Tag Archives: music

Be Careful Little Ears (Guest Post)

1 Reply
Image by AS Photograpy from Pixabay

Be Careful, Little Ears

by Steph Beth Nickel

Those of us of a certain age will likely remember the old Sunday School song encouraging us to be mindful of what we focus on and what we listen to. The importance of doing so has never been more vital, considering the multiple avenues through which our senses are bombarded these days.

This month, I’m going to share some of my favourite podcasts, a couple of my favourite audiobook providers, and two apps that I use virtually every day in my devotional time. I’m also going to touch on why it’s crucial to “turn off the noise” from time to time and calm my squirrel brain. Hopefully, these will be helpful to you as well.

First, Audiobooks

Like many people, I signed up for Audible way back when and, for the most part, used my monthly credits for lengthy books. My search for more economical options, led me to Chirp Books and then Kobo Plus from Rakuten Kobo. As a result of discovering audiobooks, I have spent a plethora of hours consuming books even when my eyes were too tired to focus and my brain too scattered to concentrate without the auditory input.

And speaking of auditory input . . .

There has been an explosion of podcasts and apps in recent years. Below are some of my favourites in various categories:

Faith-Building

  • She Reads Truth (SRT) with co-hosts Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams, a podcast which corresponds to the Bible reading plans SRT publishes. Even though I don’t purchase the corresponding materials, I get a lot out of this weekly podcast.
  • A good friend of mine and I have been going through several of the reading plans on the You Version app over the last number of months. I find them great springboards for deeper study on a variety of topics.
  • I also use the ESV app five or more days a week. I appreciate the dimension the narrator adds to my Bible reading. (It’s best if I follow along so I don’t get distracted. Me and my squirrel brain.)

Skills Development

  • The Creative Penn with Joanna Penn, a podcast on writing, self-publishing, and related topics.
  • The Modern Editor Podcast with Tara Whitaker, a podcast with lots of tips for 21st century freelance editors.
  • Writing at the Red House with Kathi Lipp, a podcast in which Kathi and her guests discuss the many facets of being a traditionally published nonfiction author. (Kathi and her guests also touch on fiction writing and self-publishing from time to time.)

Other

  • Grit ’n’ Grace with Cheri Gregory, a podcast about approaching life as a highly sensitive person, an HSP. This podcast is excellent for Christian woman who are HSPs and for those who know someone who is an HSP.
  • The Lazy Genius with Kendra Adachi, a podcast about “being a genius about things that matter and lazy about things that don’t.” Note: Listeners are encouraged to decide for themselves what’s important to them. No cookie cutter approach here.
  • The Next Right Thing with Emily P. Freeman, a faith-based podcast about determining and taking the next right step in the various areas of our life. (I use the guided journal by the same name.)

Still . . .

It’s important to “unplug” periodically.

Here are three reasons I find it important to regularly be quiet:

  • We can soak in the sounds of nature instead of what’s playing on our earbuds.
  • We’re able to think more deeply about what we’re learning and what’s important to us if we’re not going from one thing to the next to the next.
  • When we’re quiet, we have the opportunity to listen for God’s still, small voice.

In December we’ll examine the connection between quiet and rest, something most of us will likely need after the busyness of the Christmas season.

Photo credit: Jaime Mellor Photography

As an editor, Steph Beth Nickel has the honour of coming alongside writers to help them polish their work. As the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’s memoirs, Steph has been blessed to work with this amazing woman. And as a future self-published author, with the Lord’s help, Steph has taken brave steps toward publication.

If you would like more information about her services, you can contact her at stephbethnickelediting@gmail.com.

You’re invited to visit her website: http://stephbethnickeleditor.com/.

You can join her Editing Tips Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418423519384351.

Without Proof: the Playlist

Leave a reply

Each of the Redemption’s Edge novels has an associated soundtrack in my head. For Secrets and Lies, it may have leaked into readers’ heads, too, because the novel is full of references to songs. For Heaven’s Prey and Without Proof, the music isn’t mentioned by name, but my imagination links certain songs with certain characters or situations.

Here’s my playlist for Without Proof: music that complements the characters and theme. Below the YouTube screen, I’ve listed each title and artist. Most connect with Amy’s identity struggles, but there’s also Michael’s song for Amy and what I think of as Michael’s and Gilles’ song from back in the day. Scroll down and have a look 🙂

Without Proof playlist:
“Come as You Are” by Crowder
“Always” by the Newsboys
“Say You Need Love” by the Newsboys
“What Are You Waiting For?” by Nickelback
“Let it All Come Out” by the Newsboys
“The Letter” by the Newsboys
“I Belong” by Kathryn Scott
“My New Name” by Todd Agnew (not in the YouTube mix… I couldn’t find it there)
“Child of God” by Kathryn Scott
“Yours to Hold” by Skillet (Michael’s song for Amy)
“A Friend Like You” by Geoff Moore and The Distance (Michael’s and Gilles’ song)

Multi-tasking and Silence

Leave a reply

I read a post from The High Calling blog network this week about multi-tasking: Multitasking Fast, by Charity Singleton of the Wide Open Spaces blog.

As she says, a lot of the time we’re not multi-tasking so much as single-tasking with other tasks running in the background, and we’re switching among them as needed. This can work really well, as long as what you’re switching in and out of doesn’t involve investing total concentration. Even then, some people can pull it off. Others lose valuable time and mental speed by reorienting to each new task.

The part of Charity’s post that made me stop and think was the list of things she identified as multi-tasking. Listening to the radio while doing dishes? I’d always thought of it as keeping myself amused while doing something boring. The music will definitely stay on while I’m doing chores. (Sometimes I even do extra chores so I can hear another song….)

But check out her Multitasking Fast and see what she gained in the silence: time to pray. I suppose that’s multi-tasking too, but it’s not the same. All the other things are external. Prayer is internal communication with God.

Charity’s fast reminded me of a somewhat-similar one an acquaintance tried a few years ago: a silence fast. She turned off the music, the TV, the phone, any source of noise she could. I think she still spoke to her family, or maybe she’d gone on retreat.

I remember her describing how hard the silence was to bear at first, and then how she began to appreciate it and to enjoy communion with God in the minor routines of her day.  It was definitely a short-term experiment, but it sure made an impact.

I wonder if I could do a silent fast.

I wonder which of my family members would laugh the loudest at the concept. Silence? Me?

Even I giggle a bit inside at the idea, but something deeper still whispers of peace. Stillness. Wholeness.

We’ll see.