What is your biggest struggle with Centering Prayer?
Here are some of the struggles I hear from people I talk with:
-I lack the discipline to do it each day.
-I have no time to do it.
-Sitting still is difficult.
-I have too many racing thoughts.
-I do not know if God loves me.
-Too many painful thoughts come up.
-Is this really prayer?
-I want instant results so I quit.
-How do I know if anything is really happening?
-Am I supposed to have a mystical experience?
-What is the purpose?
-How can it help me?
-Why should I practice Centering Prayer?
Centering Prayer is wordless prayer.
Centering Prayer is a long term marathon with God.
Centering Prayer practiced daily will yield long term transformational fruits.
Centering Prayer helps you become the person God wishes to to be: your true self.
Centering Prayer is a great way to begin your day.
Sometimes we don’t feel like sitting. We are human. Forgive yourself.
Centering Prayer is a silent trust in God.
Centering Prayer is a silent sit with God who will never stop loving you.
Centering Prayer clears the cluttered mind.
Centering Prayer has been described as divine therapy: a deep inner healing.
Centering Prayer seems to release the tension that is stored in your body.
The purpose of Centering Prayer is to open to the presence and actions of God within.
Life is often a struggle.
Centering Prayer helps us to be present with the ups and downs of life.
Eventually Centering Prayer becomes a place you come from.
And you cannot imagine your life without it.
You cannot keep it to yourself.
You want to share it with others.
P.S. Need help with a Centering Prayer struggle? Contact me about my coaching. I can help you.
Go Further:
Open Mind, Open Heart 20th Anniversary Edition by Thomas Keating and Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening were the first two books I read as I began my Centering Prayer practice.
Intimacy with God: An Introduction to Centering Prayer by Thomas Keating
A Taste of Silence: Centering Prayer and the Contemplative Journey by Carl J Arico
The Loving Search for God: Contemplative Prayer and the Cloud of Unknowing by William Meninger
Enjoy my newest videos: When is the right time to start? and Centering Prayer: Intimacy with God
Did you know I have a Facebook page where I post content everyday and go live 1-2 times each week. Feel free to check it out and friend me. I look forward to seeing you there.
Prayer-Bracelet: The divine prayer ropes and necklaces we offer are all handmade, provided by several orthodox churches around the globe.
The Monk Manual: At the start of each day we ask, what is my greatest contribution today? How can I serve? At the end of each day, we look back and see what went well and where we want to improve. Through this process we learn to fully engage in each day, making the most of every moment all while achieving our goals.
Silence Night, Holy Night: A Retreat for Advent by Contemplative Outreach: Encouraging a disposition of silence and stillness during this sacred and yet busy time of the year, this e-course for Advent will focus on the practices of Centering Prayer and variations of Lectio Divina — quiet, receptive reflection using scripture, art (Visio Divina), and music (Musica Divina). The teachings of Fr. Thomas Keating and other mystical writers will also explore the great themes of this season as they inform and enrich the contemplative life. These themes include silence & stillness; beauty & splendor; inner preparation & expectation; Light; becoming; and Incarnation.
The Gift of Life by Thomas Keating, Mary Anne Best, Susan Rush: This course will explore the gift of life in all its phases, even those of diminishment and death, as phrases of evolution and transformation in and through Christ. It is based on the recent DVD series with Fr. Thomas Keating, The Gift of Life: Death & Dying, Life & Living.
The Storied World of the Bible: Often, people wonder how the various stories, poems, prophetic texts, Gospels, and letters all fit together. And, indeed, they do fit together in ways needing to be understood by readers of the Bible. This course will unpack some of the questions surrounding the meaning of the Bible to bring a coherent sense of what is being communicated by the biblical writers. The Bible then, truly, becomes a Grand Story of God’s faithfulness.
How might your life change if you were steeped more deeply in the wisdom of the Christian Mystics? Drawing on the best available writing on the topic of Christian Mysticism both ancient and modern, Contemplative Light is offering a special course on the Christian Mystics Sacred Lives: An Introduction To The Christian Mystics.
The Divine Transformation: Essentials of Christian Mysticism – Welcome to a comprehensive introductory through intermediate level course on both practice and perspectives of these timeless teachings from the Christian Mystical and Contemplative traditions! Whether you are a long-time practitioner looking to solidify your understanding and framework for practice or a beginner interested in immersing yourself in this teaching, this course can serve as a rich resource.
Contemplative Practices: 5 Ways of Consenting to the Divine – Learn methods practiced by Christian mystics for centuries to consent to the action and presence of God within, including Centering Prayer, The Examen, Lectio Divina, Christian Meditation, and the Jesus Prayer.
Writing as a Spiritual Practice: This course helps you to access the rich spiritual stories that lie deeply within you. Words are powerful. The words that you write can be used to:
- help you understand yourself better – and therefore divine God’s purpose in your life
- facilitate healing of spiritual wounds
- minister to others more effectively
- share your testimonies of how God has worked in your life
Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks – This is a great way to listen to books with your cell phone while you drive, walk or relax at home. I frequently listen in my car during my commute to and from work. I’m a proud affiliate.
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