SENTINEL WATCH March 8, 2004 Issue

The search for God—like coming home

By Marilyn Jones

"Stop the world and let me off!
I'm tired of goin' round n' round."

Those words from a classic 1958 Patsy Cline recording sound pretty contemporary in today's world of instant messaging, 24-hour news channels, mail that arrives over-night from across a continent, and families with two working parents (or one parent who is also working outside the home). Kids sit pinging away at computer games while loud music bangs relentlessly on the CD player. Where's the space, the time, and even the inclination for solitude and quiet contemplation?