646 Glory To God Who Has Given Such Authority, A Guided Christian Meditation on Matthew 9:5-8 with the Recenter With Christ app

652 Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole, A Guided Christian Meditation on Matthew 9:14-17 with the Recenter With Christ app The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ.  Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization. Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.   Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation: Breathe and direct your thoughts to connecting with God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate,  deflate. Scripture for Meditation Matthew 9 NIV 20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. NASB 20 And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Him, and touched the border of His cloak; 21 for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His cloak, I will get well.” 22 But Jesus, turning and seeing her, said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” And at once the woman was made well. Meditation on Scripture: This whole Chapter is lined with the juxtaposition of Jesus’s dual mission as healer and savior. His saving is more important than the healing. That saving comes through Him alone. It comes as we put our whole faith in Him. If genuine and real this faith in Jesus changes us. It is the beginning of a life with Christ. After being asked about fasting in the previous verses he is asked to go heal a sick girl, on the way there he encounters a crowd and in the middle of that crowd this woman.  In the Gospel of Luke it shares a little more detail. This woman touched Jesus without talking to him first and was healed. Jesus stopped when this happened. He was not surprised by the healing. He was not impressed by the healing. She did not steal a blessing from Jesus. She was healed by her faith. We don't see anywhere in scripture where Jesus teaches that touching his robe will heal yet this woman had so much faith that it happened.  Similarly we are healed from the greatest danger we face, our own sin. We are healed not by touching his clothes but by coming to trust Jesus completely. When we experience trouble in our life we can learn a lesson from this woman who, when afflicted, sought out jesus. She went to where He was. She drew near to Him even though she felt that he didn't even know she was alive, He did. Similarly God knows the details of your struggle. Draw near to him. Trust your heart to Jesus. Trust that he can heal your soul, and then do the important work of walking in the path He has laid out. Give him the worries and cares of your heart.  Meditation of Prayer: Pray as directed by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life: This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind?  FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod  

NIV 14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. 16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

650 The Wedding Guests Cannot Mourn as Long As The Bridegroom Is With Them, A Guided Christian Meditation on Matthew 9:14-17 with the Recenter With Christ app The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ.  Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization. Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.   Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation: Breathe and direct your thoughts to connecting with God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate,  deflate. Scripture for Meditation Matthew 9 NIV 14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. 16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” ESV 14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.” Meditation on Scripture: Fasting has been a valuable aspect of religious devotion for a very long time. I think at times we can get the wrong impression if we read this scripture and interpret that Jesus was somehow against fasting. We see elsewhere in scripture where Jesus fasted. Earlier in the same book of Matthew Jesus fasted for 40 days. Perhaps the more important question is not on the validity of fasting but on the individual devotion behind it.  When fabric is new, it often has not fully shrunk and the patch would distort and pull the original garment. Similarly new wine that is still fermenting, has yeast that are still converting the sugars to alcohol so gas bubbles form and need to be vented which would not be possible in a wineskin that could not flex and stretch. Both of these processes described a natural response changed by exposure and age. This continues directly from the previous verses about how the sick need a physician. Similarly for  the fast, not to please God but to call to memory our physical need. The question we can ask ourselves is this; is our religious devotion simply a matter of cold calculating rule following or is it a representation of the understanding of the process at work within us. God gives us scripture to show us how to live in such a way to invite Jesus into our hearts. True devotion helps us open our eyes to see.  Ponder for a moment, how we can use fasting, prayer, study, even discipline of our actions, as a way of drawing near to God, as a form of worship? Not a form of negotiating favor from God, but as a desire to be swallowed up in God. Do we truly feel a love strong enough for God that we would mourn him if he was gone? If not perhaps we can seek that relationship with him by experience, by fasting and prayer.  Meditation of Prayer: Pray as directed by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life: This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind?  FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

NASB 9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s office; and He *said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. 10 Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and began dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Now go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

648 It's Not The Healthy Who Need a Doctor, But the Sick, A Guided Christian Meditation on Matthew 9:9-13 with the Recenter With Christ app The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ.  Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization. Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.   Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation: Breathe and direct your thoughts to connecting with God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate,  deflate. Scripture for Meditation Matthew 9 NASB 9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s office; and He *said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. 10 Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and began dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Now go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” KJV 9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Meditation on Scripture: After healing the paralytic man and also forgiving his sin, Jesus showed his ability and desire to heal the soul and the body. In this scripture Jesus calls Matthew and then reminds those who would question that decision that the sick are who need the healer. Each of us is the sick person in this story. WE are the one who was sick and is healed by Jesus. We are not the comfy healthy people who belong outside Jesus’ hospital.   With that said Jesus also indirectly proclaims himself the healer of body and soul. As we place our full faith in Jesus he heals our soul. As we learn to trust him, he can help the betterment of our bodies as well, if that is His purpose. This healing is actually part of the reason why I felt like I wanted to start this podcast. When I was a hospital chaplain I found profound resilience through meditation. It is the thing that helped me cope with the profound suffering I witnessed. I learned to trust in God to calm my soul and heal my emotions.   Many people in our modern times struggle with anxiety or other forms of diagnosable mental health concerns. I want to honor the fact that God has infinite power and yet some very faithful people do not have their prayers answered in the way that hope to include the Apostle Paul. With that said, our responsibility is not to decide for God, what things he should do or not. A healthier mindset is to petition God in humility, work to maintain our health to the best of our ability, and then trust in God’s grace and eternal care.  Meditation of Prayer: Pray as tdirected by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life: This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind?  FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod  

Matthew 9 NIV 1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” 4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

644 Take Heart, Your Sins Are Forgiven, A Guided Christian Meditation on Matthew 9:1-4 with the Recenter With Christ app The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ.  Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization. Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.   Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation: Breathe and direct your thoughts to connecting with God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate,  deflate. Scripture for Meditation Matthew 9 NIV 1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” 4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? NRSVA 1 And after getting into a boat he crossed the water and came to his own town. Jesus Heals a Paralytic 2 And just then some people were carrying a paralysed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’ 3 Then some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This man is blaspheming.’ 4 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts? Meditation on Scripture: This scripture tells of the account of Jesus healing a man. In another one of the Gospels this man was lowered from the roof. As the people looked on wondering what Jesus was to do he did not heal the man right away. Jesus forgave his sins. This is interesting as it was not what Jesus always did. In this case he chose to forgive the man first. In time he did both but, which one is more meaningful? Which one makes a bigger difference eternally?  If you were a paralytic and you could only choose one, which one would you choose?  The teachers of the law, challenged him. According to the Law of Moses this was problematic. Only God could forgive sins. They did not understand who Jesus was? We have the benefit of the written word, the telling of the Gospel story and a long tradition of understanding. Imagine if someone were to tell you that they could forgive your sins and it wasn’t Jesus. You would not believe them. That is what these lawyers thought. They didn’t understand the gospel. They were looking at things from the wrong perspective. Jesus condemned their hearts. He knew them. He knew why they struggled. They chose not to believe. The healing was not enough to even more them in the right direction. What is easier to do, to say a phrase or to heal someone? It would be easier to say those words even if they didn’. Fortunately for us we are not forced to wonder and grope for forgiveness. We don’t need to hope that someone lowers us down a roof and be forgiven face to face. We may or may not receive the healing that we seek but we certainly can receive forgiveness if we ask it from Jesus. Meditation of Prayer: Pray as directed by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life: This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind? FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod              

ACTS 1 NIV 21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” 23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.   FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod

642 God Show Us What You Have Chosen, A Guided Christian Meditation on Acts 1:21-26 with the Recenter With Christ app  The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in your life and connect with the true source of peace, Jesus Christ.  Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization. Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving or anything tensing or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.   Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:   Breathe and direct your thoughts to connecting with God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate,  deflate. Scripture for Meditation ACTS 1 NIV 21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” 23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. NASB 21 Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— 22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” 23 So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all people, show which one of these two You have chosen 25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles. Meditation on Scripture: Upon the tragic betrayal and death of Judas Iscariot, there were only 11 apostles. Peter quoted scripture referencing filling the office. God had plans and those included another apostle. Two names were brought forward for consideration, seeking the guidance of God. The 11 prayed and sought out God's guidance then left the decision in the hands of God. God guides his work according to God's needs. The Apostle was not chosen by the ways of the world or according to the means that humans reason. It was a choice of God. God guides His work, to include the grand and small parts.   God has plans for your life. At times we think our plans are what guides us. We think that because we have minds that can think, that what we reason and ration is the only matter for consideration. Or in those cases when we do defer to the knowledge of God we oftentimes think that it must be something we can understand. In reality most of the time God's plans are far beyond our understanding. It is left to us to do the best we can. With God’s assistance we can understand enough to be able to guide our choices and then fiercely pursue abiding by it. Pause now for a moment and consider what God may be guiding you toward in your life. To what are you called? In what areas do you seek more clarity of His call and will?  Meditation of Prayer: Pray as directed by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life: This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind?  FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: [email protected] Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod