Jesus prays for you. “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.” John 17 v 9 In your conversation tell Him what that means to you. One of the things He prays is for your protection. “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power Read more…
Contemplation is one of the three strands to our common vision in the Oxford Diocese. Our call is to be a more Christ-like church – contemplative, compassionate and courageous. This week in the prayer course we looked at contemplation, which is one of the best ways to ‘put deep roots down’ into God. The key messages from Pete Greig were: Contemplative prayer is silent enjoyment of God’s loving presence. The contemplation journey has 3 stages: Read more…
Unanswered prayer is such a difficult topic, and is covered well in this session. It is worth a look at the video for week 5 for any that have struggled with this issue. The article on How to Lament is also very good. The key messages from Pete Greig were: The Bible is honest about unanswered prayer – we are part of a faith that is all about wrestling. God’s world, God’s war and God’s Read more…
We spent this week looking at intercession – praying for the needs of others – based around the line in the Lord’s Prayer ‘your kingdom come’. We had some excellent discussions, and time as always at the end to put some of what we learned into practice. For those that are not able to be with us you may wish to look at the video for week 4. The key messages from Pete Greig were: Read more…
We spent this week looking at petition – praying for our own needs and wants – based around the line in the Lord’s Prayer ‘Give us this day our daily bread’. It is proving such a blessing to be able to explore these ideas together. For those that are not able to be with us you may wish to look at the video for week 3. The key messages from Pete Greig were: The Father Read more…
Matthew 28 v 18 – 20 How amazing it is that Jesus tells us in our conversation with Him that all authority in earth and heaven has been given to Him. What an awesome friend to have! How does that make you feel? Does it affect how you speak to Him? Don’t let it put you off speaking to Jesus. In verse 18 it says that He comes to us. He seeks us out so Read more…
Wherever I lay my hat, that’s my home. Home is where the heart is. Home, sweet home. The word “home” brings up different thoughts, feelings, memories and experience for all of us. Until I was 18, home for me was a small terraced house in North East London. Since then, I have lived in 12 different houses in 8 different places! Our sense of home comes not only from a place where we live but Read more…
This was an excellent review of an aspect of prayer that it is easy to overlook. Pausing and rejoicing at the beginning can transform and enrich a whole time of prayer. It helps take it from being about transactions (like with a shop) to relationship (like with a close friend or family member). For those that are not able to be with us you may wish to look at the video for week 2. The Read more…