Quote of the Day (April 4, 2018) Quite possibly the most profound quote of the year to date!
“I have practiced Christian meditation daily for twelve years. The critics of meditation are correct: meditation is a threat to their soteriology. The critics fret that meditation will soften our hatred of sin and sinners. Meditation might lead us to imagine that access to heaven is more aptly pictured as the seeking shepherd than as a guarded, password-protected gate. Meditation might lead us to exaggerate grace and divine affection and the transforming power God will practice at the Last Day. I testify the critics are right. All these things have happened to me. And even worse: I am not sorry.”
—John T McLarty (an Adventist pastor)

IN OUR MINDS we are continually chattering with ourselves, and the purpose of meditation is to stop it. To begin with, maybe we try to concentrate on a single subject—the flame of a candle, the row of peas we are weeding, our own breath. When other subjects float up to distract us, we escape them by simply taking note of them and then letting them float away without thinking about them. We keep returning to the in-and-out of our breathing until there is no room left in us for anything else. To the candle flame until we ourselves start to flicker and burn. To the weeds until we become only a pair of grubby hands pulling them. In time we discover that we are no longer chattering.

 

If we persist, every once and so often we may find ourselves entering the suburbs of a state where we are conscious but no longer conscious of anything in particular, where we have let go of almost everything.

 

The end of meditation is to become empty enough to be filled with the kind of stillness the Psalmist has in mind when he says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (46:10).*

*Frederick Buechner (a Presbyterian minister), Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC (1973)

Sample Christian Meditations

Mom J’s Meditation [4:14]
A collection of passages that have been especially meaningful to me at various stages of my life.

“Be Still and Know” [11:13]
This is a scripture that many of us find easier to say, than to live! It can be a challenge to find stillness in today’s busy world… but stillness is a choice, not a feeling. Well done for taking the time to find a few moments of stillness. The focus for this meditation is to come into an understanding of WHO God is, because when we KNOW God, we can be STILL.

Mindful Christian [20:06]
Mindfulness meditation: Being still in the presence of God.

Christian Guided Scriptural Meditation & Relaxation with Music from Psalm 139 [9:07]
This video has been created to connect you with God’s heart and His love for you. It takes you on a journey into the heart of Psalm 139, where you can appreciate that you have been fearfully and wonderfully made.

Christian Guided Scriptural Meditation & Relaxation from Psalm 23, with Music and Water Sounds [12:33]
This video is a guided Christian relaxation and meditation, to take you into the heart of Psalm 23.

Healing Meditation: Rest [31:45]
A Bible-based guided meditation on rest and healing, composed and performed by Contemporary Christian Music pioneer Marsha Stevens-Pino. Lots and lots of Scripture, over lots and lots of snatches of classic praise choruses and hymns. In the early 1990s, Marsha produced a healing meditation album as a gift to Christian friends living with AIDS. This is part one: Restful Praise. Her love for her friends, and her utter joy and confidence in both God and Scripture shine throughout. Working without a written script, she improvises a heartfelt, focused, conscious, affirming, and prayerful meditation on God’s healing presence in our lives.

References:

Can Meditation Help Control Your Blood Sugar Levels?
Research presented at an American Diabetes Association conference showed mindfulness meditation is beneficial for people with diabetes. Mindfulness meditation relieves anxiety and depression, which are common symptoms for people with diabetes. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed transcendental meditation can help people with diabetes control their blood sugar levels. It can also lower blood pressure and reduce insulin resistance. Meditation is also used to relieve chronic pain. People with diabetes who have nerve pain neuropathy or back pain are subject to increased stress and blood sugar levels. Reducing pain through meditation minimizes anxiety and related health problems as well as blood sugar readings. Use blood pressure monitors or blood pressure machines before and after meditation sessions to gauge your progress. Have a glucose meter handy to keep track of your blood sugar levels prior and subsequent to meditation. Give yourself a few weeks to master the techniques and start seeing real results.
https://www.adwdiabetes.com/articles/meditation-control-blood-sugars

Different Types Of Meditation Change Different Areas Of The Brain, Study Finds
OCT 5, 2017
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/10/05/different-types-of-meditation-change-the-brain-in-different-ways-study-finds/#36a0fe321f1e

Applying the Biblical Practice of Meditation Among Adventist Frontier Mission Employees
A 259-page comprehensive paper.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1141&context=dmin

Free Guided Meditations
http://marc.ucla.edu/mindful-meditations