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Ten people were shown walking the Labyrinth at the Harmony Hill Retreat Center for cancer patients. The picture I copied from the newspaper website is not the same labyrinth they showed in the actual paper. They have three you know.
A cancer retreat. What would you be looking for in a retreat if you were dying of cancer?
This is from the article in Sunday’s newpaper:
Harmony Hill is a nonprofit retreat center with its roots dating back more than 20 years when founder Gretchen Schodde first visited the area.
The center’s 12 acres incorporate healing gardens, labyrinths, walking and hiking trails and beach access into its purpose of helping people find “emotional, spiritual and physical healing in the face of cancer.”
“In 1985 I came to St. Andrews Episcopal Church retreat center for a woman’s retreat, which is next door to Harmony Hill,” Schodde said. “I felt like I was coming home. The idea of creating an educational, recreational and therapeutic center started coming back to me.”
Today the property has been developed to accommodate the various cancer retreats, private parties, yoga lessons and gardening workshops. Surrounding the buildings are gardens, trails, labyrinths and views of the Olympic Mountains and Hood Canal.
Schodde lives in an apartment on the property, and absorbs the healing powers felt by retreat participants on a daily basis. Six years ago she drew heavily on those experiences when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Schodde underwent treatment and was cancer free for five years, but recently had a reoccurrence. Drawing on the strength of the hundreds of cancer patients who have walked the gardens of Harmony Hill, Schodde is proof of the center’s purpose.
During retreats, yoga and meditation classes are held to help manage stress, a chef prepares vegetarian meals using local organic foods and attendees break into groups facilitated by staff to discuss their experiences.
I am sure this is a wonderful facility. But..if I were dying of cancer….I would not be walking a labyrinth, or doing yoga. I would be on my knees praying for strength from the Lord to sustain me for His purposes, or I would be found curled up in a chair, reading my favorite passages in Ephesians.
What was curious was the reference to the church but never mentioned was the strength and courage that comes from walking with the Lord Jesus Christ.
How sad….people at this retreat are possibly facing death……and they seek to walk a labyrinth for healing and comfort.
Zec 10:2
For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain; therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was not a shepherd.
2 Cor 1:3
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.
Even though I was a Christian..I was as lukewarm as a leftover glass of yesterdays iced tea still sitting on the coffee table from the previous evening. Melted ice…diluted flavor…dingy glass…bent straw…wilted lemon slice. There was no way that an unbeliever would know that I believed in Jesus Christ. If I was standing in front of a judge would there be enough evidence in my life to convict me of Christianity? NO, sorry lady… you do not have a shred of evidence, no proof whatsoever. This verdict would have been correct.
Then one day I picked up a paperback book on prophecy in a garage sale. It was fascinating. I had never read anything before about prophecy and no teacher had ever taught Revelations when i was in Sunday School and I don’t ever remember a sermon about the end times.
This was the first time I had read about the rapture. Reading this material caused at first immense interest. Then the conviction started. Weight upon weight began piling into my heart until no longer could i hold inside the tears of 30 years of unconfessed sin. Down onto floor…this is where i stayed for hours..on my knees..on my back..crosslegged…in prayer, begging forgiveness for the time I had spent idly wandering this shameful world. I had been hit with a powerful realization that my indifference to sin and the Lord Jesus Christ would result in being doomed in the upcoming wrath and judgment.
I rededicated my life to Christ that afternoon. This single episode has been the most significant life-changing event of my life. I had accepted Christ as a young girl and have always been a believer but the conviction of my guilt shook me to my very core and caused true repentance.
What happened next was a hunger and thirst for God and the Word. I had never experienced this before in my life. Because I was expressing this hunger for the Word of God, someone invited me to Bible Study Fellowship which is an intense study which will put you into the Word of God daily. Then the time came for next step. I asked the Lord to expose my sin to me and further convict me of areas in my life that needed to be changed. This was another milestone and yet another corner turned. If you ever want a fast answer to prayer……ask this:
Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Opening your life to the Lord in this way is cleansing and He needs clean vessels for his servants.
I try to keep myself low, humble. I am nothing, I am a nobody. All that I am is what the Lord has done in me, I am nothing in myself. When I bow down before Him it is in total submission. The Holy Spirit then can do His work and can use me as a vessel. Everything in my life has to be done His way, in His time, for His Glory and for His purposes only.
We need to confess and repent of our sin constantly. I believe everyone knows what it is to confess of something, but that they do not really know what repentance truly is. To repent is to turn away from sin. To repent causes a changed reformed life. If your life has not seriously changed since becoming a Christian then you need to take a good look at your walk with the Lord.
In Revelation 3 the church of Laodicea is admonished.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
I will never in my lifetime be able to express the gratitude I have that the Lord loved me enough to rebuke and chasten me and therefore caused me to repent and change my ways so that I could truly be his servant. Is the life of a servant easy? Not always…but there is nothing more empowering than lowering and humbling yourself before the Lord.
What about you? Is the Lord rebuking and chastening your heart this very moment? Would you please listen for his voice, read his Word, and completely turn your life over to Him?
kim
Will P.E.A.C.E. really come on the earth before Jesus returns?
Did Jesus say that His church would bring peace to the earth? That concept cannot be found in scripture. What Jesus did say is:
Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Christians need more discernment not more gurus with humanistic dominionist dreams
It is high time that the Church went back to the basics and studied the scriptures for themselves and stopped being led by the nose by gurus who publish their latest whim.
Recently Rick Warren caused an uproar by going to Syria where he was taped praising the antichristian dictator of this terrorist nation. Warren has future plans to go to North Korea. One might wonder how Warren gets access to these rogue nations. Warren is a member of the ultra elite Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
Could it be that what is being espoused in some evangelical circles are doctrines of men or demons that have been deceptively weaved into the fabric of the many colored garments that are now displayed on the backs of multitudes of Christian dummies?
For the full article go to:
http://www.thepropheticyears.com/comments/Globel%20Peace%20plan.htm
To me…one of most important statements in the above article is “Warren is a member of the ultra elite Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).”
What is the CFR and why is it important here? The CFR created in part the Social Gospel, so the fact that Rick Warren has proclaimed to be a member of this elite organization is very significant.
Here is his statement made to Joseph Farah:
“Warren explained that he had also counseled with the National Security Council and the White House, as well as the State Department, before his little courtesy call for a neighbor.”
”In fact,” Warren added, ”as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Oxford Analytica, I might know as much about the Middle East as you.”
One of the main goals of the CFR is to create a gospel that is favorable toward a world government. There are many in government today and past who are members. Just to name a few in no particular order…… Eisenhower, Cohen, Feinsten, Mondale, McGovern, Lieberman, Bentson, Carter, Bush, Clinton, Gore, Powell, McNamara, Rumsfeld, Rockefeller, Nixon, Albright Humphrey, J.P. Morgan, Gephartd, Gingrich, Kissinger, Cheney…it goes on and on. Take a look at the list at the below link.
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/cfr-members.htm
The public knows what the CFR wants the public to know about the CFR, and nothing more.
Dr. Quigley knew a lot about the behind-the-scenes work of global power because he was a part of that power network for most of his life. In his book, Tragedy and Hope, Quigley states:
The “Hope” in the title of Quigley’s book represents the thousand-year reign of a collectivist one-world society which will be created when the “network” achieves its goal of world government. Quigley believed that the “network” is so powerful at this point that resistance by the common people is futile. Hence, those who resist the schemes of the globalist planners represent the “Tragedy.” By Dr. Quigley’s logic, there is no point in struggling against the noose around our necks, because resistance will merely guarantee strangulation.
According to Dr. Quigley, the Council on Foreign Relations is one of several front organizations set up by the network’s inner circle to advance its schemes. The ultimate goal: a New World Order.
http://www.infowars.com/print/Sept11/cfr_whitewash_commission.htm
The late Admiral Chester Ward, who resigned from the CFR in disgust after being a member for 16 years, was not exaggerating when he charged that the group’s agenda is to promote “disarmament and submergence of U.S. sovereignty and national independence into an all-powerful one-world government.” The leadership of the group, he said, “is composed of the one-world-global-government ideologists � more respectfully referred to as the organized internationalists.”
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2006/12/social-gospel-60.html
The CFR and the Social Gospel: Part 4
The concept of “peace” was re-defined so that it contained the added meaning of an international new world order by the architects of the United Nations, many of whom were leaders in the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). John Foster Dulles led the way in this effort, writing a concept paper entitled “The Problem of Peace in a Dynamic World” presented to the World Conference of Life and Work at Oxford in 1937.
“…Dulles… stated that he looked to Church leaders in particular to guide the world into a peaceful future.” (p. 86)“…[H]e challenged a new generation of pastors to guide their future congregations into the unfamiliar terrain of a new world order as the only sure hope of peace.” (p. 88) [emphases added]
These CFR leaders contrived to manipulate a new Christian ethic and era of “peace” by creating a new doctrinal ideal – that of building the kingdom of God on earth. This doctrine would serve as the foundation upon which international peace could be built.
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Have you ever heard of Peter Drucker’s 3-legged stool? The three legs of the stool are…government, business, and churches. These three sectors of society must be joined or partnered to facilitate the New World Order. You can see today how the church is becoming involved with businessess, (starbucks) using advertising and marketing methods, (bring in the customer) and government (the patriotric movement) on the superficial level. On a deeper level Peter Drucker’s networking management genius is being implemented into the church and is helping to create a dominion-based kingdom here on earth.
Who are two of Druckers prominate protege’s? Rick Warren and Bob Buford.
I am reading the Dec 06 Interchange Postings Summary for the P.E.A.C.E. Briefing for Mission Agencies, held by the Saddleback PEACE team in Atlanta GA. Here are two statements:
“We must take everything we have learned [about missions] in the past centuries and infuse it in and through the local church.”
“The specific components of this Summit are still being finalized, but the goal is to bring togther many of the key P.E.A.C.E. players from churches, businessess, agencies, and government for information and interaction.”
The above statement taken from the Saddleback Church Briefing defines exactly the same goal as Drucker’s 3-legged stool, which is the incorporation of the main segments of society into the church.
Let’s take another look at this statement taken from Herescope:
“…[H]e challenged a new generation of pastors to guide their future congregations into the unfamiliar terrain of a new world order as the only sure hope of peace.” (p. 88) [emphases added]
So.. (a CFR leader) is challenging pastors (Rick Warren… a CFR member) to guide future congregations (us) into the New World Order as the only sure hope of peace.
Clearly we can see that Rick Warren has been pretty effective to date. He has one of the largest congregations in the United States and he has implemented a huge undertaking with the P.E.A.C.E. Plan. He is using the “40 Days” programs as a way of inserting his agenda into the churches and pulling them along right into the next phase as they go.
First, bring the people into the congregations by a social and weak gospel message by appealing to their desires instead of their need for the true gospel. Second, “bring together many of the key P.E.A.C.E. players from churches, businessess, agencies, and government for information and interaction”. Third…..?
Will the mega-churches unite? Is the mega-church of today to be part of the one-world church of tomorrow? Is the true mission of the P.E.A.C.E. plan to feed the poor? I wish it was. But when looking at the Big Picture…I see how the networking, the blending of the three segments of our society…is creating a church for all mankind… a church with no gospel message…a blending of all other religions with Christiantity…a new universal religious system full of mystic practices. A new religion for the New World Order. Do you see it? It is happening before our very eyes.
kim
This is an important article because a major goal of the Theosophists is to infiltrate the Western education system with Eastern mysticism. These schools are CHRISTIAN BAPTIST supported in part by the churches!!!
kim
Yoga/New Age
Source: Christian Research Service
by Bud Press, Director
Christian Research Service
September 10, 2007Introduction: During the preparation of this article, Christian Research Service (CRS) contacted SBC officials and asked specific questions pertaining to the schools listed on the SBC’s “List of Colleges and Universities” at http://www.sbc.net/colleges.asp. As of this writing, the list contains 52 schools.Unfortunately, almost half of the schools listed are promoting Yoga and other forms of the New Age Movement, such as Reiki, Feng Shui, Labyrinth, Tai Chi, Yoga for kids, and student field trips to “an ashram and worship with Tibetan Buddhist monks.”CRS also called the SBC headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, and spoke to an SBC Executive Committee official concerning the Cooperative Program, and what part it plays in the support and sponsorship of the schools. The official explained that,
* The SBC does not have or support any colleges.
* The colleges and universities listed on the SBC website are directly connected to the corresponding state Baptist conventions. 1 * The colleges and universities don’t receive any cooperative program funds from the SBC’s National Convention.
When asked if there are certain criteria or guidelines the schools must meet prior to being considered for support or sponsorship, the SBC official explained that each state convention votes whether or not to officially align with the college or university, and that typically there has to be a Baptist connection.While the colleges and universities do not receive Cooperative Program funding from the SBC’s National Convention, they do receive funding from the SBC’s state conventions. According to SBC officials, the funds are primarily designated for endowments and student scholarships, and may be used for building additions and projects.Briefly, the colleges and universities listed on the SBC’s website receive financial funding from the SBC state conventions–by way of tithes and offerings Southern Baptists give through their local SBC churches–through the Cooperative Program, which states in part that,
“Churches in your state work together through your state convention to support a wide array of ministries and missions including: evangelism efforts, children’s homes, volunteer missions, missions education, new churches, colleges and universities, collegiate ministries, camps, and much more”(2.
According to the SBC’s website, since 1845 the SBC “has grown to over 16 million members who worship in more than 42,000 churches in the United States” (3 ). Thus, over the years, untold millions of dollars–if not billions–has made its way from the collection plate to support the various efforts outlined in the SBC’s Cooperative Program, including colleges and universities.
And colleges and universities, whether Christian or secular–have the potential to strengthen or weaken, sharpen or dull young adults, whose sensitive minds are spiritually ripe for cultivation.
Concerning schools and colleges, the SBC’s May 1939 “Resolution on Christian Education” states in part:
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Baptists throughout the South be urged to acquaint themselves with the abundant educational opportunities afforded in our Baptist schools and colleges and to assist in turning Baptist students to them that the future for Christian education and Christian democracy, even Christian civilization itself, may be guarded with jealous care (4
.
Guarded with jealous care. How powerful the words. As Christians, are we not charged with the responsibility to jealously guard fellow Christians with the same care as the Apostle Paul demonstrated?
For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin (2 Corinthians 11:2).
In his farewell address to the Ephesian elders, Paul admonished them to jealously guard themselves and their body of believers, defend and protect that which had been entrusted to them: the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.
Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears (Acts 20:28-31).
Christian parent, as you review the following list of colleges and universities, ask yourself this question: Is the spiritual welfare of my son or daughter being guarded with jealous care? To see the documentation on the SBC list of Colleges/Universities that are promoting Yoga and the New Age, click here.
This article or excerpt was posted on September 10, 2007@ 1:16 am .
From: http://www.christianresearchservice.com
In 1875 Helena Petrovona Blavatsky founded the Theosophical Society in New York. What is Theosophy? Theosophy translates into Divine Wisdom. Theosophy holds that man is evolving spiritually and that someday will be as one with God. Blavatsky wrote “Isis Unveiled” and “The Secret Doctrine” which were channeled to her by an Ascended Master Kuthumi who lived in the 19th century. Djwal Khul also called the “Tibetan” was also an Acsended Master who channeled to HPB. She introduced Buddhism and Hinduism into the West .
“Blavatsky saw her mission as sublimely messianic: to save the world…Theosophy had been associated with the Gnostics and the Kabbalists. Madame Blavatsky’s Theosophy was nothing less than an attempt to synthesize Brahmanism, Buddhism, and Occultism into a new religion. The plan was to introduce these occult teachings throughout the West, and this in turn has created what we now know as the New Age. It advocated a universal brotherhood of humankind, wise men of superhuman knowledge who lived in the Himalayas. It was her conviction that these men had trained her and then sent her out into the world with permission to disclose some the secret knowledge that could light up a pitiless and incomprehensible universe” (Meade).
Madame Blavatsky wrote:
“I was the first in the United States to bring the existence of our Masters into publicity; and . . . exposed the holy names of two members of a Brotherhood hitherto unknown to Europe and America (save to a few mystics and Initiates of every age), yet sacred and revered throughout the East, and especially India.”
If you have read any of my previous articles you know who i think Spirit Guides, Ascended Masters, deceased relatives, and inner voices are. They are truly fallen angels or demons who are stepping in to deceive those who think they are in commune with some higher being. The allure is gaining some kind of secret knowledge, and who doesn’t want to be in on a “secret”, but if you use occult methods, expect occult results. As you may see, the plan that was put in effect so long ago is coming to pass. More and more people are accepting yoga and meditation as a way to improve their life, improve spirituality, and come closer to God. But in truth, deception is taking place as predicted in the Bible. Even Christians are buying into Contemplative Spirituality which can lead to communion with the pit.
Alice Bailey
After the death of HP Blavatsky…. enter Alice Bailey who claimed that her teachings came from the same Occult Brotherhood that taught HP Blavatsky . . . . Bailey’s guide professed to be the same Djual Khool that was one of HPB’s teachers. Bailey also declared that her guru was the same Master Kuthumi that Blavatsky knew.
After misfortune in Alice Bailey’s life she and her three children settled in California where she met two women who introduced her to Theosophy. She had her first contact with a master calling himself the “Tibetan” in 1919. He wanted her to take dictation. Alice states:
I heard a voice which said, “There are some books which it is desired to be written for the public. You can write them. Will you do so?”
She wrote 19 books that were channeled directly to her between the years 1919-1949.
Here is an excerpt from “For Many Shall Come in My Name” by Ray Yungen
To occultists, the significance of the Alice Bailey writings was that they foretold that in the coming Aquarian Age “the teachings of the East and West must be fused and blended before the true and universal religion–for which the world waits–could appear on earth.”* There also would be a “Coming one”, whom she called “the Christ”, who would not be the Lord Jesus Christ whom Christians await the return of, but an entirely different individual. This man would embody all the great principles of occultism, chiefly the divinity and perfectibility of man, and consequently expect recognition and honor as to his own lordship and divinity. (page 32)
The Lucis Trust
“The Lucis Trust is the Publishing House which prints and disseminates United Nations material. It is a devastating indictment of the New Age and Pagan nature of the UN. Lucis Trust was established in 1922 as Lucifer Trust by Alice Bailey as the publishing company to disseminate the books of Bailey and Blavatsky and the Theosophical Society. The title page of Alice Bailey’s book, ‘Initiation, Human and Solar’ was originally printed in 1922, and clearly shows the publishing house as ‘Lucifer Publishing CoIn 1923. Bailey changed the name to Lucis Trust, because Lucifer Trust revealed the true nature of the New Age Movement too clearly. (Constance Cumbey, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow, p. 49). A quick trip to any New Age bookstore will reveal that many of the hard-core New Age books are published by Lucis Trust.”
This quote can be found here:
http://freemasonrywatch.org/lucistrust.html
Those who are unaware of the New World Order influence on the United Nations need to open the above link. It is truly frightening.
*this sentence sums up the entire theme of “A Time of Departing”
Here is a photo of a Taize service…..I finally remembered that i had found information about Taize on the Lighthouse Trails Research website. Taize is a prime example of how contemplative spirituality is compromising the church. It appeals to the youth and is Buddist oriented with a Catholic flavoring.
Taize – Another Avenue Through Which Contemplative is Entering the Church
Taize Community is an international, ecumenical communityin France. Taize Worship is practicing the silence with icons, candles, incense and prayer stations, and is a very contemplative/Buddist oriented community attracting young people from around the world.
As an article on Taize worship explains:
Short chants, repeated again and again, give it a meditative character,” the brothers explain in a brief introduction printed in the paperback songbook. “Using just a few words, [the chants] express a basic reality of faith, quickly grasped by the mind. As the words are sung over many times, this reality gradually penetrates the whole being.
While it is apparent that Taize is rooted in Eastern mysticism, it is equally apparent that it is being incorporated more and more into Christendom. Below are some examples of Christian ministries and schools that are introducing people to Taize worship.
Columbia Bible College (BC, Canada)
Eastern Mennonite University (Virginia)
Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
Seattle Pacific University (Washington)
Renovare (Richard Foster) – page 2
Here is a link to the newsletter containing this article
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletter020507.htm
Here is the link to my orginal article about Taize
https://kimolsen.wordpress.com/2007/07/30/crisis-in-the-church-taize-what-is-it/
Scanning the Religion section in our local newpaper a couple months ago I came across an article inviting people to come to a Taize (pronounced teh-ZAY) outdoor worship service for music and chanting… Huh? What is this all about?..I wondered. I kinda forgot about it till yesterday when I ran across a church web-site promoting a Taize service.
A google episode revealed that Taize started in the little village of Taize in the heart of the Burgundy region of France. Taize was founded by Brother Roger Schutz (murdered by a worshipper in 2005)and was established in 1949. In this monastic community the brothers sought to awaken spirituality, promote peace and unity by ecumenism.
The worship service consists only of music, chanting, and silence. There are no sermons, programs, announcements, etc. I never did find out if they took an offering but I will assume probably so. (They light lots and lots of candles) On the Taize web-site in France there were some snippets of a CD to listen to. This music was extraordinarily beautiful, monastic in nature. When I got to the videos on YouTube though the music sounded more like the strained uncertain singing in my own church. The lyrics are most commonly Latin. This is so everyone will have a tough time learning the words, I guess. Actually it was stated that the phrases were easier to sing in Latin. I looked at alot of videos and they only showed the singing and not the chanting. No one filmed the silence. Not good viewing material I suppose.
I found many churches are using the Taize services including, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and other non-descript denominations. This makes me very nervous. Below are a few excerpts of the web-sites I found among many. I included the web address for verification.
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Good Friday – SERVICE
LIGHTS: Scene 1. The Worship Leaders enter the sanctuary from the side doors. In silence they reverence the altar, then sit in their regular chairs. The Lector reads the lessons from the ambo, but the Pastor may deliver the sermon while seated. All stand for the bidding prayer.
As the cross is carried to the altar and during the reverencing of the cross, the tower bell may toll with at least 30 seconds of silence between each ring. Tolling may continue until the beginning of the final hymn. Alternatively, the bell may be tolled three times.
Members of the congregation who wish, come forward singly or in small groups to reverence the cross or pray, while the congregation sings Taizé chants. At the end of the Adoration, LIGHTS: Scene 3, (dim, Jesus window off). The congregation sings a hymn, a final sentence is said, and the Pastor and Worship Leaders leave in silence through the double doors at the side. Members of the congregation may remain in the sanctuary for prayers and meditation.
Taize service brings peace, healing to congregation
in Bethel Park
Thursday, July 26, 2007
By Margaret Smykla
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07207/804283-55.stm
Of the Taize Sung Prayers service at Christ United Methodist Church, Linda Williams, minister of music and worship, said “we like to think of it as an oasis from the hustle and bustle of our lives.”
Taize is a peaceful service of quiet prayer, songs, meditation, anointing of oils and prayers for healing and reconciliation. The prayer songs are often sung over and over again like a mantra, and are sometimes drawn from holy scripture.
The songs are frequently sung in different languages. There are no sermons or announcements.
The Bethel Park church, 44 Highland Road, holds the roughly 40-minute service at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month in its sanctuary.
The next Taize service will be on Wednesday. It is open to the public.
http://www.ctkelc.org/worship/TaizeWorship.html
A meditative service in the tradition of the ecumenical community of Taizé, France is held every Saturday at 6:00 pm. The services are centered around the silent meditation on Holy Scripture and the celebration of the Eucharist. The songs which have become the hallmark of Taizé spirituality are woven through the entire service.
Taizé Service to Include Prayer Around the Cross on the first Saturday of each month.
.A wooden cross on the floor of the altar sanctuary confronts worshipers with the suffering of Christ on behalf of humanity. In its presence the suffering of the world and our own burdens come to light. Christ gave salvation to all on the tree of the cross. It is the tree where life might be restored. Worshipers may choose to meditate on the cross from the pew or may enter the altar sanctuary and kneel at the cross.
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What bothered me was the chanting and the silence which can fall into contemplative spirituality. This is definitely a red-flag area so I am not endorsing Taize. I didn’t find any teaching from the Bible. There is no call to repentance, no praying for forgiveness, no preaching of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. No anything really, except the presence of a cross.
How can people come to know Christ without the preaching of the Gospel? But this is becoming more common in the churches of today, a spirituality with no Holy Spirit. No message of sin. People don’t want to hear about sin anymore. They just want to go to a church, sing, meditate, and feel good about how “spiritual” they are. I guess that’s fine if that is all you want, but I pray that you long and thirst for the Word of God.
Look here for more information about Taize:
https://kimolsen.wordpress.com/2007/08/02/crisis-in-the-church-more-about-taize/
kim
I have been studying discernment issues for awhile now, but posting these issues have put me in touch with real people having real problems and real people who have totally turned away from unbiblical practices. I want to thank those who have taken the time to speak up for Christ because previously their eyes had been opened by the Lord and have left false ministries and have denounced mysticism. Many have completely “come-out” of new age practices but unfortunately, there are others who retain a blend.
The seduction of new age pratices can truly have a hold on Christians because they think they are exempt from deception. This is a very dangerous stance to take because it removes discernment. Jesus told us over and over again to beware, that the end times will be filled with false prophets and the doctrines of demons.
What courage these folks have that have turned away from apostate teachings and practices and then share their experience with others. What humility and love for Christ they have to want to help others who may be in the same situation they found themselves in. This is truly surrendering all to Christ.
Some of the greatest teachers against new age practices have been deeply involved with them. Some well-known examples are Warren Smith who wrote “Reinventing Jesus Christ”, (his e-book is available on the blogroll or below), Ray Yungen who has two great books out, ” A Time of Departing”, and “For Many Shall Come In My Name”, and Kevin Reeves who wrote “The Other Side of the River”. I am currently reading “Spellbound”, The Paranormal Seduction of Today’s Kids, by Marcia Montenegro. Every parent or anyone involved with children should read this book. There is a huge assortment of occultism available to kids today and this is a must read that will help you protect them.
Here is how to find these books:
Anything from Warren Smith – “Another Jesus Calling”
“A Time of Departing” &
“For Many Shall Come in my Name” http://lighthousetrails.com
“Spellbound – The Paranormal Seduction of Today’s Kids”
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/kdqz4
Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/escjy
The Other Side of the River http://lighthousetrails.com
Kevin Reeves in the “The Other Side of the River” bravely tells of his own experience about the movement called the “The River” which claims to be spreading the kingdom of God through signs and wonders. Other names for this counterfeit “revival” is the Third Wave or the Latter Rain.
He covers issues he experienced in his church such as being “slain” in the spirit, holy laughter, visions of angels and “messages” from God?, word of faith, and experience over scripture. What I found very interesting was the compulsion he felt to stay within a church that felt it was on “the cutting edge” and the resistance he received whenever he questioned any of the practices. His story is amazing and if you have any questions about practices in your church you should read this book.
Lately I have been talking with a woman who has come out of a false ministry. It has been three years and she is still recovering. She is so very worried about the others still involved because she knows those still there are being deceived. Later she told me that even though she memorized scripture, did bible studies, she was still deceived. Others there who have mental problems seem to only fall deeper into their sin.
Another friend is totally out of the new age practices and she is walking only with the Lord now. She had a blend of Christianity and mysticism, (visions, meditation, altered states) for awhile but now holds true to the faith.
Another woman wrote to say that she had been deceived by the many false teachings on TBN but came to the truth. (I believe that there a few good people on TBN but they do not correct the false teachings so they can stay on air)
I get so discouraged at times, but then the Lord brings to mind those who He has brought out of deception, those whose eyes He has opened, and I am encouraged again.
kim
I had the opportunity to listen to Sarah Leslie speak at a discernment seminar in SpringHill, Florida February 2007 . Here is an article covering much of what she taught.
What is the New Age Movement?
A brief synopsis
By Sarah Leslie
See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. (Col. 2:8)
During the 1970s America underwent a rapid and profound transformation from a culture that was primarily Christian to one that is now mostly pagan. In the 1960s the Beatles rock group had imported eastern religion via their guru Marharishi Mahesh Yogi and popularized drug use. Eastern mysticism believes that each man determines his own truth – a very subjective way of looking at reality. In eastern religions Jesus isn’t THE way, THE truth, THE life, he is just an ascended spiritual “master” who is but one of many truths about spirituality. Jesus is not seen as the Son of God who died for our sins on the cross and was resurrected. Rather, in eastern and pagan religions, Jesus is put on a par with other deities who are worshipped, and in some case even called by the names of these other idols.
It is important to understand the roots of what is now called the “New Age” movement. Constance Cumbey, a Christian attorney from Michigan, was the first one to alert evangelicals to this movement in her landmark book, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow (Huntington House, 1983). She discovered that the modern move towards pagan religions and occult practices was actually initiated in 1875 by an organized group of Satanists who called themselves the Theosophical Society, headed up by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Their goal was to unite all world religions. From channeled demonic transmissions the Theosophists wrote extensively about how they would destroy Christianity and replace it with the occult. Alice Bailey, another Theosophist leader, wrote two dozen books laying out the specific instructions for creating a “New Age” on the Earth. The Lucifer Publishing Company (now Lucis Trust) published her writings which are still available for purchase and can be found on the Internet. Constance Cumbey warned:
“Plans for religious war, forced redistribution of the world’s resources, Luciferic initiations, mass planetary initiations, theology for the New World Religion, disarmament campaign, and elimination or sealing away of obstinate religious orthodoxies – all were covered extensively in the Alice Bailey writings.” (p. 50)
The Theosophists believed that they could best achieve their goals by remaining underground for a period of years and by infiltrating the world’s religious, educational, medical and governmental establishments. Their conspiracy surfaced to public view in 1976 when a modern disciple of Alice Bailey, Marilyn Ferguson, published a bestselling book called The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in the 1980s (J.P. Tarcher, Inc.). This book had a prominently displayed “666” logo on the cover, representing the Theosophical belief that this number would invite the “Christ” to their New Age. Ferguson divulged the “Plan” and bragged about how it had already become an integral part of American society.
A foundational doctrine for the New Age movement is the belief that humanity is evolving, and that we will attain a higher level of consciousness and emerge as a new species (homo noeticus or homo universalis). A corollary doctrine teaches that truth itself is evolving, and that our understanding of spiritual things is becoming enhanced as we work collectively for a common good on the planet. Perpetual change is seen as a method to constantly accelerate this evolution. Visioning techniques, borrowed straight from the occult, are also used. Other occult methods have been mainstreamed into medicine, education, social sciences, business, and even the church. Marilyn Ferguson even ominously suggested, “Evolution may be speeded up by certain genetic mechanisms.” (p. 160)
Disunity with this Plan is seen as a hindrance to this coming “paradigm shift” in which a benevolent “New Age” of peace will transform the planet. The New Agers expectantly await their own messiah, a New Age “Christ” figure (also known as Maitreya) who will institute peace on earth.
Constance Cumbey’s original warnings went unheeded by evangelical leadership. Over the past three decades Christians began to rapidly replace the Scriptures with this mystical “New Age” worldview. These new doctrines didn’t come into the church all at once, but in small doses of leaven, often placed in books and teachings by key evangelical leaders. The effect of this leaven has been disastrous in the church.
What fun and fellowship I am having since I started this little blog. I didn’t know what I was doing when I started and I still don’t but that’s OK.
When I started studying discernment and apologetics I found that there was no one in my church who was really interested in starting a discernment group. I have a few friends that I always talk to but I have been worried about wearing out my welcome with them. Then I found a blog on wordpress that was very interesting and was soaking it up. Then I found that I could start my own blog in a few seconds. They weren’t kidding.
I have really discovered that there are many who feel the same way as I do, that the church is in deep trouble. Mysticism has crept in by various forms, there is no longer repentance, sin is an inconvenient term, and church leaders are more concerned about attendance than saving souls.
I just wanted to take a few minutes to thank those who have welcomed and encouraged me to be bold and to stand-up for Jesus Christ. He is what it is all about. I know that I cannot change anyone’s mind and I don’t want to try to win an argument with anyone, because it is God only, who can intervene and open someone’s eyes and show them the truth.
There surely is a remnant. I am so grateful to the Lord for my new friends.
kim
Recommended blog sites
http://thegreatapostasy.wordpress.com
http://riderforjc.wordpress.com
http://earthquakeresurrection.blogspot.com
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