Hi – My name is Dave Miller, and I am a licensed associate professional counselor, lay pastor, and author of the book Christian Tantric Meditation Guide, available at Amazon.com in Kindle and paperback editions. I also administrate Ecumenical Christian Wellness Ministries under the direction of Renewal Wellness at New Hope Counseling in Cumming Georgia. I work with groups and individuals who need some help dealing with or letting go of some of the burdens that hold them back in life, physically, emotionally, in relationships, and Spiritually.

I’ve been married to my wife Stacey for 30 years, and together we’ve raised 4 children who are grown now. I’m also a church going Christian, and I believe that God loves us all unconditionally, and God demonstrates love for humanity through the teachings, the life, the death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. I believe that God is with us today, all around us and within us, in the presence of the Holy Spirit. I believe that we can know that the Holy Spirit is present with us and with others by recognizing the Gifts that the Holy Spirit brings, including love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control.   I also have found that in order to recognize and receive the gifts the Holy Spirit has to offer, we need to learn to let go of some of the burdens that hold us back and open ourselves up to receive and accept those gifts.

I first received by calling into ministry in the Spring of 1994. I had been working as an electrical engineer for over 10 years at that point. As I recall, it was a beautiful day, and while I was driving down the road I decided to ask God a question. The question I asked was whether there are trees and flowers and birds in heaven. I was a little surprised when I received an answer. It wasn’t a direct voice so much as a strong sense of a loving affirming Presence. The answer I received was yes, there are trees and flowers in heaven. Then I asked the question whether there I would still be an individual person in heaven, able to learn and grow as a person. I love learning, I love reading, I love exploring and sharing. The answer came back that yes, I would still be myself and I would be able to learn and grow. Then I asked the question that changed everything. I asked whether there is anything we can do here on earth that we can’t do in heaven. The answer was yes, there is one thing we can do here that we won’t be able to do in heaven, and that is help people who are suffering, because there is no suffering nor death in heaven. As you can imagine, this experience affected me deeply, and defined the path that I have been following ever since.

The first thing that people notice when they meet me is my tracheotomy. My trach gives me a little extra room to breath because I have scar tissue in my upper airway. You may notice that I put my thumb over my trach to talk. This allows me to push air up past my vocal cords so I can talk. I’ve had this for 20 years now, and I’m so used to it that I hardly notice it, and my friends say they don’t notice it either. It’s just a part of who I am now.

After I first received my trach, I was left without a voice several years. I could use a buzzer to communicate, but for the most part I was silent. One might say I was forced into a vow of silence. I started writing about the feelings I was experiencing, the sense of loss and frustration, and about my relationship with God as I went through this. A minister friend of mine read my writing and suggested that I take some classes in the Emory University Divinity program to learn the language I needed to express myself theologically. I took his advice, attended Emory and ended up getting my Master’s in Theological Studies.

During that time I attended Emory, I practiced chaplain ministry in a homeless shelter setting at Atlanta Union Mission. Having no voice, I was forced to “just listen” to the people I worked with, offering no advice whatsoever. I was blessed to witness not only the amazing stories and wonderful cultural diversity of the people I worked with, but also the almost miraculous healing properties that empathetic listening can provide. This experience led me to a deeper exploration of the power of listening, to myself, to God, and to others, with the help of meditation.

I continued to listen as I practiced lay ministry within the Methodist Church and later led an alternative worship service that was based on sharing and listening.

My exploration of listening led me to Argosy University, where I earned my Master’s in Community Counseling, after which I went into listening professionally as a counselor. In my therapy practice I use both solution focused and mindfulness oriented cognitive behavioral techniques.

And throughout all of this, I have been training in and studying and practicing techniques in prayerful listening and meditation. .

So here I am today. I’ve had a lot of experiences that have led me to where I am today. My experience as a working professional, as someone who continues to live with a long term medical condition, my experience in ministry, and in working with people who suffer with burdens that hold them back in life, all contribute to who I am today.

How about you? What’s your calling? What kinds of experiences have you had? How have they made you stronger? How have they held you back? What kinds of tools do you have to deal with the issues that life hands us every day? Do you recognize the fruits of the Spirit in your own life and in the lives of others around you?

I share some of the meditation listening tools I’ve learned and practice in my book, Christian Tantric Meditation guide. The book provides exercises for learning to listen to ourselves and the world around us, listening to the Spirit that is all around us and within us, and listening to others. The practice involves letting go of desires, resentments, and fears, so that we can increase our feelings of freedom, love, and faith, and grow our compassion for ourselves and others.

I also share meditation and Cognitive Behavioral tools in therapeutic groups and in individual one on one sessions. I’m currently offering free workshops to introduce Christian Tantric meditative listening practices to anyone who is interested in letting go of burdens, resentments and fears that hold them back, increasing their sense of freedom, love, and faith, and increasing compassion for self and others.

My rates are very reasonable, I’m available on evenings and weekends, and I’d really like to meet you and hear your story. Whether you buy the book or call for individual or group sessions, there’s a blessing waiting for you. Visit my website at www.ecumenicalwellness.org, and give me a call. Have a blessed day!