The Daily Still - Guided Christian Meditation, Reflection, and Devotionals

"You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of time." Matthew 28:20 ERV

Last words are important. As Jesus days on earth were coming to an end, He often told His disciples of what was to come. His words were important for His followers to hold onto in times of fear and doubt and loneliness.

"Remember, I am with you always." Insert your name and repeat this promise over yourself. "__________, I am with you always."

Today we offer space to simply sit in the presence of the Holy One. Receive Divine encouragement as you become fully present with the One who is always present with you.

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Today we meditate upon a well known parable of Jesus. In the Bible, new wine is often symbolic of the Holy Spirit's work in our life. Jesus wants to do new things in us and through us, His vessels. (Matthew 9:16-17)

Take whatever space is necessary to reflect upon what God is saying to you. You may want to pause or relisten to give yourself the time you need to reflect or journal.

Lyrics referenced: "New Wine" by Hillsong Worship

If you'd like to help support the work and production of this podcast and help keep us ad free, we now have Venmo and Paypal options. Support The Daily Still Podcast via Paypal or Support The Daily Still via Venmo Paypal: @thedailystill (Cindy L. Helton) Venmo: @thedailystill (Cindy L. Helton)

Thank you for listening to the The Daily Still Podcast. If you have benefitted from these meditations, please take a moment to subscribe and rate us. This helps us to be more visible to others.

This meditation focuses on the words of Jesus in John 15. Jesus tells us He is the True Vine and Source of Life.

Take whatever space is necessary to reflect upon what God is saying to you. You may want to pause or relisten to give yourself the time you need to reflect or journal. As you reflect on the past week…. Where did you notice the life-giving benefits of abiding in Christ? When did you feel disconnected? Compare the the two different sources of strength and how they made you feel.

Scripture References: "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit." John 15:5 NRSV, John 15:1,4,5 The Message

If you'd like to help support the work and production of this podcast and help keep us ad free, we now have Venmo and Paypal options. Support The Daily Still Podcast via Paypal or Support The Daily Still via Venmo Paypal: @thedailystill (Cindy L. Helton) Venmo: @thedailystill (Cindy L. Helton)

Thank you for listening to the The Daily Still Podcast. If you have benefitted from these meditations, please take a moment to subscribe and rate us. This helps us to be more visible to others.

Thank you for listening to The Daily Still Podcast and Happy New Year!

If you would like to help support our podcast, we now have Venmo and Paypal options. All donations are greatly appreciated and go directly towards production costs, and will allow us to continue to offer free meditations without advertisting. Support The Daily Still Podcast via Paypal or Support The Daily Still via Venmo

Paypal: @thedailystill (Cindy L. Helton) Venmo: @thedailystill (Cindy L. Helton)

Today we begin Season 7 - Meditating on the Words of Jesus. If you struggle with anxiety, fear, busyness, distractions, or if you're simply looking for peace and calming moments in the midst of a loud world, here is space where your soul can breathe.

You may want to pause and journal these prompts:

As we begin a brand new year, where do you find yourself?

What hopes do you have?

What burdens are you carrying?

What was life giving for you in the past year?

What would you do differently?

Join us each Monday as we meditate on the Words of Jesus and seek to live in unforced rhythms of Grace.

Scripture:

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

Matthew 11:28-30 The Message

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and light

Hosted and written by: Cindy Helton, Spiritual Director

Merry Christmas! We are excited to be returning with all new meditations on January 2, 2023! Join us for Season 7 each Monday as we reflect on "The Words of Jesus."

And in the meantime, enjoy this encore musical Christmas meditation, featuring holiday songs from the artist J. Lauren, who happens to be host Cindy Helton's daughter and The Daily Still Podcast producer!

Come let us celebrate the mystery and hope of Jesus - God with us. Joy for all people! And heaven and nature sing!

J.Lauren's Christmas album, "Merry Christmas (Love, J.Lauren)" is out wherever you listen to music! Click here for links to J.Lauren's music

Verse references: Luke 2:10-11 – "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! Matthew 2:10 – When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 1 Chronicles 16:27 – Honor and majesty surround Him; strength and joy fill His dwelling. Psalm 70:4 – God, may all who search for You be filled with joy and gladness in You

Join us for an all new season of The Daily Still beginning Monday, January 2, 2023! In the meantime, please enjoy this encore Christmas meditation. Merry Christmas! Let us prepare our hearts in anticipation of Christ's birth. The stories and scriptures may be familiar, but there is always more to ponder. This meditation focuses on Mary's story and her faithful "yes" to the mystery of God. As you listen, consider with fresh insight the courage of Mary. Consider the fear she must have experienced, the vulnerability and disbelief. Ponder her consent and surrender in saying "yes" to the mystery of the Incarnation. And consider, "Where are you being invited to say 'Yes' to divine appointments in your life?" Find a quiet space, take several deep breaths, perhaps light an advent candle, and become aware of God with you. Scripture references are taken from The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 1 NIV

Practicing stillness is about learning to hear God and become in tune with our true selves. It's a willingness to slow down and pay attention…to surrender to the mystery of… God's transforming Presence. In this place of loving communion, we let go of our expectations and rest in the grace of our relationship as dearly loved children of God. We find rest and hope in knowing that we do not need to be successful, perfect, or sinless, to hang out with God. There is no place for striving. Unconditional love welcomes us as we are…. As we conclude our Monday Meditation series on Pondering the Psalms, I'd like to address the question… How can I hear clearly from the Holy Spirit? Or how do I know it's God I'm hearing and not just my own thoughts. Silence and stillness are helpful pathways to hearing God more clearly and recognizing the Voice of Divine guidance. The more we practice, the better we become at discerning the still small voice of God. In the Here are a few helpful tips in practicing listening prayer: How to practice listening prayer

1. Listening prayer is more than just listening with our ears… we listen with the eyes of our heart. We engage our body soul, mind and spirit. That means undistracted attention given to our times of seeking to hear from God. We lean into God's embrace with an openness to receive. We breathe in the Spirit of God.

1. As you come to God with your question or request for guidance…Trust God is with you and always listening with undivided attention.
2. Wait in silence for God to speak. Don't rush this process. God's Word encourages us to wait upon the Lord…We wait for God to reveal Himself to us. There are unlimited ways God's Divine Presence is revealed to us. There is always more to know and experience about our infinite Creator.
3. Pay attention to any Scripture, songs, impressions, or pictures that come to mind and write them down. Continue to ask God more questions about what you heard, thought, or any visual impressions that came to mind.
4. Carry God's word with you. Put into practice the guidance you received, Keep listening and looking for confirmation in scripture and from others.
5. Turn God's Word into positive affirmations allowing God's Words to continue to speak over your life

So today, I invite you to relax and lean into the embrace of the Holy One as you meditate on these Psalms of affirmation. Scripture Affirmations are helpful statements of Truth that we can memorize and repeat to encourage positive thoughts and beliefs about our self and how God sees us. There will be spaces for you to embody these truths and engage your body, soul, mind and spirit as we turn each affirmation into a breath prayer. Pray each breath prayer 2 or 3 times in the rhythm of your natural breathing… Psalm 116:1-2 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. Breath Prayer… Inhale: I love you Lord Exhale: Because you listen to me Psalm 139:1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. Inhale: Thank you Lord Exhale: that I am known by you Psalm 139: 13-14 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it! Inhale: You made me O God Exhale: I am a marvelous creation Psalm 139:17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered. Inhale: Precious thoughts of me Exhale: are always on God's mind Psalm 144:1-2 Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. I take refuge in him. Inhale: God is on my side Exhale: He is my loving ally Psalm 146:9 The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. Inhale: God is good to me Exhale: His compassion for me is endless Psalm 70:4 May all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, "God is great!" Inhale: I search for you O God Exhale: you fill me with joy and gladness I hope these thoughts and affirmations have been encouraging tips to you on your spiritual journey. We'll be taking a break for the summer. We invite you to revisit some of your favorite meditations. 'May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.' Numbers 6:24-26

In this episode of the podcast, we'll consider what it looks like to practice the presence of God in the ordinary moments of our life.

The Christian Church celebrates 7 distinct seasons in the Church calendar year. The season begins with advent, then Christmas, Ephiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost and Ordinary time.

In our daily lives, we keep track of activities and special events with a calendar. Throughout the centuries, the Church has followed a calendar of special days, feasts and seasons too. Each season plays an important role in our faith journey as we remember and celebrate the gift of our salvation in Jesus Christ.

The majority of the Church calendar year is spent in Ordinary Time, as we live out the ordinary moments of life.

The ancient rhythms of prayer and meditation, remind us of the human story and great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us, giving testimony to the love of God through Christ.

Our passion and purpose at The Daily Still Podcast is to help others notice and pay attention to God's Presence with us in the every day moments.

Every moment is holy.

Every moment is sacred — whether we are planting flowers, helping our neighbor, doing laundry, tending to a child, laughing, crying, preparing a meal, grieving, working, loving, vacationing, studying, playing, dreaming, hoping, praying.

In everything Christ is with us! Christ is in us!

Christ is for us!

There's a Divine invitation with your name on it to pull away from the busyness, distractions, and details that consume you.

It's an invitation to live in the Divine Presence of God — now.

What would it look like if we truly lived from a place of Divine companionship?

Where will you notice God with you today?

As you listen to these scriptures from the Book of Psalms, picture how they apply to each aspect of your life.

You are He who took me from the womb…from my mother's womb you have been my God. Psalm 22:9-10

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

Psalm 90:16-17 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 22:1-2

My God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?

Psalm 36:

How precious is your unfailing love, O God!

All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

8 You feed them from lthe abundance of your own house,

Letting them drink from mthe river of nyour delights. Psalm 36:7-8

Psalm 32:8

The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.

He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.Psalm 147: 3

Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart. How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! Psalm 111:1-2

Psalm 143:5

I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done.

This week we focus on The Breath of God and Pentecost with a special guest meditation by Olly Ryder from Plymouth England. Olly is an Anglican priest and church planter, and runs a city centre resource church with his wife, Ali. Olly shared Christian meditation has helped him slow down and tap into more stillness, silence and solitude, experiencing the undercurrent of God's Spirit beneath all the surface noise. Here are some of Olly's tips: Practicing Silence & Solitude - Alongside my normal daily devotional practices such as 5 year journaling, bible reading and extempore prayer, I now incorporate a lot more silent prayer, biblical meditation and solitude including: 1 - Timer - As part of my morning prayers I now set a timer on my phone for 5/10 or 15 minutes, open with a short prayer and then sit in silence in God's presence. When the timer finishes I have a gentle alarm to end the time - and sometimes treat myself to another session! Initially 5 minutes felt a long time, now it feels as if I'm just getting going. The Daily Still has been a great spring board in cultivating silence and tuning into God's voice and continues to be a great help. 2 - Meditation - I've been memorizing and using different set prayers and verses of scripture, particularly the Psalms, as a tool for prayer. During the night if I wake and start worrying about something I'll try and replace my worries by reciting a Psalm in my mind or even just a word or phrase such as 'the Lord is my shepherd', or 'good Shepherd', or 'Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy' or one word such as 'Peace'. 3 - Nature - I've also been finding deliberately noticing nature so helpful and soul filling. My phone camera roll is now filled with photographs of flowers and trees! I've also got some binoculars to spot birds. Often on a Saturday morning as a family we will go for a walk with some hot chocolate, cream and marshmallows and spend time in God's creation just slowing down and cutting out some of the distractions. 4 - Exercise - Exercise continues to be key in maintaining soul peace. I enjoy walking, running and wild swimming. 5 - Reading - It's been so helpful over this year in particular to read some books that fill my soul. I've been enjoying some of Eugene Peterson's books, he's got a very contemplative pace. Olly Ryder Vicar // St Matthias Plymouth stmplymouth.org.uk

Today we offer a meditation on Grieving a Tragedy. Here in the United States, we have recently experienced the pain and trauma of gun violence in an elementary school in Texas, a grocery store in New York, and a church in California. We can become desensitized and unable to process so much tragic news. Often words alone seem inadequate. We need silence in the presence of a Holy God. So today we make space to grieve and mourn for those who are mourning. We make space to get in touch with our own feelings and emotions. And we make space to consider how God is calling us to action and to show compassion to those hurting. We'll be meditating on a prayer from Psalm 57, TPT. We invite you to prepare a quiet place for this time of meditation. Perhaps light a candle. Don't rush or hurry this time. Linger as long as you need to process your feelings. Have mercy on me, O God…for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 57:1 NLT These are the 19 children and 2 teachers whose lives were taken at Robb Elementary School mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas: Alexandria Aniyah Rubio, 10 Amerie Jo Garza, 10 Tess Marie Mata, 10 Jose Flores, 10 Miranda Mathis, 11 Maite Rodriguez, 10 Makenna Lee Elrod, 10 Xavier Lopez, 10 Eliana Garcia, 9 Layla Salazar, 10 Eliahana Cruz Torres, 10 Alithia Ramierz, 10 Jackie Cazares, 10 Annabelle Rodriguez, 10 Jailah Silguero, 10 Jayce Luevanos, 10 Uziyah Garcia, 9 Nevaeh Bravo, 10 Rojelio Torres, 10 Eva Mireles, 44 Irma Garcia, 46 California Church Dr. John Cheng, 52 These are the names of the lives taken in the Buffalo, New York Grocery Store mass shooting: Roberta A, Drury, 32 Margus D. Morrison, 52 Andre Mackneil, 53 Aaron Salter, 55 Geraldine Talley, 62 Celestine Chaney, 65 Heyward Patterson, 67 Katherine Massey, 72 Pearl Young, 77 Ruth Whitfield, 86