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

656 It Shall Be Done According to Your Faith, A Guided Christian Meditation on Matthew 9:27-31 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, Cont emplation 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 27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. NASB 27 As Jesus went on from there, two men who were blind followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 And after He entered the house, the men who were blind came up to Him, and Jesus *said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They *said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done for you according to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows about this!” 31 But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout that land. Meditation on Scripture: In what way do we seek healing from the Master? When we notice weakness inside ourselves do we turn to God? The accounts of Jesus healing in scripture are plentiful. What do we most need healing from God. If we are not careful we can see these descriptions of healing as something nice Jesus did a long time ago. They are more than that. They are evidences of Gods ability to heal.  The things we need healing from are more than physical. They can be psychological and emotional. We live surrounded by immorality. We may have habits or mindsets that we can seek healing from God.  Similar to physical healing we do not dictate the timeline which God heals, but he will heal. As long as we come to Him and remain willing to shed anything that is in opposition tonGis plan for us, he will continuously refine our lives and heal us in every way.  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  

Matthew 9 NKJV 23 When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went out into all that land.

654 She Is Not Dead But Sleeping, A Guided Christian Meditation on Matthew 9:23-26 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, Cont emplation 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 NKJV 23 When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24 He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. 25 But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. 26 And the report of this went out into all that land. NRSVA 23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute-players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, ‘Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Meditation on Scripture: In our physical world, we tend to accept the reality with which we are offered. Even as we come to faith we battle with the physicality of the seemingly permanent realities before us. For example here Jesus says this girl is sleeping. He used the same language for Lazarus who was dead for four days before being raised. Jesus had a view of reality that was more real than the seemingly permanent effect of death. For him the effects of death were as temporary as sleep. The onlookers, the death mourners and the mourning musicians laughed him to scorn.  Jesus knows the temporary nature of your struggles. As we come to see this world in the way God does, we can overcome the things in life that we may catastrophize. When tragedy strikes it can be easy for us to be overwhelmed but as we look to God and try and see the world in his way perhaps we can gain a little bit more of that perspective. Dont worry she is only asleep. The invitation to each of us is, trust God and He will care for our needs. Pour your heart out to him and trust him.  Without a Godly view this was a preposterous, thoughtless thing to say. With a Godly view it was an invitation to hope. We are given the choice to view the world with a Godly view or a worldly one. Which view do we choose?  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 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. 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

652 Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole, A Guided Christian Meditation on Matthew 9:20-22 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