Meditation apps, classes, books, and groups offer many techniques for this practice. Is there a right way to meditate? What if you’re doing it wrong? Let’s explore the right way to meditate. The following is a text version of this posting. Meditation. If you’re just starting to learn about meditation,… Read More »Are You Meditating the Right Way?
Do Christians meditate? That may seem like an odd question, but it’s a question I’m sometimes asked. Generally, the people who are asking want to know if Christians simply use Buddhist meditation techniques or if there’s a distinctive approach to meditation in the Christian tradition. With the predominance of Evangelic… Read More »Do Christians Meditate? What Is Christian Meditation?
Depression is like being lost in a dark cave or a deep pit. The World Health Organization estimates that with the COVID-19 pandemic, the global rate of depression has increased to 25% of all people. While treatment is important, there are two ways that spirituality can support recovery from depression.… Read More »Two Ways Spirituality Helps Ease Depression
Keeping vigil: it’s like mindfulness and it’s like meditation. But when keeping a vigil, we wait for something. Our attention has a different kind of focus than in mindfulness and meditation. Today, I’m sharing my experience of keeping vigil during a recent trip to Yellowstone National Park. Each day was… Read More »Keeping Vigil: Waiting for Goodness in Life
As people incorporate prayer and spiritual practice in their lives, some wonder what to do. As an example, I’m sharing some aspects of my practice – my morning routine and the way I incorporate meditation and spiritual reading. Perhaps it will help you to consider what would be helpful for… Read More »Building Your Spiritual Practice: Habits, Meditation, and Spiritual Reading
As I write, it’s been fourteen months since SARS-CoV-2 emerged. That’s the virus that causes the disease we call COVID-19. Because of this virus, many ways in which we live have changed. Some people are attempting to live life as they did before the emergence of the virus: eating in… Read More »Spirituality & the Pandemic: Stress, Depression, and Anxiety
It was a Monday morning. I had begun my shift at the hospital as the pager sounded. “Report to the ICU. There is a case for you.” That was 1981. I was a hospital chaplain then. I was called to provide pastoral support to the first person with AIDS I… Read More »Lesson from a Different Pandemic
I was happy for my friend. I’ve known him for a long while. Now in his forties, he began to practice meditation a few months ago. After a few weeks, the leader of his meditation group invited him to attend an eight-day silent retreat focused on meditation practice. My friend… Read More »It’s Just Ordinary
