Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life with Pastor Dave Cover
Christian Meditation can help refocus your mind and recalibrate your body to get the stress, anxiety and anger out of your heart and out of your body. Spend about 23 minutes to "be still" with God as each episode uses a different biblical image to e...
Recent Episodes
A Meditation on God’s Presence Seen by Seeing the Sun and the Moon and the Stars from Psalm 148
25:50 | 06-27-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Jesus viewed the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) as ultimately written by God’s Spirit (see Mark 12:36). He quoted from the Psalm more than from any other Old Testament book. He obviously immersed himself in the Psalm because he quoted them verbatim from memory. So I want to have the same view of the Psalms that Jesus had, and use them in my own meditation as Jesus did so often.Psalm 148:1 ESVPraise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens.Psalm 148:3–5 ESV3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! 4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created.Psalm 148:13–14 ESV13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. 14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the LORD!“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS Eternally God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you and focused on you in every present moment (without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineers are Matthew Matlack and Diego Huaman.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Second Meditation on Feeling Calm in Your Body By Praising the LORD in Psalm 147
21:11 | 06-20-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Jesus viewed the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) as ultimately written by God’s Spirit (see Mark 12:36). He quoted from the Psalm more than from any other Old Testament book. He obviously immersed himself in the Psalm because he quoted them verbatim from memory. So I want to have the same view of the Psalms that Jesus had, and use them in my own meditation as Jesus did so often.Psalm 147:1 ESV“Praise the LORD!”Psalm 147:4–5 ESV4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. 5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.Jesus said…Matthew 10:30–31 NIVAnd even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid.Psalm 147:11 ESV…The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.Psalm 147:20 ESVPraise the LORD!“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. In Exodus 34 we read when God proclaimed his name, Yahweh, to Moses when Moses asked God to show him his glory.Exodus 34:5–8 ESV5 The LORD [Yahweh] descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD [Yahweh] . 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD [Yahweh, Yahweh], a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS the Eternal God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you in every present moment (without being any less present anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineers are Matthew Matlack and Diego Huaman.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on Feeling Calm in Your Body By Praising the LORD in Psalm 147:1
18:36 | 06-13-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Jesus views the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) as “by the Holy Spirit.”Mark 12:36 NIV“David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’”Jesus was quoting from…Psalm 110:1 NIVOf David. A psalm. 1 The LORD says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”So when we read the Psalms we should have the same view Jesus had.Psalm 147:1 ESV“Praise the LORD!”“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS the Eternal God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you in every present moment (without being any less present anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineers are Matthew Matlack and Diego Huaman.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on How To Put A Better Imagination Into Your Body from Psalm 146:1-2, 5-6
16:46 | 06-06-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Psalm 146:1–2 ESV1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.Psalm 146:5–6 ESV5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever.I like the NIV translation of this…Psalm 146:5–6 NIV5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God. 6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever.“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS the Eternal God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you in every present moment (without being any less present anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineers are Matthew Matlack and Diego Huaman.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on How Praising God’s Name Replaces Anxiety from Psalm 146:1
13:25 | 05-30-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Psalm 146:1–2 ESV1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS the Eternal God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you in every present moment (without being any less present anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineers are Matthew Matlack and Diego Huaman.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A 10-minute Meditation to Be Still and Know that He Is God from Psalm 46:10
10:41 | 05-23-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Psalm 46:10 NIV“He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’”Psalm 46:11 NIV“The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS the Eternal God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you in every present moment (without being any less present anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineers are Matthew Matlack and Diego Huaman.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Christian Breathing Meditation with Grace Albritton
44:34 | 05-18-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Grace Albritton is on our staff at the church where I am a pastor. She’s on our database team. But she also from time to time has led breathing meditations with some of our staff teams and they have really loved it. I got a chance to participate in one and my first thought was to have her do a breathing meditation for this podcast. So that is what this is. I think you’ll benefit from Grace’s voice and her obvious deep relationship with God. Of course like with any episode of a bigger life, if this episode is too long for the time you have you can just stop whenever you need to and pick up again when you have time. I think you’re gonna like this one.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineers are Matthew Matlack and Diego Huaman.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Second Meditation on God’s Universe-Creating Commitment to You in John 1
16:29 | 05-16-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.1 John 1:1 NIVThat which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.John 1:1–3 NIVIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.John 1:14 NIVThe Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.John 1:12 NIV…To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.1 John 3:1-2 NIVSee what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! …And what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him…Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineers are Matthew Matlack and Diego Huaman.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on God’s Universe-creating Commitment to You in John 1
15:59 | 05-11-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Psalm 145:5 ESVOn the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.Psalm 33:6 ESVBy the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.John 1:1–3 NIVIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.John 1:14 NIVThe Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.John 1:12 NIV…To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.1 John 3:1-2 NIVSee what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! …And what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him…Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineers are Matthew Matlack and Diego Huaman.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on God’s Glorious Splendor and Majesty in Psalm 33:6
20:34 | 05-09-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Psalm 145:5 ESVOn the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.Psalm 33:6 ESVBy the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineers are Matthew Matlack and Diego Huaman.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.