCA still partners. Gary was a networker, weaving people together in relationships that impacted and still impact our world powerfully. He was a Pastor, a Family Therapist, a Clinical Supervisor, a Consultant, a father, a brother, a man of God who did not need to advertize his holiness, but just lived it out so beautifully that people were attracted to it. But for me, he was my friend. We served together, laughed together, ate Skyline together, cried together and shared life together. He will remain my friend and I am a better man for having known him these 37 years. I love you, Gary.

Tim

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A "Shallow" Generation?

The Man Behind FCA