Blacking Out In Church

This weekend I checked out a new church within walking distance of where I live.  It was at their contemporary morning service I blacked out.

We've all experienced "church black out" at some point in our life.  It's the point in the service where your attention span wans and you drift off to imagination land. Somewhere around minute 37 of an hour and a half service I blacked out.  My eyes closed, I started to slouch and my mind wandered. 

Keep in mind this happened at a contemporary service, complete with guitars and modern songs.  The building is new, beautiful, modern and has comfortable seats in the sanctuary.

So what's the primary cause of people blacking out in church?  One of the biggest perpetrators is lengthy services, any sermon over 22 minutes in length is too much (not counting singing, prayer, announcements, etc).   No matter how engaging, thoughtful or important the message, I'm done after minute 22.

The biggest telltale sign of church blackout is your memory.  If you can't remember the message during the sermon you blacked out.

If you find yourself blacking out more than you want to here's some ways to stay focused:

• Word counting: Keep track of the number of times the preacher says a particular word or phrase
   
• Doodling: Try drawing a representation of the preacher's message on a piece of paper
   
• God Smack down: Assume God is going to smack you upside the head if you don't pay attention
   
• Reward System: Give yourself a reward after church if you can describe the sermon after it's done
   
• Change Churches: Try a different church allowing you to either appreciate your church more or find a better sermon on Sundays