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

We invite you to join us this Advent Season as we prepare our hearts in anticipation of Christ's birth. Advent is an important rhythm of the Church. As God's people, we prayerful remember and await the coming of Messiah. The stories and scriptures may be familiar, but there is always more to ponder. In returning and remembering the story of our salvation, we embrace our part of God's story. 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 the divine appointments in your life?" So 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

Join us this Advent Season as we prepare our hearts once again for Christ's birth. These Advent meditations can be revisited and reflected upon throughout your week. Don't rush the process of listening for God's promptings. In stillness we become more aware of God's Presence and activity in our life. Today's scripture meditation is from Isaiah 55 (The Passion Translation) - an invitation to come and drink freely from the fountain of Grace. Jesus comes bringing salvation and hope to all people. His faithful promises are carried out generation to generation. And there is an invitation with your name on it. An invitation to pull away from the busyness, distractions, and details that consume us. An invitation filled with love and grace. So find a quiet space, take several slow, deep breaths, and settle into the awareness of Immanuel, God with you. A Reading from Isaiah 55 - The Passion Translation

This week we will be focusing on the spiritual practice of The Daily Examen - an ancient Church practice that helps us see God's hand at work in our whole life experience. The Daily Examen encourages us to look at and review our day in the Presence of God, who always sees us and knows our every thought. When we examine our day through the lens and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we recognize and experience God's Presence and unlimited gifts of Grace. References: Ignatius Loyola/ignatianspirituality.com Psalm 139:23/24 TPT Romans 8:1 NLT Connect with us on social media @thedailystill Meditations by Cindy L. Helton Produced by: Jess Olekshy Audio and music: Mike Olekshy

This meditation focuses on the spiritual practice of gratitude, as we meditate on Psalm 103 and reflect upon God's goodness. When we pay attention to God's activity and abundant blessings in the every day, ordinary moments of life, we cultivate and nurture a heart of gratitude. Scripture References: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NET Psalm 103 TPT Connect with us on social media @thedailystill Meditations by: Cindy L. Helton Produced by: Jess Olekshy Audio production and music: Mike Olekshy

Today's podcast emphasizes the important benefits of Christian meditation. Meditation is simply focusing the mind on a particular thing. Christian meditation is focusing the whole self - our body, soul, mind and spirit - on God and his word.

God invites us to be still and know him. Stillness fosters a greater awareness of God's presence with us.

Quietness teaches us to hear and recognize our creator's voice.

So what are you focusing on? Are you making worries and concerns your place of meditation? What you focus on grows and begins to dominate your thoughts.

We invite you to settle in and refocus your thoughts on the Divine presence of the Holy One keeping company with you.

Meditation written and copyright Cindy L. Helton

Today's meditation focuses on experiencing God through the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina.

Lectio Divina means "divine or sacred" reading and is a way of dialoguing with God through His Word.

In this way of reading the Bible, we slow down in order to read a passage of Scripture for the purpose of spiritual transformation, rather than an information only mindset.

Today's scripture Reading was taken from Isaiah 43:1-5 NLT

Quote by: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

For more on Lectio Divina and other sacred spiritual practicies, we recommend Ruth Haley Barton's book, Sacred Rhythms.

Connect with us on social media @thedailystill

On today's podcast, host Cindy Helton leads us through a meditation on Psalm 139. If you're feeling a little unsettled, anxious or just need a few minutes of quiet, this is a place where your soul can breathe. As you meditate upon this timeless Psalm, pay attention to the pronouns 'I', 'Me', and 'My.' Embrace how your Heavenly Father sees, knows, understands and watches over you personally. Scripture Reading taken from Psalm 139 NLT Quote: By Bishop Michael Curry, Love Is the Way "Everybody is God's somebody. I've come to see that the call of God, the love that bids us welcome, is always a call to become the true you…someone made in the image of God, deserving of and receiving love. It's about discovering your true self—the self that looks like God." The Daily Still Podcast is hosted and copyrighted by Cindy L. Helton Produced by: Jess Olekshy Music by: Mike Olekshy Longer meditations and prayer music available on iTunes. Find us @thedailystill For speaking engagements and retreats: Contact us at [email protected]

This meditation focuses on practicing unrushed rhythms. Slowing down the pace of life, as well as the information we take in, promotes a quiet soul. Studies show, calm, quiet moments are a trigger to our brain — minimizing the body's physical response to stress, lowering blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones. This produces better concentration and overall emotional health. Our souls need space to Breathe! Ralph Waldo Emerson reminds us: Life is a journey, not a destination. This is true of the spiritual life as well. So what will we discover on that journey? The answer may just be found in the pace of life that we keep. Scripture: Jeremiah 2:25 MSG Psalm 46:10 MSG Meditations written and copyright by Cindy L. Helton Produced by Jess Olekshy Music by Michael Olekshy

This Daily Still meditation focuses on the nearness of God and the holy hush it ushers into our souls as we pay attention to the Divine all around us. We invite you to pause and breathe in deeply, as you quiet your soul in order to notice the Glory of God.

Welcome to Season 5 of The Daily Still Podcast! This season we will be focusing on Quieting The Soul.

Creating intentional space to quiet our souls prepares an environment that is imperative for a healthy inner life, as well as our external lives. In this episode, host Cindy Helton shares about her summer spiritual retreat and the process of inner transformation. Stillness births transformation, a process that cannot be rushed. Change takes place slowly as we surrender to our Maker's loving Grace. Join us for our weekly meditations as we seek to go deeper in the spiritual rhythms of stillness and inner transformation.

Also, thanks to you all - our loyal listeners! The Daily Still Podcast has reached over 500,000 downloads from around the world. Thank you for joining us, sharing and rating the podcast and being part of The Daily Still community. Meditations are written and copyrighted by Cindy L. Helton Produced by: Jess Olekshy Music & Audio: Mike Olekshy SCRIPTURES Psalm 131:2 ESV Psalm 46:10 CEV John 14:8 NIV Psalm 119:114,119 The MSG Acts 17:27-28 NIV Romans 8:26-28 MSG