Christian Meditations At Dustwood Media

 

The purpose of my Christian meditations is to encourage your daily walk with God by helping you focus on Scripture each day.  The combination of beautiful images, Scripture verses and comments, and peaceful instrumental music helps you to step away from the distractions and worries of the moment and focus on God.

 

The focus of each meditation is the actual words of Scripture.  The images and music serve to form an oasis of tranquillity.  They also help to engage your imagination and emotions as your mind is directed to what God's word has to say to you.

 

Here's why my Christian meditations are special:

 

1. YOU GET AN OVERVIEW OF GOD'S WORD:  Rather than focus on one chapter or book of the Bible, I usually start with a theme and select verses regarding that theme from both the Old and New Testaments.
2. YOU HAVE A CHOICE OF BIBLE VERSION:  all meditations are available in both King James and World English Bible (modern English) versions.
3. THE FORMAT PROVIDES MORE DEPTH:  I select the individual images to help establish the mood and meaning of the scripture verses they go with.  The music also helps to establish a mood of calm and thoughtfulness.
4. EASY TO REVIEW: at the end of each meditation is a list of the Bible verses used, so you can go over them again in your reading.

About Christian Meditation

Christian Meditation - What Is It? Why Do It?

 

What is Christian meditation?  Generally speaking, Christian meditation refers to ways to focus on God.

 

According to the Bible, Christian meditation means:

 

• Focusing our attention on God's word that we may remember and act on it:  "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."  (Josh. 1:8)

• Instilling God's word in our hearts so that it shapes our very words:  "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."  (Ps. 19:14)

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines meditating as "To focus one's thoughts on: reflect or ponder over."

 

The extensive Wikipedia article on Christian Meditation points out that "The word meditation has come to have two different meanings: (1) continued, intent, focused thought; and (2) a state of quiet, intentionally unfocused, 'contentless' awareness. This double meaning has contributed to misunderstanding and disagreement about the nature, role, and even the appropriateness of Christian meditation. Traditionally, the word meditation (meditatio) had the first meaning, and another word, contemplation (contemplatio) was used for the second. (These words, however, have nearly the reverse meanings in Eastern spiritual traditions, contributing to the confusion.)".

 

"Lectio Divina" is a form of slowly reading the Scriptures, listening for what the Lord has to say to you, contemplating it, and praying.   Lectio Divina is a very ancient form of meditating on God's word, and has been preserved particularly in the traditions of Benedictine monastaries.  

 

What I hope to offer to others with my meditation CDs is something similar to Lectio Divina:  taking time to read Scriptures, slowly and prayerfully, and listening to what God may be saying to us today.

 

There is a very complete and useful explanation and discusson on Lectio Divina at Accepting The Embrace of God:  The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina.

 

"Contemplative Prayer", or "centering prayer", is a mystical form of meditation that seeks to enable one to "enter and receive a direct experience of union with God" and is described as "a receptive prayer of resting in God". Contemplative prayer traces back at least to the 14th century and a book called "The Cloud of Unknowing". It was "distilled into a simple method of prayer in the 1970s by three Trappist monks, Fr. William Meninger, Fr. Basil Pennington and Abbot Thomas Keating at the Trappist Abbey, St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts."  Contemplative prayer is much closer to the popular Eastern-mystical conception of "meditation". You can find out more at ContemplativePrayer.net.

 

For more on Christian meditation, read the article "What Is Christian Meditation" from GotQuestions.org. This website offers weekly Christian questions and answers, including references to other helpful resources.

There is another excellent article on All About God: "Christian Meditation: Is It Really Christian?" Like the article above, it discusses the Biblical references to meditation, then goes on with quotes from Jim Downing (author of "Meditation"), Rick Warren (author of "The Purpose Driven Life") and Dr. Bruce Demarest (author of "Satisfy Your Soul").

Questions?  Comments?  Problems?  Email Jeri-Lynn.
Bible quotes used on the site are from the King James version unless otherwise specified.
Website design by Jeri-Lynn Woods.  Website ©2007 Jeri-Lynn Woods, all rights reserved.

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