There are many Eastern religions and philosophies, and not all of them practice meditation or believe in reincarnation. Also, many Westerners have either secularized meditative practices for health and wellness, or practice them in a “spiritual but not religious” form. However, many of the major Eastern religions / mystical philosophies do practice meditation based on their beliefs, and we can draw important distinctions between Eastern forms of meditation and Christianity’s. Point of Distinction Christian Meditation Eastern Meditation Foundations of Belief Christian meditation is rooted in the Bible and Christian faith. This type of meditation may include meditating on Bible verses and stories, listening prayer, and reflecting on Jesus’ teachings. The…

Spiritual gifts are very important to the Church, but sometimes our natural talents get short shrift. But God created us in the first place with natural talents! And if we’ve developed them over the years, He will use them just like He uses spiritual gifts, so we are blessed and in turn bless the Kingdom of God and the world that He loves so much. Some of you may already know your natural talents. Others may be so deeply engrained in your life that you don’t even recognize them as a talent. “Everybody can do this!” you protest. Probably not. Do Natural Talents Have Anything to Do with Spiritual Gifts?…

The MOST important thing that will ever happen to you–EVER–is your conversion. Accepting Christ. Not everyone can point to a single day and time; sometimes you just realize that you decided to believe, and you did. Others of us can point to a time or season, place or age. Because when you accept Christ, you’re a whole new creature, a new being. The Bible isn’t being fanciful or metaphoric, that’s exactly what it means. The doctrine of conversion is called “justification”, because we asked the Lord to forgive our sins and come into our lives. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that…