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 THE “HOT” TOPIC
The differences in the beliefs and practices of meditation is a hot topic in Christianity……mainly due to lack of experience and biblical understanding.
As an ordained minister and spiritual director, and a practitioner of meditation for fourteen years…I believe that I have a platform to speak from.
This is a huge subject, to big to be covered in one blog. My question is where do I to start???? Maybe with the fruit of meditation in my life….in Matt. 7; Christ says you will know the tree by the fruit. Meditation and it’s practices have paid huge dividends in my life…love, forgiveness, peace, thankfulness, grace, mercy and most important my relationship with Yahweh, has greatly increased. FEAR…and the lack of trust in the Shepherd of Our Soul, is what I see in the red flag wavers……not the fruit of the Holy Spirit!
Here are some FACTS :
FACT: All religions have similar practices. Some examples are; singing, theological study, scripture reading, and prayer ( healing, protection, repentance, help in time of need, etc.)….and even meditation. The difference is the FOCUS not the practice!
FACT: Meditation has been practiced in the Church…and by leaders in the Church, since the beginning of Christianity. Look at the Church history books there is a long list…in all Protestant , Catholic, and Orthodox sects or groups.
FACT: Meditation may “look” the same… but in Christian based meditation the FOCUS is on YAHWEH, and the divine love and relationship we have through Jesus Christ. It’s about the “Shepherd of Our Soul” healing and mending my heart….not me doing it in my own power and strength.
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His names sake. Psalm 23: 1-3
AMEN!
This week upon an invitation from a friend, I went to a documentary at the Cine entitled ” the Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas.” My interest in going was to see the photography of Tibet, the artwork, and the religious draw that Buddhism has for people with Christian roots. In the Christian Church many people have left the faith of their youth to seek “enlightenment” or a deeper spiritual journey through the practices of Eastern religions.
In the movie I was surprised to see a number of the spiritual practices  were similar to those I have seen or experienced in Christianity and Judaism. Some examples are the use of prayer beads, prayer cloths, and the forward rocking and prostrations during times of prayer and scripture reading. They also walked the outer circle around a village praying, there was chanting and bells, pilgrims and monks living in hermitages and a focus on the “inner life”.
There was a major sacred site on the pilgrimage called “The Oracle Lake”, located deep within the mountains of Tibet. Those on this personal spiritual quest were hoping to receive prophetic visions and dreams…..as this is what has been experienced by other pilgrims and the Dalai Lamas.
I left the movie with a sense of joy and gratefulness for my spiritual quest with and in Yahweh. But, I had a sense of sadness for my brothers and sisters in Christ, that feel that they have to leave the Christian Church to experience God at a deeper level. For you see….the very things that they are seeking can be found in the Contemplative teachings of early Christianity and in the writings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers.
 Letting Go…….
As I reflect on the first step of my journey it makes me smile. You see the first step was not what I thought it would be…….but it never is when you encounter the Light.
The first step was one of the hardest steps to make. Inside of me the still small voice spoke…..maybe not so small a voice for it seemed quite loud at the time. “Take my hand,” the voice said, and then the interior war started. No!!! was my thought, if I take God’s hand I would die and great fear crept over me. Yet, when one faces God it is not the time for fear but great courage. So with trembling courage I said “Yes, here is my hand!”. Then I heard soft laughter and felt a sense of overwhelming love…..for I had let go and taken my first step. The step of TRUST.
Whoever would save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life will find it. Matt. 16:25
 What should I take on the journey you might ask…..Nothing!
Naked I came from my mothers womb, and naked I shall return again. Yahweh gives and Yahweh takes back. Blessed be the name of Yahweh. Job 2:21
On this journey you will have need of nothing. This is a journey of letting go. As you enter this door……you will enter into the Kingdom of God.
When Jesus was asked about the Kingdom of God he said:
You won’t be able to say, “It has begun here in this place or there in that part of the county.” For the Kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17 :21
Now, no longer will I have to look only for Gods presence outward but now I can look for Gods presence inward.
As we enter this door, it is necessary to start out on the right path, to set our feet on a firm foundation. This starting place from which we proceed is not led by anyone but the Shepherd of our souls. This starting place is very important because if our first step is wrong we can easily miss our destination and spend years wandering in box canyons, not able to find our way out. If one wanted to shoot a gun and wanted the bullet to hit the moon, the aim must be perfectly aimed. A fraction of an inch of aiming the gun would cause the bullet to miss the moon by thousands of miles. So it is with the spiritual journey, we would wander for years frustrated and trying to correct our course.
Let us begin being led by Cosmic Wayshower stepping onto the path made with a firm foundation:
And in that day you shall know that I am in the Father, and you in Me and I in you.
Do You not know that you are a temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you.
That is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory if this mystery, which is CHRIST IN YOU THE HOPE OF GLORY!
 Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends. Rev 3:20
About 50 years ago I consciously started my spiritual journey, through hills, and valleys, deserts and streams, and through moments of great light and deep darkness. In 1995 I had an Epiphany, an encounter with Christ-Living Word and this radically changed my spiritual journey.
Like so many Christians today I was doing all the right things; I had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I was an active leader in the church, a student of scripture and committed to prayer. Yet, something was missing…….a lot of what I was taught, in reality, wasn’t working. I looked around at my friends and the leaders in church and saw many good people committed to Jesus but little changed in their lives, except, some grew in more knowledge of scripture. For me, this wasn’t enough I wanted a spiritual journey that would change my life from the inside out. An inner transformation, not behavior modification. We were taught to seek the presence of God. Go here, go there, judgments were made on where to find God. He is in this church, he’s in that church, spiritual temperatures were taken everywhere. ENOUGH……I was exhausted and tired of spiritual gymnastics. HELP ……..HOLY SPIRIT!
It is very easy to adopt patterns for our lives that God did not give. In fact we can have delusions about God Himself. We can have certain ideas about God that we invented, and build theologies around our ideas. We can then worship a God of our own invention and become disappointed when our prayers aren’t answered. we may then get frustrated, hardened of heart and give up. If this is the case we may be guilty of idol worship, in which we fail to worship the one true God, worshipping the one we made, instead. Howard Morgan – Tishrei
My Epiphany came in a still small voice ” seek the presence of God within!”
That was 19 years ago. I began my contemplative journey which is a process of interior transformation initiated by God, the Shepherd of my soul, and the Wayshower leading.
YAHWEH is my shepherd, I lack nothing. In grassy meadows he lets me lie. By tranquil streams he leads me to restore my spirit. Psalms 23:1-3
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