Meditation- Part 1?

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, my Lord, my rock and my redeemer (Psalm 19:14).

Since Coffee and Conversation last Sunday night, I’ve been pondering this idea of Christian meditation. Most forms of Eastern and New Age meditation focuses on a “trance-like state of mind so that the person can be free to accept messages from evil spirits.” How is Christian meditation different, how is it similar?
In meditation the believer is to be “filled-up” instead with the thoughts, wonders, ponderings on the presence and Persons of the Holy Trinity. Through meditation Christians are “filled” with the awe and wonder of God’s creation. We are to be “filled” to overflowing with the life giving, wisdom giving Word. God is present everywhere! Mediation slows us down and allows us to observe, see, ponder and gaze intently on this Ever-Present, Everywhere God! The aim: TO HEAR HIM SPEAK! Wow!
Now you may ask isn’t that just like the New Age stuff? I may answer that question tomorrow. But for now here’s an idea: why don’t you take the time and meditate on the difference between the God kind of meditation and the other stuff. Here’s another idea: “Look” for God today, in Creation, through His Word, through other people. He wants to speak to you! Yes he does!

Pastor Cee

A long-standing tradition in the O’Kelley family is that on Christmas morning, along with a few other stocking goodies, we each receive a copy of Life’s Little Instruction Calendar. As visitors to the AppNexus office – I mean, my apartment – have noticed, this sits on top of my refrigerator and imparts wisdom (but only if you’re tall enough to see it).

There are some juicy bits: “Trust in god, but lock your car”, “Never forget the people who gave you a second chance”. And some less-helpful bits, usually dealing with marriages, kids, pets and other such things that don’t apply to my life at the moment.

I like the idea that in each of our homes, each family member gets the same tidbit every morning. When you walk into my kitchen and read the calendar, you’re participating in a family tradition.

I visited my grandmother’s house this week, perhaps for the last time. I walked the halls, thinking of all the time we spent there: the leaves flying from out-of-control shuffleboard pucks, the photo-placemats hidden under baskets of plantain chips and Whaleys cuban sandwich wrappers, waiting out thunderstorms on the porch so that we could build paper-cup boats in the gutters. It was sad, feeling the emptiness of each room, thinking about all of her things being taken down, stripping the house of its connections to our family.

Then I walked into the bathroom, and there on the toilet bowl was a Life’s Little Instruction Calendar, just a few days behind. And I knew, somehow, that it was going to be ok. You can’t take away our traditions any more than you can take away our memories.