Is God really in control of everything? If not, who is and why? Jason, a queer Christian artist teaches on our authority we have as followers of Christ from a gay perspective and how it is important for the lgbt community to have a strong life of prayer and stand against the kingdom of darkness. In this first part of the teaching, Jason answers these tough theological questions including "can God do anything?"
Jason is the moderator of the "Gay Prayer Resource" and is involved in affirming church work, performing and recording music, video, photography and art. For more parts to this series, writings and articles including multi-media, please go to http://groups.google.com/group/gaypray for the continuation of the series, go to http://groups.google.com/group/gaypray/web/prayer-resource-videos
Gay, disabled, artist from Oregon shares insights about having lived wholeheartedly on both extremes of the political and religious spectrum. For more info, try this link: http://gaypray.blogspot.com/2016/11/welcome-to-prodigal-mystic-this-post.html This blog was formerly called "Gay Prayer Resource" (2007) then "LGBT Friendly Prayer Blog" around 2012. Since 2014, there's been yet another epic paradigm shift, yet all the original posts from biblical perspectives were not deleted.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Prayer and Mental Health
As I share with others in the Gay/Lesbian faith community about mental health issues, I have found that it is quite a struggle for many of us. I have written this article for those who feel sometimes that they can't pray, and as a result, feel confused and even guilty. I am also sharing this writing with those that are in mental health support groups and I have gotten positive responses. A dear lesbian sister told me at church after reading the article that these issues apply to everyone in some way as well.
Click here for the
PRAYER AND MENTAL HEALTH LINK
Be blessed as you read,
Jason T. Ingram
Gay Prayer Resource Moderator
Click here for the
PRAYER AND MENTAL HEALTH LINK
Be blessed as you read,
Jason T. Ingram
Gay Prayer Resource Moderator
Friday, June 15, 2007
Part 2-The Gay Prayer Resource presents... "Bossy"
The second of four parts about the authority of the believer in Christ.
Is God really in control of everything? If not, who is and why? Jason, a queer Christian artist teaches on our authority we have as followers of Christ from a gay perspective and how it is important for the lgbt community to have a strong life of prayer and stand against the kingdom of darkness. In this second part of the teaching, Jason begins his lesson on how Lucifer lost his authority over the earth through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and gave that authority to the church. Jason is the moderator of the "Gay Prayer Resource" and is involved in affirming church work, performing and recording music, video, photography and art. For more parts to this series, writings and articles including multi-media, please go to http://groups.google.com/group/gaypray and for the other parts of this teaching, http://groups.google.com/group/gaypray/web/prayer-resource-videos
Is God really in control of everything? If not, who is and why? Jason, a queer Christian artist teaches on our authority we have as followers of Christ from a gay perspective and how it is important for the lgbt community to have a strong life of prayer and stand against the kingdom of darkness. In this second part of the teaching, Jason begins his lesson on how Lucifer lost his authority over the earth through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and gave that authority to the church. Jason is the moderator of the "Gay Prayer Resource" and is involved in affirming church work, performing and recording music, video, photography and art. For more parts to this series, writings and articles including multi-media, please go to http://groups.google.com/group/
The Chronicles of Answered Prayer - Prayer 911 – The Prayer of Desperation
The Chronicles of Answered Prayer
By Jason T. Ingram
Prayer 911 – The Prayer of Desperation
Hear me when I cry
The book of Psalms are full of the prayers of desperate people in desperate situations. They were in war, division and even depression; so their intellectual capability of remembering traditions and teachings on prayer were not such an issue, but a time of pouring one’s heart out before heaven like a child that has fallen down crying out to a parent for comfort. In the Psalms you hear this phrase a lot: “Hear my cry” or similar phrases. Its OK to cry to God. Sometimes that’s the only Person you can cry to at times.
God knows the state of human beings, and we all have times of being so overwhelmed, we may say things based on our feelings alone, and not based on much truth. I don’t believe that God will turn away such a plea.
Prayer 911
Have you ever called 911? I have. I know that I am calling someone who has had a lot of training in the area of working with distraught folks that are in crisis. The caller does not have to use a calm collected voice, using complete sentences and be making total sense in order to get help. The 911 employee understands that. But we should not be calling 911 every day.
Prayer 411
There are times though, that when the praying Christian is in a right state of mind and heart that we are to pray according to what we know, and not based on feelings. If 911 type praying is all that goes up from a believer to heaven, perhaps there can be other forms of prayer that can be answered more effectively like:
-Praise and worship
-Thanksgiving
-Intercession, praying for others
-Praying through scripture
-Prayers against world forces of darkness
-Praying in tongues, etc...
Are you afflicted? Pray now!
Why wait? Pray now. Seek the Lord while the Lord may be found like in Isaiah 55. Don’t wait to feel better. Don’t do good things to feel better about bad things you may have done, cry out for God’s mercy and be cleansed from all guilt. Pray if you are a straight person, pray if you are a lesbian, a gay man, bi or transgendered. Pray if you are not a Christian. Call on the name of Jesus not matter what religious beliefs you may hold to. Pray if you are mad at Christians, mad at yourself, or even mad at God. Pray in your car, in the alley, in your bed, or at your computer. Pray standing, kneeling, walking, sitting or lying down. Pray if you are running from a dangerous situation. Anyone can. You can.
The one word prayer of desperation
Have you ever heard of a major disaster where folks cry out in desperation? I bet you will hear this one word:
Jesus
As someone who deals with mental illness I have come to know this prayer quite well. “Jesus” is sometimes all I can say when I am in trouble. That’s all I know how to do sometimes. When I am out of control and paralyzed with fear, even though I teach on prayer, I forget all I know about prayer and nearly abandon my faith at times. This is where I simply call on the name of Jesus. Its like calling on your Mom who is in the next room as a child in need. A name can summon a person. When you call on the name of Jesus, you have the Person of Jesus there with you.
Grab the manual
Industrial work places should train their new employees to know where the eye wash and the MSDS is. First, get the chemical out of your eyes, then you learn about the hazardous stuff that got there. The Material Safety Data Sheet is the manual of all the chemicals used in the plant. It is in a handy place like a fire extinguisher, or an emergency exit.
Just like the prayer of desperation, the other thing to do is grab a Bible if one is handy. I like to carry Bibles with me most places I go. I keep a few little New Testaments with Psalms in my bag. I have a few Bibles in my bedroom, family room and studio. Sometimes I flip through a Bible waiting for something to “pop” out at me, or perhaps I have marked a page or underlined some passages that speak to me.
Be a Psalm reader
Reading the Psalms out loud has a tremendous way of dispelling the darkness that tries to surround you. A Psalm of praise, like the last five in the book of Psalms, or Psalm 18, 27, 34, 91 etc... can break a spiritual black cloud that may be trying to get you away from God. The book of Psalms is nearly in the middle of the Bible and has 150 chapters. Its big, easy to find and there is a lot of powerful inspired words, even if they don’t make sense.
One note about this: when you see writings in the Old Testament, especially the book of Psalms that speak about enemies, remember that since Christ, under this New Covenant of love, we are dealing with dark spiritual enemies, not people. Jesus commands us to love our enemies, not curse them. We can and we should pray against demons though. So get out your Emanuel Manual and use this “Sword of the Spirit” and the name of Jesus to get you out of your desperate situation.
Resources:
Jesus
The Bible, especially Psalms
About the picture:
"Broken" By Jason Ingram, oils on canvas 2005
sources: http://www.gaychristian.net/userfiles/1160585938-Broken.jpg
http://www.gaychristian.net/community/showtopic.php?tid/13802319/post/13875659/hl//s
By Jason T. Ingram
Prayer 911 – The Prayer of Desperation
Hear me when I cry
The book of Psalms are full of the prayers of desperate people in desperate situations. They were in war, division and even depression; so their intellectual capability of remembering traditions and teachings on prayer were not such an issue, but a time of pouring one’s heart out before heaven like a child that has fallen down crying out to a parent for comfort. In the Psalms you hear this phrase a lot: “Hear my cry” or similar phrases. Its OK to cry to God. Sometimes that’s the only Person you can cry to at times.
God knows the state of human beings, and we all have times of being so overwhelmed, we may say things based on our feelings alone, and not based on much truth. I don’t believe that God will turn away such a plea.
Prayer 911
Have you ever called 911? I have. I know that I am calling someone who has had a lot of training in the area of working with distraught folks that are in crisis. The caller does not have to use a calm collected voice, using complete sentences and be making total sense in order to get help. The 911 employee understands that. But we should not be calling 911 every day.
Prayer 411
There are times though, that when the praying Christian is in a right state of mind and heart that we are to pray according to what we know, and not based on feelings. If 911 type praying is all that goes up from a believer to heaven, perhaps there can be other forms of prayer that can be answered more effectively like:
-Praise and worship
-Thanksgiving
-Intercession, praying for others
-Praying through scripture
-Prayers against world forces of darkness
-Praying in tongues, etc...
Are you afflicted? Pray now!
Why wait? Pray now. Seek the Lord while the Lord may be found like in Isaiah 55. Don’t wait to feel better. Don’t do good things to feel better about bad things you may have done, cry out for God’s mercy and be cleansed from all guilt. Pray if you are a straight person, pray if you are a lesbian, a gay man, bi or transgendered. Pray if you are not a Christian. Call on the name of Jesus not matter what religious beliefs you may hold to. Pray if you are mad at Christians, mad at yourself, or even mad at God. Pray in your car, in the alley, in your bed, or at your computer. Pray standing, kneeling, walking, sitting or lying down. Pray if you are running from a dangerous situation. Anyone can. You can.
The one word prayer of desperation
Have you ever heard of a major disaster where folks cry out in desperation? I bet you will hear this one word:
Jesus
As someone who deals with mental illness I have come to know this prayer quite well. “Jesus” is sometimes all I can say when I am in trouble. That’s all I know how to do sometimes. When I am out of control and paralyzed with fear, even though I teach on prayer, I forget all I know about prayer and nearly abandon my faith at times. This is where I simply call on the name of Jesus. Its like calling on your Mom who is in the next room as a child in need. A name can summon a person. When you call on the name of Jesus, you have the Person of Jesus there with you.
Grab the manual
Industrial work places should train their new employees to know where the eye wash and the MSDS is. First, get the chemical out of your eyes, then you learn about the hazardous stuff that got there. The Material Safety Data Sheet is the manual of all the chemicals used in the plant. It is in a handy place like a fire extinguisher, or an emergency exit.
Just like the prayer of desperation, the other thing to do is grab a Bible if one is handy. I like to carry Bibles with me most places I go. I keep a few little New Testaments with Psalms in my bag. I have a few Bibles in my bedroom, family room and studio. Sometimes I flip through a Bible waiting for something to “pop” out at me, or perhaps I have marked a page or underlined some passages that speak to me.
Be a Psalm reader
Reading the Psalms out loud has a tremendous way of dispelling the darkness that tries to surround you. A Psalm of praise, like the last five in the book of Psalms, or Psalm 18, 27, 34, 91 etc... can break a spiritual black cloud that may be trying to get you away from God. The book of Psalms is nearly in the middle of the Bible and has 150 chapters. Its big, easy to find and there is a lot of powerful inspired words, even if they don’t make sense.
One note about this: when you see writings in the Old Testament, especially the book of Psalms that speak about enemies, remember that since Christ, under this New Covenant of love, we are dealing with dark spiritual enemies, not people. Jesus commands us to love our enemies, not curse them. We can and we should pray against demons though. So get out your Emanuel Manual and use this “Sword of the Spirit” and the name of Jesus to get you out of your desperate situation.
Resources:
Jesus
The Bible, especially Psalms
About the picture:
"Broken" By Jason Ingram, oils on canvas 2005
sources: http://www.gaychristian.net/userfiles/1160585938-Broken.jpg
http://www.gaychristian.net/community/showtopic.php?tid/13802319/post/13875659/hl//s
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Part 3-The Gay Prayer Resource presents... "Bossy"
(Part three of four)
Is God really in control of everything? If not, who is and why? Jason, a queer Christian artist teaches on our authority we have as followers of Christ from a gay perspective and how it is important for the lgbt community to have a strong life of prayer and stand against the kingdom of darkness. In this third part of the teaching, Jason continues his teaching on spiritual authority in prayer as well as a way to meet our Creator personally through Jesus Christ. Jason is the moderator of the "Gay Prayer Resource" and is involved in affirming church work, performing and recording music, video, photography and art. For more parts to this series, writings and articles including multi-media, please go to http://groups.google.com/group/gaypray and for more of these videos, http://groups.google.com/group/gaypray/web/prayer-resource-videos
Is God really in control of everything? If not, who is and why? Jason, a queer Christian artist teaches on our authority we have as followers of Christ from a gay perspective and how it is important for the lgbt community to have a strong life of prayer and stand against the kingdom of darkness. In this third part of the teaching, Jason continues his teaching on spiritual authority in prayer as well as a way to meet our Creator personally through Jesus Christ. Jason is the moderator of the "Gay Prayer Resource" and is involved in affirming church work, performing and recording music, video, photography and art. For more parts to this series, writings and articles including multi-media, please go to http://groups.google.com/group/
The Chronicles of Answered Prayer - Find the Balance
The Chronicles of Answered Prayer
By Jason T. Ingram
Find The Balance
A pastor years ago told me, “if you have the Word without the Spirit, you dry up – if you have the Spirit without the Word, you blow up - and if you have the Spirit and the Word, you grow up.” I believe this principal also applies to effective prayer as well. In my writings, when I mention the Word, I am talking about the Christian Holy Bible, and when I mention “the Spirit” I mean the Holy Spirit (especially when I use the big S which is popular to capitalize in reference to Deity) the spirit with the small “s” it typically describing the human spirit.
Spiritually dry
My partner and I were talking the other day about his experience about reading the Bible in the past and his frustrations with it. I asked him if he ever prayed for understanding or prayed the Bible out loud. His church never taught that, and for years he put his Bible down, nearly giving up on it. There are a lot of sincere Christians that have never been shown how to have an effective devotional life. Now, my partner loves to do our devotionals daily and if we miss one, he bugs me about it until we make it up. I have no super powers, I just show folks what has worked for me and I have happened to be around a lot of Christians over the years that get their prayers answered.
The supernatural
One thing I have noticed with those who have a powerful prayer life, is not only their knowledge of the Bible, but their ability to get “in the Spirit.” This Bible experience in found in the book of Revelation and is also seen in the lives of the Old Testament prophets, like Ezekiel, Daniel and Isaiah. This is a spiritual dimension (or realm) any true believer in Jesus can enter in to.
Pray what God wants for you to pray, and how to pray
On the practical side though, the spirit realm is not to be taken lightly and there is a deceptive side to it as well as the true supernatural workings of God. For the believer who is new to these things, there is a natural tendency to confuse the senses and emotions with the spirit. Another major hindrance to these experiences in the supernatural has to do with this gray matter between our ears, yes the brain. If our minds have meditated daily on the Word of God, being in the Spirit will be more accurate to have the ability to pray in the prophetic gifts. If our brains are not accustomed to spiritual things, and focused only on the natural, it is easy to get ideas that are not of God, and we could in fact be praying out of line.
Do not be caught in what the Bible calls to “pray amiss” that is found in the book of James and has been explained as asking God with the wrong motives, or even praying for the wrong things. So pray what God wants you to pray for and don’t stop praying until the Holy Spirit releases you or until you get your answer. Your answer could come sooner than you expect!
A final directive
When it comes to praying while in the Spirit realm, the Lord may indeed show you things, even about others. It is absolutely essential to recognize the following principal:
Are you to SAY or PRAY?
To say things that you see in the Spirit is in fact to “prophesy” about it. Saying something out of line, even if the message is true can cause the speaker to:
-Function out of their gift, and cross over into another ministry office that was meant for another
-Be lifted up in pride
-Cause damage to a hearer if it was not their place to hear
-Loose their ability to function (for a season) in the prophetic gifts out of disobedience
-Spread gossip
So realize that God can show you something and it could be to pray it out, not to say it out. Seek God for wisdom, and wait for an answer whether you should share what you see, and with whom to share it with. A practical rule of thumb is to keep a prayer journal, or simply write these impressions you get in prayer in your diary or personal journal. I think it is best to keep things to yourself if unsure, or share with an understanding pastor or trusted leader about your dilemma.
Resources:
Praying God's Word – by Dr. Ed Dufresne
https://secure.eddufresne.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=100&osCsid=348e8294165c0abebf5825f2d4076d56
Germaine Copeland’s resources on prayer
Prayers That Avail Much (Vol. 1, 2 & 3)
http://www.prayers.org/
By Jason T. Ingram
Find The Balance
A pastor years ago told me, “if you have the Word without the Spirit, you dry up – if you have the Spirit without the Word, you blow up - and if you have the Spirit and the Word, you grow up.” I believe this principal also applies to effective prayer as well. In my writings, when I mention the Word, I am talking about the Christian Holy Bible, and when I mention “the Spirit” I mean the Holy Spirit (especially when I use the big S which is popular to capitalize in reference to Deity) the spirit with the small “s” it typically describing the human spirit.
Spiritually dry
My partner and I were talking the other day about his experience about reading the Bible in the past and his frustrations with it. I asked him if he ever prayed for understanding or prayed the Bible out loud. His church never taught that, and for years he put his Bible down, nearly giving up on it. There are a lot of sincere Christians that have never been shown how to have an effective devotional life. Now, my partner loves to do our devotionals daily and if we miss one, he bugs me about it until we make it up. I have no super powers, I just show folks what has worked for me and I have happened to be around a lot of Christians over the years that get their prayers answered.
The supernatural
One thing I have noticed with those who have a powerful prayer life, is not only their knowledge of the Bible, but their ability to get “in the Spirit.” This Bible experience in found in the book of Revelation and is also seen in the lives of the Old Testament prophets, like Ezekiel, Daniel and Isaiah. This is a spiritual dimension (or realm) any true believer in Jesus can enter in to.
Pray what God wants for you to pray, and how to pray
On the practical side though, the spirit realm is not to be taken lightly and there is a deceptive side to it as well as the true supernatural workings of God. For the believer who is new to these things, there is a natural tendency to confuse the senses and emotions with the spirit. Another major hindrance to these experiences in the supernatural has to do with this gray matter between our ears, yes the brain. If our minds have meditated daily on the Word of God, being in the Spirit will be more accurate to have the ability to pray in the prophetic gifts. If our brains are not accustomed to spiritual things, and focused only on the natural, it is easy to get ideas that are not of God, and we could in fact be praying out of line.
Do not be caught in what the Bible calls to “pray amiss” that is found in the book of James and has been explained as asking God with the wrong motives, or even praying for the wrong things. So pray what God wants you to pray for and don’t stop praying until the Holy Spirit releases you or until you get your answer. Your answer could come sooner than you expect!
A final directive
When it comes to praying while in the Spirit realm, the Lord may indeed show you things, even about others. It is absolutely essential to recognize the following principal:
Are you to SAY or PRAY?
To say things that you see in the Spirit is in fact to “prophesy” about it. Saying something out of line, even if the message is true can cause the speaker to:
-Function out of their gift, and cross over into another ministry office that was meant for another
-Be lifted up in pride
-Cause damage to a hearer if it was not their place to hear
-Loose their ability to function (for a season) in the prophetic gifts out of disobedience
-Spread gossip
So realize that God can show you something and it could be to pray it out, not to say it out. Seek God for wisdom, and wait for an answer whether you should share what you see, and with whom to share it with. A practical rule of thumb is to keep a prayer journal, or simply write these impressions you get in prayer in your diary or personal journal. I think it is best to keep things to yourself if unsure, or share with an understanding pastor or trusted leader about your dilemma.
Resources:
Praying God's Word – by Dr. Ed Dufresne
https://secure.eddufresne.org/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=100&osCsid=348e8294165c0abebf5825f2d4076d56
Germaine Copeland’s resources on prayer
Prayers That Avail Much (Vol. 1, 2 & 3)
http://www.prayers.org/
Monday, June 11, 2007
Gay Prayer Resource Presents "Bossy" Part 4
The last part in the series of four. Is God really in control of everything? If not, who is and why? Jason, a queer Christian artist teaches on our authority we have as followers of Christ from a gay perspective and how it is important for the lgbt community to have a strong life of prayer and stand against the kingdom of darkness. In this fourth part of the teaching, Jason concludes his teaching with practical insights about how we are to be "Bossy" to the kingdom of darkness while being kind to others. Jason is the moderator of the "Gay Prayer Resource" and is involved in affirming church work, performing and recording music, video, photography and art. For more parts to this series, writings and articles including multi-media, please go to http://groups.google.com/group/gaypray and for more of these videos, go to http://groups.google.com/group/gaypray/web/prayer-resource-videos
The Gay Prayer Resource Google Group
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Gay Prayer Resource Google Group
Gay Prayer Resource Google Group
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