Paths to Dwell In » prayer

I Want to Pray

robert — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:43:15 +0000

What leads us to make such a statement? Life is somehow not all put together without the element of prayer. There is a real sense of need. There is an incompleteness, an inability to cope with or adequately respond to life’s demands. We sense a need to fall back on prayer.

The needs of others, which duty or love or both demand we experience in some way as our own, do nudge us or even compel us to be in touch with our own needs-needs that are in fact very much the same.

There surface in us if we dare leave enough space in our rushed lives to allow it, or if circumstances, as they often do, trap us in a situation where we can’t avoid it, some of our own needs-above all, perhaps, our loneliness, our incompleteness, our lacks, our inability to be and to do what we want. Excerpt from Centering Prayer, M. Basil Pennington

The Earthquake in People’s Lives

robert — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:10:49 +0000

Pastor Juan said, “I called my children and repented to them and told them I love them; when I get home I will also repent to my church and tell them I love them.” We hear testimonies of restitution and an embracing of agape values in place of works in most every conference we do. But during the earthquake in Peru, as the church and relief agencies were mobilizing quickly, I thought, “Who is attending to the emotional ‘earthquakes’ in people’s lives on a day to day basis?” While in Peru we heard of a pastor who had built a very large church over many years. Many other churches were started all over the country as a result. A pastors network developed and they all loved this leader because he had a gift to make these various pastors feel supported and encouraged. Unfortunately today he has left his wife of many years and is living in the US with his secretary. I know of a very similar story in Manila, Philippines. In India—most pastors physically abuse their wives. As a minister, you minister what you are. So what is coming down from these pastors as a standard over the men in the churches they preach in every Sunday? We believe in ministering healing and loved based values, not placing ministry above family, not having identity in how big we can grow our ministries. If we can stem the tide of the earthquakes in people’s lives, we can effect even more relief in families than in cases of natural emergencies. For every leader that begins to embrace these values, they will in turn influence all they minister to. Thank you for helping us in this task!

It’s Normal to Need Ministry

robert — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:10:47 +0000

In Akure Nigeria we had 200 pastors in the conference. After we had spoke the event coordinator said “many are coming up and saying they have never heard anyone preach where they open up their lives”, he continued “ministers here never share struggles, only strengths”. Pastor Gideon. In Nigerian church culture leaders and therefore all the church members do not have permission to have problems. This produces an atmosphere where everyone puts up a front of being in faith and victory at all times, while often their families are in shambles. One of our core values at Fountains of Life is that it is normal to need ministry. One person jokingly says there are two types of Christians, those who know they need ministry and those in denial. We value people speaking into our lives. Nothing is easier than self-deception. We regularly seek counseling and mentoring. I believe this is the path to maturity and fruitfulness in the Christian life. Accountability allows us to get real and see growth.