By Lois Putnam Conscious Discipline, the creation of Dr. Becky A. Bailey, is a program used in hundreds of educational settings the world over–Head Start, private schools, day cares, Montessori schools, Christian schools, public schools and more. This discipline program loudly touts its shift from a reliance on “fear to love,” and from “punishing to … [Read more…]
By Heather Clark Christian News Network The footwear and apparel corporation Nike has partnered with the mindfulness and meditation app Headspace, introducing the practices to runners worldwide with the goal of boosting athletic focus and performance. However, the president of an organization that focuses on concerns in the sports world from a Christian perspective says that the … [Read more…]
A Lighthouse Trails reader recently asked our editors to take a look at a page on the Focus on the Family website defending the practice of contemplative prayer. Those of you who have been readers of Lighthouse Trails for a while will know that Lighthouse Trails has challenged Focus on the Family on more than … [Read more…]
LTRP Note: Recently, we received the following letter from a concerned reader. At the time, we had nothing on our research site about Mind Yeti, but now Lois Putnam has written a great research piece on Mind Yeti (see below the letter to the editor). Dear Lighthouse Trails: I read your blog article dated 11/15/17 … [Read more…]
Last week, a reader sent us an e-mail concerned about an article that AFA (American Family Association) just posted on the AFA Journal website. The article, titled “Study says meditation remains popular across diverse religions,” is actually an extract of a 2018 Pew Research Center article. (Pew is a liberal think tank.) The article posted … [Read more…]
“The more you practice mindfulness, the easier it will be to be mindful when you are in a stressful situation.” – 4-H club flyer, 2018 (Kentucky) Dear Lighthouse Trails: Recently, we took our young children out of 4 -H and not too soon!! I have attached the flyer that came out this weekend to every … [Read more…]
Dear Lighthouse Trails: I am writing to warn about UrbanPromise. Of course, in its stated doctrine and Mission and Vision, it is Christian; and at first glance, they are not ashamed of the Gospel. However, in just about every case of compromise that I’ve seen, it is not stated doctrine that we should be satisfied … [Read more…]
See also Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of our 2017 Year in Review. The following are the 10 top stories for 2017 written by the editors at Lighthouse Trails. Listed in order of date posted. 1/Emergent IF: Gathering Conference Coming to a Town Near You (Coming For Your Daughters and Granddaughters)! … [Read more…]
See also Part 1 and Part 2 of our 2017 Year in Review. The following are the top ten out-of-house news articles. These were posted throughout the year for informational and research purposes and not as an endorsement of the content or the source, but we believe the information is important to be aware of. … [Read more…]
NEW BOOKLET: Circle Making and “Prayer Circles” Versus The Straight Line to Truth by Cedric Fisher and Nanci Des Gerlaise is our newest Lighthouse Trails Booklet. The Booklet is 14 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are as much as 50% off retail. Our Booklets are designed to give away … [Read more…]
On November 15th, Lighthouse Trails posted an article titled “What You Need to Tell Your Local Public School Officials About Children and Mindfulness Meditation”which stated that a woman who called the LT office shared her concerns about her local public school that was going to be bringing in a program to teach children mindfulness meditation. … [Read more…]
This week, two items on the Internet were brought to our attention, both of which may seem to be unrelated to each other but in actuality have a connection that we find to be an eerie reminder of the days in which we live. The first item is a Tweet written earlier this week by … [Read more…]
Today we received a call from a concerned woman who found out that a local public school was about to introduce mindfulness meditation to children at the school. She called the school and has been granted a 5-minute time slot at an upcoming school meeting to explain why the school should not teach mindfulness meditation … [Read more…]
LTRP Note: Teaching children to meditate is teaching them to connect with demonic realms. And according to the Bible, while demons come deceivingly as “ministers of righteousness,” their “father” is the father of lies, destruction, and death. What’s more, contemplative prayer (that is becoming widespread throughout evangelical Christianity) is from the same source as mindful … [Read more…]
We received the top two photos this week from a reader. Below that are photos of various labyrinths in churches across North America. We have posted these, not to single out these particular churches, but rather to show examples of how many denominations have now incorporated the contemplative mystical practice of walking the labyrinth. And … [Read more…]
A Lighthouse Trails reader sent us an article this week from a Pacific Northwest newspaper* describing how members of a local church are changing the way they practice church and view Christianity, doing away with their traditional church methods and embracing what they call a “contemplative approach.” The article states that they were inspired, in … [Read more…]
LTRP Note: The following news story is posted for informational and research purposes and not as an endorsement of the content (but rather as a warning): By Catherine Triomphe Agence France Presse (from the Daily Star) NEW YORK: It is 5 p.m., otherwise known as rush hour in Manhattan. Julia Lyons, 31, finishes work and … [Read more…]
These revealing quotes are from well-known figures who have significantly influenced the religious landscape in today’s culture. Sadly, they have helped to mislead millions with their promotion of contemplative prayer (a mystical, panentheistic-rooted practice). Shalem Prayer Institute “This mystical stream [contemplative prayer and other monastic traditions] is the Western bridge to Far Eastern spirituality.”—Tilden Edwards, Spiritual … [Read more…]
By Ray Yungen (Author of A Time of Departing) Evangelical scholar David L. Smith correctly assessed the powerful, yet subtle, impact New Age spirituality is having on society when he made the following observations: Not since Gnosticism at the dawn of the Christian era has there arisen a philosophy as pervasive and threatening to orthodox … [Read more…]
By Ray Yungen Throughout my Christian life I have periodically heard fellow Christians suggest we are in the last days. Often these comments were initiated from current cases of violent crimes, sexual perversions, war, or natural disasters. Since I knew history had repeatedly encountered these calamities, such predictions of Christ’s imminent return rang hollow. However, … [Read more…]
By Chris Lawson (Author of Taizé: A Community and Worship: Ecumenical Reconciliation or an Interfaith Delusion?) The worship practiced at Taizé has attracted many people from around the globe and from many different denominations. While many of the words found in Taizé worship music are words found in Scripture or words that do not necessarily contradict Scripture, … [Read more…]
Dear Lighthouse Trails, I want to thank you again and possibly alert you on another author you should watch. Recently, my husband went to a pastor’s conference and brought a book back home titled The Spiritual Formation of Leaders by Chuck Miller, Ed. D. Immediately I saw the title, the bells went of in my head, … [Read more…]
To Lighthouse Trails: I love your ministry and know that I’m talking to the choir when I say this, but it is mind blowing to me how widespread occultism has become. That said, I stumbled upon the following FREE offer from Charles Stanley’s In Touch Ministries. All I can say is “WOW!” https://www.intouchcanada.org/sharedjoy May God … [Read more…]
LTRP Note: Posted for informational and research purposes. June 21st was the United Nations International Day of Yoga. BBC News Millions of people around the world have rolled out their yoga mats to celebrate a tradition that was once the preserve of Hindu holy men but is now a worldwide phenomenon. Practitioners in more than … [Read more…]
Dear Lighthouse Trails: Several years ago, I learned that our church was planning to do a labyrinth walk. A pattern had been set up in one of the rooms, and stations were placed along the path at which to perform rituals and meditate. From my experience in the New Age prior to becoming a Christian, … [Read more…]
LTRP Note: We are hearing more and more reports about evangelical churches embracing Yoga. If your church is entertaining the idea of introducing Yoga classes to the church or if you know of a local church that is doing this, please give that pastor a copy of this booklet and ask him to reconsider. To … [Read more…]
Dear Lighthouse Friends, When I searched your blog, I did not find information on “Vicky Beeching.” She is apparently a big figure in Christian pop music. So you might want to put her on your blog list. I did not know about Vicky Beeching until yesterday: claiming to be an evangelical Christian, she revises Scripture … [Read more…]
The repetition [of a word or phrase] can in fact be soothing and very freeing, helping us, as Nouwen says, “to empty out our crowded interior life and create the quiet space where we can dwell with God.”—Jan Johnson, When the Soul Listens, p. 93 Years ago, I got a chance to meet Jan Johnson. … [Read more…]
Dear Lighthouse Trails: I am a member of a Baptist church affiliated with the SBC. My Sunday School class recently began the Not a Fan video Bible study, being supplemented by the Not a Fan journal [this link is to a sample of the journal] by Kyle Idleman. I was familiar with the book of … [Read more…]
NEW BOOKLET: Teresa of Avila – An Ancient Mystic Who Helped Shape Today’s Spiritual Formation Movement by Carolyn A. Greene is our newest Lighthouse Trails Booklet. The Booklet is 18 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are as much as 50% off retail. Our Booklets are designed to give away to others or … [Read more…]
