Do you have the thirst for silence? I believe there is a great thirst for silence. I have been teaching centering prayer at churches in the Philadelphia, Pa area. People come. They want to learn more. They pray vocally to God. Is there another way to pray? How does it work? Why should I do it? How can it help me?
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Why do people thirst for silence? To be honest, silence seems impossible to achieve. There are always noises around us. In our homes we hear the sounds of the air conditioner or heat. The dishwasher, the laundry machine and the dryer run. Clocks tick. The tv or radio plays. Other people we live with are busy, they talk and text on their cell phone. Many people say they need a white noise in the background. Many people can’t fall asleep without the tv on.
I think this thirst for silence is not a thirst for the absence of sound. It is a thirst for inner stillness. It is a thirst to stop the never ending inner voices. What do these voices say? “I am not loved. I am not confident. I am not good enough. I could have done a better job. I am not happy. I am bored. I am afraid to try new things. Don’t pick me, I can’t do this. I am jealous”.
We desperately want to stop these endless voices. We wish we could hear a different voice. This Voice says, “I love you. You can be confident. You are good enough. You are doing a great job. I am all you need to be happy. You no longer need to feel bored. I have new plans that I want you to be part of”.
What is this Voice? It is the Voice of God. God will speak to us in the silence. We don’t need to fear the silence. God waits for us in the silence. Silence teaches us who we are. Silence has much to teach us. We need to trust the silence.
A silent prayer practice such as centering prayer is one path that can help us hear this Voice. Christian meditation and prayer labyrinths are also paths that help us hear God’s Voice. To be honest, there are many contemplative paths that will help us hear God’s Voice. Each person will find the one or more paths that work best for him or her. My path is centering prayer sprinkled with lectio divina and photography.
Go Further:
Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots by Amos Smith
Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault
Meeting God in Scripture: A Hands-On Guide to Lectio Divina by Jan Johnson
The Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice by Christine Valters Paintner
First Sight: The Experience of Faith by Laurence Freeman
One on One Coaching with Rich
Does this sound like you?
“I am bored with my life?”
“I am not doing the things that I want to do in all areas of my life:”
-career, personal, family, community.
I feel unfulfilled, like I am just going through the motions everyday.
I have dreams and goals, but I am afraid to show up and take action on them.
I don’t want years to pass and be disappointed when I look back on my life.
Integrating Centering Prayer practice with your everyday life addresses all of these thoughts.
Do you want to obtain the freedom to become your true self, the person I’m created to be?
How do I create a long lasting and sustainable centering prayer practice?
I am currently taking on clients for Centering Prayer One on One Coaching sessions.
I will work with you to setup a program designed to meet your specific needs.
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Agreed! Centering and finding inner stillness very well described!
Thanks for popping in and reading!