Monday 23 June 2008

Did They Really Mean to Say That?

Do I have time to make sure I double check everything I write or say? Perhaps I should make time. Sometimes what we said isn't what we meant to say.

I'm not really sure they meant what they said. I'm assuming they didn't. Looking in the Winter PRAC 08, on a case study on the Lifewell ministry in Adelaide I read this:

"While we could pray and express genuine concern, we realised we weren't equipped to offer the deeper, tangible care people needed." (top of the middle column page 04)

Is there something deeper than prayer?
Is meeting the tangible needs actually deeper than a prayer ministry?

I would say it is the other way around. Counselling and haircuts and massages are the easy part. The hard part, the deeper part is to connect with the spiritual issues and to bring gospel light and deeper faith into the crisis. To pray and trust in uncertainty.

I'm assuming they meant to contrast genuine (but inactive) concern with tangible care. I'm assuming this because the other more scary conclusion is that this whole holistic ministry idea is perhaps driven, at least in part, by a lack of confidence in the gospel and the power of God at work in prayer.

I prefer to think the pen just slipped a little.

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