Dear Friend,

Today we celebrate fourteen years as the Christian Meditation Center.

So much has happened since the day the Lord called this ministry into being. What began with a handful of faithful volunteers, a dedicated Board of Directors, and very little financial support has grown into a vibrant spiritual community serving thousands.

From the beginning, our mission has been clear:

To teach Christian meditation and help people rest in God’s presence.

And we went wherever the Lord opened doors — hospitals, colleges, schools, community groups, homes, churches, health fairs, and workplaces. Wherever people were seeking peace, we brought the invitation to encounter God within.

Over the years, we have trained thousands of individuals to quiet their hearts and deepen their relationship with Christ. We have witnessed the fruit of this ministry in testimonies of healing, renewal, reconciliation, and spiritual growth.

None of this would have been possible without the faithful service of our teachers, volunteers, Board members, and prayer partners who have given generously of their time, talent, and support. We are deeply grateful.

The Origin Story

In the year 2000, I began practicing Christian meditation. Even then, I sensed that God would one day use this practice in a greater way. For twelve years, I waited for Him to show me what that would look like.

One afternoon, a friend texted me asking how to practice Christian meditation. At the time, text messages were limited to 160 characters. I remember thinking the instructions might be too long to send — but I sent them anyway.

Shortly after that exchange, I sensed the Lord placing something clearly on my heart:
Start a nonprofit organization to teach Christian meditation.

I also had the strong impression that it was to be called the Christian Meditation Center.

I was excited — and honestly surprised. My career background includes working in nonprofit organizations and serving in high-level roles in several for-profit businesses, including helping launch new ventures. Yet it had never occurred to me that forming a nonprofit ministry would be the vehicle God would use to share this practice.

Looking back, I often reflect that I am thankful the idea did not originate with me. It gave me confidence that this calling truly came from Him.

On February 22, 2012, the Christian Meditation Center was officially formed.

I invited other Christ-minded brothers and sisters to join in sharing the transformational power of resting in God’s presence with anyone who desired a more intimate relationship with Him.

Our mission remains the same today.

Our vision is to see families, friends, and neighbors integrate meditation into their daily lives, fostering a deeper relationship with God. We long to see church congregations once again embrace meditation as an integral part of their Christian faith.

How We Have Grown
Today, the Christian Meditation Center offers:

• Bible studies
• Book clubs
• Retreats
• Christian Meditation Training
• Ongoing Christian Meditation sessions
• Christian counseling
• Spiritual direction
• Circle of Peace Prayer Community
• Daily inspirational quotes
• Scripture postings on social media
• Resources for children

Most of our programs are offered free of charge.

Through our website, you will find a treasure of resources, including teaching videos, articles, recommended books, and links to other ministries with similar missions. We are committed to equipping individuals and families with tools that nurture a contemplative life in Christ.

Teresa Yerkes – Founder & Author

In addition to founding the Christian Meditation Center, I have written several books that support this mission of deepening one’s interior life with God:

• Come Closer: The Practice of Christian Meditation
• God Within You: The Case for Christian Meditation
• Making Love: The Spiritual Act of Love
• Divine Parallels: Exploring the Shared Lessons of Jesus in the Bible and A Course in Miracles (co-authored with Vicki Simek)
• Julianna and Madeline’s Journey to God’s Peace and Love: A Christian Meditation Adventure (children’s book)

Each book serves as an invitation to slow down, to listen, and to discover the presence of God dwelling within.

If you would like to explore these titles further or purchase a copy, you may visit my Amazon author page:

Connect With Us

If you have benefited from our ministry, we invite you to:

• Leave a Google Review
• Follow us on social media
• Share our resources with a friend

Here are your official links:

Website:
https://www.christianmeditationcenter.org

Give Page:
https://www.christianmeditationcenter.org/donate/

Social Media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMCNonprofit/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmctr/
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/ChristMedCenter

With Deep Gratitude

As we celebrate fourteen years, my heart is filled with gratitude for the faithful individuals who have helped carry this vision forward.

A special thank you to our Board of Directors:

• Sandy Zimmerman, Vice President
• Vicki Simek, Treasurer
• Jennifer Kurman, Secretary
• Monica Armstrong
• Nadine Mack

Your wisdom, stewardship, and steadfast support have strengthened this ministry in immeasurable ways.

I am also deeply grateful for our Christian Meditation Teachers who facilitate our Christian Meditation Sessions:

• Vicki Simek
• Monica Armstrong
• Nadine Mack
• Leah Chrest
• Leigh McCarthy

Your commitment to teaching, guiding, and walking with others into God’s presence is a blessing to this community.

To every person who has attended a session, joined a study, volunteered, prayed for this ministry, written a review, shared our posts, or supported us financially — thank you.

You are part of this story.

Together, we look forward to what the Lord will continue to do in the years ahead.

With gratitude and hope,
Teresa Yerkes
Founder, Christian Meditation Center

When Love Misleads and the Spirit Redeems

There was a season in my life when I was convinced I was moving in the right direction. My heart felt clear, my longings felt sincere, and I believed I had discerned God’s leading. The truth is, I was interpreting Scripture through the lens of my desires, not through the clarity of the Spirit. At the time, I did not know the difference.

I was married, yet I carried a deep, long-held love for my first love—let me call him John. It was the classic story of boy meets girl at a high school dance. The bond between us had been powerful, emotional, and formative. Because of that, I began to read Scripture in a way that supported what my heart already wanted. I told myself that because John was the first boy I gave myself to, he must have been “my husband” in God’s eyes. The longing I felt seemed holy to me. I convinced myself that pursuing him was right.

But the human heart is complex. Scripture says, “The heart is deceitful above all things… who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). At the time, I did not realize how desperately I needed God to interpret my desires for me. I believed I was discerning God’s will, when in truth, I was wrapped in a bondage I could not name.

That yearning lasted for years. Eventually, I reached out to John. To my surprise, he felt similarly—but for different reasons. He cared for me deeply but did not believe we should break apart our families to pursue a relationship. Still, both of us allowed our emotions to lead us into a physical relationship. At the time, I thought it was justified. My motives felt right to me.

But motives rooted in longing—rather than the Spirit—can lead to great harm. I knew I could not stay married while my heart belonged to someone else. My husband deserved a wife whose love was whole, not divided. I made choices based on what I believed was “love,” but only later did I realize how easily eros can disguise itself as righteousness.

John and I eventually ended our relationship and went on with our lives. He stayed with his partner. I remarried a man named Bill—kind, steady, and faithful. Many years passed.

Then one day, John reached out again. He wanted to renew our relationship. The love I felt for him had never fully disappeared, but something had changed—the Spirit had refined it. The longing that had once consumed me had become calm, whole, and rightly ordered. I still cared for him, but the Holy Spirit had transformed that love into something honest and free. I could now choose what honored God, honored myself, and honored everyone involved.

I felt no inner battle, no ache, no confusion. The freedom I had prayed for—without knowing how to ask for it—had become real. This was redemption. Not the redemption of a relationship, but the redemption of my own heart.

If you want to read more about this journey and the lessons the Holy Spirit taught me along the way, I share the full story in my book, Making Love: The Spiritual Act of Love.

What I learned is this:

All love originates in God. Love itself is not sinful.
But how we respond to it can lead us toward God or away from Him.

Eros love—the passionate, consuming kind—can be beautiful, but also blinding. It can shape our discernment if we are not careful. Yet the Spirit is gentle and strong. He can tame eros within us so that it becomes honoring, respectful, and rightly ordered. He can purify our motives, uncover hidden truth, and reveal where our desires have taken precedence over His wisdom.

Today, whenever I sense affection or connection in any new relationship, I pause and ask myself:

“Does this love honor God?
Does it honor me?
Does it honor the other person?”

This question has become a compass for me, a way of discerning whether my heart is being guided by the Spirit or by my natural inclinations.

My story is a testimony to this simple truth:

We cannot always trust our motives, but we can trust the Spirit who reveals truth, heals wounds, refines love, and leads us into the freedom we never imagined possible.

Written by Teresa Yerkes, founder of the Christian Meditation Center and author of five books on Christian meditation and spiritual formation. Teresa has practiced Christian meditation for 26 years and has been a Christian for over 40 years. Her teaching flows from lived experience, deep faith, and a desire to help others rest in God’s loving presence.

I didn’t know what rich benefits prayer would bring until I started praying.

I didn’t know what promises lay before me in the Word of God until I started reading it.

I didn’t know the deep relationship I could have with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit until I spent time with Them in meditation.

I didn’t know I needed a church community to encourage me in my spiritual journey until I started attending church regularly.

I didn’t know I could trust God for my finances and my time until I learned how to share them with others cheerfully.

I didn’t know how to truly love until I asked the Spirit of God to purify my heart.

I didn’t know I could live a life without compromising my values until I believed it was my destiny.

I didn’t know how much God loved me until I opened my heart to receive it.

I didn’t know if God would use me for His Kingdom until I accepted His offer to serve others.

I didn’t know He wanted to use my life as His until I yielded to His Spirit.

Faith transformed every part of my life, one surrender at a time.

Faith is the bridge to ultimate freedom and the catalyst to unbind our imprisoned souls. We get to choose how much bondage or serenity we want to live in.
This offer is available to everyone, at any time, and everywhere.

I didn’t know, but now I know nothing is wasted in God’s hands.
If He did it for me, He will do it for you.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” -Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Written by Teresa Yerkes,

Founder of the Christian Meditation Center

ChristianMeditationCenter.org

tyerkes@chrisitanmeditationcenter.org

Christian Meditation by Juanita Overbay

What seems to be the problem with meditation? Some claim it is because they do not see how “emptying your mind” can help anything and while this phrase is partially true, it is not the whole of Christian meditation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present the meaning and history of Christian meditation. Then present a discussion of the Scriptural basis for meditation, and the benefits of its practice, followed by its practical use.

Restoring Hope – Brain Science

So They Call It Puppy Love

by Teresa Yerkes

There is a reason they call it puppy love. You are so enamored with the newness of the relationship; you fail to consider there may be an unpleasant side. And so, it goes with the relationship with your puppy. I am telling my puppy story because it provided a beautiful lesson in love and patience.

My husband, Bill, and I have a female Labrador Retriever named Lucy. We had planned a litter of puppies for friends who wanted them. We toyed with the idea of keeping a puppy for ourselves but decided we were just too busy to have two dogs. So, we found homes for all of them before Lucy went into labor. She had eight beautiful puppies; all of them were yellow or cream in color.

When it came time for the puppies to go home to their forever homes, one of the parents changed his mind. So, we had to decide to call someone on our list to see if they still had an interest in one or to keep the puppy for ourselves. Peaches, who had already been named by her parent, was your typical puppy. She was adorable, playful, and needed a lot of attention. Even though we knew that it would be difficult for us to raise her, we decided to keep her anyway.

Peaches was the fourth dog we raised; the third that started out as a puppy. So, this wasn’t our first rodeo. We understood there would be interrupted sleep, potty training accidents, chewing issues, etc. But what we couldn’t foresee is this was no ordinary puppy, and this wasn’t going to be an ordinary experience.

This adorable cutie pie had a self-determined mindset, meaning she did whatever she wanted even when she had been trained and corrected to do what’s right. This is just a shortlist of challenges we experienced with her. She chewed our baseboards, a wall, glasses, cell phone, three computer mice, the couch, carpet, and bedding. And yes, she also chewed the many toys we bought for her. While being supervised, she would run to the neighbor’s houses and took things they left outside.

When she was not up to her shenanigans, she was a great dog. She was affectionate and happy. I loved her and the two of us bonded well. But the amount of damage she was doing was weighing me down. At least three different times, I had decided I just couldn’t take it anymore. But I relented, thinking she will get better with time. She was nearly one year old, and she chewed the frames of my prescription glasses. Thankfully, she didn’t swallow the lens. This was the last straw on an already crazy behavior week with her, we really needed to find her a new home. I just had had enough and didn’t want the extra work and expense anymore. I was frustrated, upset, and exhausted emotionally.

As fate would have it, the original parent stopped by the next day. He would come by and checked on her periodically. I asked him if he was ready to adopt Peaches and he said he would think about it. I thought for sure he would say yes. And in my mind, that would make the whole thing right. Peaches would go to the original parent, and we would go back to having just one dog.

Well, his answer was no. So once again, I had to decide to keep her or find her another home. It had been a long, difficult journey with her. My heart was torn. I really loved her and enjoyed the dynamic she brought to the family, but oftentimes she was such a troublemaker. I prayed for the right answer.

What I started to realize was she was a test for me. A test to see if I could rise above my own needs and to love her through her growing pains. After a lot of soul searching, I relented for the last time. What is interesting, it seems like the next day she began to listen better, and she didn’t chew on anything that was not hers. I know better than to think it was just a coincidence. I believe the timing was in God’s hands all along.

She now has her forever home. There was no going back. She is now a permanent part of our family. We are finally at peace with our two-dog family.

The Cycle of Love

The seed of love planted and secure.

The relationship blossoms and grows.

Dis-ease infiltrates.

Flowers cease to bloom.

But wait! Love provides a remedy.

Forgiveness heals the heart.

Producing a stronger more vibrant love.

And so, the cycle goes on,

To honor the precious Seed.

And when life is over,

Love remains as a bright and enduring Light.

-Teresa Yerkes

Teresa wrote this after she had a vision.  I saw a large seed that was luminated and from the seed a plant was growing.  The plant could only grow so tall because there was a dark covering over the plant.  Then the dark covering opened up from the center and a bright light shot through the opening allowing the plant to continue to grow.

Picture by Jeremy Bishop

Five Step Prayer Exercise

A five-step prayer exercise for my prayer or praise chorus. Steps performed while standing, and when comfortable with movements, with eyes shut.

1. Uplift both arms and hands, with palms forward, in worship and praise to the Lord.
2. Bring outstretched arms and hands to waist level, with palms up, to receive from God.
3. Fold arms inward, bringing cupped hands together over your heart, to take God’s gift within oneself.
4. Outstretched arms at waist level, with hands apart and palms up, to share God’s gift with others.
5. Fold arms inward again, with hands folded in prayer, against your chest, in appreciation for God’s gift to self and others!
6. Repeat sequence as often as desired.

Submitted by George F. Allen. Taught by Jane E Vennard, author of Be still, Designing and Leading Contemplative Retreats, when speaking at Earlham College in Indiana in 2007.

My Discovery of Centering Prayer

I had always been attracted to silence. I just did not know what to do in the silence. In 2012 and 2013, I had read books by Carl McColman. In his books he shared that silence was powerful and transformational. I wanted to experience this transformation too, so I began to practice silence. I do not recall that his books mentioned a practice so I would just sit in silence. I did not know what I was doing. I would sit for one, two, and even three minutes. It was brutal; nevertheless, I persisted.

In late 2013 while I perused Amazon in search of a book to read, I stumbled upon Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots by Amos Smith. I purchased the kindle version and began to read. I quickly discovered that Amos practiced a form of silent prayer called Centering Prayer. I was intrigued. I had discovered a container for the silence. Previously I did not know what to do in the silence. I now had a practice, a method of how to sit in the silence.

I reached out to Amos and began to ask him questions about centering prayer. We began a back-and-forth email dialogue. I began to dabble in centering prayer. I also began to read other centering prayer books: Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault and Open Mind, Open Heart by Thomas Keating.

Thomas Keating recommended two, twenty-minute sits per day. On June 1, 2014, I decided to stop my experiments and jump in the centering prayer swimming pool. I am not sure what was so special about this date, but I decided to take Thomas Keating up on his centering prayer guidelines. I will discuss these guidelines a little further. I began to practice centering prayer as directed. I was hooked. This practice resonated with me. It was not difficult. I was ready!

What Is Centering Prayer?

In 1974, the method of centering prayer was discovered by Father William Meninger in a book called The Cloud of Unknowing. It was soon refined by Fathers Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington. Centering Prayer is a form of silent prayer, wordless prayer. It is both a practice and relationship with God.

I like to remind people that centering prayer is not just a meditation practice because it deepens our relationship with God. I also tell people not to eliminate their other prayer forms, keep them and allow centering prayer to complement and enrich their prayer life. Centering prayer attracts me because I do not have to worry about what I will say. I do not have to say anything. This will become clear as you read the centering prayer guidelines below.

Centering prayer is based upon Matthew 6:6: But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. During centering prayer, we shut the door to our senses and open the door to our spiritual faculties.

Centering prayer is a practice that opens us to contemplative prayer, the pure presence of God. God is deep within us, beyond our thoughts and emotions. Pulled from the Contemplative Outreach website here are the centering prayer guidelines:

1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.
3. When engaged with your thoughts, return ever so gently to the sacred word.
4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

The Sacred Word

How do you select your sacred word? If you are an auditory person, you might choose a one to three syllable word such as love, God, Jesus, or ocean. I quickly discovered that I am a visual person, so I use a sacred image. I visualize a Jesus icon as my sacred method when I engage my thoughts. Some people are physical people and like to use their breath. Lastly, others are fearful they might fall asleep during centering prayer, so they keep their eyes open and stare at a spot four to six feet in the distance.

Sometimes you do not need your sacred word and you naturally catch yourself when you engage your thoughts, and you bring yourself back to the present moment. The sacred word helps you to just be with God. It is like when you sit with a lover, a friend, or someone special. You do not always have to say any words. You like to be with this person. Words are not always needed.

The sacred word is not used as a mantra, it is used only when needed, when you engage your thoughts, as an anchor back to the present moment. When you sit and begin to plan what you will do after your sit, it is time to let go of this plotting and planning, interiorly recite your sacred word, and ever so gently let go of your sacred word too. It is used when you begin to think about what you did before your sit, perhaps a disagreement you had with a friend or your spouse. Again, you interiorly speak your sacred word and let go of all these thoughts. And then you let go of the sacred word too.

Pick the sacred method that works best for you: word, image, breath, glance. Just stick with the same method for the duration of your sit. If you discover you need to switch your word or image, do so for the next sit. You can also use your sacred method outside of centering prayer to bring yourself back to the present moment and to the task at hand. I often do this! The sacred word is like a reset button.

When Should You Practice Centering Prayer?

I suggest you make it the first thing you do to begin your day. I find it is the best way to start my day. By nature, I am a nervous and anxious person. Particularly on a Monday morning, I awake and immediately begin to think about the tasks that I will need to get done at work. I need this first sit! It reconnects me to God, to life. It calms me down. It reminds me that God is with me. It removes my fear. I only have fear because I have forgotten that God is within me and is a constant, ever-present presence.

I also suggest that you add a second sit later in the day. My second sit is in the early afternoon right before my lunch. No matter how busy I am, I stop what I am doing and take this sit. Many people will argue that they do not have time for their sits. I will counter that you cannot afford to not take your sits. These sits have a way of giving you back time. I am always amazed at how productive I am the second half of the day as I look back on my day.

I challenge those who say they do not have time to sit, to try it for themselves and discover how it too will give them back time. Why does this happen? If you look at the guidelines, we use our sacred word to let go and open to the presence and actions of God within. Over time, we take this let-go posture with us into our non-centering prayer times. We let go of our racing thoughts and what feels like endless tasks that do not need to get done and can better hone in and focus on the tasks that require our immediate attention.

Let the ebbs and flows of life determine when is best for you to do your sits. If life changes, change when you do your sits. Place your sits when they best belong. For example, a few years ago, work was very hectic and stressful. I needed a third sit. I shortened each sit to thirteen minutes. My sits were as follows: first thing in the morning, right before lunch and then two to three hours after my second sit. When work calmed down, I removed my third sit and resumed my two sits per day.

Consent To God Within

What does it mean to consent to the presence and actions of God within? It means we give God permission to act in us. I think of it as a reverse prayer. I open to the presence and actions of God within and let God pray in me. How do I let God pray in me? I remove the barriers that allow Grace to flow. That is why we use our sacred word during centering prayer when we engage our thoughts.

My journey since beginning centering prayer has been and continues to be a consent to God within. I notice this consent as my website evolves and I move into new and exciting areas: my current book, forewords I have written for other authors, the chapter for this book, ideas for my second book, one-on-one coaching, speaking, and podcast interviews. I am excited to experience where the Spirit will nudge me next.

I also see it in the decisions I make with my wife for our children, our finances, our vacations, the things we will do and accomplish together. I love what Thomas Keating had to say about contemplative prayer: God can do anything in contemplative prayer. It is a great adventure. Open to the infinite and thus open to infinite possibility.

The Fruits of Centering Prayer

The contemplative Christian classic The Cloud of Unknowing teaches: Lift your heart up to the Lord with a gentle stirring of love, desiring him for his own sake and not for his gifts. This means we enter centering prayer with no ulterior motives. We sit because we love God. That is it! We create a space for God to move as we say, “Here I am God. Do with me whatever you want.”

I think of centering prayer as a reverse prayer. God prays in me what I need for my non-centering prayer times. I have noticed many fruits as a result of my practice. I have an excitement for life that I did not have before I practiced centering prayer. Life is an incredible gift and I have learned to treasure and relish it.

I am a more confident person as I carry on my daily tasks. I receive inner nudges to get out of my comfort zone to try new things. I am more quickly able to connect to my inner peace and calm outside of centering prayer. I am a less reactive person which means I am more present and better able to listen to the person in front of me, give them the space they require and appreciate from me.

The letting-go posture during centering prayer comes with me into my non-centering parts of the day. I am able to let go of things that distract me and hone in on the things that I need to focus on and get done in my everyday life. This means I let go of the tasks that do not need to get done today!

I will mention one last fruit. God has changed for me. Rather, I should say my perception of God has changed. Prior to centering prayer, I thought of God as a man with a white beard, up in the sky, who looked down at me, judged me, critiqued me, and was not always happy with me and my performance. Now I think of God as an ever-present presence who unconditionally loves me.

The fruits of centering prayer are unique for each practitioner. God knows what you need. Your job is to let go, open to God, and receive them. I always enjoy hearing about the fruits others have noticed in their life as a result of their practice.

Divine Therapy 

What else happens during centering prayer? Our bodies hold the tension of a lifetime. I hold tension in my jaw, stomach, and shoulders. I bet you can easily discover where you hold tension and stress in your body. Our minds hold onto repressed thoughts and emotions, some we know we repress and others we are not aware we have repressed until they start to come out during centering prayer.

Centering prayer is a safe place to let the tension in our bodies and the repressed thoughts in our minds escape. Some have experienced what feels like an overwhelming waterfall of thoughts and emotions. This is normal. It means your centering prayer practice is working. Keep at it! Thomas Keating referred to this as Divine Therapy, an unloading process. It is a time for God to heal and transform us. Our bodies and minds over time learn to relax. As the emotional baggage of a lifetime leaves us, the Holy Spirit rushes in to fill and occupy this new space.

A Word on Thoughts 

During centering prayer, do not judge your thoughts. Observe them and then gently let them go. Even outside of centering prayer our minds race. We tell ourselves things that are just not true. “I am too young to try that.” “I am too old to do that.” “I do not have the proper skillset to take on this task.” On and on the thoughts go. Centering prayer helps us cultivate the ability to be the observer of our thoughts. We can then decide to let go of the thoughts that do not serve us and hone in and focus on the ones that best serve us. This is true freedom!

Your True Self

Centering prayer connects you to your true self: the person God wishes you to be. During centering prayer, we let go of all thoughts and emotions and open to the presence and actions of God within. We connect to our true self. We then get up from our sits and take our true self actions.

Let me share how it works for me. I am a big believer in affirmations. An affirmation is a single sentence statement of what I want to accomplish. I have affirmations jotted down in various areas of my life: spiritual, family, career, personal, and financial. I consider them my true self affirmations. I like to read them to God as I begin my centering prayer practice. I then let them go. I let them brew with God. I like to think of it as I partner with God on them.

I also have what I call my “true-self affirmation barometer.” This is how it works. A true-self affirmation will continue to be worked on if I have an inner peace and excitement about it, even if it makes me nervous because it is outside of my comfort zone, and it does not harm me or others. If it does not pass this test, I tweak it or eliminate it.

I sit with God and then I get up from my sits and walk with God. It is a constant partnership. God is a powerful presence as part of this process. God is behind me and nudges me forward, God holds my hand and walks with me, God is a few steps ahead of me and encourages me to keep my forward progress, and God is within me and provides me with inner peace and wisdom for my daily tasks.

What is a Mini Sit?

A mini sit is a shorter sit and is done when needed. I do not like to go to my primary care doctor. It makes me nervous. I usually arrive a few minutes early. I take a five-minute sit before I walk in. This sit calms me down for the visit.

At work, if I have to make a presentation to management or my client, I do the same thing. I take a short sit of one to five minutes before the presentation. Again, this sit calms me down, reconnects me to God. It reminds me that I do not need to be afraid because God is with me.

Let me share one more example. I go to the chiropractor once per month. Before I see the doctor, I lie on a table that has a roller under my back. The roller loosens up my body from my neck to my lower back. I spend ten minutes on this table. What do I do during this time? You guessed it. I practice centering prayer for ten minutes.

Next Steps

Let me end with how to begin a centering prayer practice. Make a decision to start. Do it first before you begin your day. Take baby steps if needed. Start with five minutes and work your way up to twenty minutes. Add a second sit. Again, take baby steps if you must.(If you start with one or two minutes or three or four, that is fine. Just start.) Start with five minutes and work your way up to twenty minutes. Dig deep in this well. Let God heal and transform you.

Add bookends to your practice. These are things you will do before and after your practice. It is nice to have structure around your practice. Here are my current bookends: I read my true-self affirmations to God that I mentioned earlier and let them go to God as I begin my centering prayer sit. After my sit I read for five to ten minutes from a book that I currently enjoy. I then get up from my sit and begin my day if it’s my first sit or resume my day if it’s my second sit. You will figure out what bookends make sense for you.

Find an online group to practice with. You can find groups in the United States and internationally at the Contemplative Outreach site. It is always nice to sit in silence with others and then share with others in community.

Go on a one day, weekend, or longer retreat. You will go deeper in your practice, learn from others, and develop friendships along the way.

The most important thing is to do your sit. If you miss your sit, do not beat yourself up. Show up for your next sit. God unconditionally loves you and patiently waits for you to show up for your next sit. I once heard Fr. William Meninger say at a retreat I attended in 2016, “God is going to love you and that is it!”

Questions For Discussion and Reflection

1. What, if anything, can be special about silence? What can silence teach us?
2. What fruits have you experienced as a result of your silent prayer practice?
3. When will it be best for you to practice silent prayer?
4. What thoughts do you feed yourself that are harmful and not true?
5. Who is your true self? Do you let this person come out and play?

Submitted by Rich Lewis, Author of Sitting with God: A Journey to Your True Self Through Centering Prayer

Website: Silence Teaches

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