Listening In preview - James Emery White

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next, a preview of Listening In.

This week, host Warren Smith talks with pastor and author James Emery White. Over the years, White has helped Christians answer an important question: “How does someone become a fully devoted follower of Christ?”

WARREN SMITH: When you say that prayer is no, slow, grow, go–that those are the four possible answers–that sometimes God pauses us in the slow and the grow portion of that. So say a few words, about about meditation and about reflection and about just slowing down in this crazy world that we live in.

JAMES EMERY WHITE: You know, when I teach on this, I tend to assume that the way most people who are hearing me is thinking about it as an Eastern form and emptying of themselves, which I think is obviously not the Christian form of meditation. In fact, I think it obviously can even invite the occultic. But the Christian meditation is being filled, filling yourself, meditating on the Word of God. And being in prayer and prayerful meditation and those things. And I do think there’s a sense where, until we can quiet ourselves, as the scriptures say, we can’t hear that still small voice, and that the Holy Spirit. 

You know, the consequences of our life can scream, but the Holy Spirit tends to whisper. And and so that’s why silence and solitude have been part of Christian formation from the earliest. So I do think that there’s a key place for that in a disciplined way. I mean, really, I think there should be regular times we have set aside, this is when I’m going to be quiet. This is what I’m going to be silent. So I’m going to retreat. And for that very purpose.

REICHARD: That’s James Emery White talking to Warren Smith. To hear the complete conversation, look for Listening In tomorrow wherever you get your podcasts.

(Photo/James Emery White)

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