From the Lighthouse Newsletter
*If you would like to print this newsletter, right click to open a menu and choose "Select All." Then click print, then choose the Selection option. This will print everything that is highlighted. Remember, rather than forwarding this entire newsletter to others, send them the link (see click here above). This way you can be sure you won't be unsubscribed by someone else. If you have trouble printing the newsletter as stated above, you can copy and paste it into a new Word document, and there you can change font size and other elements. Note: Because we are a research ministry, we do post articles from various secular and Christian sources along with our own in-house articles if we believe our readers can benefit from the information. |
| A Closer Look at the Christianization of New Age/New Spirituality Terms |
Ever wonder what the buzz words for the New Age/New Spirituality are and what they mean to emerging, purpose-driven "progressive" thinkers? Words like alignment, atonement, change agent, networking, and spiritual gifts? Check out this chart of terms from Discernment Research Group (compiled by Chris Lawson at SRN). You may think twice next time you hear these words in a "Christian" context. Click here to view this printer-friendly PDF chart. Example #1: Buzz Word: Common Ground Traditional Meaning: Any ground held in common by the people; an area in which people mutually find agreement. Misleading Meaning: Using the dialectic process, an agreement among people reflecting a synthesis of the lowest common denominator. Real Meaning: Using the dialectic process, an agreement among people that “ameliorates the extremes,” thus effectually dispensing with tolerance for diversity. Example #2: Buzz Word: Path Traditional Meaning: “Blessed is the man that ... standeth not in the way of sinners. (Psalm. 1:1) Misleading Meaning: Any method of selfdiscovery leading to higher potential. Real Meaning: Spiritual progress towards a
deeper encounter with the occult
involving various experiences
where one comes to a sense of
purpose or enlightenment. |
| Olivet Nazarene University 105th School Added to Lighthouse Trails Contemplative School List |
On Saturday morning, Lighthouse Trails received an e-mail from a concerned parent whose child is attending Olivet Nazarene University. The parent told us that Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline is part of a required Freshman course. We have also discovered that Spiritual Formation (i.e., contemplative spirituality) is integrated in various aspects of the school including their Christian Education program, Practical Ministries, Youth Ministry, and the School of Theology. Thus we have added Olivet Nazarene University to our list of Christian schools that promote Spiritual Formation. In addition to Richard Foster’s book, Henri Nouwen’s books are used in at least 4 courses. In two of those (CMIN 116, COMM 300), his contemplative promoting book In the Name of Jesus is used. This is the book that Kay Warren, Rick Warren’s wife, recommends saying it “hits at the heart of the minister . . . I highlighted almost every word.”1 It is in that book of Nouwen’s that he says:
In almost every school that promotes Spiritual Formation, Henri Nouwen is used. This is because the spirituality that Nouwen advocated for is the same spirituality that Spiritual Formation (contemplative) inhabits. When you think of where Spiritual Formation took Nouwen before the end of his life (after years of practicing mysticism), it is sobering to see the majority of Christian colleges and seminaries embrace him. In the last book he wrote, he stated:
What Nouwen says here illustrates the “fruit” of contemplative spirituality. It is not surprising to us that Olivet Nazarene University promotes Spiritual Formation. Most of the Nazarene universities do. We have documented this for years. If you want to see one of the most shocking signs of where evangelical Christian schools will end up, read our article Buddhist/Universalist Sympathizer Woos Nazarene Students at NNU and watch the video we link to of Dr. Jay McDaniel’s visit to Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho. Nouwen’s influence is obvious at Olivet. The VP of Spiritual Life lists Nouwen as one of his favorite authors. This of course could have a profound influence on many students. Parents, please remember, when you are looking for a college or university for your son or daughter to attend this coming fall, please check that school out carefully beforehand, and make sure your child understands what the underlying roots of contemplative and emerging spirituality are before they leave your home. It is by no means just Nazarene Universities that are being affected. This is happening in virtually every denomination to one degree or another. Notes: 1. Rick Warren quoting Kay Warren on the Ministry Toolbox (Issue #54, 6/5/2002, (http://web.archive.org/web/20081227044856/http://legacy.pastors.com/RWMT/?ID=54). 3. Henri Nouwen, Sabbatical Journey, Hardcover edition, 1998, p. 51. Related Articles: ‘Mysticism’ infecting Nazarene beliefs . . . and more of the story |
Dear Lighthouse Trails: I want to take this time to thank you for all the work you do. I read the post today about the pastor complaining about Castles in the Sand [see article below this one]. I read the post he is referring to and what it did for me was make me buy the book. I finished reading it in 2 days. The [excerpt from Castles in the Sand] was not offensive, except maybe to someone who has a propensity towards this practice, and that is unfortunate. Please do not let responses like this pastor’s discourage you. You do a great work for the body of Christ, and I appreciate all you do. I’ve been reading your blog for the past several years, and it has been a wealth of information-as well as an “eye-opener” for my family. We had joined a church when we moved to a new area, and it was so warm and friendly we made it our church home. It held all the doctrines of the faith that we grew up with (Baptist), but it was also very different in that the music was contemporary (as in loud and popular) and the dress was casual, which we never thought much of because we live at the beach. They had small groups as opposed to traditional Sunday school which was kind of fun, meeting new friends in someone’s home. But, there was never a real teacher in the groups we had-we even hosted a group in our home, and our teacher was always a video, complete with fill-in-the-blanks books. The group we held at our house chose (from the approved list by our elders) one study on prayer by Philip Yancey. Later, we picked one called Be Still, not knowing anything about it. During one session we all even got down on our knees and tried to “quiet our minds” while we chose a verse phrase to repeat. We all thought it was very strange but no one knew anything about what we were getting in to. All I can say is the Lord protected us from anything harmful during that study. [see research on the Be Still DVD] About 6-9 months later, I joined a BIBLE study ladies group (praise the Lord for one faithful teacher in that church) and only then did the Lord begin to open my eyes to the unbiblical things going on in that church. Before we joined, the pastor wore a suit every week and was an expository preacher. Then he changed and started wearing hawaiian shirts and was no longer preaching expository. They took Baptist out of their name, got together a worship band, and became very “relevant” to the community around us-meaning, no longer including too much of the gospel in the sermons. (I now pretty much hate the word “relevant,” and it’s a shame cause it’s a good word.) The sermons weren’t called “sermons,” and when we met, it was a “worship gathering.” We were no longer “members” of the church, we were “partners.” We promoted Rick Warren right and left, including selling his book in our “lobby” of our new and updated (and expensive) building. In fact, when I finally did read Purpose Driven Church, it was almost verbatim as to what had taken place at this church. We had been through every RW study that he had and even had repeated some of them to make sure we were changing how we were supposed to. Anyway, during my time with this particular Bible study teacher, we were studying the end times. I was actually studying the Bible for myself (for the first time in a long time), and God had begun working in me in many ways. Praise the Lord! I “stumbled” upon your website one night while I was researching how Satan was currently affecting Christendom (for our study). God used Lighthouse Trails to help me understand what was going on in our church, and I thank Him and LT for that! My husband and I felt terrible for the studies we had done in our home (Be Still-and looking back the Yancey one was weird too), and we immediately told the elders about our concerns. They did review the Be Still video and removed it from their “list,” but how it got there in the first place was because they had declared that everything Saddleback and Willow Creek did, we could do, not really filtering any of it for themselves. We spoke with them numerous times about our other concerns over the direction the church was going, but unfortunately it fell on deaf ears. Honestly, I think part of it is that they have invested a lot of time and money into a new building, new band equipment, new children’s wing complete with flat screens for entertainment, and the new and relevant atmosphere. It broke our hearts. . . . we felt so alone. We still pray for them, but we felt we had to leave. The good news is that we found a “Bible-driven” church. . . . Not as many people are members, but we sure get the Word every Sunday-doesn’t it seem to be that way? I do have a couple of questions, if you don’t mind. I know y’all are busy so if you don’t have time to answer I understand. After reading Castles in the Sand I began to wonder if a lot of colleges are really that saturated with Spiritual Formation.1 Are they? Or are they dabbling with it here and there and maybe the book portrays it more than it is to get the point across? Now, I understand that once you go down this road, I’m sure it only gets worse. But I’m asking because we have ___ kids that will be college age in ____ years. . . . I’m sorry this is so long-it’s longer than I intended, but I thought you should know what a blessing you are to me and I’m sure to countless others. May God continue to bless your ministry as you contend for the faith. B. |
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| Reader finds “An Afternoon with a Spiritual Formation Professor at a North American Bible School” to be “Junk” | |
After posting an excerpt of the Lighthouse Trails novel Castles in the Sand last week, which we titled “An Afternoon with a Spiritual Formation Professor at a North American Bible School,” we received the following e-mail from a pastor.
If we have offended or upset any of our readers for posting this excerpt, we do sincerely apologize for that. It was not our intention. However, while we can understand that this pastor does not want someone to misunderstand why we have this excerpt posted, we find it is important to post information such as this because contemplative spirituality (i.e., spiritual formation) has overtaken the Christian church (and especially the colleges and seminaries) in such an overwhelming way that Lighthouse Trails is doing everything possible to warn Christians about it. While Castles in the Sand can be a difficult read in parts because it is a fictionalized account of those who are practicing contemplative mysticism, it is the only novel that has been published that exposing the dangers of contemplative spirituality and the spiritual formation movement. If this mystical spirituality wasn’t such an epidemic in the church, we could see that Castles in the Sand is an overreaction. But given the realities of what is happening today, we find it an effective way to issue warning and information.The denomination of which the pastor who wrote to us is part of is one of the most contemplative-saturated denominations out there. If leaders in that denomination would read A Time of Departing and Castles in the Sand, they might not continue going in that disastrous direction. (Note: On 2/10/12, after receiving the letter to the editor above, we posted a note on the “Afternoon” article linking to this post of explanation). Here are some other excerpts and sample chapters of Castles in the Sand: Table of Contents and Chapter 1 Chapter 6: When a Young Girl Meets a Mystic – excerpt Take a look at this list below of Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries that are now promoting contemplative (i.e, spiritual formation), and this may help to show why we are so concerned and feel such an urgency that we would spend nearly every waking hour devoted to warning about it for the last ten years. Some write and tell us that we are wasting our lives by doing this. If we did not think that going contemplative was the antithesis of going toward the Gospel, we would have to agree with those people. But we believe those who practice contemplative prayer will in time change their spiritual outlooks to reflect more of a New Age view of “God” (where God is in all things and all humans) than a biblical view of the true God and Savior, Jesus Christ and His plan of salvation. This is not a comprehensive list of schools that have incorporated spiritual formation/contemplative spirituality, but is a growing list of schools we have researched. We do have a small list of schools that have not yet shown signs that they are going in that direction, but that list remains very small. One of the reasons we discovered why so many Christian schools are going this way is that some of the top accreditation associations are requiring schools to incorporate spiritual formation in order to receive accreditation. Sadly, most schools are willing to exchange biblical integrity for popular accreditation. ACTS Seminaries of Trinity Western University Alberta Bible College Ambrose University American Christian College & Seminary Anderson University Anderson University Ashland Theological Seminary Assemblies of God Theological Seminary Assemblies of God Theological Seminary Assemblies of God Theological Seminary Azusa Pacific University Baptist Theological Seminary of Southern Africa Barclay College Baylor University Belmont University Bethel Seminary Biblical Theological Seminary Biola University Briercrest Bible College Bryan College Calvin College Campbellsville University Canadian Mennonite University Carey Institute Cedarville University Christian Theological Seminary Cincinnati Bible Seminary Corban University Colorado Christian University Columbia Theological Seminary (Presbyterian) Cornerstone University Dallas Theological Seminary Drew University Duke Divinity School (Duke University) Eastern Mennonite Seminary Emmanuel Bible College Emmanuel School of Religion Fresno Pacific University Fuller Theological Seminary George Fox University Seminary
Newberg, Oregon See SFAD 556 Spirituality and the Writings of the Mystics – Included in the course is a small group practicum to assimilate contemplative practices into the student’s devotional life. See adjunct professors. Gordon College Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Grace Theological Seminary Grand Canyon College Greenville College Hope College Hope International University (AKA: Pacific Christian College) Houghton College Indiana Wesleyan University Intervarsity Christian Fellowship NW John Brown University John Wesley College Lincoln Christian University Liberty University Lipscomb University Institute for Christian Spirituality Luther Rice Seminary/University Spiritual Formation with Dallas Willard/Robert Webber Malone College Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary MidAmerica Nazarene University Milligan College Moody Bible Institute New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Northeastern Seminary Northpark University and Northpark Theological Seminary Northwestern College Nyack College Oklahoma Christian University Oklahoma Wesleyan University Olivet Nazarene University Oral Roberts University Pacific Rim Christian College Palm Beach Atlantic University Pepperdine University (Bible Lectures) Phoenix Seminary Prairie College of the Bible Providence College and Seminary Regent College Rockbridge Seminary Rocky Mountain College Rock Bridge Seminary Samford University Shorter College Simpson University Southeastern University Southwest Baptist University Taylor University Toccoa Falls College Trevecca Nazarene University Trinity Western University Graduate Program in Counseling Psychology Trinity International University Tyndale University College & Seminary Western Seminary Westmont College Whitworth University William Carey Institute |
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| MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT: Chris Lawson's Spiritual Research Network | |
We'd like to draw your attention to a wonderful research ministry, Spiritual Research Network, founded and directed by Chris Lawson. Chris has developed an excellent website and also a free print newsletter. Both his research and his writing are articulate, biblical, and important. He has proven himself to be a true Berean and contender of the Christian faith. Chris knows what it means to pay the cost for defending the Gospel. He and his wife were missionaries in Scotland. Chris learned about the false teachings in the Purpose Driven movement, the contemplative prayer movement, and the emerging church and how they were affecting the church, even in Scotland. But when he began to write about these things, the organization who was primarily supporting him (Calvary Chapel sending church) threatened to cut support if he didn't stop. Several individuals did not consider Chris's SRN apologetics ministry as a valid component of his Christian missions/church planting efforts in Scotland. After prayer and consideration, Chris and his wife knew they could not be silent. Within a short time, Chris resigned his missions support from his sending church. Within a very short time, their missions support was further cut from two other Calvary Chapel fellowships. After four years of pioneering a new missions work in Scotland, the Lawson's ended up having to return back to the U.S. We commend Chris and his wife for standing for truth, even when it cost them so much. You can visit Spiritual Research Network at: http://www.spiritual-research-network.com/home.html where you can sign up for free e-updates and also the free print newsletter. SRN is a non-profit ministry and accepts donations to help support the ministry. All donations are tax-deductible. Some of the topics SRN covers are: Bible prophecy and the end times |
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| Global Ecumenism: The High Road to Trampling Truth Underfoot | |
By Chris Lawson The term “ecumenism” comes from the Greek word ο?κουμ?νη (oikoumene), meaning “the inhabited earth,” “the whole inhabited world” or “the inhabited or habitable earth or world” “A particular inhabited country (Luke 2:1; Acts 11:28).” [1] The word occurs in the New Testament in Luke 2:1, where it is translated as “all the world.” In Scripture the word was historically used in reference to the then known world of the Roman Empire. Luke the physician (and historian) who penned the book of Acts and also the book of Luke uses the word this way in Luke chapter two: “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world [oikoumene, meaning “the inhabited earth”] should be taxed [registered]. (And this taxing [census] was first made when Cyrenius [Quirinius] was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed [registered], every one into his own city” (Luke 2:1-3 KJV). Today this word is used in a way that is much different than the biblical text was referring to when the consensus in Israel took place in the first century. Drawing in “all the world[s]” streams of Christianity at the cost of biblical truth, Global Ecumenism is an unbiblical movement based upon and centered around “unity.” But just what type of unity is this? Global ecumenism is a compromised unity that feverishly utilizes Christian nomenclature (words, terms, expressions), but at its very core rejects biblical unity. It embraces Roman Catholic unity and encourages Evangelicals (Protestants) and Roman Catholics to march arm-in-arm, all the while avoiding a primary principle that is found from Genesis chapter one thru Revelation chapter twenty-two – the principle of biblical separation (Genesis 1, 2, 3; Deuteronomy 28-30; Romans 16:17-19; Revelation 22). To note, God used various forms of “separation” throughout the Genesis account and throughout His continued dealings with Israel as a nation, tongue and people. To this day, God continues to command, through His Word, the implementation of “separation” from false teaching, false teachers, and all who would corrupt and destroy God’s Church and God’s Gospel message for humanity. The idea of “separation” is at the very root of God’s plans, from beginning to end. Completely blind to this fact, global ecumenists and much of modern Evangelicalism are working hard to see all of Christendom and Christianity meld into One global Christian movement (i.e., Evangelicals and Catholics Together). However, as we shall see, this is the high road to trampling truth underfoot. As we embark upon a closer look at what global ecumenism is and does, we will see clearly that what God warned about 2000 years ago is clearly happening before our eyes across the globe – false teaching and apostasy is being overlooked for the sake of unifying the ever growing, ever coalescing, Global Ecumenical Movement! [2] Click here to read this entire article and for footnote citations. |
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| Creating a New Society: Change Agents and Influence Peddlers | |
Note: While reading this article by Carl Teichrib, keep in mind some of the “change agents” within Christianity today, such as some of those at the upcoming Catalyst Conference held at Mariners Church in Orange County, California: Michael Gungor, Andy Stanley, Donald Miller, David Platt, Erwin McManus, and Chris Seay. By the way, Rick Warren sent out a pastors.com announcement to advertise Catalyst where it was stated: “Your Presence is Requested for Catalyst, a premier leadership experience for influencers, cultural architects, change agents and next generation leaders, where you’ll hear from leading communicators of our day. Catalyst and Purpose Driven Network are partnering together to bring a special offer to you! ” By Carl Teichrib Social engineering, an activity of shifting the mind and heart of individuals and thus changing personal and group behavior – is a progressive endeavor. But please don’t misunderstand. This isn’t about “revolution” in a violent sense. Rather, it’s a process of incremental action that cumulatively moves toward the goal of a “better world” or the “good society.” For the average person living in the moment of cultural change, such shifting sands trigger vaguely uneasy feelings. Something doesn’t seem right. Yet we progress: Accepting values and cultural views which our parent’s generation struggled over, our grandparent’s refused to accept, and our great-grandparents… well, such ideas of transformation may never have entered their minds. Or, conversely, they had seen the results of the “better world” in places such as Mussolini’s fascist Italy, Stalin’s Soviet utopia, or Hitler’s socialist Germany. Change agents of yesterday and in the present understand that if culture is to fundamentally shift in a permanent way, then social values must move gradually until a tipping point is reached. For this to occur, institutional hubs must first be altered from within; government, the education system, media and popular culture, religious organizations, and other key societal crossroad need to embrace the new worldview. Once the gatekeepers in those sectors accept the new order, the larger pool of individuals that comprise civilization will experience a push toward transformation – the creation of a new mind for a new society. At this point a vocal percentage of the general population embraces the “change” rhetoric. Grassroots momentum builds as they claim this transformation as their own, viewing it as “organic,” a bottom-up approach. Demands are loudly shouted; the top1% of society must reform to the “will of the people.” We must unshackle ourselves from the old masters, or so we’re told. Never mind that other “top-down” masters, those who called for change long before the public caught wind of the idea, are waiting in the wings with their version of transformation. Click here to continue reading. (Carl Teichrib is the director of Forcing Change in Canada.) Other Information: |
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| LT BOOK EXCERPT: Strength for Tough Times – Being Grateful to God |
By Maria Kneas We need to develop the habit of being grateful for who God is and what He has already done for us. It is easy to take things for granted. For example, you are reading this book. Have you thanked God for the fact that you are able to see, and you know how to read? If we look for things to thank God for, we will find more and more reasons to be grateful. And if we look for things to complain about, we will find more and more reasons to complain. When the Israelites came out of Egypt and went to the Promised Land, they kept complaining. They got bored with eating manna every day and wanted to eat something more flavorful (with garlic and leeks). So they complained about the miraculous food that God provided. They complained when they had no water. God miraculously supplied water for them, but we have no record that they were grateful for it. And what was the end of the matter? That generation died in the wilderness because they refused to enter the Promised Land when God told them to. They didn’t trust God to deal with the giants there. This is an example of how a lack of gratitude can result in a lack of trusting God. And that can lead to a lack of obedience (i.e., rebellion against God). Compare this with the attitude of King Jehoshaphat. When he and his people were threatened by a huge army, Jehoshaphat prayed:
And God came through for them. He miraculously delivered them from their enemies. We can choose to develop the habit of thanking God. We can look for things to thank Him for. We can thank God and praise Him even when we don’t feel like it. We can deliberately choose to be grateful, and we can ask God to give us a grateful heart. The Apostle Paul exhorted us to have that kind of attitude when he said:
Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsy were sent to a Nazi concentration camp because their family hid Jews during World War II. Betsy died in that camp, but Corrie was released.1 After the war, Corrie traveled the world, telling people about God’s love. She knew first-hand how difficult life can be, when she said:
Betsy ten Boom was able to love the Nazis and pray for their salvation even while surrounded by the horrors of a death camp. Instead of seeing the prison guards as being monsters, she saw them as being trapped and tormented. She saw their need for God’s love and forgiveness. She prayed for their salvation, and by her example she led other prisoners to do the same. Betsy reminds me of Stephen, who was the first Christian martyr. While he was being stoned by an angry mob, he prayed for his persecutors:
At first Corrie hated the Nazis, but eventually she was able to forgive them. After the war she heard that Jan Vogel, the man who had betrayed her family, was in prison and was to be executed. She wrote to him, telling him that she forgave him, and telling him about the love of Jesus Christ. Shortly before he was executed, Jan Vogel wrote back to Corrie, telling her that he had become a Christian. When Corrie was ministering in Germany, a man came up to her after the service. He had been a prison guard in Ravensbruck, the death camp where Betsy died. He held out his hand to Corrie, asking if she forgave him. At first, Corrie was overwhelmed by memories from the prison camp, and she froze. Then she asked God to help her love this man. She forced herself to put out her hand to take his. When they held hands, God’s love flooded Corrie’s heart, and she and her former tormenter embraced one another as fellow children of God.
Corrie’s love wasn’t strong enough to love that prison guard, but God’s love was. God filled Corrie’s heart with His love for that man, and broke down the barrier between them.
(from Strength for Tough Times, Lighthouse Trails, 2010)
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| Become Part of Our Mission Work in Kenya |
We hope you will consider becoming part of our mission work in Kenya, Missions for Truth. Lighthouse Trails is working in conjunction with Understand the Times and a group of dedicated trustworthy Bible-believing pastors in Suna and Rongo, Kenya. Pastor Pius Achilla is the senior pastor of the group there. Roger Oakland traveled to Kenya last November to meet these pastors. He found he resonated with these men and desired to become involved in helping them as he witnessed their integrity and love for the Lord and His Word. He also met several Christian widows who are caring for many orphans as well as their own children. Because of AIDs, disease, and starvation, there are many many orphans in Kenya. There are two ways to donate to our missions work in Kenya. First, you can donate to Understand the Times Bryce Orphan Home project. These donations go directly to the 12 new Bryce Orphan Homes set up and sponsored by UTT. To support the orphan homes, please donate through UTT website. Pastor Achilla, his wife Jane, along with his pastoral team and their wives will be overseeing the Bryce Orphan Home project. With Roger Oakland's guidance, the pastors have formed a board and will be accountable to both UTT and LT on how donations are disbursed. Understand the Times donations are tax-deductible. The second way to donate is through Lighthouse Trails. These donations go toward the following: 1. Support for the all the pastors and their families (this includes food, water, education for children, housing, clothing, and travel expenses connected with evangelism) 2. A discipleship center being built in Suna. This center has been built with the donations from Lighthouse Trails readers. We were also able to provide the funding for a 100 foot well to be built. With so much drought in Africa, a deep well with good water is essential for survival. Already, many people are using the water from the new well. 3. To buy new KJV Bibles for the pastors to distribute 4. For many other needs such as travel expenses (gasoline, rented vehicles to travel from one town to the next, motorbike travel, etc), emergency needs (such as recently when a man came to Pastor Achilla's church with an incredibly infected eye), and so forth Please donate for these needs through the Missions for Truth (a Lighthouse Trails website).These donations are NOT tax-deductible. When you get to the website, just look for the DONATE button. This will take you to a secure site called MyCharityBox.com which we are using to accept donations. Missions for Truth is a Lighthouse Trails sponsored project.
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| NEW BATCH OF TEA HAS ARRIVED – FREE BOX OF TEA OFFER |
As many of you know, in December of 2010, Lighthouse Trails started a tent-making business that we call The Shepherd's Garden. We created a product called Shepherd's Organic Bible Verse Tea. We did this as a way to help provide support for Lighthouse Trails. Operating a small publishing company along with our research ministry is an expensive and time-consuming commitment. We spend hours on the phone answering questions, even more hours writing articles, and of course, editing books, articles, and the website (which has hundreds of pages and thousands of articles now) that we can present to our readers. In a nut shell, we needed to find a way to help supplement the small income we make with Lighthouse Trails. We found the Bible verse tea idea a perfect fit. Once the tea recipes were formulated and the boxes designed, it has proven to be by far less time consuming than Lighthouse Trails. And because those who have now tried the tea seem to love it and come back for more, our objective is being accomplished - it helps sustain us and allows us to continue the work at Lighthouse Trails. If you would like to read a statement we wrote back in 2010 about The Shepherd's Garden, click here. "NEW BATCH OF TEA HAS ARRIVED – FREE BOX OF TEA OFFER" On Friday, February 10th, we received our second batch of 5000 boxes of our Shepherd’s Organic Bible Verse Tea. The four flavors are Chai Green, Cranberry Orange Rooibos, Peppermint, and Peach White. We are excited that the number of Shepherd’s Garden tea drinkers is steadily increasing. We believe the combination of this wonderfully delicious and healthful tea and the Bible verse attached to each bag is increasing the number of people who are making Shepherd’s Garden Tea a regular part of their lives. You can click here to see what others are saying about our tea. TO SAY THANK YOU TO OUR CUSTOMERS,
WE ARE MAKING THIS SPECIAL “FREE BOX OF TEA” OFFER. TO THE FIRST 50 PEOPLE WHO ORDER FROM THIS NEW BATCH,
WE WILL INCLUDE IN THEIR ORDERS 1 FREE BOX OF TEA FOR ORDERS UNDER $20 AND 2 FREE BOXES OF TEA FOR ORDERS OVER $20. (The flavors of the free boxes will be at our discretion, but if it is 2 boxes, we will make them 2 different flavors.) Note: You can also order the tea from the Lighthouse Trails online retail store, and you can qualify for the free box that way too.  Now that our new batch has arrived, we are going full-speed ahead to get our next 3 blends ready for production. We’ll be making an announcement on these new teas later this spring or early summer. We will also be doing a sampler box this year. The box will contain all 7 blends of tea.One good change you will notice now is that all tea bags are individually stamped with the blend name on the cellophane wrap. We didn’t have this in the first batch. This will be helpful if you are wanting to give individual tea bags away to friends.
The Shepherd’s Garden is a small family-run business in Montana. We don’t have a large advertising budget, so we hope you will tell others about the tea. And remember, we give out free samples to anyone who sends us a letter requesting samples. Just tell friends to send their request to: The Shepherd’s Garden, P.O. Box 908, Eureka, MT 59917. We also draw one name each week from those who write for samples to win a free box of tea.
TO GET YOUR FREE BOX(ES) OF TEA, JUST PLACE YOUR ORDER ONLINE. WE’LL INCLUDE YOUR FREE TEA WHEN WE SHIP YOUR ORDER.
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7 FREE THINGS FROM LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS, INCLUDING NEW PDF ARTICLES |
1. FREE CATALOG: Fill out our short form to receive a free catalog. Click here to access form. Our new 2012 catalog will be coming out in March. 2. FREE PRINT NEWSLETTER: Sign up to receive our print newsletters. Send an email with your name and mailing address to newsletter@lighthousetrails.com.We haven't sent out a print newsletter in awhile but when we do, we'll send you one if you are on the list. 3. FREE SAMPLE CHAPTERS OF LT BOOKS: http://www.lighthousetrails.com/chaptersamples.htm. 5. FREE E-NEWSLETTER & ALERTS: Sign up for our free e-newsletter and press alerts: Click here. 6. FREE BIBLE VERSE TEA SAMPLES: Check it out here. This is our own "tent-making" company to help support Lighthouse Trails. Our customers tell us the tea is delicious, and they love the KJV Bible verses, one on each tea tag. 7. NEW! FREE PDF ARTICLES: These are articles we have written that are formatted in an easy to read, easy to print PDF. We will be adding more to this page as time goes on so be sure to bookmark this page.
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