Contemplative Prayer - Spiritual Formation

[Agatha]

New document:

Soaking Prayer—And it's connection to Contemplative, Reiki and the Occult

Note: While Soaking Prayer may not be exactly the same as contemplative or centering prayer (in which a mantra is used), we have placed it in the category of contemplative spirituality because the same demonic realm is achieved through similar means.


A Form of Contemplative Prayer

"Soaking prayer is a modern form of contemplative prayer ... People put themselves in an attitude of stillness, focusing on Jesus and open to the Holy Spirit but with no requests or agenda. The aim is to be still in God�s presence, "waste time with Jesus.". The Toronto church sees soaking prayer as one of the main ways in which they encourage people to be open to the Holy Spirit."


Physical Symptoms and a Demonic Realm

Physical symptoms, which can include things like a tingling sensation, that occur during Soaking Prayer are similar to those experienced during the Kundalini experience, and both are dangerous and can take the practitioner into a demonic realm.

* * * * * * *

"Some of these phenomena are obvious: weeping, cries, exuberant and prolonged expressions of praise, shaking, trembling, calmness, bodily writhing and distortions, falling over (sometimes referred to as 'being slain in the Spirit'), laughter and jumping. Other phenomena are more subtle: slight trembling, fluttering of the eyelids, faint perspiring, a sheen on the face, ripples on the skin, deep breathing..." Wimber also said that people sometimes experience a sense of heaviness or tiredness, weeping or drunkenness." SOAKING PRAYER by Roger Harper

Kundalini Energy & Christian Spirituality (the same as contemplative or soaking prayer) Ray Yungen

Kundalini is a Hindu term for the mystical power or force that underlies their spirituality. In Hinduism it is commonly referred to as the serpent power. Philip St. Romain, a substance abuse counselor and devout Catholic lay minister, began his journey while practicing contemplative prayer or resting in the still point, as he called it. What happened to him following this practice should bear the utmost scrutiny from the evangelical community-especially from our leadership. Having rejected mental prayer as "unproductive" he embraced the prayer form that switches off the mind, creating what he described as a mental passivity. What he encountered next underscores my concern with sobering clarity. Read more .... Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality
BODILY SENSATIONS AND "SOAKING PRAYER"
Kent Philpott

[Agatha]

"Some leaders get tingling in their hands, some have their hands get warm when healing is about to occur, some feel "power surges" going through their bodies. Some claim that they see a person's "aura" when soaking a person in prayer. Soaking means pouring out lots of prayer over a person, often with laying on of hands and/or passing the hands over a person. It is reminiscent of what is called "Therapeutic Touch" [Reiki] practiced by new age and alternative medicine enthusiasts. People who believe in soaking prayer get the sense that power is passing through their bodies and actually helping to bring healing, comfort and love. And those who are soaking someone testify that they feel waves coming from the person or going toward the person being prayed for. Certainly something may be felt or experienced, however, is it the Holy Spirit?" TORONTO BLESSING: CHRISTIAN-BASED MAGIC? by Kent Philpott

[Agatha]

Max Lucado Hops into the Contemplative Camp

Source: Lighthouse Trails

Cure for the Common Life, by author Max Lucado, is a book about "living in your sweet spot." Lucado tells readers in chapter one to "[h]eed that inner music," and quoting mystic Martin Buber from his book, The Way of Man (a book on Jewish mysticism), Lucado tells readers they each have a "divine spark." Buber had panentheistic affinities as he embraced the teachings of Hasidism (Jewish mysticism) and believed that this divine spark that Lucado refers to is in every human being and every part of creation.

Through Lucado's book he quotes other mystics and contemplatives: Saint Thomas Aquinas,Thomas Merton, Eugene Peterson and Richard Foster. It is Thomas Merton who said,


    It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human race,... now I realize what we all are.... If only they [people]could all see themselves as they really are ... I suppose the big problem would be that we would fall down and worship each other.... At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusions, a point of pure truth.... This little point ... is the pure glory of God in us. It is in everybody.

Merton and Buber shared this belief that everyone had a divine spark. When Max Lucado quotes men of these persuasions, telling readers they each have a "sweet spot" then referring to a divine spark in everyone, this is very confusing and will leave the unaware spiritual seeker believing him.

Cure for the Common Life has drawn endorsements from an assortment of Christian leaders, and their names sit on the front inside covers of Lucado's book as well as on the back cover. New Age sympathizer Ken Blanchard says of the book, "Max Lucado has done it again! He has taken simple truths and made them available to all of us (emphasis mine). Richard Foster says, "I'm so glad for Max Lucado's insightful call for us to live and work as we are intrinsically designed by God." Sheila Walsh said that the "message of this book could change your life forever." Bob Coy (Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale) and Bob Buford (creator of the emerging church)also gave raving reviews of the book. On the back cover, New Age sympathizer Laurie Beth Jones says, "This book can cure whatever 'blah' that ails you!" In Jones book, Teach Your Team to Fish, she states: "I have been challenged by the concept of meditation ... I decided recently to accept the invitation of a friend to experience the sheer silence of meditation-undirected prayer. ... I had before only sensed intellectually ... But by going deep into prayer I could almost feel it." (p. 142.)

[Agatha]

Lucado seems to be coming out of the contemplative closet. Recently he was featured on the Be Still DVD, along with Richard Foster and Beth Moore. In that DVD, Lucado emphasized the importance of contemplative prayer, saying "It's nothing mystical, necessarily. It's nothing secretive. It's just what we do with our body we do with our soul." But Richard Foster would probably disagree - contemplative is mystical, and in many ways is very secretive.

Christian leaders with contemplative and New Age sympathies are not the only ones who love Cure for the Common Life. Barnes and Noble bookstores recently began a New Age-promoting project called East West that is "a resource for conscious living. It opens doors to self-discovery, higher awareness and true understanding." Under the best sellers list are five titles, one of them being Lucado's book Cure For the Common Life. This is what East West says of Lucado's book:

    According to New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado, you were designed as a one-of-a-kind to achieve one God-given purpose. And embedded in your soul are the power and passion to fulfill it. As Dr. Phil McGraw writes, "Cure for the Common Life can help you find that uniqueness that puts it all in perspective, and show you how to live it every day so that you aren't just existing in God's creation but thriving in His plan."

Apparently, those with New Age persuasions admire Lucado's "divine spark" in everyone idea. And why not. That's what the New Age is really all about. But the questions must be asked, Why is Thomas Nelson publishing another book that promotes New Age ideas (see their book Yoga for Christians, 2006), and is this book going to be carried in Christian bookstores and churches and considered another worthy book for [church]?


From: http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com
Category: * Contemplative

[Agatha]

“One way [to ‘pray all the time’] is to use ‘breath prayers’ throughout the day … You choose a brief sentence or a simple phrase that can be repeated to Jesus in one breath …” (Purpose Driven Life; p. 89)

“With practice you can develop the habit of praying silent ‘breath prayers’ for those you encounter.” (PDL; p. 299)

“Confession is ‘spiritual breathing’. Exhale your sins, inhale God’s love.” —Rick Warren

[Agatha]

This suggested outline of Prayer of Contemplation shown below originates from www.adventist.org.au and is being used by the SDA Euro-African Division on their website for various types of praying by Tricia McCary Rhodes.

About Tricia McCary Rhodes:

Tricia McCary Rhodes is an author and teacher who has served in full time Christian ministry for over 28 years. Since her teenage years, her life has reflected a passionate pursuit of intimacy with Christ through prayer, and she delights in helping others come to know Him through writing, speaking and personal ministry. Tricia's first book, "The Soul at Rest", which was a Gold Medallion Finalist, has helped thousands develop their relationship with God by giving them the tools they need for quiet meditation and reflection.

"Contemplating the Cross" , Tricia's second book was a bestseller which has been expanded and updated and was recently released in a beautiful new format by 'W' publishers. These devotionals appeared on this website last year under the title, "Making the Passion Personal".

Her latest book, "Intimate Intercession: the Sacred Joy of Praying for Others" provides us with some tools and a refreshing perspective on praying for other people.

Tricia writes and ministers from her heart as a pastor's wife, mother and grandmother whom God has deeply touched with His grace. Her primary ministry is with her husband, Joe, senior pastor of New Hope Church, which they started together almost 24 years ago in San Diego, California. They have two sons, one of whom is married, and has blessed them with a wonderful daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.
http://www.jesusministry.newhopechurch.com/

[Agatha]

These are her suggestions when practicing Contemplative Prayer:

Prayer of Contemplation


The following steps may help you build contemplation into your prayer life.

    * Establish a time and a place
      Establish a regular time and place to give God your undivided attention each day (not in the car or while doing the dishes!). Have everything you need: your Bible, a journal, a pen, etc., so you can move right into prayer.
    * Keep your purpose clear
      Come to this time for the sole purpose of seeking God's face. Keep this time for worship, meditation and listening for His voice. Intercession and supplication are for another time.
    * Be still and quiet
      This is a difficult discipline and takes much practice. After acknowledging God's presence, become still and quiet before Him. Relax your mind and breathe deeply, all the while thanking Him silently that He meets you in the stillness.
    * Meditate on Scripture
      Unlike Eastern meditation, our goal is not to empty our mind, but to fill it with the revelation of God's manifest presence. Read small portions of Scripture, asking God to reveal Himself to you. Wait on Him and listen for the Shepherd's voice.
    * Journal your prayers
      Write daily love letters to God that respond to the joy of being with Him. Chronicle what He seems to be saying to you in writing.
    * Prepare for wandering thoughts
      Don't worry if your mind wanders, especially at first. Jot down things you need to do later; then return your mind to seeking God's face again.
    * Don't fear drowsiness
      It is no sin to fall asleep in the arms of God. Of course, if this becomes the norm, you may need to change your sleeping habits!
    * Infuse intercession with contemplation
      Whenever the battle in prayer takes its toll, take a few minutes to contemplate the loveliness of Christ, rest in His arms and simply enjoy His presence. Then go back to the work of active prayer.

[Agatha]

I have my own critique of Mrs. Rhodes' techniques but will not include them here.

The following link is to an article four years old, yet it shows how Contemplative Prayer is being encouraged within the congregations of the remnant via our official publication.
http://www.adventistreview.org/2004-1505/story2.html

[Agatha]

From the Loma Linda University Health Sciences Center comes the announcement of a retreat some years back. At this point in our look at Contemplative Prayer, do we recognize the origin of these practices? A huge clue is in the name of each practice - or each discipline.

Innerweave: The Wholeness Story

Each year about this time, the Faculty of Religion full-time faculty meets in a cabin overlooking Lake Arrowhead for their annual fall colloquium. The morning is spent in retreat fashion thinking of ways to deepen personal spirituality, in preparation for helping students who come to Loma Linda University to deepen theirs.

This year the sharing discussion centered around two articles, one by Mark S. Burrows, professor of the history of Christianity at Andover Newton Theological School** titled "To Taste With The Heart," on the deep reading of Scripture; the second article is one written by Robert Mulholland, professor of New Testament at Asbury Seminary***, on ways of reading Scripture.

Both articles are concerned with how we listen for "God's word" as found in the Bible. Mark Burrows appeals for a listening beyond reading for information to a more transformational reading as the reader listens with the heart, with all that is within us spiritual, as well as intellectual. Robert Mulholland offers a way to do this by harkening back to a method used early in Christian tradition [the desert monastics], namely lectio divina, 'spiritual reading."

The method suggested, and reiterated here is as follows:

Silencio—"time given to silence the grasping, controlling, manipulating dynamics of our being." Just be quiet for a few minutes before you read.

Lectio—reading a chosen text with intentional openness…"in which we can hear the voice of God speaking deep wholeness into our life," rather than trying to merely gain control of the text through reading for information intellectually only.

Meditatio—pausing to think about what we hear as we read, allowing God, by His Spirit, "to discover what God is saying to us at those points of our being where we are not yet what God wants us to be, and, further, what we can become in Him."

Oratio—this is our response to what we read and hear that affects our lives, a deep cry of our heart to God…it is "characterized by integrity…it is the honest expression of our thought, feeling, and desire to God, the outpouring of deep speaking unto deep."

Contemplatio—"this is an active yielding of ourselves to God, waiting in stillness, communing without words, pliable in God's hands and at His timing, responsive to whatever He chooses to give us, impress us with, or do with us. It moves beyond the time of reading, meditating, praying into the ebb and flow of our daily lives…as we seek to yield ourselves to the transforming presence of the Spirit."

Incarnatio—growing out of the above listening and responding experience our life begins to be shaped more and more by openness and obedience to God, and His Word. The shaping is not for us alone, what happens in us works itself out in sharing of our lives with others in saving, healing, loving ways. Those near us will note the difference, and will be attracted to God through us.

The above is not intended to be the final answer on how to listen to the Word of God in the Bible. Because so few seem to spend time with the Bible it is offered as a way of getting back to the basics [the desert monastics] in spirituality which can make one's life so much richer and fruitful.

** Founded in 1807, Andover Newton is the oldest graduate school of theology in the United States. Today, over 400 students from 35 denominations are enrolled, creating a lively, ecumenical environment for study. Andover Newton is also part of the Boston Theological Institute, a collaborative association of nine area seminaries.

*** Asbury Seminary was founded in 1923 "to prepare and send forth a well-trained, sanctified, Spirit-filled, evangelistic ministry" to spread scriptural holiness around the world. Over eighty years later, Asbury has continued to hold to our intended goal upon which we were founded and provide holistic ministerial preparation as an interdenominational institution.

[Larry Lyons]

Well done Agatha! You have done a valuable service by researching this phenomenon. None need be deceived if they know the origin of these things.