Description

In the parable of the ten virgins, all ten carried lamps — the difference was that the wise carried extra oil, prepared for a delay no one could predict. Storing Up Oil takes that image as its central metaphor and builds a comprehensive, biblically-grounded guide to reclaiming the lost art of contemplative prayer: what Scripture actually means by “meditation” (the Hebrew hagah and siach, the Greek meletao), why the practice faded from the modern church, and how to recover it as sustained, daily readiness rather than a single Sunday thought.

The book traces the mystical lineage of biblical meditation from the Desert Fathers through St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, and Maria Woodworth-Etter, and grounds the practice in both theology and the body — how contemplative prayer engages brain states and neuroplasticity, the heart’s own intelligence through cardiac coherence, and the vagus nerve’s role in nervous-system regulation. From there it moves fully practical: preparing your space, foundational and intermediate practices, advanced encounters, and a full protocol for leading group meditation, including a facilitator’s manual for churches and prayer groups.

At 214 pages, Storing Up Oil includes an 8-week Bible study guide, a 30-day meditation challenge, sacred-space setup guides, guided meditation scripts, and a chapter devoted honestly to navigating doubt and the dark nights when none of it feels like it’s working. Author Timothy Holt leads a devotional worship set at the Pasadena International House of Prayer and writes from the conviction that the same nearness that met him in his own life is available, ordinarily and daily, to anyone willing to slow down long enough to receive it.