Dan Barber Coaching

08/22/2026

Jesus doesn’t just want a few minutes of our day.

He wants to be invited into ALL of it.

Sometimes surrender means slowing down, letting go of what’s pulling for our attention, and simply making room for Him in the middle of our everyday lives.

Mary understood this when Jesus came to her home:

“Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” — Luke 10:42

Go read Luke 10:38–42 and sit with that story for a few minutes. Maybe there’s something Jesus is inviting you to slow down and surrender too.

Save this for later, and share it with someone who might need the reminder.

08/20/2026

Last week we visited great friends in Alberta, with the goal of hiking some incredible trails in the Canadian Rockies. This is something we do every year and this trip did not disappoint.

Spending time together and pushing ourselves on the hikes is a great combination. The last hike was our toughest and most diverse yet...it was awesome. Challenging (and a little scary at times) but we pushed ourselves to 600m elevations that included scrambling (getting on all-fours) in sections. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little concerned for Kathy. One wrong move would have meant serious injuries.

But we did it.

And once at the top, we would, grab a drink, and a snack, then someone would invariably say, "Okay, time for some solitude!"

We would sit, pause, take in the scenery and just revel in the quietness of the beauty all around us. (And try to recover from the climb before the descent). In all honesty we didn't stay quiet for more than 5 minutes, but it was meaningful nonetheless.

More Than Solitude

Over the past few weeks I have been focusing on the practice of solitude with all it's challenges and benefits, and there are plenty.

But what if there was even more? Something that would take quiet solitude to a whole other level?

I believe there is something and it's this...

Meditation

There are numerous benefits from the practice of meditation, just as there are from quiet solitude. For example, meditation can...

* lower stress by reducing cortisol
* lower blood pressure
* improve sleep
* combat anxiety and depression

You may be asking, "Dan, isn't meditation sitting cross-legged on the floor with hands lifted with palms up, chanting weird sounds?"

Meditation rooted in Eastern philosophy and religion does resemble that to some extent...but I would argue there are physical & emotional benefits to it.

But as a Christian I want to explore meditation as described in the scriptures.

Psalm 1:1-2 says,

"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night."

Did you catch that last part? "Delight is in the law of the Lord, and meditates on His law, day and night."

This is in the form of an infinity loop, where the writer who delights in God's law, meditates on it day & night, and when he meditates on God's law day & night, he delights in it.

The obvious questions I want to ask myself when I read these verses are,

Q. Do I delight in God's law?

Q. Do I meditate on God's law day & night?

Q. How do I meditate on God's law?

Maybe you are asking the same questions. I hope you are, because I believe that this is a game changer for us who call ourselves Christ-followers.

First, lets start with what true meditation is.

"Meditation is quietly reciting the words of scripture aloud, or in your mind as a way to focus your attention, so that these words become a part of you."

I would argue that meditation from the eastern philosophies and religions are meant to have you look inside yourself, while biblical meditation is focused on looking outside of ourselves, ultimately to God's word, for our benefit.

Meditation is focused attention on God's word, so that it gets in to us for the purpose of changing us day by day into the image of Christ. Is there anything more important than that?

This sounds like much more than solitude, as important as that is. It's making the most of the solitude we so desperately want and need in our lives, giving it more meaning and purpose.

There are times when sitting quietly in solitude, perhaps reciting what we are grateful for or simply taking in our surroundings like on a mountain top is good.

But in my humble opinion, meditation takes our quiet spaces to a whole other level of meaning and purpose.

What do you think of when you hear the word meditation? Is it a foreign idea? A weird idea? Something only monks in monasteries do?

Or could meditation be a cornerstone of Christian faith and practice?

I will most definitely argue for the latter.

But you ask, "How can I meditate on the Bible when I have such a hard time understanding it?" This a common frustration I hear often and I will take a closer look at that next time.

Until then - Dan

meditation from the eastern philosophies and religions are meant to have you look inside yourself, while biblical meditation is focused on looking outside of ourselves, ultimately to God's Word

08/18/2026

It’s easy to look at what someone else has and think, “I wish I had that.”

But comparison can steal the enjoyment from what’s right in front of you. Appreciate the variety. Enjoy the ride. And don’t covet what you don’t have.

What’s something you’ve learned to appreciate instead of compare? 👇

08/15/2026

Practicing what I preach!

08/08/2026

Sometimes we just need to slow down, get some perspective, and take the next right step.

If you’re feeling stuck or unsure where to go next, send Dan a message. He’d love to help you find clarity and move forward.

08/06/2026

Over the past few weeks I have agued the value of setting aside time on a regular basis for quiet; just quiet, without screens, music or any other form of distraction.

I've even argued the tremendous cost that we pay, emotionally, physically, relationally and spiritually when we don't slow down long enough to embrace solitude.

Today, I want to offer some reasons why we still struggle; perhaps you will see yourself somewhere here, but with the belief that we can change things for the better.

We Don't Prioritize It

Maybe for you, even if you see the benefit of solitude, you just don't make it a priority. It's just not high enough on the list of things that matter to you.

We Try to Fit It In, Rather Than Fitting Our Lives Around It

Like trying to fit into pants, two sizes too small; when we try to squeeze solitude into our lives, that already have little margin, it's not likely to happen. There are simply too many options that fight for our attention for it to happen naturally.

We're Too Tired

If we're unhealthy; if we don't get enough sleep, we don't eat well or get enough exercise, we tend to defer to "veg out in front of the TV" rather than embrace solitude. As odd as that may sound, I believe it's true nonetheless. It's easier to watch TV than sit in silence.

Solitude As a Foundation For More

As a Christian, I would suggest that solitude is something we should prioritize because it was something that Jesus modelled for us.

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Mark 1:35

Jesus did this on a regular basis during His three years of ministry, and took solitude to another level, which included prayer. And if you grew up in church like I did, you probably heard things like "quiet time" or "personal devotions" which suggested we do things beyond just sitting quietly, to include things like reading the Bible and praying on a regular basis.

If these things are important and Jesus modelled them for us, shouldn't Christians be leading the way here? Shouldn't we be the ones who more naturally do the things associated with quiet time?

Maybe...so why do we still struggle to do them?

First I would say that we battle the same things as anyone else; misplaced priorities, poor planning and fatigue.

But I'd like to offer up a few other observations...

We Don't Know How to Do It

I think it's okay to admit we just don't know something. If you've never been encouraged to, or taught how, how could you know?

The Local Church Doesn't Model it.

It's been my experience in the evangelical church, that we prefer noise over quiet. We have stages with bands and lights and a message, but outside a 30-second "opening or closing prayer" we don't experience quiet.

Sometimes a church service can feel more like a concert, stage show or worse a game show with all the programmed parts, to engage and entertain.

I'm an introvert that leans into quiet more than some I admit, but where is the space for solitude, reflection and meditation? If Jesus practiced it, shouldn't we?

The Local Church Doesn't Teach It

If your church is "noisy" it likely isn't instructing you on the spiritual discipline of quiet and solitude. I believe it was Dallas Willard who when asked, "How do we grow spiritually?" said, "I would start with reading the Bible and solitude."

We Don't Understand the Bible

I hear this from people and it's a real problem for sure. If we are told that reading the Bible is important, but we don't usually understand what we're reading, then no doubt we will lose motivation or the desire to continue. I get it.

I'm not into fiction. I don't read novels and I don't care for sci-fi movies. When people talk about "The Lord of the Rings" my eyes glaze over. Mostly because it's a genre I'm not familiar with so I don't have an interest in it.

When we don't "get" the Bible, we're not likely going to give it much attention.

From Solitude to Meditation

Now, you might be saying, "Okay Dan, now you want to me to not only find time for solitude, but now I have to read the Bible and pray too?"

Hey, I think setting aside time to just sit quietly, whether in your favourite chair, on your back deck, or near water or on a mountain top is a wonderful thing to do. But I want to explore how we can embrace the spiritual disciplines of prayer and reading the Bible in a way that takes solitude to a whole other level.

We will be hiking the Rocky mountains next week, with good friends, hopefully finding some solitude above the clouds, but when I return we will take a closer look at what meditation is and what it can mean for you and me.

Until then - Dan

Like trying to fit into pants, two sizes too small; when we try to squeeze solitude into our lives, that already have little margin, it's not likely to happen.

08/04/2026

Are you riding your own ride... or someone else’s? 🏍️

Clarity comes when you stop comparing and start focusing on the road you’re called to travel.

08/01/2026

I wrote Vantage Point to help you see life differently. 🧭
Comment “READ” for the link. 📖

07/30/2026

Last Friday I went for a motorcycle ride to a favourite park. I grabbed a coffee from a local bakery and sat on a bench overlooking the water.

It would have been my mentor's 85th birthday had he not passed away last summer, so for the next hour I sat quietly and reflected on a lot of memories spanning the 46 years of our relationship. At times I was close to tears, I laughed out loud, I smiled, and I prayed, thanking God for bringing him into my life.

On my ride home, my stop got me thinking about our recent focus on the importance of embracing quiet and solitude; the challenge to find it, and even to want it in the first place.

Then this thought struck me...

What we think about in the silence matters.

I mean, if solitude is so beneficial, then how do we do it in a way that ensures that it is?

First, I suppose we should consider what may not be helpful as we sit in silence and solitude. Consider the following...

* Past mistakes. Unless this is to learn from them.
* Regrets
* Comparison
* Fears
* Resentments
* Lies

What would you add to the list of things to avoid in solitude?

Perhaps a better use of quiet time would be things like...

* Gratitude
* Goals and ambitions
* Past successes
* Personal assessment
* Truth
* God's word - the Bible (more on this one next week)

The apostle Paul says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

That's a good place to start.

So let me ask you...when you're alone with your thoughts, what do you typically think about? Where do you tend to go in your mind? To the negative, to the past, to the things we can't change? Or to the present and future, and what you can move toward?

There's a time and place to look back, look around, look within, look above and to look ahead. Which is why I wrote Vantage Point: Five Perspectives to Live a Better Story.

Here's some homework for you...when you have 10-15 minutes, consider the following questions...

1. On a scale from 1-5, how do you feel about your life today? Why?
2. If you knew you couldn't fail, what would you do, that you're not doing now?
3. What are you avoiding?
4. What is your greatest struggle today?
5. What are you looking forward to?

Next week we'll take solitude to another level again.

Until next time - Dan

What we think about in the silence matters

07/24/2026

It doesn’t take much to get knocked off course.

A setback. A distraction. One wrong turn. Sometimes the smallest things can pull us away from the life we’re trying to build.

The good news? You don’t have to stay there.

In Vantage Point, Dan shares practical steps to help you regain your direction, create an intentional action plan, and keep moving toward the person God created you to become.

Your future isn’t determined by the detour—it’s shaped by what you do next.

📖 Grab your copy of Vantage Point and start creating a plan and moving forward.