The Kidd and Friends Podcast | Self-Improvement and Mindset Insights · Christopher "KiDD" Perry

Unlocking the Power of Stillness: Centering Prayer with Rich Lewis

·1 hr 23 min·5 clips

Richard Lewis stumbled upon centering prayer in a 2013 Amazon search, sparking a transformative journey with author Amos Smith.

This episode features host Kidd interviewing Richard Lewis, an author and coach specializing in centering prayer. Lewis, who wrote "Sitting With God," has practiced daily meditation for over a decade and helps others use silence for personal clarity. Lewis discovered centering prayer in late 2013 after reading Amos Smith's book "Healing the Divide," which discusses Christianity's mystic roots. He describes his initial attempts at silent meditation as "brutal" before learning a structured method. The practice was developed in the early 1970s by three Trappist monks, including William Meninger, who were inspired by the classic text "The Cloud of Unknowing." Centering prayer involves sitting comfortably, closing your eyes, and silently introducing a sacred word like "love" or "Jesus" to begin the session. When thoughts arise, you gently reintroduce the word to return to the present moment, then release the word again. Lewis emphasizes the practice is about opening oneself to God's presence and allowing God to "pray in us," rather than engaging in verbal prayer. He notes the benefits are often felt outside the practice, not during the sit itself. Lewis reports gaining significant confidence, enabling him to write a book, start a website, do coaching, and appear on numerous podcasts. He describes developing a greater inner calm and an ability to observe stress without being consumed by it, realizing "I am not my thoughts." A key insight is that centering prayer helped him take major life actions, like moving from Pennsylvania to North Carolina and changing careers at age 56. He contrasts this with previously staying in a comfortable but unfulfilling job due to fear. Lewis wrote his book over roughly five years, drafting chapters during Saturday morning sessions at Starbucks based on single-sentence statements about the practice. He maintains a strict discipline of two daily sits: one first thing in the morning and another in the early afternoon. Lewis argues that this practice "gives you back time" by reducing internal chaos and improving focus, even suggesting a third shortened sit during particularly busy periods. The host relates Lewis's journey to his own experiences in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where he learned to get comfortable in uncomfortable situations. The conversation is casual and exploratory, blending personal storytelling with instructional elements about a specific spiritual practice. Listeners interested in Christian meditation, contemplative practices, or integrating silence into a busy life will find value here. Those seeking a secular, science-based discussion of mindfulness or who are uncomfortable with God-centric language might prefer a different episode.

As heard by us

A calm, practical conversation about centering prayer, silence, and daily practice.

Richard Lewis talks about centering prayer as something practiced, not debated. He lays out a plain account of feeling thin on depth in his prayer life and his relationship with God, then finding daily meditation about 10 years ago.

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Why you'd press play

For when your head is loud and you want a centering prayer primer that begins before the day does.

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