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Deeper Still: Finding Clear Minds and Full Hearts through Biblical Meditation
Finding clear minds and full hearts through biblical meditation.
We live in a fast-paced world, and our minds are working in overdrive. Mindfulness promises a method of tuning out the voices for a few minutes to live in the moment. Biblical meditation offers something an opportunity to be transformed by God’s voice of truth.
Psalm 1 says that the person who delights in God’s word and meditates on it day and night is like a “tree planted by streams of water”. Linda Allcock gives us a framework to help us slow down and dwell deeply on God’s word so that it clears our minds and fills our hearts, making a real difference to the way we live.
This book will help Christians who feel overwhelmed by their thought life, as well as those who want to go deeper in their devotional life.
Full of down-to-earth anecdotes and practical advice, this warm and accessible book is designed to help make biblical meditation part of your everyday life.
We live in a fast-paced world, and our minds are working in overdrive. Mindfulness promises a method of tuning out the voices for a few minutes to live in the moment. Biblical meditation offers something an opportunity to be transformed by God’s voice of truth.
Psalm 1 says that the person who delights in God’s word and meditates on it day and night is like a “tree planted by streams of water”. Linda Allcock gives us a framework to help us slow down and dwell deeply on God’s word so that it clears our minds and fills our hearts, making a real difference to the way we live.
This book will help Christians who feel overwhelmed by their thought life, as well as those who want to go deeper in their devotional life.
Full of down-to-earth anecdotes and practical advice, this warm and accessible book is designed to help make biblical meditation part of your everyday life.
- GenresChristian
160 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2020
13 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 10, 2021
I found this a very readable book that was so useful to me. I don't think there was much that was new to me but it was all said in a way that had an impact on me. I'm sure I'll come back to this book to re-read it in years to come.
September 17, 2020
Deeper Still: Finding clear minds and full hearts through biblical meditation by Linda Allcock is a short, practical book with wisdom on how to spent time with God each day.
Deeper Still is divided in to three sections: Still Your Mind, Fill Your Heart and Feed Day and Night. The book is easy to read and think through the concepts that Allcock presents. However, she is English so I had to think about a few of the phrases she used and what they meant to me as an American. This wasn't really the book that I was expecting to read but I think it was a good reminder of how to spend time with God in His Word and just why that is so important. It would be an especially good book for a new Christian who was just learning to put habits in to place. As I said, though, Deeper Still was a good refresher for me. She draws from Scripture--especially the 119th Psalm. She also uses some practical examples that are easy to relate to and were helpful to me in putting her ideas together.She ends the chapters with practical examples and tasks that she suggests the reader do to meditate on the Bible daily.
I received a copy of this book from The Good Book Company. All opinions within this review are my own.
Deeper Still is divided in to three sections: Still Your Mind, Fill Your Heart and Feed Day and Night. The book is easy to read and think through the concepts that Allcock presents. However, she is English so I had to think about a few of the phrases she used and what they meant to me as an American. This wasn't really the book that I was expecting to read but I think it was a good reminder of how to spend time with God in His Word and just why that is so important. It would be an especially good book for a new Christian who was just learning to put habits in to place. As I said, though, Deeper Still was a good refresher for me. She draws from Scripture--especially the 119th Psalm. She also uses some practical examples that are easy to relate to and were helpful to me in putting her ideas together.She ends the chapters with practical examples and tasks that she suggests the reader do to meditate on the Bible daily.
I received a copy of this book from The Good Book Company. All opinions within this review are my own.
March 9, 2023
Lovely look into biblical mediation. Linda explains not only what biblical meditation is but how it compares to the meditation we've been led to believe and the importance of dwelling on the word of God.
April 15, 2023
Contrary to my usual reading approach, I listened to the audiobook. This book is practical and inspiring, and, having listened to a superb narration, I would like my own copy to refer to and annotate to help me meditate on God’s word.
October 2, 2020
This lovely book by Linda Allcock teaches the practice of biblical meditation, taking the reader on a very practical journey through the what, why and how of making meditating on scripture part of your regular practice.
The author makes this sound both very enriching and very achievable, even if you're not a 12th-Century monk with no more pressing distractions. She first began to explore the practice, she explains, when she was going through post-natal depression after the birth of her third child. There were plenty of very legitimate demands on her time, but running underneath them all, constantly, was the 'soundtrack' in her head: 'guilty, worthless, useless' - over and over again.
"The constant noise in our heads can be exhausting," she says. "For a lot of us, we don't like what we hear. This is why people in our culture are increasingly turning to secular meditation - they're desperate to declutter the voices from their heads. And who can blame them?"
As she studied biblical meditation, she noticed one key difference - the soundtrack in our heads revolves, almost exclusively, around ourselves. When studying Psalm 104, however, she realised "a simple but profound truth: the psalmist doesn't start each thought with me me me, but he, he, he."
The book goes on to look at how we can switch that internal monologue from a self-focussed, destructive echo-chamber to a stream of truth flowing from the word of God to cleanse every part of us. Sounds like it would take a miracle, right? That's OK though, because as Linda points out, "God is in the business of working miracles."
She then leads the reader through four stages in storing up the truth in our hearts and memories, then three tools to help us live it out.
Unfortunately, the bulk of the examples given in the book lean towards giving the impression that Bible meditation is about learning what God has done *for us*, and how it can help us feel better, rather than - as Psalm 104 does - pointing us primarily towards God and his glory. It's a fine line, because of course, getting to know God's word better does mean we get to know God better, which does have positive outcomes in our lives - and I know Linda would agree. Just be wary of approaching the Bible as a therapy tool, as that is not its primary function.
But overall, the book is excellent and very helpful.
The author makes this sound both very enriching and very achievable, even if you're not a 12th-Century monk with no more pressing distractions. She first began to explore the practice, she explains, when she was going through post-natal depression after the birth of her third child. There were plenty of very legitimate demands on her time, but running underneath them all, constantly, was the 'soundtrack' in her head: 'guilty, worthless, useless' - over and over again.
"The constant noise in our heads can be exhausting," she says. "For a lot of us, we don't like what we hear. This is why people in our culture are increasingly turning to secular meditation - they're desperate to declutter the voices from their heads. And who can blame them?"
As she studied biblical meditation, she noticed one key difference - the soundtrack in our heads revolves, almost exclusively, around ourselves. When studying Psalm 104, however, she realised "a simple but profound truth: the psalmist doesn't start each thought with me me me, but he, he, he."
The book goes on to look at how we can switch that internal monologue from a self-focussed, destructive echo-chamber to a stream of truth flowing from the word of God to cleanse every part of us. Sounds like it would take a miracle, right? That's OK though, because as Linda points out, "God is in the business of working miracles."
She then leads the reader through four stages in storing up the truth in our hearts and memories, then three tools to help us live it out.
Unfortunately, the bulk of the examples given in the book lean towards giving the impression that Bible meditation is about learning what God has done *for us*, and how it can help us feel better, rather than - as Psalm 104 does - pointing us primarily towards God and his glory. It's a fine line, because of course, getting to know God's word better does mean we get to know God better, which does have positive outcomes in our lives - and I know Linda would agree. Just be wary of approaching the Bible as a therapy tool, as that is not its primary function.
But overall, the book is excellent and very helpful.
October 16, 2020
What an incredibly helpful resource for those who want to keep the gospel on the forefront of their minds and the hope of Christ in their lips. In ‘Deeper Still: Finding clear minds and full hearts through biblical meditation,” Linda Allcock’s enjoyable writing style turns personal stories into metaphors weaving them carefully throughout. “Deeper Still” could be described as a parallel to Jen Wilkin’s “Women of the Word,” just homing in on biblical meditation.
“A large part of the reason why we are not changed by our time with God; why we don’t remember what we’ve read; why we don’t long to meet with God is that we don’t start with the Lord. We start with ourselves. We think we know” (52).
Linda gives the reader a practical framework for starting the discipline of meditating on God’s word. Her ‘meditation tool’ could be overwhelming for all-or-nothing kinda women as she gives many questions to contemplate when spending time in God’s word. However, Linda comments that it is simply “a scaffolding to help you build the house” of meditation (48). A helpful mechanism, not a mandate.
I found her contrast between fleeting secular/mindful meditation and true biblical meditation immensely helpful. I wish the book was about 50 pages longer so she could elaborate more on her theology of meditation in the 1st and 3rd sections (this is just because I really enjoyed these sections and wanted even more).
Overall, this is a good place to start if you want biblical meditation to be as natural as breathing. “Meditation doesn’t happen by chance; it happens by choice” (143). Read this book; then walk alongside someone who has tasted the richness of the gospel and thinks so deeply on scripture that it effortlessly flows from their mouth.
“Meditation is remembering God in the pain, turning to him in our weakness, and allowing his spirit to take us by the hand in together turn to God with wordless groans” (146).
“A large part of the reason why we are not changed by our time with God; why we don’t remember what we’ve read; why we don’t long to meet with God is that we don’t start with the Lord. We start with ourselves. We think we know” (52).
Linda gives the reader a practical framework for starting the discipline of meditating on God’s word. Her ‘meditation tool’ could be overwhelming for all-or-nothing kinda women as she gives many questions to contemplate when spending time in God’s word. However, Linda comments that it is simply “a scaffolding to help you build the house” of meditation (48). A helpful mechanism, not a mandate.
I found her contrast between fleeting secular/mindful meditation and true biblical meditation immensely helpful. I wish the book was about 50 pages longer so she could elaborate more on her theology of meditation in the 1st and 3rd sections (this is just because I really enjoyed these sections and wanted even more).
Overall, this is a good place to start if you want biblical meditation to be as natural as breathing. “Meditation doesn’t happen by chance; it happens by choice” (143). Read this book; then walk alongside someone who has tasted the richness of the gospel and thinks so deeply on scripture that it effortlessly flows from their mouth.
“Meditation is remembering God in the pain, turning to him in our weakness, and allowing his spirit to take us by the hand in together turn to God with wordless groans” (146).
October 7, 2020
We live in a busy world. Even as technology has made our lives more productive, we’ve continued to push ourselves past normal limits in a way completely derogatory to our mental health. To push back against that, the Eastern concept of meditation began to take hold in the Western secular sphere. Christians have rightfully been cautious about these practices, but what’s often overlooked is the rich history the Church has with biblical meditation. Deeper Still by Linda Allcock taps into that tradition, giving a general overview and introduction to the practice.
My main criticism of this book would be that it never really acknowledges the liturgical tradition of biblical meditation. There’s a rich history in the Eastern church to explore and Allcock instead promotes a version of meditation that’s really more Bible study and contemplation than what one generally thinks about meditation.
She breaks the book into five parts: Lord, Look, Turn, Learn, and Live. Each section takes that title word as its focus and dives into Scripture and Allcock’s personal experiences to help orient readers to a more-peaceful, less-stressed walk with God.
The result is just…ok. Nothing is really wrong with the book but nothing really captured my attention, either. It’s serviceably written, but our fundamental differences in the understanding of biblical meditation made this a disappointing experience because the book doesn’t talk about what I thought it would. Is that Allcock’s fault or mine? Perhaps a bit of both. Allcock is clear that her subset of meditation is biblical meditation, meaning meditation on Scripture, whereas I was hoping for a more robust and fuller discussion of meditation as liturgy, prayer, etc. Allcock is more practical where I was hoping for mystical.
As such, what she has to say is fine. It’s not wrong. But Deeper Still reads like just another generic how-to-contemplate-Scripture book. It’s missing the mysticism that “meditation” (to me) implies and would have made it stand out. As such, it’s not bad, but there are other titles I’d recommend that follow the same lines from How to Read the Bible for All That It’s Worth by Gordon Fee to Multiply by Francis Chan.
My main criticism of this book would be that it never really acknowledges the liturgical tradition of biblical meditation. There’s a rich history in the Eastern church to explore and Allcock instead promotes a version of meditation that’s really more Bible study and contemplation than what one generally thinks about meditation.
She breaks the book into five parts: Lord, Look, Turn, Learn, and Live. Each section takes that title word as its focus and dives into Scripture and Allcock’s personal experiences to help orient readers to a more-peaceful, less-stressed walk with God.
The result is just…ok. Nothing is really wrong with the book but nothing really captured my attention, either. It’s serviceably written, but our fundamental differences in the understanding of biblical meditation made this a disappointing experience because the book doesn’t talk about what I thought it would. Is that Allcock’s fault or mine? Perhaps a bit of both. Allcock is clear that her subset of meditation is biblical meditation, meaning meditation on Scripture, whereas I was hoping for a more robust and fuller discussion of meditation as liturgy, prayer, etc. Allcock is more practical where I was hoping for mystical.
As such, what she has to say is fine. It’s not wrong. But Deeper Still reads like just another generic how-to-contemplate-Scripture book. It’s missing the mysticism that “meditation” (to me) implies and would have made it stand out. As such, it’s not bad, but there are other titles I’d recommend that follow the same lines from How to Read the Bible for All That It’s Worth by Gordon Fee to Multiply by Francis Chan.
September 1, 2020
A short, refreshing book with ideas for the busy woman who wants to meditate on the Word more completely. The author teaches us why we need to meditate, but basically the book is full of practical aspects and strategies to meditate.
What I enjoyed most about this book is how practical it is, complete with questions to guide, examples of using those questions with two passages, and ideas to ponder so that you can set your mind on God, His son's redemptive plan, and the impact the Holy Spirit has in our hearts and minds when we CHOOSE to invite Him in.
It's a great teaching tool for an individual, a parent, or a small group to navigate through and improve or learn how to focus on God's Word. I highly recommend it.
It is written by an English author so a few of her phrases give an American pause, but are really not a hinder. Thankful to partner with the goodbook company and read an early release. It's my joy to see that this book focuses on finding the truth of God.
What I enjoyed most about this book is how practical it is, complete with questions to guide, examples of using those questions with two passages, and ideas to ponder so that you can set your mind on God, His son's redemptive plan, and the impact the Holy Spirit has in our hearts and minds when we CHOOSE to invite Him in.
It's a great teaching tool for an individual, a parent, or a small group to navigate through and improve or learn how to focus on God's Word. I highly recommend it.
It is written by an English author so a few of her phrases give an American pause, but are really not a hinder. Thankful to partner with the goodbook company and read an early release. It's my joy to see that this book focuses on finding the truth of God.
October 13, 2020
Life is busy. We spend our days writing and reading emails, working for an employer or at home, looking after the kids, trying to do normal life, admin, etc. So it is common for many of us to sit in front of our Bibles and be distracted, to have our attention pulled away or simply to not engage as well as we should. Linda has written this helpful book which is a call for Christians to meditate on God’s Word. Meditation can be viewed with skepticism by some because of how the word if used in other religious practices. But we cannot throw away the practice of sitting, listening to and really taking in God’s Word. Nothing mystical, nothing dodgy, just God-glorifying meditation on the Word. Linda’s book will be a helpful tool for you to consider how to meditate on the Word of the Lord.
April 2, 2022
This is an accessible work that focuses on five key dynamics in meditation. These include Lord (worship), look (Bible), turn (repentance), learn and live. The motif that weaves the book together is the dynamic of systematically replacing lies in our inner lives with truth from God’s Word - seeing, receiving, repenting and then living by this new reality.
There is much practical guidance in Allcock’s writing. Contemporary pace, psychological stress and coping with distraction are addressed. Overall, it is a good introduction to the topic though I believe it could delve more deeply into the dynamics presented in the book.
There is much practical guidance in Allcock’s writing. Contemporary pace, psychological stress and coping with distraction are addressed. Overall, it is a good introduction to the topic though I believe it could delve more deeply into the dynamics presented in the book.
January 4, 2023
Allcock’s treatment of biblical meditation is deeply practical and experiential. When reading her book you are never left asking, ‘how am I supposed to apply this principle?’ It is most helpful that she is writing from personal experience, explaining how she has lived out the principle of biblical meditation and how it enabled her to deal with post-natal depression. I appreciate how she did not let that overcome her treatment of the topic (i.e. labouring on her struggles with depression) but showed how biblical meditation is for all disciples, all the time. The book is thoroughly helpful and encouraging read, making something which seems impossible, possible.
June 30, 2023
4.5/5
Loved it, will be revisiting. Keep thinking about it.
"John Owen speaks of how strange it is that the “generality of Christians are content to enter the promised land and then sit down just inside its borders:. He sees it as utterly impossible that a Christian who has tasted the life and peace that are ours in Christ will not want to be “pressing forwards…to a full enjoyment of the precious things of the gospel, by growth…in faith and love, in the mortification of sin, in heavenly mindedness”"
Loved it, will be revisiting. Keep thinking about it.
"John Owen speaks of how strange it is that the “generality of Christians are content to enter the promised land and then sit down just inside its borders:. He sees it as utterly impossible that a Christian who has tasted the life and peace that are ours in Christ will not want to be “pressing forwards…to a full enjoyment of the precious things of the gospel, by growth…in faith and love, in the mortification of sin, in heavenly mindedness”"
March 1, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. It’s simple and practical and not overwhelming. I feel like I’m in a season of life where my quiet time and personal bible study isn’t very picturesque but this book has helped me make even the smallest moments in the word more meaningful and fruitful.
September 20, 2021
Not entirely as theological as I expected it to be. Probably better for people struggling in their relationship with goes and their bible reading. Not really on meditation methods. More about herself and her experience. Which doesn't help me because I can't/don't relate to her life.
December 7, 2024
Very helpful book giving readers a meditative model based off Proverbs 2. Love the contrast to the emptiness of secular meditation throughout as well. Biblical meditations seeks the God who has sought us.
Looking forward to presenting this model to my church.
Looking forward to presenting this model to my church.
September 9, 2020
Good - God's Battle Plan for the Mind is better.
July 24, 2024
This is a really good introduction to both meditation and Bible study. The two practices SHOULD go hand in hand, but I confess I need to grow in my meditation.
January 26, 2021
Definitely recommend. The beginning was slow- but after getting to the meat of the book I loved it. She has some really helpful ideas on how to make biblical mediation part of your daily life. She inspired me in several ways that will alter how I "meditate" from now on. And she always brought it back to the gospel
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