089: Amos Smith Shares Ancient Practices for Present Day Christians

Amos Smith is a progressive pastor and contemplative author. Today, he shares the stories from his life that reveal how he became a mystic, the practices, and the resources that he uses to draw near to God. Amos is passionate about the practice of centering prayer which is an ancient tradition that trains your mind to focus on one thought for a period of time.

During our conversation, Amos explains what centering prayer is like and the discipline it takes to master which he learned from athletics as young man. He also explains why some writings of the early church fathers are valuable today.

If you have ever been curious about Christian mysticism, Amos is your guy, and I promise you will enjoy his story.

Please listen and share!

Stories Amos shared:

• How he discovered the discipline of centering prayer
• What the experience of centering prayer is like
• The dream about a cathedral that changed his life
• How mountain climbing made him a mystic
• Why you should read the Philokalia
• The themes of silence and stillness – “practice stillness and know God”
• Scriptures for mystics starting Matthew 6:6
• How he’s wrestled with the kind of friend God is and how centering prayer helped him
• The power of centering prayer to heal

Great quotes from Amos:

Humility is everything in the Philokalia. It’s the starting point of wisdom. It’s the starting point of discernment. It’s also the starting point, paradoxically of greatness, is that first you have to realize that you’re nothing before God.

Mystics through the ages have cried out “Why has the Christian church substituted the bridal chamber for the court room?”

I still wrestle with a lot of things and I guess I prefer that to half-baked answers.

Resources Amos mentioned and his books (Amazon affiliate links):

• Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots by Amos
• Be Still and Listen: Experience the Presence of God in Your Life by Amos
• The Cloud Of Unknowing
• Philokalia The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts: Selections Annotated & Explained (SkyLight Illuminations) – Amos recommends reading Maximus the Confessor

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