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(4/25/01 - Today) On This Page: 3/16/09 - Today "Is binn gach eun 'na dhoire fhein." ("Sweet sings each bird in his own grove.") |
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Email us at: monks@prayerfoundation.org (Also: take our Survey! ...we need your feedback!) _________________________________________________________________ 10/5/11__________________________________ Thank you immensely for your prayer and the work you are doing to help so many. Enclosed is a check for $25.00 to assist with some of your expenses. God bless you richly!!!! Nancy A. (North Carolina) 5/10/11__________________________________ My brothers and sisters in China
are under the gun, strong, and 4/24/11__________________________________ I find your website very
informational, and refer to it every day.
Visit daily. At times there are things I would like to share with
my friends, some on Facebook and others are not. Would find
it very helpful if a link was placed on every page to share your
message with others. 3/9/11___________________________________ I am very intrigued to find
your website.
It is actually twice now I have randomly come across your
website. I have always been so drawn to monastic living and to find a
born again monasticism is great. I always believed I would end up Buddhist,
but I learned the hard way why Jesus
is the only truth. After all the different spiritualities I tried, Jesus
is the only one who ever did me any good, and within a year or so of
calling to Him, the damage the occult and new age did over many years
has been all but undone. Praise Him!! 2/12/11__________________________________ Dear Monk
Preston; 2/7/11___________________________________ Greetings in Jesus; To explain, many years ago during a difficult time in ministry I found the book “Celebration of Discipline.” From there it became my path in a noisy world to be still and know God more deeply even though by nature I enjoy people and as a Baptist pastor I know that activity and noise is usually preferable to silence. However, it has been a rich and rewarding time over these many years.
Then, a year ago I stumbled across the idea of neo-monasticism. This morning as I researched articles on the net, imagine my joy to find a prayer movement for evangelicals devoted to the core areas of my interest. I immediately forwarded your link to my prayer group of pastors who meets every Monday afternoon. Together we are Christian Reformed, Baptist, Congregational, Anglican, and independent Christian Reformed Evangelical and Apostolic Pentecostal! So, please add me to your email list.
My thanks for calling us back to our common roots. Every joy from Nova Scotia, Canada which has as its Scottish roots the motto, 100,000 welcomes! Pastor Quincy C. (Nova Scotia, Canada) 1/25/11__________________________________
Monk
Preston,
I am with You every day
in unceasing prayer and eternal Spirit. It's been an
awesome, Spirit-filled, very blessed year since I joined the
Order.
Yours in Him, in Peace
and all Goodness, always,
Monk
Tina
11/4/10__________________________________ My name is Ash and I recently stumbled upon your site and have become very intrigued by it. I have some questions concerning your beliefs and practices that I could not find answers to on the website, which although very informative, was somewhat difficult to navigate. I have been a born-again believer
for the past 14 years but was raised in Baptist
and non-denominational churches my whole life. I attended a small
Bible college and have a Bachelor's degree in Christian Ministries with
minors in youth ministry and Biblical studies. I just wanted to
give you a bit of my background so you had an idea of where I am coming
from. However, I have always been led to believe that the repetitious sayings are very impersonal and become something you say without thinking that does not come from your heart. I was wondering how you feel regarding this and if there is the propensity for the liturgy to become mundane, how one would counteract it. I know for me personally, I can repeat something I've memorized while my mind is completely somewhere else. Even while singing some of my favorite worship songs, my thoughts will stray from the holy. I know that this form of
worship service is not required but is something your specific group has
chosen to practice. ...Anyhow, thank you for your time and consideration, and I hope to hear
back from you soon.
Reply
from The Prayer Foundation ™:
You are
correct that in praying something memorized (as with singing a song)
one can do so while one's mind is wandering. This does not mean
that we should not sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs! (see:
Colossians 3:16).
Monk
Preston goes
into the specifics of (and practices for) avoiding this problem
on our web page How
to Pray the Psalms, and how praying the Psalms
makes our personal prayers the opposite of boring, or
tedious, which solely extemporaneous prayers can also easily become.
As you say, it is our "heart attitude" which is most important, in either case. "Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart." (I Samuel 16:7)
If we experience this
distraction in our private prayer, we simply start over, or at least
from where our mind has wandered. Your mind will wander less if
you pray aloud, but this is not always possible.
We have found it to be truly a joy to daily pray (or simultaneously sing and pray) The Lord's Prayer, Psalm 4, Psalm 5, Psalm 23, Psalm 117, Psalm 134 (Monk Preston has written of the woman who was so happy that he got her to memorize Psalm 23 --- she said that the Lord kept bringing it to her thoughts throughout the day), The Nicene Creed, St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer, St. Francis' "Lord make me an instrument of your peace." There is no repetition involved, we only pray them once each per day. If you mean repetition from day to day, well, we generally eat earthly bread (meals) every day, also --in fact three times a day (or more)! Eating never seems to "get old!"
Of course, we also add
our own extemporaneous prayers to those we have memorized every
time that we pray.
As Athanasius
wrote, when we pray the Psalms, God is speaking to us even as
we are speaking to him, and we make our own the words we pray.
When we pray a Psalm we will come to a verse that speaks
directly to a concern we are having, but in a way better than we ourself
could express it. After all, we are neither David, nor the Holy
Spirit! (see: Athanasius:
Praying the Psalms for additional helpful information).
“For every man, on every occasion, can find in the Psalms that which fits his needs, which he feels to be appropriate as if they had been set there just for his sake…" -Martin Luther
The argument that you
(and we, also) had been taught against memorizing and praying the Psalms
(and any other "written prayers"), if made similarly
against singing any memorized or "written" songs,
clearly illustrates how invalid and in fact outright silly an
argument it actually is. Imagine what a song service would be
like where only songs composed on the spot ("from the
heart") were allowed to be sung!
Christ and the Apostles memorized Psalms and prayed them (in fact Christ quoted from the Psalms more than from any other book of the Bible), as did the early Church, most of whom could not afford the extremely expensive scrolls of Scripture and memorized some of what they heard in Church, and that which other Christians could help them learn. We have read that no Bishop was ordained to that position in the first 300 years of Christianity who had not memorized the entire Psalter. If this was not 100% true in every case, we see that it was at least commonly practiced. As you have correctly pointed out, we do not require the use of our Worship Service by anyone else. For ourselves, however, it is indeed a joy to participate in weekly, totally from the heart -- we have been observing it for many years now with no boredom. Monk Preston and his wife use bits and pieces of it at random in their daily 15 min. of together married couple prayer time. In fact, he often goes through the entire Service during the day in thought on his own. Today, on an hour and a half drive back from skiing at a ski resort, he and his wife, Monk Linda, used part of the time to pray out loud together our entire Worship Service (Liturgy). 11/3/10__________________________________
Dear Brothers:
I have enjoyed using your website - it is
informative and interesting. Thank you. I do have one issue with your site for which
I seeking your feedback. You state the following on your page
regarding Dietrich
Bonhoeffer:
"Many of the more theologically
liberal clergy simply donned the brown uniforms and began
preaching from Mein Kampf." (Source: William Schirer,
"The
Rise and Fall of the Third Reich".)
You also state that many of the more
conservative priests left the Nazi church, implying that conservative
theologians avoided the error of Nazism.
First, I think it is a recurring error to
associate conservatism - or liberalism - with Christianity. Christianity
is a separate divine way from the ways of man.
As you must know from Holy Scripture, Jesus criticized the Pharisees (conservatives) as well as the Sadducees (liberals) of his day and said that their holiness was insufficient to save them. As for equating theological liberalism with error and theological conservatism with 'the straight and narrow,' history does not support your equation.
Lutheran pastor pastor Friedrich Coch, of
Dresden, supported the Nazis and was a conservative.
Monsignor Josef Tizo of Slovakia signed off on about 100,00 Slovak
Jews who were shipped to Auschwitz. Hans and Sophie Scholl of the White
Rose resistance group were liberal Christians, who died defying Nazism
in the name of Christ.
We are Christians first - adding adjectives -
liberal Christian or conservative Christian
adulterates what alone, by Grace, is divinely sufficient. We are saved
by Christ - not 'liberal Christ' or 'conservative Christ'.
Don't you agree?
I am curious as to your response.
Your brother in Christ,
(Name Witheld by Us)
Reply from The Prayer Foundation ™: Thank you for your kind encouragement concerning our website!
It was Schirer's book
which made the point about the clergy, and of course you are
correct that there were exceptions on both sides. Theologically
liberal clergy often claim Bonhoeffer
also, pointing out that he seemed to hold more theologically liberal
views earlier in his life.
Evangelicals see him becoming more conservative theologically after meeting his Mennonite friend, attending a black Gospel Church in Harlem, and studying under Reinhold Niebuhr. We see no contradiction between these views -- they are both true, if one simply looks at the timeline.
If you are referring
to political conservatism and liberalism, we are not
doing so, and agree with you that the Bible fits completely in
neither category. We ourselves feel that it is generally conservative morally
and generally socially liberal (pro help for the poor, for example).
Economically it is (in our opinion) neither; it seems to us to be
saying to keep only what you need and give the rest away for God.
The "pastiche"
of Holy Scripture comprising the Nicene
Creed has been accepted as the summation of required Christian
orthodoxy since 381 A.D. (the doctrines contained in it are themselves
accepted even by orthodox Christian communions that reject all Creeds on
principle) and was itself a summation of the earlier "Rule of
Faith" mentioned by Irenaus
and other Church Fathers
as going back to the Apostles
themselves (see our web pages: Nicene
Creed, Scripture Basis, and What
All Christians Believe in Common.)
These teachings have been accepted and held by all orthodox Protestant, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox communions throughout history since Christianity's inception.
Rejection of any of
such "essential" (to one's Christian orthodoxy, "orthodoxia",
or Right Belief) Biblical
doctrines found within the text of the Nicene
Creed,
such as the doctrines of the Trinity,
Deity of Christ, Virgin Birth, 2nd Coming of Christ, etc. places one
outside the pale of Christian orthodoxy, and has done so, for the past
2,000 years.
One may indeed have repented and received Christ, but if one rejects one or more of these "essential" (to one's Christian orthodoxy) doctrines, he (or she) is not teaching Apostolic Christianity, but rather a denial of it: false theological error, heretical opinions.
We do indeed agree
that a Christian is saved by Christ by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
We do not judge (we are indeed quite unable to) whether someone has
truly received Christ; is truly a Christian. Only Christ can
ultimately know those who are His.
And it is also true that, on the other hand, if one holds to all of the orthodox teachings found in the Scripture portions comprising the Nicene Creed, but has not truly repented and received Christ, we fail to see how that individual can be considered to be a Christian ("...the devils also believe, and tremble" -James 2:19).
The Bible teaches that
not only are we able to, but that we are in fact required to discern whether
someone is within or without the pale of Christian orthodoxy, and is
teaching error (see: I John 4:1; II John 1:1).
8/15/10_________________________________ Thank you for the neat website. Carmen (Puerto Rico) 8/11/10_________________________________
Dear Prayer
Foundation,
Thank you for
the reply to my survey. I really do like your site. And I too, am
working on studying the Church
Fathers as well as just general philosophy and theology.
St. Thomas Aquinas has been my distant teacher, you could say.
But, I do feel the call to pray more and be more "Monkish."
Well, thank you for your ministry and I do hope to meet with you
one day.
Yours in
Christ,
Barney C.
(Minnesota)
8/10/10_________________________________ Survey:
8/9/10_________________________________
Greetings, 8/8/10_________________________________________ Survey: 8/7/10_________________________________________
Thank you for
providing so much inspirational material at your site. I have really
enjoyed exploring my faith with the articles I have found here. I
especially enjoyed the Celtic
pages which have armed me with good information that I have been
able to use to witness with to some of my
fellow Scotsmen in NC. God bless your work for the Gospel
of Jesus Christ for which we are not ashamed. Be encouraged as I
have been encouraged by you all. Thank
You.
Daniel 8/6/10_________________________________________ Survey: 8/5/10_________________________________ I have just discovered your website, and was really blessed by it. I have been wanting to implement some version of prayer throughout the day into my life, as just a spiritual discipline, and having studied Church History quite a bit in the past, I wanted to base it on some structure like the Benedictine offices, only simpler. But I like your simple “Threefold Daily Prayers” summary, of Morning, Noon, and Evening. Thanks so much, and thank you for putting together your website and ministry. I look forward to further exploring the wealth of prayer resources you have on your site. I’m glad I found my way there, and intend to come back often. Again, blessings in the significant work you are doing. Durwin K. 8/4/10_________________________________ Survey: 8/3/10_________________________________
Greetings in the name of our Lord most High
to Monk Preston,
Monk
Linda and all other monks in Portland.
We are doing good here, baby Hannah is
2 months old now. Thanks to all the monks and family of the Foundation
who prayed for Hannah's safe birth. We could feel God's hand and the
waves of prayers by the faithful.
Thanks and Regards,
Monk Justin (Wellington, New Zealand)
8/2/10_________________________________ Survey: 8/1/10_________________________________ I’ve been reading your
webpage for a week now. I like it. I know there has to be Christians
like myself...someone who prays an
hour a day (minimum) as I do. I’ve found some books
that have been helpful... Recently I
spent some time with some Catholics
who meditate but I found that they had practices concerning Mary
that I don’t have in common with them. I am not a Catholic. What am I? A fifty-one
year old married female Christian who became born-again 28 years ago. I
read the Bible cover to cover every year, most years. I have studied
parts of the Bible thoroughly using the Precept Upon Precept method of
inductive study. I have a prayer life that is too personal to share here
in email but it’s very important to me. I seem to have been called to
intercessory prayer if that helps to explain. Labels aren’t important
and I don’t think I fit any label very easily. Maybe that is partly
why I don’t have a denominational alliance. I am a very committed
Christian and my faith and my walk with the Lord is the most important
thing in my life. I’ve been zealous (or serious, dedicated) for the
entire 28 years. I am surrounded by liberal
Christians. I too have a dedication to solitude and quiet which is crucial to prayer and meditation and contemplation and Bible reading. I am a wife and mother as well as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. My doctrines are Grace
based, not works based. If you love Jesus you will obey His
commandments—John 14:15. Obedience is love based, not the means to
salvation. J. Vernon McGee
and I have much in common theologically and I noticed that your website
also endorsed his work. I wanted to share enough
to let you know that my desire for like-minded people is very strong and
it is highly possible that by finding all of you that I may have found
some people who are similar to myself. Thank
you for your time. I appreciate it 1000% and even more so now that
I understand how much time you are dedicating to this work. It’s
grievous how many dangers you face I
spend a lot of time at your website and I now understand that it is your
ministry so I will continue to be on there. I
fervently pray the Lord Jesus
Christ’s many blessings and protections for you and all of
your work. Thank
you most sincerely, 7/30/10_________________________________ Survey: 5/18/10_________________________________ Survey: 5/4/10_________________________________ Dear
Monk Preston, 5/1/10_________________________________ Survey:
How Found: Google -
Canticle of Brother Sun. 4/29/10________________________________ Survey:
How Found: Googled George
Meuller - one of my heroes, wanted to show a friend a picture of
him. 4/28/10________________________________ Survey:
Impression
of Site? In my opinion I am
impressed about everything.
Liked Best:
If you train Christians to become
leaders and bring changes in our
world.
Liked Least: None.
Like to See: Leadership
training and Pastoral materials that we can download. Born-again? Yes. 4/27/10________________________________ Survey:
How Found:
Preparing to teach on Mueller's
prayer life led me to your site. Impression
of Site? WOW.
Liked Best: The depth of
content.
Liked Least: Silly, but the
blue capital letters in your headings. 4/22/10________________________________
Friends:
...charts
for praying the Hours and reading the scriptures...I haven't
found any resource like yours
anywhere.
Thank you, and God's blessings on your work for Him.
Pastor Ed R.
4/20/10________________________________
Praise the Lord, Monk
Preston!
Greetings in the name of our Lord Most High to you and all the
Monks in Portland.
My name is Justin and I am writing to you from Wellington, New
Zealand.
While I was a student in Vienna, Austria, I had been in
touch with the ministry and identified myself as a
monk in my heart and joined The Prayer Foundation ™.
I arranged regular Local
Chapter meetings at my place (in Vienna) which
were posted on the website.
At present as I am in New Zealand, I would like to update
my details and inform you of the Local
Chapter being organised here...small gatherings of
believers and seekers have been organised at my place. We have
people coming in for an evening tea and we pray and watch Christian
DVDs that help us to grow more in Christ,
concluded by worship
and prayers.
New Local Chapter of The Prayer Foundation ™: Monk Justin: 41A Daniell Street; Owen Street; Newtown; Wellington, New Zealand. Times may be confirmed by calling: +64 2102986860.
The Lord has been doing wonderful things in my life; I have been
married two years now and we are expecting a baby in
May. My wife is born again from the Orthodox
Church.
We find great joy in serving the Lord and observing The
Threefold Daily Prayers.
I personally try and observe The
Seven Hours of Prayer whenever possible.
The Lord has given a burden in my heart to share the Good News in
Wellington through Gospel tracts. Please pray
that I give the right tract to the right person and that the
Lord move their heart towards the truth.
Thank you for the prayers and encouragement given through the Foundation
I will try to keep in touch more often, as I consider that would
be an encouragement and guidance for my monastic
life.
Thanks and regards, Monk Justin (Wellington, New Zealand) 4/19/10________________________________
I was
inspired in prayer this evening to research becoming a monk, a
lifelong calling of mine, which was regretfully unachievable in
my foundation faith, Catholicism.
I was delighted tonight to find your Order immediately on my
first search.
I have
been a practicing minister for my entire life, and was formally
ordained in April 1999, synchronistically one month after the
foundation of your Order. I feel totally in alignment with
the values and commitments of The
Prayer Foundation ™,
and have been faithfully praying and serving as inspired by the Holy
Spirit for my entire life.
...there
is no doubt that I am "already
a Monk in my Heart!"
It is my
desire to join the Order in this way, and contribute to your work
financially as much as I am able in retirement, and every moment
joining you in prayer.
May you
be blessed abundantly for the loving service to all, for the work of
your Hearts, Hands, Souls, and Spirits. Thank you ever so much
for the invitation of a lifetime!
I already practice my faith in the same way as the Order, tho the
structure is somewhat different only in terms of the times of the
day that I pray the same prayers. I started today practicing
those prayers at the times the Order does, and I am so honored and
so blessed to have found you all. You are Anam Cara, my
Soul Friends.
I have sent a
hand-written thank you note with financial support to become a
member of the Order. There is no greater joy than to have
found you, through the Holy Spirit, and feel that my life has come
360 degrees in the practice of my Christian Faith, to
join your work
and continue to pray unceasingly with you.
Tina B.
(Delaware)
4/18/10________________________________ Greetings my Beloved Brother
and Sister in Christ! 4/9/10_________________________________
Dear Monk Preston,
It's been awhile since I communicated with
you. ...I have stayed close to the Lord and continued to follow The
Prayer Foundation ™ site and our
practices... I spent more time this evening reading and
re-reading through The Prayer Foundation ™
website - I really love it and what you are doing.
Thank you and God bless you all.
Love,
Monk Karen (New Jersey)
4/7/10_________________________________ Thank you very much!
Best
Regards, 3/30/10________________________________ Dear Friends at The Prayer Foundation ™:
I am a 55 year old, ordained Assemblies of God minister who
has been considering becoming a monk
through The Prayer Foundation ™ for
quite some time. I am also looking at going through a two year
Spiritual Formation program beginning this fall to become a certified
Spiritual Director. I have a consistent prayer life, read the
Bible daily and fast weekly.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Richest blessings to you,
Steven W.
3/24/10________________________________ Hello, my name is Nathan and I
am unable to ignore God's call any longer.
I have been wrestling with it for over two years, but there's just no
escaping it. I live in San Diego and I want to talk with someone
about becoming a monk and
starting an order of the Knights of Prayer ™,
here in San Diego. I'm currently in my third year at seminary
where I'll earn a master's in marriage and family therapy, as well as
extensive training in scripture, theology, hermenutics, and
ministry. Please keep my calling and my ministry in your prayers. 3/23/10________________________________ Thank you. I have no call from the Lord Jesus Christ to be on your list as a monk. I am so happy you are encouraging people to preach the Gospel of Christ. Yours sincerely, N.T.W. Henry De S. (Scotland, U.K.) 3/18/10________________________________ Greetings, Knights of Prayer ™ Thank you so much for this ministry! Going through the monastic training is energizing my prayer ministry very much. Especially singing St Patrick's Breastplate first thing every morning, establishes a foundation of peace and powerful connection to God. Amen. I have it almost completely "by heart." Blessings abundantly, :) Monk Heidi (Utah) P.S. Love the new stuff on the website! 3/17/10________________________________ ...I am grateful for your website and everything your
ministry is doing. It has helped me a lot in my walk with the
Lord. 3/11/10________________________________ Greetings, I have recently been viewing your website and find it quite wonderful. I am a non-denominational born again Christian woman. I rely on the Word to get me through the day -- like the Monks I try to live in the now and enjoy the special little moments of life instead of living for what will be down the line. As you know that is not always possible -- but as the Bible says, what’s impossible with man is possible with God. So I continue to study and continue to be taught by the Word. I have lots of family obligations, take care of my mom, work full time, and am an artist; so my life is quite hectic. I have become fascinated by the monastic way of life the last several years. I have a wonderful chanting tape and book about an order of Monks. The Hours of praying the daily life and the serenity of their life. With the pressures of my life living in the “natural," peace is not easy to attain -- but I do have some little moments of serenity, and study many peace scriptures. I praise God for that. Since viewing your site and printing off the The Seven (Historical) Hours of Prayer, I have become more attuned to praying without ceasing -- I have also been praying the Seven Hours of Prayer and have found myself thinking about God and praying a lot more during the day. I check the time of day and begin to pray at those times. I have not yet
finished viewing all there is to see on your site but what I have seen
has been a blessing to me. I am praying that I can use this
information to continue witnessing
and be a blessing on my job. I sometimes use my art to
witness with words of encouragement. I really felt like you were
talking to me when you said many out there already are Monks
in their heart…I know I am one. I am sorry to be so
wordy -- but your site has me all jazzed up. 3/10/10________________________________ Dear Monks,
Today while researching online I came
across your site. I am very blessed by your work and direction.
My husband and I were for 30 years Evangelical
Charismatics. We converted to Catholic
around 4 years ago after discovering the beauty of the ancient Church
Fathers and the beauty of liturgical
worship. My husband for 8 years headed the Christian
Coalition for the state of Alabama and I directed a pro-life work in
Montgomery Alabama for 18 years. We have for decades been
committed to the unity
of Christ’s body both in prayer and work. When
my husband left the Christian Coalition 3 years ago, we moved to
a 40 acre farm in rural Alabama. Our dream is that someday a
monastery be located on or near our property…so God Bless your work.
When
we moved down here we turned off TV (we do not have a TV). Because
of this we have like you discovered the buried treasures of Christian
movies. I am going to paste your recommendations into our
Netflix Q. We watch movies on our computer. In
an era of mindless entertainment I am glad to see you point people to
entertainment that actually contains nutrition.
God Bless
your work, 3/9/10_________________________________ Dear Monk
Preston, P.S.: This is the students of Horizon Christian High!!!!!!!!!!!! Please come to our class and tell us about yourself, we would very much appreciate it. You are the coolest monk we have ever heard of. We are truly interested in what you have to say. Please bring your shields, and robes!! They are tight. Thanks, bye! 3/8/10_________________________________ Survey:
How Found:
Google.
Liked Best: Everything. This is one
of the better websites I have seen. 3/3/10_________________________________ Brother Preston and Sister
Linda, 3/2/10_________________________________ Survey:
How Found:
Google search for persecuted
Christians.
Liked Best: The information
and statistics.
Liked Least: Nothing I
have seen.
What could be improved? I
think it is easy to navigate and there is so much information, I don't
see that it needs improving. 3/1/10_________________________________ I have been interested in the
monastic life ever since I visited the Abbey of Gethsemani in 1997.
I have a Master's degree in Christian
Ministry and Leadership. I have looked at your
website from time to time, and I will do so again. I definitely want to move into
being a monk. I have been discouraged by many who have said
that:
1. there is no such thing;
or...
2. You can't be a monk unless you are Catholic
and not a 2/28/10________________________________ Found your website
today....WOW!!!!!
I used to be Catholic
and left the Catholic church years ago and came to the Lord. My
heart has always been Franciscan
and I have checked, but I cannot become a Third Order Secular Franciscan
- only an affliate - because I am no longer Catholic. 2/27/10________________________________ I have been exploring the
website for several days.
I feel drawn to the evangelical
monastic life. The evangelical
church has hurt itself by turning its back on forms of faith expressed
in some church
traditions.
Most churches are unaware of the godly
saints that have gone before them. It is sad that the
examples of these faith-filled brothers and sisters have been
ignored.
We have the Old Testament prophets, the Apostles, and then...a
gap. The true story of St.
Patrick always makes me wonder, what does God ask of me? 2/24/10________________________________ Dear Monk Preston and Monk Linda, Grace and peace to you all through the love of Christ our Lord. I greet and thank you for your support, prayers and concern for the entire community of African Enterprise ministry. May our heavenly Father continue to bless you all according to His precious promises. We look forward to hearing from you. In Christ's Service, Pastor Stephen Lungu International Team leader African Enterprise Note from the Prayer Foundation ™: See our webpage, Movie Review: Selected Psalms with Stephen Lungu (Book by Book: The Old Testament) 2/19/10________________________________ I read with interest your observations about the early forms of the cross on stone in Ireland and Scotland, especially the free standing gray stone cross with the circle around the cross. There is one of these free standing crosses in the sanctuary of the Church of Scotland in Kirkinner, Galloway, between Wigton and Whithorn. I saw it there while we were on pilgrimage, and worshipped with the congregation on a Sunday morning back in 2004. We had locating that church as a possible "thin place" because my great grandparents had been married in that church in 1854, just before they emigrated to Elgin, Illinois. Also, Peter's mother, Janet had been sprinkled with water as on infant in 1800, when the present church house was quite new. Anyway, there is the stone cross, apparently turned up in some farmer's field, cleaned up, and set in a concrete base as a reminder of the great host of witnesses who have gone before us. I had thought that it was an English cross, possibly of a monk, who was part of a band fleeing from the Norse invasions. I know that Cuthbert's followers had finally left Lindisfarne about 890 and wandered in what is today northwest England and SW Scotland (Kirkcudbright being marked by Cuthbert's name). But I guess you are saying that these freestanding crosses with knotwork on the slab were Celtic in origin, and the predecessors of the massive Scripture crosses that can be seen in Ireland. I appreciate and praise God for your website. We are praying at fixed hours in a prayer garden behind our house that used to be a 24 foot in ground swimming pool. Now in our late 70s, we are finally retiring from pastoral ministry at the end of this calendar year, to give fuller attention to our relationship with God in Christ, while remaining active in the church apart from professional pastoral or clerical concerns. In the words of our denomination's 300th anniversary slogan, we are yours, Surrendered to God, Transformed in Christ and Empowered by the Spirit. Jim and Letha M. (Kentucky) 2/19/10________________________________ I would like to thank you for your ministry.
It has been a great encouragement to me in times of despair as well as
for my spiritual growth. I am a Baptist minister in Arkansas and I
often turn to your websight for information and encouragement. I
hope to be able to become a postulant monk soon. Keep up the great
work that God has called you to. 2/18/10________________________________
Dear Brothers
and Sisters in Christ,
My name is Samuel. I am
a prison minister and live in Maine. I thought that it was a
good thing to write and to inform you that I will pray with you and
for you. Thank you for the mission that you are blessed
with. God has given to you a gift that is lacking in this day
and age. God's grace be upon you. May His peace overshadow
your hearts and the unity of faith be ever present in your walk.
IHS,
Rev.
Samuel L. (Maine)
Hancock County Prison
Ministries
2/17/10________________________________ Your website was quite helpful and enlightening to me. Please accept this contribution as part of my tithe for the month of December. Peace be with you all, Susanne (Rome, Italy) 2/15/10________________________________
Dear Monk
Preston and Monk
Linda,
I am from
Brazil. Nowadays I am part of Catholic
Charismatic Renewal. A famous priest here always performs the Saint
Patrick Breastplate Prayer.
Due to this,
every morning I have performed this prayer and I am spreading this so
beautifully written God poetry.
I have a
great admiration for Saint
Patrick, his life and mission.
I am asking
God to bless your Monks' Monastery with His Holy Spirit.
For me
was a surprise to know a Non-Catholic
Monastery.
Peace and All
Good,
Paulo
(Brazil)
2/14/10________________________________ Survey:
How Found:
I suppose (I'm sure) God had a hand in it.
Liked Best: That I am now a Prayer
Warrior, and will actually get to someday be
a Lay Monk. 2/13/10________________________________ Dear
Monks in Jesus,
I am Nisha from
2/12/10________________________________
Greetings in Christ's Name, 2/11/10________________________________
Thanks for your and Monk Linda's ministry.
Thank you for the beautiful certificate...
I have a website, forgivenchristians.org,
and was wondering if it would be alright to
direct my readers to The
Prayer Foundation
™ website (which I could get lost in due
to the richness of the content). Also, I am ordering new
business cards for my ministry, and ask your permission to add "K.P.M.O."
(Knights of Prayer Monastic Order) to my name. I don't
want to be presumptuous, yet am proud to have affiliation with your
order.
What I love about The Prayer Foundation ™
is it encourages me to develop spiritually. My soul invariably
finds rest when I enter your website.
Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time on your website, and
found myself lost in the depth and breadth of it. If mine
can develop into a quarter of the information you minister to
others, I will consider it a huge success.
There's sometimes in my life when I spend hours chasing
information, trying to be better equipped to minister to others.
Then there's a point when I need to listen to God telling me to "Be
still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10). That's
when I go to your website, find my Bible reading for the day, and
find rest.
It's at the place of prayer I realize all my efforts and good
intentions are amusing to our Father. The Chilean earthquake
reminds me of the power of prayer. One event affected the
entire Pacific Ocean. So it is with intimate prayer...one
sincere prayer answered by our Lord is more powerful than all the
work I can accomplish.
Again, thank you for your ministry, and I look forward to both
supporting it and expanding the knowledge of your website.
In Christ, always,
Monk Joe (California)
forgivenchristians.org
2/10/10________________________________ Survey:
How Found:
I did not hear, just found it. 2/5/10________________________________ Monk Preston and Monk Linda, What an answer to prayer to find the Knights of Prayer ™! Of course God's timing is perfect. To be directed to your website immediately following a time of prayer and fasting for specific direction and purpose was just another example of prayer answered. Words cannot express the deep sense of joy of having an impossible prayer answered. Many times in my life those closest to me have said I had the heart of a monk...alas, being a born again Christian, married with children, and a woman, also made it impossible to follow the calling of my heart. Thank you for following the calling of your heart that allowed mine to be fulfilled also. Blessings, Kelly (Eugene, Oregon) 2/4/10________________________________ Please enroll me as a Lay Monk and send me the Certificate & Card. Thank you for your inspiring website. It gives me great comfort and helps me establish a deeper relationship with my Lord and Savior. Thanks and God bless, Pastor Joseph S. (Camarillo, California) 2/3/10________________________________
Hello! I have just discovered your website and am looking forward
to learning more about it. It looks great!
I am interested in Lectio Divina,
praying the
Hours, and the schedule for daily Scripture reading. Thanks!
I especially like your order's emphasis on the core
doctrines that are basic to all orthodox believers no matter what
denominational connection they might have. I think
that's very healthy.
I have shared your home page link with my pastor. He
just finished a series of Sunday school lessons on Brother
Lawrence's The
Practice of the Presence of God, so I included your link to
that too (we are nondenominational evangelical,
and we share your emphasis on core doctrines and broad outlook.)
Have a great day!
Regards,
Bob S. (Tennesee)
1/18/10_______________________________ Survey:
How Found: Searched
for Protestant
Monks. 1/17/10_______________________________ Survey:
How Found: Google
search for Virtual Monasteries. 1/16/10_______________________________
Good morning,
After finding your website, I recommited myself to the Lord, I
prayed the prayer, and
am starting to pray
the hours with you. I admit I had been lax, but this
website has given me a fresh perspective. I would like to
study the monastic life, and become
a part of your community of lay monks. God bless you
for all your work for the Lord. I am also going to start
having a worship
service on Sundays using yours. I feel like I have
just taken a lot of weight off of my shoulders, and all my worries
will soon
disappear.
Thank you so much.
Denise (Texas)
1/13/10_______________________________ Greeting
in Christ! I am a
pastor of an Evangelical
church in Thank
you so much for your ministry. Thank you and God Bless! 12/30/09______________________________
Wonderful
website!
I've been
blessed visiting your website a number of times in the recent weeks. I
particularly like the book
and film recommendations.
Also, being of Irish heritage, I'm intrigued by your emphasis on Celtic.
This is an area I would love to spend more time studying.
I already
have the Lutheran
Liturgical Prayer Brotherhood CD of mp3s. They have a
very nice Protestant
prayer book, useful for praying the hours. After evaluation, you
may consider including them on your links
page:
http://www.llpb.us/.
I also want
to thank you for including Wycliffe
Bible Translators
on your links page.
I am a translation advisor serving with SIL in Papua New Guinea, translating
the NT and some OT materials into the Bariai language. Praise
God, he has blessed this work and helped us greatly in these past 16 years!
Many
blessings in Christ for the New Year.
Steve G.
(Papua New Guinea)
12/29/09______________________________ Dear Monks,
I
just came upon your Prayer Foundation by chance. I sent
in the survey form last evening saying I was happy and delighted to
read some of your website and your Liturgy
of the Hours is excellent. I say the Liturgy of Hours
Morning , @Noon and Evening and at times Bedtime. I became a
Professed Benedictine Camaldolese Oblate Hermit or Solitary as I
cannot live in a Monastery, or be a Consecrated Hermit because I am a
married woman...I am delighted that your Ministry is that of prayer
for the whole world as well as yourselves.
I
love your Daily
Liturgy of the Hours and am going to pray it for a change...I
know your Daily Prayer Schedule will fit me well. ...I am
passionate about people developing a deeper relationship with Our Lord
Jesus Christ as He is our beginning and our end and our endless desire
for Him, so I will keep in touch with your prayer site as long as you
don't mind my being Catholic.
I would take on your studies,
but I have mine to do still for about another 2 years. Please
pray for me and I will include you in my daily prayers along with your
Prayer Chain and Requests
for prayer.
So
it is a wonderful vocation you have been given and The Prayer
Foundation, the Monks, the Virtual
Chapel and so much more I have to read will help me in my
present studies I am sure. I was wondering about buying a Prayer
Book, but I see it is all up on the Computer screen and this makes it
so easy.
God's
peace, love and Blessings be with you always,
Amen.
Greetings
from Australia,
Sharon
K. (Australia)
12/28/09______________________________ To the Monks at The Prayer
Foundation,™ 12/27/09______________________________
I
am currently going to seminary...Golden Gate Baptist
Theological Seminary (Southern
Baptist), but I have really contemplated becoming a monk.
I was trying to see on your website if you had some sort of a..."day
in the life" type of page. I have been doing a
ton of research in trying to find a Protestant
monastery, but it seems those are only myths within Protestantism.
I am not sure if I share your affinity for Celtic
traditions, but I was wondering if you could give me more
information or if you could tell me of any other Protestant
monasteries around the world.
Thank you, Larry G. (Mill Valley, California) 12/26/09______________________________ Hello and greetings in the name
of the Lord! 12/25/09______________________________ Dear
Friends, 12/24/09______________________________ I was learning from Christian website. I
fortunately entered into your website. I have study much from
there. I am a man who like praying and I have a prayer ministry. 12/23/09______________________________ Hello
Friends,
I pray that this Christmas season brings you closer to our Savior.
May you have a blessed and wonderful year.
Beannachd
Dia dhuit (Blessings of God be with you),
Rev.
Mike & Daryl Ann
Cill
Dara Ministries 12/22/09______________________________ Wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Shaji K. (Kuwait - originally from Kerala, India) 12/7/09______________________________ Monk Preston
& Monk Linda - 11/17/09_____________________________
I absolutely love this web site. Among
other things, I count on seeing Brother
Juniper every day...
Thank you and God bless you all.
Jean (Tucson, Arizona)
11/16/09_____________________________ Love the site; its so full of information...I am in
Afghanistan getting ready to come home...I help with the youth ministry
back home and it was suggested to go to your site. I am very
interested in the Knights of Prayer...I will be digging deeper to
find more out on your site about it...until we speak (email) again, be
with Him and I pray for all your ministries and anything unspoken.
10/21/09_____________________________
Dear Monk Preston & Monk Linda,
Greetings
in the name of our Risen Lord!
We are writting you on behalf of The
Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches. We have kept up
with you and the ministry over the years and have been greatly
blessed by your love for Christ and the Church.
We are especially blessed by the way
you are encouraging people to know the Lord and grow in his Grace
and Love.
We should have written a long time
ago to tell you we appreciate you including the CEEC in your history
of Protestant Monasticism. We have many people who have
continued to pursue an evangelical
monastic life.
This week beginning October 21st,
2009 the CEEC Bishops are meeting in Synod and we thought it would
be nice if we could read a letter of greeting and prayer to the
Synod, from The
Prayer Foundation ™. This would also give us a nice way of
exposing more people to your web site.
Other fellow "monastics"
have been kind to do so, we have included one example from Ray
Simpson from Lindisfarne.
In Christ,
The Bishops of the
CEEC.
_________________ Ray Simpson, Community of Aidan and Hilda: To the Synod of the International House of Bishops, Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches; Atlanta, Georgia, USA. 18 October 2009 Dear Brothers in Christ, Greetings and prayers for your gathering in synod October 21- 24th from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, Cradle of Christianity for English-speaking people. Thank you for the ways you co-operate with God’s stirrings in our world and also for remaining human. As you seek to discern your core values and build God-given foundations into a new generation of leaders, know that we resonate with you, for we, too, are seeking to do just that. As I begin to hand on my Guardian’s duties I have moved to a new home named White House. Those early missionary founders Martin of Tours and Ninian of Britain established White Houses that formed the praying, hospitable heart of mission networks. Smaller white houses of prayer and sacrament became the hub of Christian outreach in many parts of what is now Scotland. The names of successors whom Ninian appointed are known. These formed one family, or dispersed community, who looked to The White House in Galloway as their mother house. I have no sense that God wants me to control things, but I do hear these words: ‘Foundations, foundations, foundations.’ That is why, for several years I have poured my life experience into the writing of daily reflections and spiritual exercises on our Way of Life which is published this month as Waymarks for the Journey. We are also preparing a Foundations Course, but even more important than these will be building foundations through relationships. Our members in Norway and other lands seek to build foundations by re-connecting with the early desert fathers and mothers, and re-living the journey from the sinful Ego to the True Self in God, to be stripped of everything until there is nothing left but love. Do not strive to make things happen: allow God to lead you into the deep touching places. It is a crucial and a costly time, but it is God’s time. So, dear brothers, be real, go deep, laugh, cry and journey through cross-cultural but cross-centered exchange into the lasting fruits of resurrection. There will always be a welcome here at our Retreat House, The Open Gate, and in our prayers. Your brother in Christ, Ray Simpson Community of Aidan and Hilda A Way of Life for our world From the International Guardian, Revd. Ray Simpson White House, Holy Island, Berwick-upon-Tweed , TD15 SRN (U.K.) _________________
Greetings,
and the peace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you all, beloved in the Lord, dearest brothers and
fellow-servants of Christ,
We here in God's
beautiful Pacific
Northwest, at The
Prayer Foundation ™
Headquarters in Vancouver, Washington, and with our 200-some Knights of
Prayer Monks ™
around the world, stand with you in prayer as you meet in Synod
October 21-24. Over 1,700 of our Prayer
Warriors from 43 Countries are praying for you
all, and moment-by-moment lifting up your fellowship in their
dedicated prayer times around the clock on our 24-Hr. Prayerchain,
that the Lord may be with you, with your spirits.
For us, the Lutheran Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer summed it all up when he wrote: "...the restoration of the church will surely come only from a new type of monasticism which has nothing in common with the old but a complete lack of compromise in a life lived in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount in the discipleship of Christ. I think it is time to gather people together to do this...'"
We offer our
Interdenominational website to you, that it may hopefully be of
benefit to some: over 1,000 webpages of prayer teaching and
resources from all Christian Communions of all ages - Eastern
Orthodox, Roman
Catholic, and Protestant.
We encourage yourselves
along with ourselves in remembrance of "the main and
plain" teachings of Holy Scripture. The four areas of Right
Belief, Right Life, Right Witness and Right Ministry.
Orthodoxy:
for the Apostles handed down in the Rule of Faith what was compiled
by the entire Church into the Symbol of our Faith, the Nicene
Creed. Orthozoe:
"Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Purity
of life. Orthomartus: words
and life in balance, "in spirit and in truth".
When either is neglected, our witness is marred. Orthodiakonia: What
would the Lord have me to do today? And to saturate our lives in
the Two Devotions: the Word of God, and Prayer.
The monk, The
Venerable Bede, writing in his masterwork: The
Ecclesiastical History of the English People, said this of
the Celtic Missionary
Monk, Aidan:
"He cultivated peace and love, purity and humility; he was above anger and greed, and despised pride and conceit; he set himself to keep and teach the laws of God, and was diligent in study and in prayer...I greatly admire all these things about Aidan."
Pax et Bonum
to you all,
Co-Founders: The
Prayer Foundation Knights of Prayer Monks ™
Vancouver,
Washington
October 21st,
2009
_________________ Monk Preston, Monk Linda, May the Lord bless your day and ministry. 10/20/09_____________________________ Dear Monk Preston and Monk
Linda, Reply from The Prayer Foundation Knights of Prayer ™: We have had guests play guitar or accompany traditional Hymns with harmonica or whatever instrument they offered to bring. We sing several
portions of our Interdenominational Worship
Service (Weekly We believe that this verse
covers the use of: the Book of Psalms,
Classic
Christian Hymns, and even modern "Choruses".
However, we
look askance at the modern use of "choruses" solely, as
lacking the instructional doctrinal content found in the classic hymns,
and, of course, also in the Biblical Psalms.
10/6/09______________________________
Dear Prayer Foundation ™,
I have visited your website for the
first time today...
I currently live and work in Africa, Uganda.
Regards,
Carol (Uganda) 6/8/09______________________________
The Peace of the Lord Be with you all.
Dear Brothers,
I am a temporal profess Brother and saw your order on the Internet
and was interested in the life. I wish to be friendly brother to
your community...I am of age 25 years and I am a high school
Graduate in Cameroon.
Hoping to read from you and your
community.
Extend my greetings to your community.
Your Brother,
Mbinglo A. (Cameroon)
6/6/09______________________________
I recently discovered your website and
have found it to be very encouraging and a wonderful resource.
So much of the content resounds with my spirit and I am very grateful.
I believe that your work and ministry
is God-honoring, joyful and full of grace.
Yours most sincerely in Christ Jesus
our Lord,
Pam B., staff
First Presbyterian
Church
(Reading, Pennsylvania)
6/3/09______________________________
Good
Afternoon,
I
am very interested in affiliating with a monastic order so that I
might deepen my relationship with Christ,
and live His will more fully. While I once belonged to the Roman
Rite, my family and I now worship at an Anglican
Parish that blends evangelical
worship with Anglo-Catholic
sacramental theology and liturgy. While I typically identify
more with the Anglo-Catholic side of the aisle, so to speak, I
wholeheartedly agreed with everything in your Statement
of Faith. Alas, most Anglican orders in the U.S.
are Episcopalian,
and are succumbing to the heresy that plagues that Church. I
suppose you could say I take a very "Dominican" view
of my faith - I am deeply interested and involved in theological and
philosophical speculation, but want to live those studies out
concretely by serving my community. Would someone such as myself
feel at home with the Knights
of Prayer?
God
Bless,
Shawn S.
Veritas
Lux Mea
Reply from The Prayer Foundation ™: Perhaps
only yourself can ultimately decide whether you would feel at home
in our Order---we certainly do not see any reason why you wouldn't.
You
should begin with prayer. Pray for guidance in this matter.
Our
Order excludes only those who do not agree with our Statement
of Faith (essentially the doctrines of The
Nicene Creed).
You could also begin with as much of our Daily
Prayer: Praying the Hours as you feel led to do, and
again also with our "Growing
In Christ" Monastic Training Course.
In
addition to this, we recommend just reading through our website.
If you read (for example) ten pages per day, it would take
you over three months to read through our entire website!
There is posted on it much more prayer instruction than any one
person would or even could practice, but this is because one
thing will be of benefit for one person, and another
will benefit another (and some may be of benefit at
different or particular times of the individual's life).
6/2/09______________________________
I am so sorry that a site
that is dedicated to Christ
has to twist history
and spend so much of their writings belittling the Catholic Faith
while using their own Church
Fathers against them. You are highjacking the Catholic
Church Fathers solely to justify your beliefs that can not stand in
real truth. May the Lord and the Holy spirit help you to see
what your doing. If your faith were truly God centered, you
would not have to feel the need to discredit a Faith (the true faith)
and would just preach the word of God. I could not believe your
lies about Thomas a
Kempis:
I would like you to prove this with undisputable facts. I am sure you can't and I probably will not get a reply from you. May our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on you! (Email Unsigned)
Reply from The Prayer
Foundation ™:
We
do not belittle the Roman Catholic Church on our website---we
are an Interdenominational Christian ministry; including Eastern
Orthodox, Roman
Catholic,
and Protestant
Christians among our volunteers. All hold to the same essential
basic Christian teachings as found in the Nicene
Creed (see
our webpage: What All
Christians Believe in Common: Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic,
& Protestant).
The Church Fathers are the common heritage of all Christians. It should come as no news to most Roman Catholics that there were problems in the lives of some of those in the Church hierarchy during the Middle Ages.
One can
also find posted on our website that some Lutherans
and other early Protestants
persecuted Anabaptists.
That the Anglican
Church persecuted the Puritans. That the Puritans (called
Pilgrims
in America) persecuted Quakers
(Friends).
It is truly not a very pretty picture---but it is what actually happened
in history.
Even St. Francis
and the first few Franciscans were suspect at first.
In Franco Zefirelli's fine Film, Brother
Son, Sister Moon, the Bishop's assistant, when trying to get
Francis in to see Pope Innocent III, tells Francis
how close he is to being burned as a heretic (the Hierarchy thought Francis
sounded like, and might therefore be, a Waldensian).
When the Church later changed the Franciscan Order after St. Francis' death, the original followers of St. Francis ("The Spirituals") who wanted to remain living as they had done in the beginning, were also told to conform to the new changes or be burned as heretics. Read any Roman Catholic History of St. Francis; we have reviewed one such (the best one, in our opinion): St. Francis of Assisi: A Biography, by Omer Englebert (published by Franciscan Herald Press).
The Brethren
of the Common Life began under Gerard Groote as a
loosely structured, home lay "renewal" movement.
But as it grew to comprise hundreds of houses, it drew the negative
attention of the clergy, whose lives Groote was denouncing as being
decadent and evil. Groote's only intention was to purify the Catholic
faith, and its followers' morality.
The Church hierarchy at this time, however, was suspicious of any movement not authorised and under the auspices of the Church; that they felt could lead to, or fall into heresy. The penalty for heresy at that time was being burned at the stake. The Church required as proof of the Brethren of the Common Life's orthodoxy, that they enter into the established structure of the Church (in this case, the Augustinian and Franciscan Orders---the men becoming Augustinian Monks in 1394---and the women becoming "Third Order" Franciscans).
Some
References:
Wikipedia:
"Brethren of the Common Life":
"A small
band of followers attached themselves to Groote and became his
fellow-workers, thus becoming the first "Brethren of the
Common Life" (Dutch: Broeders
des gemeenen levens). The
reformer was opposed by the clergy whose lives he denounced in his
preaching as decadent and evil,
but his zeal for purifying the Catholic faith and the morality of
its followers won many to his cause."
"The Word Made Flesh" by Margaret Ruth Miles (2005), P. 201: "...the sisters and brothers were forced to abandon the freeform communities intended by their founder. To escape the charges of heresy that threatened religious groups whose social and religious loyalties were unclear to outsiders, they affiliated with recognized religious orders." 5/27/09_____________________________ My heart is warm again and I am feeling happier. It has been 7 years since (my traumatic experience) and I truly feel life is returning, and that I am beginning to be in the world again and not in a pit. Thank you. I would love to visit your Foundation one day. Much love in Christ, Victoria 5/26/09_____________________________
Brothers:
I am interested in your community.
It is something I've been looking for, for many years.
I am an ordained Presbyterian
minister who was asked to leave because of my belief in the
present day ministry of the Holy Spirit, and my stand on Baptism.
That was many years ago. Since then I have volunteered
actively in the Nazarene
Church.
I...have lived alone now for about twenty
years.
I am retired and follow a regular
schedule of daily
prayer and Bible reading.
For quite some time God has been moving
on my heart to find a few Christian brothers and form a monastery.
To show you my ignorance, I did not know there were any in
existence, especially you right here in Oregon.
All I want is to spend time in prayer, study and possibly some
writing. I have just finished commentaries on John
and Mark. All I want is to humbly proclaim the Word
of God. I am so very much interested in your community.
Robert I. (Salem, Oregon)
5/25/09_______________________________ I am pretty sure that you have good intentions, but
your ideas are rather messed, up unless you want to pretend to be 300 AD
Christians. Comment from The Prayer Foundation ™: We do indeed feel that we are not worthy even to unloose the sandals of the Christians of 300 A.D. We are not pretending to be them, but we do desire to also hold to the basic essential doctrines of the historic Christian faith which they held (see our webpages: The Nicene Creed;The Nicene Creed: Scripture Basis; Our Statement of Faith). 1. Our Green Monastic Habit was designed by us to be distinct of, and to uniquely represent our own Monastic Order. It is not similar to any of the Benedictine Habits. It is similar in cut to the Reformed Cistercian (Trappist: which is Black on White), as is also that of the Franciscan Friars of EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network: theirs is Brown on Brown---there is no one "universal" Franciscan style of Habit). The many different Franciscan Orders in the Roman Catholic Church each have their own distinctly styled Habits unique to their own Orders. And of course this is also true of the several Anglican Franciscan Orders. 2. "Nun" is a term meaning "female religious", or "female monastic". Someone we greatly admire, Fr. John Michael Talbot, founder of "The Little Portion" Franciscan Community (Roman Catholic), also has adopted and uses the term "Monks" for its female monastics. Since Pope Benedict XVI is fine with this, and since you seem to be of the Roman Catholic persuasion, your "difference of opinion" (which you are certainly entitled to) seems to be actually with Pope Benedict XVI, rather than with us. 3. It does not seem to us that we are "playing a game" when one of us street-preaches in Mexico and a soldier puts a shotgun to our head, ordering us to leave; or when one of us tries to aid fellow Christians in China, and later learns that they were followed and arrested for speaking to us (again, you are certainly entitled to your own opinion on this).
Your comment that we
should join a "real" monastery (...by this you mean a
Roman Catholic monastery?) is unintentionally extremely
ironic. In the beginning days
of St. Francis' preaching
ministry (a uniquely new form of religious life at that time) the
townspeople of Assisi threw garbage and rocks at him, and asked
him why he didn't just go join a monastery and become a monk (and
quit bothering them with the witness of his words and his life).
Perhaps you are not aware that Roman Catholic monasteries do not allow those who are not Roman Catholics to take monastic vows as full-time Monks. Because we are Evangelical Protestants, and in 1999 there was no such thing as an Evangelical (born again) Christian monastery, we felt led in that year to found the very first one; this one. Clarification of terms: It is often confusing to Evangelical Protestants (and vice versa) that Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics have often used the term "born again" in reference to Baptism. When most (though not all) Evangelical Protestants use the term "born again", they generally are not referring to Baptism at all, but rather are meaning by it what most Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics mean when they instead use the (universally accepted) term: "conversion experience". As we have heard the Roman Catholic Franciscan Friars on EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) say many times on the air---"everyone needs to have a conversion experience." -"Life On the Rock". An Eastern Orthodox view of the necessity of personal conversion to Christ: "Repentance is the essence of this whole venture; of what it means to be an Orthodox Christian. I'm talking about each and every person... We are all converts. Christianity only exists as a Church of converts. Being born into it can be very wonderful... But, you still have to accept it. You still have to make a conscious choice. You still have to enter into that process of inner conversion. Because the word repentance also means conversion." -His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah; Leader of the OCA (Orthodox Church in America); from his 2009 Speech in Miami Lakes, Florida, "Preparing for Great Lent". 5/21/09_______________________________
Dear Monk
Preston and Monk Linda,
I would like to subscribe to
your E-mail newsletter.
I think your website and all
that you stand for is fantastic. This is what I have been
looking for, for many years now, but being an evangelical
born again believer I could not find
anything to satisfy the longings of my heart.
I have desired for so long to
be so close to God that I would be aware of His presence every
moment of the day.
I can not thank you enough
for all that you have done for me in creating The
Prayer Foundation ™
website.
I drove out to the
countryside at 6am the other morning to do my daily
prayers, I felt so close to God as I looked out on
a beautiful sunrise, that I was reduced to tears of joy
and gratitude as I marvelled at the wonders of His creation.
I will be sending a cheque/money order for my certificate (Lay Monk).
Yours in Him,
Malcolm
S. (England)
5/14/09_______________________________ (The
Original Email:) I have been doing a lot of study in the
Bible, and have come to the conclusion that I must obey the gospel. Comment from The Prayer Foundation ™: Gospel just means "good news"---the good news about Christ: Christ came down from Heaven; Christ died for our sins; Christ rose from the dead---and you either have Him (as your personal Lord and Saviour) or you don't. You don't need any formula or particular prayer. Just sincere repentance and belief: "He that has the Son has life..." -I John 5:12 Our webpage: Plan of Salvation is composed of a collection of scripture texts relating to Salvation. Do you mean to say that Holy Scripture is "false teaching"? We believe it to be God's Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Your claim to have heard so many different "plans of salvation" we find to be disingenuous---in forty years of Christian study, we have never heard of any other "plan of salvation" than that taught by the Apostles in the Holy Scriptures: Repent; and believe in Jesus Christ. Perhaps you are referring to the various organizations who reject belief in basic Biblical teachings (summarized in the Nicene Creed: such as that of the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, The Virgin Birth, Eternal Judgement, Heaven and Hell, and and so forth) like the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons---or to other religions, like Hinduism and Buddhism---but you do not actually seem to be referring to these groups. "Repent
therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out." -Acts 3:19 It is true that Christ commands all Christians to be baptised. However, baptism is not essential for salvation (consider the thief on the cross: "And Jesus said unto him, Truly I say unto you, today you shall be with me in paradise." -Luke 23:43). Baptism is not even a part of the Gospel according to the Apostle Paul (and the Holy Spirit!): "I thank God that I baptized none of you...For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel." -I Corinthians 1:14,17 For a more complete discussion of this subject, see our webpage: Open Letter On Baptism. (The Response to Our Comments:) It is obvious...you don't want to see the whole truth of the scriptures.
With your obvious perversion of concepts and the scriptures, which
are distorted in a horrible way, there is no reason for me to lovingly
correct the error your group is promoting.
You really need to consider what you are saying about the thief on
the cross... ...I pray that you will seek the truth from God's
word, instead of repeating error that has been going on since the time
of Jesus.
(Name Withheld by Us)
Response Comment from The Prayer
Foundation ™: We
cannot "consider what we are saying" about the
thief on the cross, because we did not say anything about the
thief on the cross---we merely quoted to you what our Lord said
about him in the Holy Spirit inspired Holy Scriptures.
Your disageement is not with us, but with what Christ said in
Luke 23:43,
and what the Apostle Paul (whom we also merely quoted)
taught regarding the relationship of the Gospel and Baptism in
I Corinthians 1:14,17.
Thank you for saying that we are teaching the Scriptures as they have been taught from the time of Jesus. This is indeed our hope and goal. As you may already know, it is called the "one holy universal (catholic) and apostolic faith" in the ancient historic Creeds. "We have learned the plan of our salvation from no one else other than from those through whom the gospel has come down to us. For they did at one time proclaim the gospel in public. And at a later period, by the will of God, they handed the gospel down to us in the Scriptures --- to be ' the ground and pillar of our faith.' " -Irenaeus of Lyon (written Ca. 175-185 A.D. in "Against Heresies") 5/12/09_______________________________ I am a Christian, and want to grow in prayer and intimacy with the Lord. I currently am serving in my local church Body as the leader of our prayer ministry. I am intrigued by your website, and have spent quite awhile reading your pages. I believe your disciplines could help me mature in Christ, and am considering applying to join the monastic order. Most of the content on your site really glorifies God, and is completely Biblical, and I was blessed to read it.
I think it is great that you leave the non-essentials out of
requirements for your membership...
Your website is literally one of the most uplifting, godly websites I
have ever read, even among the more heavily publicized and heavily
funded ones.
Grace and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ, Shelley (Indianapolis, Indiana) "Live one surrendered day at a time...eyes to the east, hands to the cross, feet to the path." -Beth Moore 4/21/09_______________________________ Dear Monk
Preston,
4/12/09_______________________________
May the Lord give you Peace!
Monk Preston
and Monk Linda,
Happy Resurrection day to you and yours. May the power and
the glory of Christ's resurrection be yours today and forever.
Blessings,
Rev. Br. Joe P., C.J.
4/11/09_______________________________ I
haven’t visited in awhile, and was just delighted today to find
updated material and more features. Thank
you! 3/22/09_______________________________
Dear Monks,
I appreciate your website and daily
readings.
Thank you,
Floyd S.
3/17/09_______________________________
I am so blessed to have found your website.
I am a home schooling mom to four children and have always been
interested in set
times of prayer. I feel that it would bless and anchor
my days to have other times of prayer and meeting with the Lord
besides just the morning.
Grace & Peace,
Betty
3/16/09_______________________________ Glory to Jesus Christ! GLORY
FOREVER! _________________________________________________________________ Next Previous Page of Letters (Page 85) Copyright © 2009 S.G.P. All rights reserved.
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"So we pray because we were made for prayer, and God draws us out by breathing Himself in." -P. T. Forsyth _______
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