1. 1 Christian Meditation Restoring the Lost Art of Christian Meditation to the Modern Church Materials by Susan Metoxen, Sole Proprietor of White Buffalo Solutions, a mobile development company based in Hopkins, Minnesota. White Buffalo Solutions has christian meditation apps for smartphones and tablets. See WhiteBuffaloSolutions.com for more information.WhiteBuffaloSolutions.com

2. 2 Learning Objectives Differentiate between prayer and Christian meditation Understand how The Beatles influenced the practice of meditation Understand what the Bible says about meditation Understand the health benefits of meditation Learn some Christian meditation techniques

3. 3 I already have daily devotions. Why should I meditate? How is meditation different than prayer?

4. 4 Christian Meditation and Prayer

5. 5 What is meditation? meditate To train, calm, or empty the mind, often by achieving an altered state, as by focusing on a single object (as in Buddhism and Hinduism) To engage in devotional contemplation, especially prayer. To think or reflect, especially in a calm and deliberate manner. What is prayer? prayer The act of making a reverent petition to God, a god, or another object of worship. An act of communion with God, a god, or another object of worship, such as in devotion, confession, praise, or thanksgiving. Summarized from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.Houghton Mifflin Company Dictionary Definitions

6. 6 What is Christian meditation? Communion Worshiping Reflecting Focusing Contemplation Focused on God and His Word

7. 7 What isnt Christian meditation? Reciting words without meaning Emptying the mind Petitioning God 1 Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline, Harper, San Francisco, 1988, p. 15.

8. 8 What do the Beatles have to do with Christian meditation? In 1968, The Beatles traveled to Rishikesh, India to attend a Transcendental Meditation (TM) seminar hosted by the founder of TM, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This increased the popularity of TM in the US. For many Christians, the association of meditation with TM led to a fear of meditation as a practice of Hindu or Buddhist faiths. Photograph by:רוליג

9. 9 Meditation in the Bible The word meditate is mentioned 19 times in the Psalms Example of meditation: Right before Isaac first met Rebecca, He went out to the field one evening to meditate. (Genesis 24:63 NIV) Numerous examples of prophets spending time focused on the Lord, living for extended periods in isolation Jesus demonstrated a life of contemplation In the wilderness for 40 days and nights His night in the Garden of Gethsemane Gutenberg Bible, Photo by Raul 654

10. 10 Health Benefits of Meditation Respected health professionals accept and encourage meditation There are articles on meditation on the websites of Mayo Clinic, WebMD, and Psychology Today (see sources at the end of this presentation) Meditation is recommended for: Stress Reduction Emotional Well-Being Reducing Negative Emotions Source: Mayo Clinic: Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070 From the Mayo Clinic website: Some research suggests that meditation may help such conditions as:

11. 11 Why should we practice meditation? Spiritual Benefits: It can deepen our faith and strengthen our prayers Health Benefits: It has health benefits that we dont want to pass up Ready to try it out?

12. 12 How to Meditate Include slow deep breathing Inhale through your nose: One, Two, Three, Four Exhale through your mouth: Five, Six, Seven, Eight Meditate in a comfortable position. If sitting, sit up straight. You may want to hold your palms up. Start with short meditations Meditate on scripture

13. 13 Word Focus Meditation Choose your favorite phrase from the Bible Start by breathing deeply Focus on each word For example: THE LORD is my shepherd The Lord IS my shepherd The Lord is MY shepherd The Lord is my SHEPHERD

14. 14 The Five-Minute Christian Meditation

15. 15 Times for meditation Before a performance evaluation After a challenging situation with a customer Before a challenge, like a performance or taking a test Anytime you identify that your body is in a stress response--you feel anxious, worried, hopeless, heart beating fast

16. 16 Next Steps See all of the White Buffalo Solutions Materials on-line and at the App Store FiveMinuteChristianMeditation.com (Includes 10 meditation choices.) ChristianMeditationApp.com (Includes an audio meditation.) ChristianMeditationResources.com iTunes.com/whitebuffalosolutions Android Market Consider an audio meditation--available on Amazon.com on CD Check out the World Community of Christian Meditation at wccm.org. (This is a Catholic organization. ) Read The Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, available on Amazon.com

17. 17 God bless you in your meditation journey!

18. 18 Sources Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard J. Foster. See Chapter 2 on Christian Meditation. Biblical Meditation by J. Hampton Keathley, III http://bible.org/article/biblical- meditationJ. Hampton Keathley, IIIhttp://bible.org/article/biblical- meditation Wikipedia: Meditation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation Articles on Health Benefits of Meditation WebMD: Meditation Heals Body and Mind by Susan Kuchinskas, http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/meditation-heals-body-and-mind http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/meditation-heals-body-and-mind Mayo Clinic: Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070 http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200304/the-benefits-meditation Psychology Today: The Benefits of Meditation by Colin Allen, http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200304/the-benefits-meditation Wikipedia: Research on meditation, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_on_meditation