Comments on: Protestant Prayer Beads

By: MamaArcher

MamaArcher — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 19:36:00 +0000

You are welcome, I glad that this has been a blessing to you! Valerie’s beads are beautiful, she did an excellent job!

By: Training Hearts

Training Hearts — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 19:21:00 +0000

Thank you for posting this! I actually bought a bunch from SoCalVal and hey are just beautiful

By: Sallie

Sallie — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:08:00 +0000

My mind is drawing blanks on this…LOL..

Part of me is saying addiction is a compulsion in the bad form is ONLY because of a lack of discipline, like in the example of Saul. I don’t know…

By: MamaArcher

MamaArcher — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:44:00 +0000

I was thinking on that, there are good examples and bad examples. When I wrote that I was thinking more along the lines of bad examples. Addiction is a bad example, I was actually thinking more along those lines.

By: Sallie

Sallie — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 04:03:00 +0000

Mike had a great example of feeling compelled — tithing. I didn’t even think of it earlier cause we were talking about beads and other things. He physically feels compelled to tithe and if we put it off one payday to do it the next then he feels an extra compulsion to make sure it goes in the plate. It isn’t because of a see what I’m doing attitude but something that God has strongly put on our hearts this year. We believe it is a test of obediance and because of that desire to obey God and His commands, then we feel that compulsion. I guess that is a good example of compulsion and Saul’s would be a bad example. He really was just making excuses to why he didn’t wait and following God’s commandments.

By: Sallie

Sallie — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:38:00 +0000

I thought I remembered a place in the new testament where Paul speaks of feeling compelled but I can’t find it. I’ve been trying to read the double books of the Bible because it’s been a long time since I’ve read most of them and it seemed a good way to go about it. In 1 Samuel 13:8 Saul speaks of feeling compelled. What are your thoughts on it? Do you remember other passages that speak of someone being compelled? Knowing what the Bible says would help us understand it better.

By: Sallie

Sallie — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:45:00 +0000

Disciplined and ritual are diffent in the heart as well as in the results. Ritual is I believe just a rote memorization and carrying out of something you could do in your sleep because you’ve done it so many times before. Discipline is purposefully choosing to do something at a certain time, in a certain way, because it will help draw you closer to God. There is a fine line when the one becomes the other though and that is where the results will show forth whether it is one or the other. I don’t know if its a good example but maybe the Lord’s Supper could be used as an example here. In the disciplined side, you are coming before God with a purpose of remembering Him and you are in prayer the whole time, or at least part of the time (true prayer and not just “please God forgive me for all my sins whatever they are” etc). The ritual side would be just going through the motions. Maybe listening to the music that might be playing, or sitting quietly while waiting for everyone to get their serving. In that case, you’ve moved from disciplined time with God to a ritual that is equal to nothing more than eating a piece of bread/cracker and drinking a bit of juice/wine. The disciplined communion in your heart with God has been replaced with a ritual. Does that make sense?

I did say I believe the beads very well did start with good intentions but it has been the traditions over the years that have turned them into rituals and so they no longer have the meanings that were original.

My largest fears on the prayer beads, are not that good strong disciplined Christians use them and use them properly, but that they are confusing to the world around us and send a mixed messaged. If we are to look different how do we accomplish this when we are using the same sorts of tools and just calling it a different name?

I’m still pondering the compulsion thing

By: Sallie

Sallie — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:27:00 +0000

I have emailed Valerie privately but I didn’t want to put anything on her blog or in your newest post because I don’t think it would be fair to her when she is trying to make money for Christmas. I only posted again on this older post because it didn’t seem like anyone had hopped over from Val’s site.

By: MamaArcher

MamaArcher — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:00:00 +0000

maybe it really all has to do with the heart and the motives and what one person may think is just ritualistic may actually be another persons good & strongly developed discipline….
if so..we must remember that God is the one who tries the hearts and motives of people.

By: MamaArcher

MamaArcher — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:58:00 +0000

actually, I was just thinking on the following question…
When & how do you differentiate between ritual and discipline? For one to have something as a disciplined activity isn’t it somewhat ritualistic?
just another thing to ponder…