Sept. 18, 2024

Sitting With God

Sitting With God

Show up in the world who you want to truly be. That is the message from Rich Lewis, author and mentor to those seeking to find the divine within using a process called Centering Prayer.
Rich talks about his own journey and the difference Centering...

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Show up in the world who you want to truly be. That is the message from Rich Lewis, author and mentor to those seeking to find the divine within using a process called Centering Prayer.
Rich talks about his own journey and the difference Centering Prayer has made is his life, as well as the lives of those with whom he has worked.
https://silenceteaches.com

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This program is designed to provide general information with regards

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to the subject matters covered. This information is given with

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the understanding that neither the hosts, guests, sponsors, or station

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are engaged in rendering any specific and personal medical, financial,

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legal counseling, professional service, or any advice. You should seek

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the services of competent professionals before applying or trying any

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suggested ideas.

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At the end of the day, it's not about what

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you have or even what you've accomplished. It's about what

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you've done with those accomplishments. It's about who you've lifted up,

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who you've made better. It's about what you've given back.

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Denzel Washington, welcome to Inspire Vision. Our sole purpose is

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to elevate the lives of others and to inspire you

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to do the same.

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Rich Welcome to the show.

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Hey, thank thanks for having me on. I really appreciate it.

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Hope this conversation will be fruitful for your community.

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Well, I hope so.

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And what I'd love for you to do is kind

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of share with the audience who you are and what

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is your journey that brought you to the point where

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you wrote your book Sitting in with God and what

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was the motivation behind that, and.

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Just kind of explain who you are and what your

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journey is or was sure? Sure?

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My my name is rich Lewis, and I have a

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site called Silence Teaches dot com. Silence Teachers Silence Teaches.

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It's Silence teaches dot com. But the site started I guess,

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I think back in twenty fifteen, and really what precipitated

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it was. If I go back to twenty thirteen, I

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was simply pruising Amazon looking for a book to read,

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and I came across in it was about the fourth

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quarter of twenty thirteen, a book called Healing the Divide,

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Recovering Christianity's Mystic Roots. The author's name was Amos Smith.

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So I began reading the kidnap version of the book

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and he in his book, he talked about a practice

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called centering prayer that he had been practicing for I

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think even fifteen years up up until that point, and

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immediately intrigued me because at that time I had been

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looking for some type of meditation, silent meditative practice because

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I had heard that sitting in silence is powerful. I

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just didn't know how to do it, and so prior

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to that, I was just sitting in silence, and it

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was brutally difficult just to sit in silence because it

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could seem like an eternity. But as I read his book,

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he highlighted a practice that he had been doing called

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centering prayer, and so I began trying that for myself,

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and it made it easier for me to practice in

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the silence. And then I actually reached out to him

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via his website and started asking him questions about centering

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prayer and asking him questions about the book. We began

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a kind of a friendly back and forth dialogue. We

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became friends, and to this day, about once a month

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we actually have phone We have a zoom or face

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or phone calls with each other just to chat. And

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he's the one that I began working with him off

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of his website initially, and then he challenged me to

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write a book, and then he served as a nice

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mentor on my first book that I published. So it

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kind of it's interesting how it all fell together, because

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all I was doing was looking for a book to

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read on Amazon and then and that was it, and

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lo and behold, I discovered this book. I discovered this

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wonderful practice. I discovered a friend and a mentor who

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and who encouraged me to write a book. And from

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there many things have happened. You know, I've published a book,

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I'm working on my second book, I have a website,

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my own website. I do some one on one coaching

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and speaking. And it all started because of I was

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looking for a book to read on Amazon and just

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trusted maybe I should reach out to this gentleman. And

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a lot of things have happened since, but it wasn't

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what I was initially looking for, So I'll stop there.

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Okay, Well, and I'm curious because, as you say, you.

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Were wanting to read a book, but you were talking

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about how you've been meditating, and I'm assuming you were

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doing the breath silent meditation because I've heard you know

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a lot about that, but that can be difficult. What

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brought you about to the point of wanting to meditate

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and doing that? What was the purpose of your meditations?

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Sure, I would say I was looking to deepen my

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relationship with God. I felt like maybe I was just

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on the surface. There was no depth to my relationship

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with God. There was no depth to my prayer life.

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It was kind of lacking and boring, and I thought

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there has to be more to this. I'm missing something,

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but I didn't know. I didn't know what it was.

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So I think I was exploring how can I deepen

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my relationship with God? And are there different ways to

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pray that I don't know how to pray and that

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I'm aware of that I can explore and begin trying.

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So I would say it was it was definitely definitely that.

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Okay, And so I would assume that you have a

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Christian background, Yes, yes, okay, yes, all right.

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And so let's talk to the people who may not

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be Christians, who may consider that there's a higher power

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or you know, so many people now talk about that divinity.

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Within and so forth? Is that?

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And I totally respect where you're coming from, So we

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can move in that direction. But is it okay that

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as we talk about that for those people that don't

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have that basic foundation behind them, that this can be

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applicable also to them as they seek to just really

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find inner peace and seek to gain that type of

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inspiration that they've always longed to have.

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No, I completely agree, I mean, and I actually even

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like the term higher power of it. I think we

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can God is just a people use, but you can

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refer to God as the higher power, the universe, inner wisdom.

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So yes, I actually I love referring to it as

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higher power or infinite within me or infinite wisdom. And

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also centering prayer. Really, I believe anybody can practice centering prayer.

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So it's not just if you're a Christian you practice

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centering prayer. Anybody can try and we can talk about

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how you do it, but anyone can can practice centering

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prayer and see what happens when they do well.

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And I think that for me, the important thing is

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and by the way I happen as I meditate, I

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tend to have that prayer also. But what I find

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is is people are meditating, they're really seeking inspiration, they're

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seeking guidance. They're seeking to understand number one, who they are.

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Number two to find that sense of peace. You know,

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I just got back from Thailand and I spent a

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number of months over there, and I found Buddha is

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a very fascinating and you know, to watch those people

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as they meditate and as they're seeking to and they really,

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you know, it's interesting they kind of do worship Buddha.

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But if you really read the articles now they really don't,

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but they honor him because of what he has taught

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and how they have put those teachings into their lives

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to become better people. Now, as we talk about if

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we get into the Christianity part of it, we're kind

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of talking about the same thing. But I think everybody's

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that's meditating is seeking to really understand themselves better, to

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find greater sense of peace and joy in their lives.

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And it sounds like you've got a methodology that you

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have found to be very successful for you and for others.

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Yes, yes, and that would be yes. The centering prayer

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works for me, and we can talk about how you

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do it, and I agree with you. I encourage people

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to find the practice that works best for them, and

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it might not be centering prayer. There's a lot as

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you as you probably already know, there are a lot

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of different ways to we'll call it meditate, centering prayer,

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Christian meditation, you know, breath any transcidental meditation, which I'm

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not familiar with. But there's there's a lot of different

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ways to meditate. So I encourage people to try or

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find a practice that works best for them as well.

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Okay, So let's talk about centering prayer. How is it

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that you do it, and what is the overall outcome

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and why is it that you had such great experiences

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about it that you've actually written a book about it.

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Sure, So centering prayer, well, I'll give a brief history

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is it's been around for about fifty years. Was actually

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created in the early nineteen seventies by three Trappist monks.

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Catholic priests created centering prayer. They saw in the secular

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community that there was transcendental meditation and other forms of meditation,

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and they wanted something for the Christian community as well,

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and so centering prayer was really created in the early

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nineteen seventies by Thomas Keating Lee manager in Basil Pennington.

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So just to give you that framework that it's about

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a fifty year practice, but obviously the idea of practicing

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silence has been around for thousands and thousands of years.

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A fifty it's not a fifty year practice, it's a

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couple thousand year if not more practice. And then centering

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prayer itself, how you do it? And then I'll share

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fruits of the practice that I've noticed for me, and

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I think everybody will have their own fruits of a practice,

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just like you. I think you mentioned you meditate, and

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you probably have your own fruits you've discovered as you

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continue your practice. So centering prayer is considered two things.

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It's considered meditation and it's also considered developing UH and

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deepening your relationship with God. So how we do centering

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prayers We sit comfortably, or if you can't sit and

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have to lie down, that's that's fine too. Actually I

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do most of my centering prayer on my back and

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I'm not falling, and I'm not falling asleep. If I

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fall asleep, then I know, Okay, Well then maybe I

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shouldn't be practicing centering prayer now maybe I really need

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a nap. But you sit comfortably or lie comfortably with

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your eyes closed. And then to begin our practice interiorly,

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we introduce what we call a sacred word, so it

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could use. It's usually one, two or three syllables. It

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could be an ocean or a color, or Jesus or

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God or inner wisdom or trust. And that signifies we're

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opening to the presence and actions of God within and

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and and then while we're sitting there in silence as

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whenever we engage a thought, and what I mean by

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that is we think about what we're going to do

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later on in the day, What errands do I have

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to do? What things do I projects? Do I want

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to do? We realize we're no longer sitting with God

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in the present moment. We're sitting with ourselves and our

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thoughts that are planning and plotting. You reintroduce that word

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to let go of your engaged thoughts, and then you

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let go of that sacred word as well. So you

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just kind of use the word when needed to let

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go of your chatter that you have, and you'd keep

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doing that when needed. During the time of your prayer,

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sit whether it's five minutes or ten minutes or twenty minutes.

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And then at the end of the prayer time usually

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have some type of time or set and then you

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might sit for another minute or two and then kind

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of open your eyes and reacclimate yourself and get on

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with your day if it's in the morning, or get

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on with your day if it's in the afternoon. But

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that's really how you do the practice is you use

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the sacred Word to bring you back to the present moment,

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but then you let go of it as well. You're

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not using it as a mantra. There are mantra practices

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where interiorly you're saying a word over and over and

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over again during your time, but in centering prayer, just

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using it when needed when you engage your thoughts.

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If that makes sense well, and is part of centering prayer?

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Are you actually praying for certain you know? I mean

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when we talk about prayer, the word prayer, I think

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most people think, well, I'm going to pray, you know,

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for this blessing or for that blessing, or express my

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gratitude and so on and so forth. Meditation is not

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necessarily prayer. And yet what you're getting involved in that

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centering prayer is it a prayer like people think about,

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or is it more of centering yourself and seeking to

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tap into that higher power that's not only within you

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but without.

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Which is the latter exactly what you're saying, So you're

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not verbally praying to God. You're kind of letting go

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of yourself and opening to God. I think of it

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as a reverse prayer because if as I said earlier,

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we think of centering prayers meditation and a relationship, and

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we're opening to the actions of God within. So during

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this time, we're letting God pray in us at a

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deeper level what God knows we need even for that day,

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whether it's inner peace or calm or a nudge to

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do something. So it's not a time where we are

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verbally praying and petitioning God or asking God for anything.

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It's where we're opening to God and letting God act

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in us, if that makes sense. So it's just a

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different way of praying, and by all means you don't

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stop your other forms of prayer, and I pray verbally

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to God as well, but during this time of prayer,

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it's me being quiet and sitting with God and trusting

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that God will act in me while I'm sitting there.

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So do you find that you have thought that come

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up that you would consider inspiration or whatever you would

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like to call it, that is actually coming from that

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higher self or from God inspiring you in certain ways?

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I would say yes, But during the practice, we'll like

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we let go of them because we trust that outside

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of the practice they'll come up. So what I often

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like to do is outside of center and prayer, I journal,

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and that's where I'm journaling. What do I think God

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wants me to do and and I and I think

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of it as so during my silent sit, God's praying

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in me, and if and if what is being prayed

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in me is important enough outside of my sit, that's

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when I'll remember it and I'll journal it. So during

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my silent sit, I'm simply letting go of any thought

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that comes up, not clinging to it, not even I'm

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not even stopping my prayer and writing on a notebook

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what I've what I've something that comes up. I'm completely

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trying to let go, let go, let go. Outside of

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centering prayer, I do journaling and I'll because I trust

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my inner wisdom and inner guidance that if it's something

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really important, it's going to be there and I can

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jot it down.

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Interesting, So do you find as you work with people,

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and most people you work with, is that people that

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are just struggling in their lives and trying to figure

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out what their purpose is or how they need to

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move forward in their lives, or what they really want

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to be. What's what's the thought on that?

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I guess what I've noticed that I have kind of

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three different groups of people that have come to me

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for coaching. One is a beginner and they love the

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idea of centering prayer. They just want someone to help

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them get started and help them make it a regular

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practice for them. So that the first type is just

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a beginner, and then I'll trust themselves to start and

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continue the practice. So I kind of introduce them to it,

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get them on a reag their schedule, so to speak,

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and then just explore, you know, how is the practice,

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how are you doing? How how how is it changing you?

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Or how's God changing you? Really it's not the practice itself.

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The second type of person is maybe they've they've been

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practicing centering prayer for quite a while, but they feel

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that there's a still they're missing something, they're still scratching

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the surface. Maybe they really haven't discovered, you know, who

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is their true self and what action should they be

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taken and what is what is their purpose? So we'll discuss,

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We'll try to deepen their practice and explore, you know,

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what are the next steps, what are things that you

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really want to do? What is what inner wisdom are

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you receiving and you want to take action on? And

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then the third type of person or clergy and pastors

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and priests have come to me to say, I spend

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so much time taking care of my community and my

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congregation or my church, and I'm not taking care of myself.

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I know this practice could help me, and I probably

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need to do whatever. I'm going to burn out. And

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I've coached a few pee pastors and priests on that

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front where they know this is going to be valuable

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for them, Otherwise they're going to burn out and be

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of no use or not be as valuable as they

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could be to the people they serve.

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Well.

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And as you talk about your book and sitting with

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God right journey to your true self through centering prayer,

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what is the outcome that you observe not only for yourself,

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but what's the outcome as you've coached different people that

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you've observed that they have experienced.

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I guess everybody experiences different fruits of a practice of

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centering prayer. So for me, as I think about myself

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before centering prayer, so this is pre twenty late twenty thirteen,

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and then post centering prayer, know it's given me one

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huge boost in confidence. So I'm a much more confident person.

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I'm much more I was depressed, but I'm more excited

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to live life and see what's going to happen today

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and what neat things will I experience and do today,

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or how can I help people today? So boost of confidence, boosts,

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boost of energy, boost of excitement. It's pushed me to

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do things that scared the heck out of me that

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were and or we're never on the radar screen because

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having a website, coaching, writing a book, speaking, doing all

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those types of things, going on podcasts weren't even on

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the radar and quite frankly would have scared the heck

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out of me and don't now. So it's nudged me

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to get out of my comfort zone try and do

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new things as well. So those are a lot of

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some of the fruits that I've experienced. And I think

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also just maybe I'm I'm still work in progress. I'm

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a better listener. I'm better at just being with people

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and giving people the space that they deserve and not

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rendering it an opinion or comment and just letting people

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talk and not much what they have to say. So

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I think I'm better at that, but I'm still work

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in progress on that front. And I say the same

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thing with different people that either read the book or

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that I've coached where they're discovering, you know, like I have.

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I have one coaching client and he's he's a getting

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ready to retire from being a pediatrician, and we're spending

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a lot of time talking about what's next, What does

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God want me to do? What do I want to

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do and in retirement? And what are some next things

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I can do as I phase out of being a

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pediatrician and move into retirement and what does that mean?

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And how can I serve and help people? And particularly

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how can I serve and help other pediatricians and and

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share things that I've learned that can help them, so

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that that kind of so a lot of the same

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fruits I have as well as people just thinking about

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who is my true self? Who is my next true self?

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Because it's always evolving and growing and change.

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Well, and as you.

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Talk about that, and what comes to my mind is,

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you know, it's fascinating that in many instances, people want.

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A different life.

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You know, they look at what they're experiencing and going,

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you know what, this is not what I want. And

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you know, I was watching a movie the other day

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and I can only imagine as the name of the movie,

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and it's about that song I'm sure you've heard it

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where he talks about imagining the good things in his life,

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imagining good things after his life, and so forth.

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And I wonder how many people really.

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Imagine what they would want to experience in their life

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and actually have that new life, and yet have not

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been able to figure out how to do it now?

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I would agree, including myself, because we get into kind

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of automatic mode, get up and do our routines, and

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what we really need to do is pause and think

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what do I really want? So I try to do that,

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and I probably should do it more often, but I

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try to write down what do I really want? Or

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sit with my wife what do we really want to do?

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Is there something that we really want to do? And

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we make sure we do it? But no, I agree.

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I think most people, including myself, we get up and

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we go on automatic and we don't stop and think

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what do I really want and maybe write down those one,

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two or three things and actually start moving in that

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direction rather than not thinking about it or even putting

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it down on paper, but still not doing it well.

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And as you think about that, you know, what do

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I really want? How many people you know, would be

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able to do that. But does the centering prayer. I mean,

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I think about thementation, but does a centering prayer help

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you or help those to be able to start to

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discover because we are so affected by society, we're so

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affected by our subconscious mind, which is really controlling our

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lives for the most part, unless we've really learned mind

391
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control and consciousness and that type of thing. So is

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this something that as you find people do this that

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whether it comes in the course of their centering prayer

394
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or as you say afterwards, as you're starting to write

395
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down and keep a journal, that all of a sudden,

396
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the genuinellness of the message comes through of here's who

397
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you really need to be, or here's who you really are,

398
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and here's who you really can become.

399
00:22:40.359 --> 00:22:42.359
Yeah, I would say for me it's been very vital

400
00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:44.640
to the process, and I would say probably for others.

401
00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:47.960
So that like when I mentioned we let go of

402
00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:51.799
our engaged thoughts and continuously come to the present moment,

403
00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:55.240
then we can you tend to take that same process

404
00:22:55.400 --> 00:22:58.799
with you outside of centering prayer and let go of

405
00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:01.880
things that really aren't required of you in the present moment.

406
00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:04.160
So you can hone in and focus on the important

407
00:23:04.200 --> 00:23:09.039
tasks that are happen. So I guess it helps you focus,

408
00:23:09.160 --> 00:23:11.279
let go of what you don't need to focus on,

409
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and hone in on what you do need to focus on.

410
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And the other thing centering prayer does. It does if

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00:23:18.359 --> 00:23:21.480
you do it and you become a long term practitioner

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where you're doing it daily, weekly, monthly, and then years

413
00:23:24.519 --> 00:23:27.440
have passed, it does a couple things. One, you know

414
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you're letting go of thoughts you tell yourself. Two, you're

415
00:23:31.599 --> 00:23:34.720
letting go of repressed emotions that sometimes you didn't even

416
00:23:34.799 --> 00:23:38.359
know you have. And then three, you're letting go of

417
00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:40.799
stress in your body because I think it just naturally

418
00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:43.960
happens during meditating, when any type of meditative practice, you're

419
00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:47.720
releasing tension in your body wherever you hold it, whether

420
00:23:47.720 --> 00:23:50.440
it's in your forehead or your shoulders or your stomach.

421
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So meditation is freeing. You're letting go of repressed thoughts,

422
00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:01.799
thoughts you knew you had, and in your body, and

423
00:24:01.799 --> 00:24:05.200
then opening up to who you really are and you're in.

424
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Some of the emotions include letting go of lack of

425
00:24:07.519 --> 00:24:11.720
confidence and fear to try and do things and things

426
00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:14.599
you tell yourself that aren't true. You're kind of letting

427
00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:17.079
go of all of that, and then what's left is

428
00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:21.359
who you really are, and and some of the actions

429
00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:24.319
you really want to do begin emerging and coming to

430
00:24:24.359 --> 00:24:26.559
you or keep coming to you, and then it's up

431
00:24:26.599 --> 00:24:30.160
to you to start taking action on them. Did that

432
00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:30.880
make sense.

433
00:24:31.079 --> 00:24:31.960
Well to some degree.

434
00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:34.480
I'm going to investigate that a little bit further. So

435
00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:37.559
as you talk about letting go, I mean, it's you know,

436
00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:40.400
I've experienced this where you know, I'm meditating and these

437
00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:45.680
thoughts come up that are obviously subconscious, perhaps disparaging thoughts,

438
00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:49.480
you know, not positive thoughts. It's one thing to have

439
00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:52.960
them come up, it's another thing to figure out how

440
00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:56.359
do you let them go. So, as you've experienced this,

441
00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:58.240
and I'm sure as those thoughts have come up for

442
00:24:58.319 --> 00:25:01.480
you that are not worth really having as a part

443
00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:04.720
of your life, how do you let go? What is

444
00:25:04.759 --> 00:25:08.599
the process of literally letting go of those thoughts so

445
00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:12.119
that they're no longer necessarily affecting your life.

446
00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:16.079
I mean, some of them you can actually let go

447
00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:18.319
of them, but others maybe maybe it's harder for you

448
00:25:18.440 --> 00:25:20.839
to and you keep holding on to them. So then

449
00:25:20.839 --> 00:25:24.000
maybe outside of your practice, maybe you do need your

450
00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:27.200
journal and say what why am I having this thought?

451
00:25:27.720 --> 00:25:32.160
What is its root cause? And and maybe you need

452
00:25:32.200 --> 00:25:34.200
to dive a little bit deeper into well why do

453
00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:36.640
I really feel that way? So some thoughts just come

454
00:25:36.759 --> 00:25:39.559
up and you can kind of let go of them,

455
00:25:39.559 --> 00:25:42.519
but other thoughts, maybe the recurring ones that keep coming up,

456
00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:44.920
maybe then it's time to do a little bit of

457
00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:48.440
journaling where you're you're thinking more about why does this

458
00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:51.799
thought keep coming up, what does it really mean? What

459
00:25:51.839 --> 00:25:54.480
can I connect it to? Maybe I had a particular

460
00:25:54.480 --> 00:25:57.200
event in my life and that makes me think that

461
00:25:57.759 --> 00:26:01.799
and I need to kind of reframe that event so

462
00:26:01.839 --> 00:26:05.319
that I can kind of eliminate that thought and and

463
00:26:05.319 --> 00:26:08.519
and reframe the event and make it more positive instead

464
00:26:08.519 --> 00:26:10.359
of such a negative event in my life.

465
00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:13.599
Well, and as you talked about reframing, now we're talking

466
00:26:13.640 --> 00:26:17.799
about NLP, you know, neuro linguistic programming where you go

467
00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:20.880
back and identify and then reframe. So do you do

468
00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:23.400
that with your clients where you help them to really

469
00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:27.640
go back and identify some of those causal leafs that

470
00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:31.160
are actually causing them to have the life they're experiencing

471
00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:32.000
that they don't want.

472
00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:36.559
I have not, but perhaps I should begin incorporating some

473
00:26:36.559 --> 00:26:40.079
some of that into it. I have not, but some

474
00:26:40.119 --> 00:26:43.359
of my clients will kind of rehash their their past

475
00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:46.720
and realize this is why they felt that way, and

476
00:26:46.759 --> 00:26:49.519
then on their on their own, they've realized, I don't

477
00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:52.480
need to think that way anymore. That's that was the

478
00:26:52.519 --> 00:26:55.559
way I thought then, and I don't need to feel

479
00:26:55.559 --> 00:26:59.119
that way anymore. And it's okay that I've moved you know,

480
00:26:59.359 --> 00:27:01.480
It's still part of who I was, but now I've

481
00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:07.039
sort of emerged from it and moved forward and realized

482
00:27:07.240 --> 00:27:09.960
it's okay that I'm not thinking that way anymore.

483
00:27:10.880 --> 00:27:15.079
So in your book, you talk about centering prayer, but

484
00:27:15.160 --> 00:27:19.200
you also talk about contemplative prayer. Can you can you

485
00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:21.279
explain what the difference of that is and what's the

486
00:27:21.400 --> 00:27:24.480
value of the contemplative prayer and how do we proceed

487
00:27:24.519 --> 00:27:24.839
with that?

488
00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:28.319
Sure, So, centering prayer you can think of as the

489
00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:32.559
practice that opens us up to contemplative prayer. So centering

490
00:27:32.599 --> 00:27:36.680
prayer really is just a practice such as Christian meditation

491
00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:40.640
or transcendental meditation or Buddhist practices. So those are the

492
00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:45.559
practices that we perform contemplative prayer is where you're maybe

493
00:27:45.640 --> 00:27:48.319
think of it as either in pure awareness, where you're

494
00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:52.200
so your goal during meditation or I guess it probably

495
00:27:52.279 --> 00:27:55.240
depends upon the meditative practice, but at least in centering prayer,

496
00:27:55.519 --> 00:27:58.319
our goal is just to open to the presence and

497
00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:02.079
actions of God within which we then think of as

498
00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:06.119
the pure presence of God, and that would be contemplate prayer.

499
00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:09.720
So centering prayers the practice that is opening us to

500
00:28:09.799 --> 00:28:15.039
just being with God or being in contemplate prayer, which

501
00:28:15.079 --> 00:28:18.480
obviously is very difficult just to be in pure awareness

502
00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:21.799
because our minds all of a sudden start thinking things.

503
00:28:22.200 --> 00:28:25.200
So maybe you go a couple seconds and you haven't

504
00:28:25.240 --> 00:28:27.960
had any thoughts, but then you begin thinking again. So

505
00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:32.440
centering prayer is the practice or tool that opens us

506
00:28:32.559 --> 00:28:37.119
up to pure awareness, to just God and just being

507
00:28:37.160 --> 00:28:40.440
with God, which I think of his contemplative prayer.

508
00:28:40.839 --> 00:28:44.160
We use the word, you know, I think contemplate. All right,

509
00:28:44.200 --> 00:28:47.039
so I'm going to sit back and contemplate what this

510
00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:47.599
is about.

511
00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:48.559
And that's what you're.

512
00:28:48.400 --> 00:28:52.079
Talking about, complaintive chair but prayer. But what are you

513
00:28:52.920 --> 00:28:57.880
contemplating about? Well, when you talk about compladative chair prayer,

514
00:28:58.319 --> 00:29:02.400
what are you contemplating about or it almost seems like,

515
00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:04.240
you know, if I'm going to go into that state

516
00:29:04.519 --> 00:29:06.680
and contemplate.

517
00:29:07.160 --> 00:29:08.559
What am I contemplating about?

518
00:29:08.640 --> 00:29:13.640
Or am I just sitting there waiting for inspiration and

519
00:29:13.680 --> 00:29:15.720
thoughts to come into my soul?

520
00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:20.279
You're not, at least in centering prayer, we're not contemplating.

521
00:29:20.319 --> 00:29:24.880
So we're letting go and opening to the pure presence

522
00:29:24.920 --> 00:29:28.440
of God and just continuously letting go of our thoughts.

523
00:29:28.759 --> 00:29:33.079
So at least in centering prayer, we're not contemplating anything.

524
00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:37.400
We're trying to just let go of our thoughts and

525
00:29:37.559 --> 00:29:41.839
just be in the present moment and trust that God

526
00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:44.960
is acting within us at a deeper level beyond our

527
00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:48.240
thoughts and emotions. And then that's where I mentioned kind

528
00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:51.519
of outside of centering prayer, for me, at least, I'll

529
00:29:51.599 --> 00:29:54.759
do some journaling where I can kind of reflect on

530
00:29:55.200 --> 00:29:58.400
what has been acted on me at a deeper level

531
00:29:59.079 --> 00:30:03.000
beyond thoughts, emotions and in a way kind of implanted

532
00:30:03.079 --> 00:30:06.920
in me, but for to come out later, not necessarily

533
00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:10.400
for me to be thinking about door my sit If

534
00:30:10.440 --> 00:30:12.359
that makes sense, and it.

535
00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:16.039
Does I think for many people, you know, I mean,

536
00:30:16.119 --> 00:30:19.039
how many times do we pray, you know, are we

537
00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:22.559
praying and asking for certain blessings or expressing our gratitude,

538
00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:25.799
but particularly asking for certain blessings, and then we sit

539
00:30:25.920 --> 00:30:29.759
back and it's like it's not coming. And then maybe

540
00:30:30.200 --> 00:30:33.880
down the road a week, two weeks, a month, a year,

541
00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:38.039
all of a sudden right that comes into our lives

542
00:30:38.440 --> 00:30:44.519
and it's like, oh, okay, maybe the timing wasn't right,

543
00:30:44.599 --> 00:30:47.720
but the prayer was right and the desire was right.

544
00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:52.000
It's just that in God's time that wasn't the time,

545
00:30:52.039 --> 00:30:53.880
and now it is right.

546
00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:57.240
Or sometimes we're asking for one thing and it doesn't happen,

547
00:30:57.279 --> 00:31:01.960
but something else happens. You can look back and say, actually,

548
00:31:01.960 --> 00:31:04.319
that was better and that was but at the time

549
00:31:04.440 --> 00:31:08.400
it wasn't better. You wanted something different. But as you

550
00:31:08.559 --> 00:31:10.920
move forward in life, you can reflect back that you

551
00:31:10.920 --> 00:31:13.759
know what, that actually was better than what I was

552
00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:17.160
wanting or asking for at the time. So sometimes, yes,

553
00:31:17.240 --> 00:31:20.720
sometimes things we want happen in their own timing, and

554
00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:24.480
sometimes they don't happen, but something else happens that we

555
00:31:24.519 --> 00:31:27.799
realized was even better, much better for.

556
00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:30.279
Us well, And you know, and that's interesting.

557
00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:32.880
I mean I've experienced that, so you know, you pray

558
00:31:32.920 --> 00:31:36.799
for something that doesn't happen. And oftentimes when people are

559
00:31:36.839 --> 00:31:39.599
doing that, whether it's through centering prayer and then afterwards

560
00:31:39.599 --> 00:31:42.599
other prayers, and they get upset, They get upset with God,

561
00:31:42.640 --> 00:31:44.960
they get upset with that higher power, and you know,

562
00:31:45.039 --> 00:31:47.279
it's like, well, they're not answering my prayers. He's not

563
00:31:47.319 --> 00:31:51.559
answering my prayers. And yet, as you say, if you

564
00:31:52.440 --> 00:31:57.720
look at what's going on and really observe, maybe there's

565
00:31:57.759 --> 00:32:00.480
something else that's happening that as you look at it

566
00:32:00.599 --> 00:32:05.799
is actually something of greater value at that given moment

567
00:32:05.880 --> 00:32:07.759
of time than what you were asking for.

568
00:32:08.799 --> 00:32:12.480
Right, No, exactly, I think, And that's kind of what

569
00:32:12.559 --> 00:32:14.359
I've tried to do. You know, As I mentioned, my

570
00:32:14.400 --> 00:32:18.480
website in twenty fifteen started off just as a weekly post,

571
00:32:18.839 --> 00:32:21.680
and I just trusted that's just start there and see

572
00:32:21.720 --> 00:32:25.119
what happens, and just trust whatever inter nudges I get,

573
00:32:25.240 --> 00:32:30.000
or trust what emails or interactions I have, and I just.

574
00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:30.799
Let it evolve.

575
00:32:30.839 --> 00:32:33.279
And it evolved into I'm going to add a coaching

576
00:32:33.319 --> 00:32:35.920
page and see what happens, and lo and behold, someone

577
00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:38.160
reached out to me. Then I thought, oh, I've never

578
00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:40.480
coached before. Now I need to call this guy and

579
00:32:40.519 --> 00:32:42.720
figure out what does that? What does that look like?

580
00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:45.480
And then and that was, you know, about five or

581
00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:46.240
six years ago.

582
00:32:46.839 --> 00:32:47.319
And then.

583
00:32:48.839 --> 00:32:50.720
I thought, well, I'll just add and invite me to

584
00:32:50.759 --> 00:32:54.160
speak page and then lo and behold, people the book

585
00:32:54.160 --> 00:32:56.240
would you know? Came out and people would ask me,

586
00:32:56.319 --> 00:32:59.480
could you come talk? Most of it was what came

587
00:32:59.519 --> 00:33:01.440
out in the middle COVID, So everything I did was

588
00:33:01.480 --> 00:33:04.799
on zoom. But a church might reach out to me

589
00:33:05.240 --> 00:33:08.319
and say, could you speak? We have an adult faith

590
00:33:08.440 --> 00:33:10.920
group and we'd love you to talk about centering prayer.

591
00:33:11.119 --> 00:33:12.880
They and they would send me a zoom b link.

592
00:33:13.079 --> 00:33:15.559
So just the fact that I had a book and

593
00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:17.599
the fact that I had to invite me to speak

594
00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:21.160
page people would reach out to me. So I was

595
00:33:21.240 --> 00:33:25.680
just kind of letting things kind of naturally happen. And

596
00:33:26.039 --> 00:33:28.680
then you know, I went on podcasts and you're one

597
00:33:28.720 --> 00:33:30.960
of one hundred and twenty or so podcasts I've been

598
00:33:30.960 --> 00:33:34.440
on since the book was published, and different things evolved

599
00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:37.680
from that. I meet some neat and interesting people. I

600
00:33:37.759 --> 00:33:41.319
met gentlemen when the book. I've just realized we've been doing.

601
00:33:41.359 --> 00:33:44.119
We do a free monthly gathering Brian Russell and I.

602
00:33:44.119 --> 00:33:47.480
I went on his podcast about I think it was

603
00:33:47.480 --> 00:33:50.279
twenty twenty one, and I met him through pod match

604
00:33:50.279 --> 00:33:53.960
where I met you, and then we've become friends and

605
00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:58.119
we do kind of a free monthly gathering to bring

606
00:33:58.160 --> 00:34:00.920
people together to give a talk and then to do

607
00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:04.000
a centering prayer sit and then to spend some time

608
00:34:04.240 --> 00:34:08.119
talking and answering questions or letting people just share about

609
00:34:08.119 --> 00:34:11.079
their practice or share whatever they want to during this

610
00:34:11.519 --> 00:34:13.920
one hour zoom call we have. So I just kind

611
00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:18.159
of let things evolve and trust what I'll be doing

612
00:34:18.519 --> 00:34:21.039
will come to me rather than try to force it

613
00:34:21.159 --> 00:34:21.599
so much.

614
00:34:22.400 --> 00:34:25.280
Well, and you know, we all kind of love to

615
00:34:25.280 --> 00:34:29.440
see these dramatic outcomes, and yet in many cases it's

616
00:34:29.480 --> 00:34:33.000
just a very gradual growth. But as you've had those meetings,

617
00:34:33.000 --> 00:34:35.599
as you've done that what you're doing, do you have

618
00:34:35.679 --> 00:34:41.280
any stories, any dramatic outcomes for someone who has experienced

619
00:34:41.280 --> 00:34:43.800
as centering prayer, who maybe you've coached, or as you've

620
00:34:43.800 --> 00:34:48.199
listened to other stories where they've shared a dramatic outcome

621
00:34:48.239 --> 00:34:50.800
of house literally changed their lives.

622
00:34:53.559 --> 00:34:56.840
Some of them are are, I guess some of particularly

623
00:34:57.159 --> 00:35:00.599
for some alcoholics, centering prayer has been a tremendous practice

624
00:35:00.679 --> 00:35:04.159
for alcoholics. And I've heard that share it over and

625
00:35:04.199 --> 00:35:06.960
over again in a couple of areas. One in this

626
00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:10.440
monthly gathering that I do with Brian Russell, there was

627
00:35:10.440 --> 00:35:12.920
a particular person on there that had said, you know,

628
00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:17.360
centering prayer really saved them from themselves and gave them

629
00:35:17.480 --> 00:35:20.239
a focus and love for themselves and a love for

630
00:35:20.400 --> 00:35:24.000
God so that they could, you know, stop drinking. And

631
00:35:24.679 --> 00:35:27.280
I heard the same thing when I when my book

632
00:35:27.320 --> 00:35:30.159
came out, I did a weekly Zoom book study and

633
00:35:30.199 --> 00:35:33.039
invited anybody to come to it, and and each week

634
00:35:33.079 --> 00:35:35.639
I just went through a chapter of the book. And

635
00:35:35.639 --> 00:35:38.400
then what ended up happening is I ended up every week.

636
00:35:38.639 --> 00:35:40.840
It was kind of neat. There was a group of

637
00:35:41.119 --> 00:35:44.119
alcoholic group in New York a chapter in New York,

638
00:35:44.400 --> 00:35:47.599
and the whole chapter came to the sessions and they

639
00:35:47.920 --> 00:35:50.519
and they also shared how, you know, this type of

640
00:35:50.559 --> 00:35:56.800
practice saved them from themselves and from from you know,

641
00:35:57.199 --> 00:35:59.440
the harm they did on themselves and the harm they

642
00:35:59.440 --> 00:36:01.960
did on friends and family because of their drinking, and

643
00:36:02.000 --> 00:36:04.320
it stopped them from drinking. It gave them a love

644
00:36:04.360 --> 00:36:06.960
for themselves, a love for God, and it gave them

645
00:36:06.960 --> 00:36:10.880
their life back, so that those were Yeah, it's powerful,

646
00:36:11.039 --> 00:36:13.239
They're obviously very powerful on that front.

647
00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:15.639
Well, then that's fantastic.

648
00:36:15.760 --> 00:36:19.440
So as we close, what would be the message that

649
00:36:19.559 --> 00:36:22.480
you would like to share with the audience to make

650
00:36:22.519 --> 00:36:24.159
a difference in their lives.

651
00:36:24.800 --> 00:36:27.360
I would, I guess I would encourage people, if the

652
00:36:27.400 --> 00:36:30.280
idea of sitting in silence and some type of meditative

653
00:36:30.280 --> 00:36:33.880
practice is new, just to take baby steps. So one

654
00:36:34.039 --> 00:36:37.400
make it, commit to trying it for thirty days, make

655
00:36:37.400 --> 00:36:39.719
it the first thing you do in the morning before

656
00:36:39.760 --> 00:36:42.880
you do anything else, and maybe just do it for

657
00:36:43.000 --> 00:36:47.039
one to five minutes, and just see what happens after

658
00:36:47.159 --> 00:36:50.239
thirty days and see how it's changed you and if

659
00:36:50.239 --> 00:36:52.599
it's a practice you want to continue or not. But

660
00:36:52.639 --> 00:36:54.920
I would just encourage them to take a daily dose

661
00:36:54.960 --> 00:36:57.280
of silence, make it the first thing you do in

662
00:36:57.280 --> 00:36:59.480
the morning, and just do it for as short as

663
00:36:59.519 --> 00:37:03.119
one defy minutes for thirty days, and then reevaluate at

664
00:37:03.159 --> 00:37:05.199
the end of the thirty day period. Do I want

665
00:37:05.239 --> 00:37:07.559
to continue this? What is there something about it that

666
00:37:08.119 --> 00:37:11.480
is attracting to me and helping me wonderful?

667
00:37:11.679 --> 00:37:13.320
And how do people find your book?

668
00:37:13.920 --> 00:37:16.960
Sure the best place to find me is at silenceteaches

669
00:37:17.000 --> 00:37:19.679
dot com. If they come to my website, I have

670
00:37:19.719 --> 00:37:22.199
a free ebook on Center and Prayer if they want

671
00:37:22.239 --> 00:37:24.679
to learn more about it, and then after that, if

672
00:37:24.679 --> 00:37:27.679
they discover they're more interested, my book is also on

673
00:37:27.719 --> 00:37:30.960
the website, so Silence Teaches dot com is the best

674
00:37:30.960 --> 00:37:31.880
place to find me.

675
00:37:32.599 --> 00:37:34.239
Okay, is it on Amazon too?

676
00:37:34.800 --> 00:37:38.840
Yes? Yes, the book is on Amazon and most online booksellers.

677
00:37:39.119 --> 00:37:42.679
It's in paperback, kidnal and actually in audio at this

678
00:37:43.119 --> 00:37:43.800
time as well.

679
00:37:44.280 --> 00:37:48.159
Oh, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Well, Rich, thanks so much for

680
00:37:48.199 --> 00:37:48.840
being on the show.

681
00:37:48.880 --> 00:37:54.039
It's fascinating how each of us experience something in our

682
00:37:54.039 --> 00:37:57.960
lives and for you, you've taken that and are now

683
00:37:58.000 --> 00:38:01.800
making a difference in other people's lives. So, you know,

684
00:38:01.920 --> 00:38:04.920
kudos to you for for taking the time and actually

685
00:38:05.119 --> 00:38:06.760
doing the effort to accomplish that.

686
00:38:07.840 --> 00:38:10.079
Now, thanks for having me on. I really appreciate it,

687
00:38:10.159 --> 00:38:13.079
and hopefully this will be helpful for your for your community.

688
00:38:13.639 --> 00:38:16.360
You bet, Thank you, and folks, thanks for listening. Hope

689
00:38:16.400 --> 00:38:17.000
you enjoyed it.

690
00:38:17.199 --> 00:38:19.119
Look forward to having your join us again soon. This

691
00:38:19.199 --> 00:38:21.360
is the Doctor Doug saying. Now mis day