Comments on: Meditation http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/ from parke Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:43:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: parke http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-1306 parke Tue, 03 Apr 2007 04:56:40 +0000 http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-1306 Wow, you're really digging back. I'm glad it was an encouragement to you, Tamar. It's certainly a very valuable practice in general and your specific methods sound very beneficial. Wow, you’re really digging back. I’m glad it was an encouragement to you, Tamar. It’s certainly a very valuable practice in general and your specific methods sound very beneficial.

]]> By: tamar http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-1305 tamar Tue, 03 Apr 2007 04:08:26 +0000 http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-1305 I am so grateful for this post because early last month I was experiencing some dissatisfaction with my daily meditation. We are reading a series in my small group and I thought our curriculum would suffice for my daily devotion. I found myself missing somewhat empty. I also needed an unfiltered read. So I tried a few avenues and as of right now this is what I am doing. First I pray about what book the Lord would like for me to read and start at the beginning. I can not skip around. I need a step by step application of the word. This way I get a clear understanding of the context. Then I see how I can apply the principles to my day. I also pray for forgiveness in the areas that I am convicted. I recited and pray read the words I want to stick. The continued part of my meditation includes a friend. Shaun and I will then discuss our daily reading sometime during the day and pray these things over each others lives. I find the joining with a close friend makes my reading that much more intimate. I am so grateful for this post because early last month I was experiencing some dissatisfaction with my daily meditation. We are reading a series in my small group and I thought our curriculum would suffice for my daily devotion. I found myself missing somewhat empty. I also needed an unfiltered read. So I tried a few avenues and as of right now this is what I am doing. First I pray about what book the Lord would like for me to read and start at the beginning. I can not skip around. I need a step by step application of the word. This way I get a clear understanding of the context. Then I see how I can apply the principles to my day. I also pray for forgiveness in the areas that I am convicted. I recited and pray read the words I want to stick. The continued part of my meditation includes a friend. Shaun and I will then discuss our daily reading sometime during the day and pray these things over each others lives. I find the joining with a close friend makes my reading that much more intimate.

]]> By: parke http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-189 parke Wed, 05 Apr 2006 14:55:50 +0000 http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-189 Some great additions to the conversation, Jake. Thank you for taking the time. Some great additions to the conversation, Jake. Thank you for taking the time.

]]> By: jake http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-178 jake Wed, 05 Apr 2006 00:11:48 +0000 http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-178 Meditation for me starts with convincing myself that 15-20 minutes is not much compared to the advantage of meditation. If my mind feel cluttered with things of the day, then I try to write notes that I know will remind me. That normally causes the flightiness to cease. Then depending on the meditation type I do a number of things. One is talk aloud. This focuses my mind a lot. Sometimes I will play a song, and really try to visual some aspect that I desire to learn. I use the song to allow me to float with the melody. I know Tiff likes to imagine herself in the narrative as one of the characters and then again as a different one, through several points of view. These are some means of meditation. I even do the mantra thing sometimes, where I simply repeat a phrase over again. And like you said, not Eastern, trying to lose myself, but rather trying to find myself. Meditation for me starts with convincing myself that 15-20 minutes is not much compared to the advantage of meditation. If my mind feel cluttered with things of the day, then I try to write notes that I know will remind me. That normally causes the flightiness to cease. Then depending on the meditation type I do a number of things. One is talk aloud. This focuses my mind a lot. Sometimes I will play a song, and really try to visual some aspect that I desire to learn. I use the song to allow me to float with the melody. I know Tiff likes to imagine herself in the narrative as one of the characters and then again as a different one, through several points of view. These are some means of meditation. I even do the mantra thing sometimes, where I simply repeat a phrase over again. And like you said, not Eastern, trying to lose myself, but rather trying to find myself.

]]> By: pbya http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-175 pbya Mon, 03 Apr 2006 19:58:02 +0000 http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-175 Nice write-up. I like the concept of viewing the Bible as telling the story of my people. I think I do a lot of that asking myself questions thing. Nice write-up. I like the concept of viewing the Bible as telling the story of my people.

I think I do a lot of that asking myself questions thing.

]]> By: Parke http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-167 Parke Sun, 02 Apr 2006 21:17:52 +0000 http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-167 Some great thoughts guys. At some point soon, would you think about taking a moment to write out what these things look like in very practical terms in your lives? I think I probably need to do it as well so that our very spiritual words get beyond the words we often hear. Some great thoughts guys. At some point soon, would you think about taking a moment to write out what these things look like in very practical terms in your lives? I think I probably need to do it as well so that our very spiritual words get beyond the words we often hear.

]]> By: jake http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-166 jake Sun, 02 Apr 2006 18:42:27 +0000 http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-166 In a way it is not hard to do, but in ways it is very hard. By this I mean actually taking the time to slow down and reflect, the clear the mind of daily worries. In reality it probably takes very little time, but sometimes the feeling of slowness that it can produce is fought by our desire to be in high gears all the time. In a way it is not hard to do, but in ways it is very hard. By this I mean actually taking the time to slow down and reflect, the clear the mind of daily worries. In reality it probably takes very little time, but sometimes the feeling of slowness that it can produce is fought by our desire to be in high gears all the time.

]]> By: The Bishop http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-165 The Bishop Sun, 02 Apr 2006 14:35:53 +0000 http://parke.voxtropolis.com/2006/04/01/meditation/#comment-165 Richard Foster puts it this way: "In the discipline of meditation we are not so much acting as we are opening ourselves to be acted upon. We invite the Holy Spirit to come and work within us – teaching, cleansing, comforting, and rebuking. We also surround ourselves with the strong light of Christ to protect us from any influences not of God...What happens in meditation is that we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart." Richard Foster puts it this way: “In the discipline of meditation we are not so much acting as we are opening ourselves to be acted upon. We invite the Holy Spirit to come and work within us – teaching, cleansing, comforting, and rebuking. We also surround ourselves with the strong light of Christ to protect us from any influences not of God…What happens in meditation is that we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart.”

]]>