Why you may be falling asleep when you meditate

I am not a meditation expert by any definition. I do practice, but with two kids and a full church and a white knuckle grasp on a dream of being a professional soccer player/stand up comic, I do not take the time to meditate as much as I hope to. I have hear a number of Christians talk about their inability to meditate and I hope this little post will help you in your desire to meditate.

First of all, if you are a Christian remember that when it comes to meditation. Sometimes we forget that when we meditate and look to other sources to guide our meditation, many of which teach that meditation is about clearing your mind. While these sources have been helpful for many, if you embrace the Christian narrative then you may have a difficult time with this because the Christian narrative is first and foremost an embodied religion. It is a religion that states God constantly comes to us. We were given the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide and remind all the Christ taught. We are a people who believe that God became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth and will come again (whatever that looks like). 

If you believe God is constantly coming to us, then you might find it counter productive to try to be a blank slate and banish thoughts and feelings. Those thoughts you have are not necessarily bad or distractions. To the Christian thoughts and feelings are possible vessels of God's grace and guidance. The list of things to do that floats into your mind may be a distraction, but it also could be that God is using that list to remind you to slow down. The Christian meditation is one that engages those thoughts differently than just by banishing them.  The Christian might be best served by acknowledging the thoughts but then moving on. 

I invite you to try this form of meditation. Imagine that you are sitting on a rock in a river. As thoughts or feelings come to you treat them like leaves floating on the water's surface. You see them but they do not capture your attention - they float on by. There will be some that float right into you as you sit there and you may find that you are covered in a few leaves. That is okay. Pick each one up, examine it, see if there is any writing from God on that leaf. If not, put it back down on the water and let it float on downstream. If there is residue of the divine, then make note of it. There may be some leaves that are larger or more interesting to look at, take the time you need but know that when you stand up to walk out of the river of your meditation you are saturated with Living Water.

*SPECIAL EDITION* Preacher of the Month - October

October is "Pastor Appreciation Month". I am not sure the history as to how or why this came to be but I also don't know why April is "National Welding Month" and the fourth week in August is "Be Kind to Humankind Week". 

In the spirit of this month and the spirit of Preacher of the Month, I thought it would be interesting to extend an invitation to you to highlight your own preacher this month. 

Here is how it works.

Get with your preacher and ask them if you could interview them. If you would like, feel free to use some of the same questions I have been asking other preachers:

• What is one sermon you preach?
• What is another sermon you preach?
• What is another sermon you preach?
• What is the oddest experience you have had while preaching?
• Who are preachers that you listen to?

Of course you always can generate your own questions. Perhaps you want to know more about their style, so ask them if they are inductive or deductive preachers (then ask them what the difference is!). Perhaps you want to know where they get their stories or inspiration? Perhaps you would like to hear about their spiritual life, how they pray or what they read or how they practice the disciplines. 

At some point I would then suggest that you share with your preacher two or three specific things that you have found helpful or good about their preaching ministry. Avoid general comments like, "I just love your sermons" or 'You really make me think." Share things that you have found to be the most helpful and transformative for you. Trust me when I say that this sort of feedback is the most helpful form of feedback you can share with many preachers.

Be aware - Preachers feel uncomfortable talking about themselves. It is part of the reason we preach, so we can talk about God and not talk about ourselves. So when they try conversational judo on you to get you to talk, don't let them off the hook. Preachers often are more comfortable hearing criticism than praise, so just be patient with your preacher.

Take some time. Take the month. Share a word of Grace to those who try their best to share a word of Grace.

Bad for Your Diet, Great for Spiritual Formation?

For a myriad of reasons, humans are not very good at imagining their future selves. For many aspects of life this creates a problem. For instance, if we indulge in the delicious double chocolate cookies everyday then we may pay the price in the future when we are diabetic. Like water dripping on a rock, we are shaping our future selves with the actions of our present selves. 

While our inability to imagine our future selves can be a burden in some aspects of our lives, it can be a benefit when it comes to spiritual formation. 

Spiritual formation is often about encouraging us to trust the future so that we can live in the present. When we are fully present then we begin to do things that affect our future selves in ways that are helpful. For instance, when we are fully present to our neighbor when they are going through difficult times, we learn how to be still and listen. When we are fully present to our own hearts, we grow more at ease with silence. When we are fully present to the economic decision we make, we will begin to get a handle on instant gratification. When we are fully present, we will appreciate the amount of work it took to get those cookies to us and we might share the cookies with others. 

While it may be frustrating for financial planning, being unable to envision our future selves can be a great gift from God if we live in the full present.