Peoria Prayer Center

Here is a posting from my journal some ten years ago. It was a part of my reflection as I transitioned out of public ministry and more into the prayer room. As in all perspectives, I am sure what I was doing was affecting what I felt everyone should do. We feel more secure when people agree with us. But I feel there are many young people, bombarded by social media and a false sense of reality, that need to know they are OK in their brokenness. Not OK, as in no need to change or grow. But OK in  being less than you can and less than others expect is a part of becoming all God made you to be. The road to Biblical excellence does not travel from the head, but the heart. Excellence. It is a word we use to challenge people to do their best, and just a little more. It is a mindset we may have to motivate ourselves to do more and to do more, better. But why? Should a Christian strive to live on the edge of perfection? Should that quest to be excellent be a motivational thou

Link to PDF  Generally, there are four different parts of our walk or journey with God.       Traveling towards/repositioning/repenting       Camping/waiting/rest            Assent/moving upward to fellowship/abide            Descent/moving outward to minister/serve/give Life is more confusing then it needs to be when we do not know what leg of the journey we are on. When we don’t know what God is doing in our lives, we feel lost, uncomfortable or even anxious. Add to this discomfort our tendency to take matters into our own hands as we can add burdens to our lives as we live as if we are in one stage while being in a different stage. This season of contemplation is designed to help you hear from the Lord what stage of the journey He has you in. We also need the wisdom to understand when our jobs are on one stage, our family in another and our service to the Lord in another. These complications seem worse then they are when we are tired and desire life to

March Contemplative Prayer  Contemplative prayer - March from Rodney Drury

The idea of hiding includes protection. What we hide we are seeking to protect. That is why my wife hides the sweets from me and I try to hide the peanut butter from her. That is why both of us hide things in our heart. Deep within each of us we have hidden secrets and things we want to protect. These hidden places make life more adventurous and deeper. Sure you can hide things that should not be hidden. But just because something can be used wrongly doesn't mean it is right not to use it correctly. Hiding your love for someone is different than hiding your love from them. Here are four questions and three passages to ponder. 1.       What is it about pondering and treasuring things in our heart that make us different? 2.       Are you the kind of person who is energized when other people know your dreams or do you find it draining when they know? 3.       How many things do you have that are just between you and God?  4.    Do you find your relationship with G

March Contemplative Prayer Retreat  

There is a beauty in the ways of God that call us to experience more than just the rules. Wonder is found in the quest to experience God and not settle in for being more moral, saved or chosen. It is not that being moral, saved or chosen by God are bad things, they are not. They are fruit we enjoy as we undergo a transformation. As God gets deeper inside of us, we are not just changed on the outside or in our thought life. Our whole being is changed. We live with both a call to hide and not to be hidden. Matthew calls us to be a candle and a city seen and known (Matthew 5:14-15). And then in a few verses, Matthew calls us to practice three things in hiddenness. Giving to the poor, prayer and fasting are three areas that light hides so that it may be light. Scriptures used in this blog are posted at the end. Jesus shows us who God is and how He works. In Jesus demonstrating God to us, we see that Jesus is the light of the world and that “all the treasure and wisdom and know

ALL POWERFUL, ALL LOVING What is it like to take on the nature and character of Jesus Christ? Maybe you are like me and have been on this journey of transformation for some time. I have enjoyed the fruit of a thousand different historical and modern forms of discipleship. I have read hundreds of books and engaged in instruction through conferences, media, and the web. All of it has helped. But the interaction between me, the word, and the spirit have been the best. The best at producing lasting fruit. The best at setting me free from myself. In the following passage, Jesus gives a life lesson to the disciples. It is a life lesson to me too. Here are 5 questions to consider as you read this text and walk with me through this article. 1.    What will you do with your calling, purpose, power, and authority? 2.    How do you prepare to change the world? 3.    How is the gap between you and God filled? 4.    Is humility an idea or a lifestyle? 5.    How can I