Imaging prayer (Christian contemplative prayer in the sanctified imagination) does great things in the pray-er’s life. Heh, forget “great things”, think “miracles”. The problem with talking about it though, at least for me as a spiritual director, is that a lot of people who are interested in it want to know its benefits. Of course they do! There’s nothing wrong with that. God’s Word is FULL of benefits, full of treasures and crowns: eternal life, poured-out blessings, answered prayer. These things are all true. It’s also true that imaging prayer can change your life, just like it did mine. God led me to the little book that started my journey…

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?…