Dear LTRP:
Thank you so much for the information that you have been providing my husband and I for the past several years. It is thanks to Lighthouse Trails that we were able to warn members of our church leadership about contemplative spirituality which was making its way into our church.
Several months back, an associate pastor gave a message on “having closeness with God” which was fine, but then at the end of his message, he said something about “the silence,” requesting from the pulpit that the “lights be dimmed,” and then had the entire congregation practice a moment of slowed breathing, “focusing” and “contemplation” . . . Needless to say, in spite of wanting to bolt for the doors, my husband and I sat there praying aloud (!) for God’s protection over our congregation.
Immediately following his message and “prayer time,” we got with that same associate pastor and then privately shared with him a condensed version of what we’d learned about contemplative spirituality: its roots in the occult, in Buddhism and its ties to Catholic mystics (since he had mentioned a number of Catholic “scholars” in his message). After patiently listening to us, he told us we were wrong. He animatedly told us that there was SO much to be learned from the Catholic faith, that contemplative prayer was actually a good thing and that it wasn’t out of the occult at all!
We were deeply saddened to hear him say that and even discussed leaving the church. After praying about it however, we felt that God would have us stay there. So out of obedience, instead of leaving, we alerted our church elders and senior pastor about it and shared with them the MANY booklets that we have ordered from Lighthouse Trails regarding contemplative spirituality and the emerging church. (Keep in mind, this was a four-month process, so much prayer and dogged determination was required. The end result is that it paid off.)
The happy ending to this story is that this past Sunday, an Elder came up to my husband and I and point blank told us that regarding “all that New Age material (we’d) shared,” we were not to worry – that this “contemplative spirituality/false teaching” was in “NO WAY going to enter here.” He thanked us profusely for alerting church leadership and giving the Elders all that LTRP info.
I realize in planting seed, we don’t always get to see the fruits of our labor so I thought LTRP might enjoy this report. Thank you, Lighthouse Trails, for all the materials you share. Keep it up.
In His Service with Our Eyes Wide Open,
S.M.
Texas
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