Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation
Welcome to the new season of the podcast, now titled "Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation"!
Join your host, Pastor Robert Young, as we embark on a journey of spiritual exploration and renewal. This podcast is designed to help you deepen your faith and find inner peace through calming, reflective, and transformative meditative practices inspired by scripture.
Our Evolution
While the podcast, formerly known as Not Your Parent's Religion, focused in Seasons 1 and 2 on correcting misinformation and myths about religious beliefs and the teaching of Jesus Christ, the program has evolved. In Season 3, we began drawing closer to God with guided meditations, exploring all the details of why and how to meditate, and discussing the Biblical origins of Christian meditations.
With over 30 years of experience in Church planting and mentoring other Pastors, and 30+ years of training leaders in evangelism/discipleship, Pastor Young is here to guide you through these moments of stillness and connection with God.
What to Expect in Season 4
We are excited to return with Season 4 starting Sunday, October 5. We will continue to offer a structured weekly schedule:
- Sundays: Our weekly guided meditation episode.
- Monday through Friday: Daily devotions and reflections that expand on the topic of the Sunday meditations.
- Wednesdays: Audio episodes of our House Church series. This series reflects the Bible's teaching that believers should gather together for corporate worship, fellowship, encouragement, and even admonishment.
For those seeking an enhanced experience, we are adding video versions of the meditations and devotions to our Patreon page. These videos are designed to give you a more immersive experience as you meditate on the Father, His teachings, and His presence.
Tune in each week as we lead you on this path to connecting more deeply with God.
Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation
The Jesus No One Talks About Series Pt. 2: Naming What Has Become Distorted | Tuesday Devotion
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Jesus flipping tables is one of the most misunderstood scenes in the Gospels, and we wanted to slow it down and let it read us. We start with the temple moment and the line about a “den of robbers,” then ask the uncomfortable question: what if the robbers are not just systems or other people, but the subtle distortions we carry into worship, relationships, and daily life?
We talk about how Jesus is not raging at animals or the building itself. He is confronting what happens when something meant to be good gets twisted. That twist can look surprisingly respectable: performance dressed up as devotion, people pleasing disguised as kindness, fear that calls itself caution, self-reliance that looks like strength, and comparison that pretends it is motivation. Over time, those patterns can steal joy, intimacy, and freedom while we keep functioning on the outside.
Then we shift into a simple but searching picture: imagine Jesus kneeling beside a table in your heart. On it sit objects representing the distortions you live with. What happens if he gently turns each one over, not to shame you, but to reveal what you cannot see on your own? We close with a short guided reflection question to help you name the “tables” in your life where something good has become distorted.
If this resonates, listen through to the end, share it with a friend who needs a reset, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next. After you listen, what table would you ask Jesus to turn over first?
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Scripture And The Temple Scene
Pastor Robert YoungChapter 21 and verse 13. You have made it a man of robbers.
What Jesus Is Really Confronting
Pastor Robert YoungJesus wasn't angry at animals or home. He was confronting us with worship with a prophet. Sometimes the things that the obviously simple.
Subtle Robbers Of Joy
Pastor Robert YoungBut they rob us of joy, intimacy, and freedom.
The Tables Inside The Heart
Pastor Robert YoungImagine Jesus kneeling beside a table in your heart. And on it are objects representing distortions, performance, people pleasing, fear, self-reliance, comparison. Now what if Jesus gently turned each one over, exposing what's underneath?
A Question For Honest Reflection
Pastor Robert YoungLet's take three minutes to reflect on the following question. What tables in your life have turned something good into something distorted?
Welcoming Jesus To Reveal
Pastor Robert YoungI welcome Jesus to reveal what I cannot see on my own. Again. Reveal the pleasure.