APL Manila report / Danny Arciaga (trained by Bob) / 8.2011

PRAYER LIFE SEMINAR IN MANILA

By Rev. Danny E. Arciaga

How will I present A Praying Life to Filipino Seminary students, pastors and church members in Manila?

The Manila trip was bathed in the prayers of many people who desire to share Paul Miller's A Praying Life: Learning to Pray in a Distracting World. In preparation, I read the book, the participant's manual and the discussion guide. I spent time consulting with Bob Allums on various occasions, and attended his A Praying Life Seminar a couple of times in Illinois. I prepared to teach lessons 1, 2, 6, and 8, at Bob's suggestion. The presentation at the Presbyterian Theological Seminary & Advanced Studies was for two hours on August 11 and 18, 2011. In the evening of the same days I presented at the Sabang Christian Church (Disciples) in Sabang, Cavite (a suburb of Manila).

I also taught for four Sundays following the worship service at the Church of Christ (Disciples) in Sampaloc, Manila, my home church. The A Praying Life Seminar was part of the four Sundays' celebration at their 92nd church anniversary. In the evening of three Sundays, I presented this study at the Muntinlupa UCCP (United Church of Christ in the Philippines), a church plant of my home church in Sampaloc, Manila.

I met several church pastors and leaders in Manila and in Jakarta, Indonesia, wherein I did a one-on-one presentation of the book, and distributed copies of A Praying Life as gifts.

A conservative estimate of 500 people attended and participated in all those scheduled presentations.

Here are a few comments issued during and after the presentations:

“Pastor Danny, this material is a fresh way to help us, the students and I, to re-ignite our passion for prayer. I appreciate your presentation and being a Filipino, you have communicated to us the concepts from the book, the Filipino ways.” – A seminary professor and school chaplain

“Pastor, thank you for sharing this (A Praying Life). I thought I knew all I needed to know and learn about prayer. The prayer card is new to me. I want to see how the Lord works in my life and the people I am praying for.” – A church elder

“Pastor, I like the lesson on 'praying like a child' to God, the Father. It seemed hard for me to be like one because as you may know of my family situation...” – A young person

“Pastor, the five (5) minute exercise was a moment of silencing my mind although my heart was anxiously burdened with issues of my life and family, but it's good to have even minutes to calm me down....” – A church deacon

Personal Observations:

1. The topic of prayer is a big deal in Manila. In a sense it is a central area of Christian life and faith – in areas pertaining to worship, practice in both public and personal prayer life, and the role of prayer in “nation building.”
2. The challenge is how each participant can use the book in the Tagalog language. It is my observation that reading the book prior to attending the seminar is most effective to communicate the contents and message of the book.
3. The interactive format, as we use in group discussion, is not necessarily the only way to solicit or engage the audience to speak or share their opinions or speak on the topic. It is also true in the classroom setting, like in the seminary or in church. Prayer is a very personal and a religious event in both individual and corporate church life in the Philippines.
4. The silence of the audience oftentimes created a vacuum, like moments when I needed to interject a question or thought to illicit a response or reaction; it was tough to make the adjustment to the Filipino psyche.
5. I think I should have given a clear presentation of God's character, as “Father,” in their perspectives of who God is as Holy, Righteous and Loving. This is in response to some practices of how to pray such as, “demanding,” “telling God what to do,” “claiming it,” “pray like the Korean prays,” or “Pray like a spirit filled born-again Christian.”
6. I will continue to develop a presentation that would fit into a 1.5 hour per session, or a one time presentation of 3 hours.

Looking Ahead:

1. A proposed presentation of the A Praying Life Seminar to pastors as a continuing education course at Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
2. A proposed course, or topic, for “Spiritual Formation” in a retreat format.
3. The Seminary will promote the seminar, A Praying Life, to the faith community for future presentations.
4. As of this writing, I have received two invitations for presentations.
5. Two churches who have participated in the past seminar will continue to “put the Word to work” by encouraging each other to continue to use the prayer card system. At one particular church the pastor said they will review or ruminate on the goodness of God at the end of this year.
6. My home church and their church plant will continue to emphasize and revitalize their Wednesday Prayer Meeting using what they learned from the seminar.
7. Future opportunity in Jakarta, Indonesia is being arranged to present the book and to have an A Praying Life seminar.

Interview with APL Seminar Host Pastor / 9.2011 / Bob

Hi, Bob,

It was terrific having you with us. I’ve heard nothing but wonderful reports from those who participated. I sensed that all of the matters about which we had prayed on Friday night were wonderfully answered. I actually had a terrific opportunity to introduce the prayer cards to one of my neighbors yesterday! She was greatly blessed by the idea of praying for a difficult person in her life, trusting the changes to God and then just focusing her attention on loving them!

I’ll gladly answer your questions and look forward to talking further with you in the days to come.

Pressing in and pressing on,

Tom
___________
1. How did you get interested in focusing the membership on prayer? (I really appreciated your story about going to visit other "praying churches"...could you give me a few sentences on that?)

About 5 years ago, I sensed God inviting me to follow Him on a journey to take me deeper in my prayer life. My grand prayer adventure began with a search to discover and visit churches with a demonstrable passion for prayer. I also began to read a wide array of prayer focused books, both classics and contemporary. As oftentimes happens, my personal prayer journey soon became a prayer journey for our church. God is growing us into a house of prayer! We’ve still got a lot of growing to do but prayer is now a vital dimension our church life.

2. How did "A Praying Life" (the book, the seminar, etc.) factor into your spiritual journey?

My 5 year journey into a deeper prayer life has led me to be constantly on the lookout for prayer focused books, seminars and conferences. God has taught me a great deal through the prayer journeys of others and every year one of those books, seminars or conferences stands out as the one having the most impact on my prayer life over the course of that particular year. In 2010, the most life impacting prayer story was the one I found in, “A Praying Life.” While still reading the book, I sensed God prompting me to contact the author to see if he would be willing to lead our 4th annual prayer conference at our church in 2011.

3. How did you prepare your flock for the seminar? (I love that you guys had a prayer meeting about the seminar! Could you bring that in to your answer?)

To prepare our church for the Prayer Life conference, I began talking months ahead of the event about the way “A Praying Life” had impacted me. After talking about the merits of the book, I ordered several boxes of “A Praying Life” three months prior to our conference and began to encourage our congregation to read the book prior to the conference. Finally, and most importantly, we prayed for our conference. One of the lessons we have learned on our journey toward becoming a house of prayer is that God blesses those events/ministries for which we have fervently prayed. The Friday before our prayer conference, we met to lay a foundation of prayer beneath every aspect of our prayer conference. Once again, God answered our prayers!

4. How did you enjoy the seminar?

Our Prayer Life seminar was a huge success on every level. Our seminar leader, Bob Allums, was knowledgeable, genuine and engaging. His teaching was clear, practical and immediately accessible. Our people connected with him within the first few minutes of our first session. By the final session, Bob was no longer a guest among us. He was part of our family. Every so often a major event not only meets but exceeds your expectations. This was one of those events. We were tremendously blessed.

5. Would you mind giving us an endorsement that we could use with other churches who are considering hosting a seminar?

As God has grown my own prayer life over the past 5 years, He’s also grown in me a passion to help my church family discover the joys that can only be experienced through a dynamic prayer life. To that end, I’ve introduced them to several great prayer focused books, taught several prayer focused classes, preached several prayer focused sermons and hosted a number of prayer focused conferences. I don’t know of any single resource that more effectively puts a dynamic prayer life within reach of the average person in the pew as does the Prayer Life seminar. I am delighted to enthusiastically commend the Prayer Life seminar to every pastor who longs to help his congregation see Jesus!

Petaluma Baptist got ready for the seminar by having a prayer meeting!

Prison Visitis / September 2011 / Paul

letter from Brandon to his family this week. I've been visiting Brandon every other week in prison for the last two months. His dad asked me, and it was one of those Jesus moments, where I realized this would be as much a gift to me as to Brandon. I always come away with my faith encouraged. I tell Brandon, who is in for strangling his step child, that on the outside of the Prison it says "Lehigh Country Prison" but the sign really says, "Brandon Bishop School of Advanced Discipleship"!

   So anyway; I think that I’m trying too hard to believe and have faith; that it makes me worry more. Does that make sense? Like every day I wake up and I’m already thinking and telling myself ‘Have faith and trust in the Lord. How can He make it any more clear to you that He’s here with you guys and He’ll work it all out. He’s answered a couple prayers that you prayed in a matter of minutes.’ I guess in a way the devil is putting thoughts in my head, pushing me to break, curse and be angry at God. But how can I? I honestly think the devil is just jealous and getting angrier cause I’m not giving in to him anymore. Like I keep saying, I truly feel in my heart that this is all God’s doing for us, the more I think about the past and how we ended up here; it’s the work of God.
   Ha-Ha, you wanna know something funny? I feel like when I start to “try” to do things on my own and be in control; I feel in my heart that God is telling us, especially me ‘STOP! I am in control. Trust Me, believe Me in what I am doing, you have nothing to worry about, I’m here‘. Last night I started to ball my eyes out asking God, ‘Why, why does this have to be so painful, when is this pain going to leave both of us?’ So I was reading Paul Miller’s book A Praying Life (Paul is Brandon’s spiritual advisor and spends time with him) and he said “so when it starts getting uncomfortable, don’t pull back from God. He is just starting to work. Be patient“. Once again there is that magic word - patient - the hardest problem I have. God is truly among us, there is no doubt. That’s what I’m talking about when it seems like I’m trying to do things or be in control; our Heavenly Father takes hold of us and tells us to stop that; He is in control and we need to trust - and, oh, be patient. It just so happens that when Paul was here, he said that God put me here to teach me patience, to trust Him. Weird? I don’t think so - it’s God speaking through Paul. Same thing goes for you, mom - last night (Friday) when I called upset. I really feel the Holy Spirit was speaking through you. That was really encouraging what you told me (even though you probably don’t remember what you said; it was encouraging). (He’s right; I don’t).
   Once again, this is from Paul’s book but it’s from John of Landsburg, a 16th century Catholic monk. It’s from a letter he wrote called, A Letter From Jesus Christ. He imagined Jesus speaking personally to us, “I know those moods when you sit there utterly alone, pining, eaten up with unhappiness, in a pure state of grief. You don’t move towards me but desperately imagine that everything you have ever done has been utterly lost and forgotten. This near-despair and self-pity are actually a form of pride. What you think was a state of absolute security from which you have fallen was really trusting too much in your own strength and ability…what really ails you is that things simply haven’t happened as you expected and wanted. In fact, I don’t want you to rely on your own strength and abilities and plans, but to distrust them and to distrust yourself, and to trust me and no one and nothing else. As long as you rely entirely on yourself, you are bound to come to grief. You still have a most important lesson to learn; your own strength will no more help you to stand upright than propping yourself on a broken reed. You must not despair of me. You may hope and trust in me absolutely. My mercy is infinite“. Well, I’d say that pretty much sums it up. Here’s something else Paul said, “suffering is so important to the process of learning how to pray. It’s God’s gift to us to show us what life is really like“. So why is it so hard for me to just drop myself. I know He’s here. He’s planned this out, He’s working in this. But yet why do I still try to be in control? Does He know I don’t mean to? That I don’t try to. I sometimes think God already knows I don’t try to and we’re just human and crazy thinking human minds.
   This is what James McDonald said in his book that I’ve been meaning to tell you. “Sometimes the pressure of life - stress at work, pressure at home, a health problem, a financial crisis - sometimes in all of our lives, we stumble. Sometimes things weigh so heavy upon us, we can’t help but stumble. Contrary to popular opinion, these difficult times are not chance happenings. They are allowed by the loving hand of God to draw us to Himself and to conform our characters to the life of Jesus Christ” After I read that, I felt that that’s now another reason why we are here. That just goes to show things don’t “just happen” or “oh, that was going to happen anyway”. I’ve come to realize that the desert that Paul is talking about that we’re in is actually the valley of the shadow of death. He says in his book, “At some point, each of us comes face-to-face with the valley of the shadow of death. We can’t ignore it. We can’t remain neutral with evil. We either give up and distance ourselves, or we learn to walk with the Shepherd. There is no middle ground. Without the Good Shepherd, we are alone in a meaningless story“. So I feel we are also here to learn to walk with our Good Shepherd, through this whole process. If we do things on our own, we are alone in a meaningless story. The story He is making for us is to learn to fully trust Him. If we can trust Him in this process; and He can get us out of this, then we can trust Him and believe that He will provide for us when we are out. We cannot do things on our own; we tried that and look where it got us. I hate being here and I hate the pain God is putting us through while we’re here. But I love that I’m learning to see God in ways I never thought I would ever see.
   Well, I hope everything I said makes sense and it’s not just me and my stupid crazy thinking or my mind making me think that. But spiritually, that’s what I see God doing right now. He didn’t want us just to come here to change us and have us be more like Christ. But to learn about Him. To see His work. For us to trust Him. It’s not so much me and my lovely wife - but for everyone that is praying for us, supporting us, and wishing we were out. He wants everyone to believe; to trust Him. He’s showing Himself to everyone. We just need to keep an eye out and ear to hear. We may not see it or hear it, but He’s talking to everyone day by day, telling us to trust Him. It’s funny. I got all this from what you told me on Friday and after I balled my eyes out. I asked God, why do we have to keep going through this pain? How much longer is it going to last? And then I stopped crying. Just thinking and reflecting on everything. Boy! Did God open my eyes that night - once again not sure if it’s my stupid mind playing games or God really talked to me. Wish He could tell me or give me a sign that it’s not my mind playing games, ha-ha. But seriously, this whole process, this whole experience is truly God at work. He’s been slowly talking to us and now He’s getting louder and more well known. Is it just me?

Brandon

Peru / Richard / Sept 2011

Greetings Praying Friend,


It went well in Piura both in the evening Person of Jesus training Monday - Wednesday and the hour plus sessions with the high school students on Wednesday-Thursday mornings. There were 50 students with only 6 or so believers in the group. The POJ training started with over 80 participants on Monday and ended with 103 on Wednesday. I taught two lessons on Monday, trained 30 people to teach a section of lesson 4 on Tuesday, and had 12 of those leaders teach either lesson 7 or 9 in groups of 15-20 in each group on Wednesday night. The pastor and wife, Jorge and July (pronounced as Julie) were thrilled with the training. We are talking about me returning to Piura in April to do more Small Group Leadership Training. They anticipate using the Person of Jesus material in their small groups and want follow-up training.

July also corrected and improved the translation I have in Spanish for lesson 1-4 of A Praying Life training material (the old PrayerLife). I will use lesson 1-2 next week at a church on Thursday evening. July had translated lesson 1 from the Person of Jesus back in 2005! That is what I first used in the trip to Peru in 2005.

Tonight I begin working with the leadership team (50-70) at the Miraflores (Lima) Alliance Church. They oversee the 200+ small groups the church has. We will also meet all day tomorrow.

Ellen got her new job with CL Weber, thanks to our pastor, Andy Hudson. I had worked there in 2008 as I transitioned to seeJesus. We are happy to see how quickly God provided a job for her in this turned-down economy.

I have spent most of the day in bed, running to the bathroom on a "need" basis. I appreciate your prayers as I lead the training tonight. I am taking steps to recuperate and plan to be good to go later today. At least that is what I am praying.

Thanks for helping others see and reflect Jesus!

Richard

Wednesday Night POJ Training 

Pastor Jorge & July Merino

Students after Thursday study on Jesus

With the Students

Participant leading a POJ lesson

APL in Mt. Morris, IL / 8.27.2011 / Bob

Hurricane Irene kept Steve Byrd grounded (and dodging trees) for the weekend so I took his APL Seminar in Mt. Morris, Illinois.  Unlike for the rest of you, it was a beautiful weekend here and since it was a Saturday night and all day Sunday seminar at a campground, Helen graciously came with me.  

You are probably wondering why Steve would be scheduled to do a seminar in Illinois when I live right here.  I was originally scheduled to be at one that eventually cancelled.  So, it made sense that I take this one, anyway, and the storm just added to the common sense.

Well, the Spirit showed up, alright!  We went through Lessons 1 and 2 on Saturday night at the Evangelical Free Church there in Mt. Morris.  A gentleman named Chester came up afterward...in tears...and said (and I will try to quote him)...

"I read Paul Miller's book and enjoyed it.  Then, I read it again.  Then, someone at church asked me to review it so I read it a third time.  By the third time, I realized that I should be reading this book every few months for the rest of my life."

Then he explained that his son was in the States on a visit from mission service in Zambia.  He showed it to his son with a recommendation and a testimony of all that the book meant to him.  The son started flipping through it, reading portions, and ended up spending the next 36 hours reading it!   

Chester then said he would personally pay for all the expenses for a Trainer and spouse to go to Zambia if we would take the A Praying Life Seminar to all of the Action Intl missionaries, there!  (BTW, I asked him if we could send someone in training with the Trainer as discipleship...instead of a spouse...and he loved that idea.)  

He shared that the missionaries get discouraged out there and would benefit greatly from our training.  I believe after getting to know him over the weekend, he would be fine with our taking POJ into Zambia on the same trip.

I am not sure what the next move is regarding Zambia. Not sure which Trainer team to ask to go. All I know is that it is very important, as Paul Miller tells us, that we "go where the Spirit opens the door." In other words, where we are welcomed. 

Please be in prayer about this door opening in sub-Saharan Africa.

On a side note, Lydia was in Lusaka, Zambia a few years ago with a team from Trinity College, so she's pumped by this possibility!

Fayetteville Fruit / 8.2011 / Bob

CONFIDENTIAL

In December of 2009, my church, Spring Valley PCA in Roselle, Ill. gave an APL seminar to Heritage Bapt. Church in Fayetteville, Ga (Atlanta).

Last Friday night, I got a call from one of the families in the church that shared a neat prayer story.  Long story short, an entire family is being reconciled because of what Paul has called "time on target praying."  This reconciliation will also bear fruit in two significant church families, as well, because church leadership is involved.  

Naturally, we cannot write publicly about this and I am withholding sensitive details for obvious reasons.  But, I wanted our staff to know that our work has borne fruit in being a part of a neat prayer story all because one church gave a seminar to a church in need.

I hope this encourages you as much as it does me.  When you are in a very small organization like ours.  And, when you run on a comparatively very, very small budget the way we do, it is great to hear of such significant fruit, isn't it?

Plus, it makes for a great idea...churches (or individuals) giving seminars to other churches in need.

Incarnation Seminar / 8.2011 / Paul

Here's the first couple in the Incarnation Seminar that I did last November at Redeemer in Winterhaven, FL. This is a two hour video, but if you just watch the first 30 minutes you get a pretty good feel for it. When I watched the video I was more than a little humbled because although I think we were a help to Terry and Tammy I did not incarnate well with Terry. That is, I was focused on the truth Terry needed to see but not on Terry as a person. If I had been, I would have been slower, given Terry more time to reflect. I asked the Trainers to give me feedback and they were excellent. For instance, Scott Cook said, that my comment, "I think we have enough data" was a little depersonalizing. Absolutely. You'll see me make it at about 15 minutes when I stop Terry and Tammy. I'm going to keep doing these and keep video taping them. I really want the church to see how to love.

http://vimeo.com/27496179