Category Archive: Uncategorized

• Spring Online Pilot Series: Living in Union with Christ

  Encounter the living Christ,
  be filled with His wholeness,
  and sent in His love.

  Interested in MPC?  Wished you could attend our school this summer but didn’t make it? Come and let Jesus work in your life through this online pilot course based on the teachings of our 2026 5-day school.

  

  Six Life-Transforming Weeks

  We bring the Good News to bear on the challenges that believers face today. During this course, you will end up growing in your capacity to share His wholeness with others and be able to deal with common barriers to knowing that God is with you and within you. You will be equipped to more fully collaborate with Him in every part of life. Key issues we address include:

  • Renouncing common manifestations of idolatry and becoming truer worshippers of God
  • Practicing God’s presence and listening prayer in Christian maturity
  • Removing barriers to wholeness in Christ: the need to forgive, receive forgiveness, and accept ourselves in Him 
  • Healing attachment wounds, finding personhood and wellbeing in Christ
  • Affirming wholesome sexuality, gender identity, and relationships
  • Enriching Christian symbol, liturgy, and the language of the heart 

  Interest Form

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  What will this course be like?

  Jesus is the buon pastore, the Good Shepherd, and pastoral care is His work.
  He announced what He came to accomplish in us when He read from the scroll of Isaiah:

  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” —Luke 4:18-19a

  Come and let Jesus do this work in your life, and you’ll end up growing in your capacity to share His wholeness with others. In these six life-transforming weeks, we’ll deal with common barriers to knowing that God’s is with you and within you, and you’ll be equipped to more fully collaborate with Him in every part of life.

  This pilot course is a hybrid class delivered online and in small groups.  Participants will listen to online teachings and testimonies asynchronously (on their own time) and then participate in small group discussions with facilitators. Participants are expected to engage consistently throughout the course and be present for all small group discussions.

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  Course Structure and Requirements

  The course is organized into 6 sessions of individual preparation and learning followed by group discussion and dialogue. Individual preparation typically includes online teaching and personal reflection work. Participants may complete these activities at times that work with their schedules, provided all of that session’s individual work is completed before the small group discussion and dialogue.
  
  Participants should plan to devote approximately 2-4 hours per week to this course, including individual preparation and group discussion and dialogue. Actual time requirements will vary depending on the person and the complexity of each session.
  
  Participants must have reliable internet access and be able to use Zoom for group sessions.

  

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  Pilot Expectations

  This is a pilot for MPC and we are very excited to understand an MPC online experience. For this pilot, MPC will communicate with participants throughout the course to gather feedback and gain understanding of the experience.  We will ask participants to complete a survey at the end of the course and may request an opportunity for further conversation.  MPC appreciates participants being part of this pilot.

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  Schedule

  This course will begin in the Spring. Exact dates and small group discussion times will be published when known.

  

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  Registration

  The registration fee covers full participation for this Pilot online series.
  
  $200 per person

  To sign up for this course, please submit this interest form:

  Interest Form

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  What’s the best way to prepare?

  We encourage all attendees to read The Healing Presence and Restoring the Christian Soul by Leanne Payne as preparation for the sessions. The books are published by Baker Book House and are available from Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, and BakerPublishingGroup.com and the audio books are available from audible.com and audiobooks.com.

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  Questions?

  Please email info@ministriesofpastoralcare.com

  “Once Christ abides within, one with our spirits,
  then His life can radiate throughout our souls.
  As His light encounters dark places of unforgiveness and woundedness within us, healing can take place.“

  Leanne Payne

• Welcome

• Two-day retreat

  

  You don’t need more ideas about God.
  You need God’s presence.

  Registration for the Edmonds’ Retreat is closed, but please visit our MPC Events page to view upcoming opportunities to join us for a school or retreat.

  God’s plan and desire is that His love would flow freely through our lives, completing us and overflowing to others.

  As much as we strive to live in this flow, barriers to His love can build up in our hearts. We might sense that we’re being held back, but we can’t clearly see the barrier or find a way to remove it.

  Still, there is hope. Jesus brought something purely divine and radically new into this world – forgiveness! His miraculous gift enables us to:

  • • Accept ourselves as God accepts us, leaving self-hatred behind.
  • • Embrace His forgiveness and truly enjoy Christ’s righteousness as ours.
  • • Forgive those whose sins have hurt, harmed, and hindered us.

  Through worship, teaching, and prayer, this retreat will help us receive His gift, and send us out to share His love.

  Who should attend

  We invite all seekers of the mysterious Treasure. Do you struggle with roadblocks in following Jesus? He will meet you where you need Him most. Pastors and lay leaders, caregivers and counselors, come receive rest and renewal.

  Retreat Host

  Holy Trinity Church
  657 Daley St Edmonds, WA 98020

  Schedule

  Friday, May 1: 9am – 5:30pm, with dinner to follow last session

  Saturday, May 2: 9am – 2:30pm

  Registration

  $270 — The retreat fee includes sessions, materials, lunch and dinner on Friday and lunch on Saturday.

  Register by April 22, 2026

  Scholarships

  If the registration fee is a barrier to your participation, please request a scholarship. Donors have funded a limited number of 50% scholarships to make this event accessible to as many as possible. We will review your request, and if we have sufficient funds, will provide you with a scholarship code to use when registering.

  Questions? Email us, we’ll be glad to help!

• Living in Union with Christ, July 19-24, Washington state

  Encounter the living Christ,
  be filled with His wholeness,
  and sent in His love.

  

  Five life-transforming days
  with God and His people

  Anointed and relatable teaching that exudes the love of Jesus.
  Ministry team available to connect one-on-one with compassion and truth.
  Powerful corporate worship led by a skilled music team.
  Breathing room for personal reflection, debriefing, resting and enjoying creation.
  Genuine fellowship around family-style meals, hiking trails,
  the evening fire pit, even a just-for-fun square dance.

  What’s the location like?

  

  Cedar Springs Christian Retreat Center is in a beautiful, natural setting in the Cascade foothills. The lodges are set within eight acres of gardens, ponds, and hiking trails. For a video tour of the retreat center, click here. The retreat center is located 110 miles north of Seattle.

  Cedar Springs accommodations offer comfortable beds, ensuite bathrooms with showers, and free Wi-Fi.  Linens and towels are provided. Each room has a view of the beautiful gardens and forested hillsides nearby and easy access to the dining room where delicious family style-meals are served.

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  What is the teaching like?

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  Who should participate?

  All seekers of the kingdom of God are encouraged to attend.
  
  Those who are struggling with the wounds and compulsions that are common in our world today will find real help.
  
  Pastors and lay leaders from all Christian traditions, and those in caregiving roles such as counseling, medicine, and prayer ministry will be refreshed and equipped to help others.
  
  The school is designed for ages 18 and up, and young adults are especially encouraged to take advantage of this life-changing opportunity.

  

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  If it isn’t just for pastors, why is it called pastoral care?

  Jesus is the buon pastore, the Good Shepherd, and pastoral care is His work.
  He announced what He came to accomplish in us when He read from the scroll of Isaiah:

  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” —Luke 4:18-19a

  Come and let Jesus do this work in your life, and you’ll end up growing in your capacity to share His wholeness with others. In these five life-transforming days, we’ll deal with common barriers to knowing that God’s is with you and within you, and you’ll be equipped to more fully collaborate with Him in every part of life.

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  Schedule

  Our opening session begins at 4:00 PM, Sunday, July 19, and the final session concludes Thursday evening, July 23.
  
  Meals begin with dinner Sunday evening and conclude with breakfast Friday morning Lodging is included Sunday through Thursday nights.
  
  The daily schedule includes space for rest, reflection, and enjoyment of the gardens, boating on the ponds, and forested hiking trails.

  

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  Music

  Musical worship opens our hearts and moves us into our most authentic, wholesome posture as human beings.
  
  Our music team members serve with deep reverence, humbly offering their professional musicianship to lead us into adoration and awe of our holy God.
  
  Enjoy this playlist Emily has created if you’d like to get familiar with some of the songs we’ll sing together or revisit the music once you’re back home.

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  Travel

  Plan to arrive at Cedar Springs between 12:00–3:30 PM on Sunday, July 19 for check-in.

  Air Travel: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is the nearest major airport, a 3-hour drive from Cedar Springs.
  
  A round-trip private bus is available from SEA airport for $125. If you need transportation to and from the retreat center, please register by Friday, July 3 to secure a space on the shuttle.
  
  The shuttle departs at 9:00 AM on Sunday, July 19, and returns by 12:00 PM on Friday, July 24.
  
  We strongly recommend arriving in Seattle on Saturday, July 18, and booking return flights after 2:00 PM on July 24.

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  Registration

  The registration fee covers full participation in the school, materials, meals, and accommodations.
  
  $1125 per person, double occupancy
  $1525 per person, single occupancy
  plus state and local tax

  Registration closes July 10, 2026.

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  What’s the best way to prepare?

  We encourage all attendees to read The Healing Presence and Restoring the Christian Soul by Leanne Payne as preparation for the school. The books are published by Baker Book House and are available from Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, and BakerPublishingGroup.com and the audio books are available from audible.com and audiobooks.com.

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  What topics are addressed?

  We bring the Good News to bear on the challenges that believers face today. 
  Key issues we address include:

  • • Practicing God’s presence and listening prayer in Christian maturity
  • • Removing barriers to wholeness in Christ: the need to forgive, receive forgiveness, and accept ourselves in Him 
  • • Healing attachment wounds, finding personhood and wellbeing in Christ
  • • Affirming wholesome sexuality, gender identity, and relationships
  • • Enriching Christian symbol, liturgy, and the language of the heart 
  • • Renouncing common manifestations of idolatry and becoming truer worshippers of God

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  Scholarships

  If the registration fee is a barrier to your participation, please request a scholarship. We will review your request, and if we have sufficient funds, will provide you with a scholarship code to use when registering.

  Scholarships are funded by donor gifts. Partner with us in opening the way for those who want to build up Christ’s church!

  Donate

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  Questions?

  Please email info@ministriesofpastoralcare.com

  “Once Christ abides within, one with our spirits,
  then His life can radiate throughout our souls.
  As His light encounters dark places of unforgiveness and woundedness within us, healing can take place.“

  Leanne Payne

• Videos: Satisfied in God, Nov 2024

  We are pleased to share these live audio recordings from our Retreat in Virginia Beach, Virginia, November 2024. They are offered for your edification and healing, and we pray that the Holy Spirit will anoint them afresh for you today.

  The Holy One at the Center

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  Receiving the Gift of Life: Dynamic Cycle of Being

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  Practicing God’s Presence

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  Responding as Sons and Daughters: The Vertical Position

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  Forgiving Others and the Healing of Memories

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  Indwelling Presence: Becoming the True Self

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  Working It Out: Transforming Dialogue with God

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  Taking Us Home: Hope & Fortitude Along the Way

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  Booklet for Satisfied in God

  VA Beach Booklet_2024Download

• 5-Day School: Living in Union with Christ

  July 20-25, 2025 in Sumas, Washington

  

  What is a pastoral care school?

  Pastoral care is the proclaiming, healing, and freeing work of the Spirit of God.  Jesus announced His ministry by reading from the scroll of Isaiah, and He sends His Spirit into the Church today:

  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” —Luke 4:18-19a

  You are invited to come and receive from the Lord, and in doing so you’ll grow in your capacity to offer this care to others. This school will address barriers to knowing God’s presence with us, equipping you to more fully collaborate with Him in every part of life.

  Who should attend?

  All seekers of the kingdom of God are encouraged to attend. Those who are struggling with the wounds and compulsions that are common in our world today will find real help. Ministers and lay leaders from all denominations, and those in lay and professional caregiving roles such as counseling, medicine, and prayer ministry will be refreshed and equipped to help others. The school is designed for ages 18 and up, and young adults are especially encouraged to take advantage of this life-changing opportunity.

  What topics are covered?

  We desire to see the full healing power of the gospel active in the Church, and so we bring the Good News to bear on the challenges that believers face today.  Key issues we address include:

  • Practicing God’s presence and listening prayer in Christian obedience
  • Removing barriers to wholeness in Christ: the need to forgive, receive forgiveness, and accept ourselves in Him 
  • Healing attachment wounds, finding personhood and wellbeing in Christ
  • Affirming wholesome sexuality, gender identity, and relationships
  • Enriching Christian symbol, liturgy, and the language of the heart 
  • Renouncing common manifestations of idolatry and becoming truer worshippers of God

  What’s the best way to prepare for the school?

  We encourage all attendees to read The Healing Presence and Restoring the Christian Soul by Leanne Payne as preparation for the school. The Broken Image and Crisis in Masculinity by Leanne Payne are also recommended. The books are published by Baker Book House and are available from Amazon.com, Christianbook.com, and BakerPublishingGroup.com and the audio books are available from audible.com and audiobooks.com.

  Where is the school being held?

  Cedar Springs Christian Retreat Center in Sumas, Washington, USA. Cedar Springs is in a beautiful, natural setting in the Cascade foothills within eight acres of gardens, ponds, and hiking trails. For a video tour of the retreat center, click here. Cedar Springs Christian Retreat Center is located 110 miles north of Seattle, WA in Sumas, WA.

  

  Cedar Springs Christian Retreat Center

  Cedar Springs accommodations offer comfortable beds, ensuite bathrooms with showers, and free Wi-Fi.  Linens and towels are provided. Each room has a view of the beautiful gardens and forested hillsides nearby and easy access to the dining hall. A full meal service is provided for those attending the school.

  Travel

  Please check in at Cedar Springs between 12:00–3:30 PM on Sunday, July 20. The opening session begins at 4:00 PM. Meals start with Sunday dinner and end with Friday breakfast. The final session concludes at 8:30 PM on Thursday, July 24. Lodging is included Thursday night for those departing Friday morning.

  Air Travel: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is the nearest major airport, about 3 hours from Cedar Springs. A round-trip private bus is available from SEA for $125. It departs at 9:00 AM on Sunday, July 20, and returns by 12:00 PM on Friday, July 25. We strongly recommend arriving in Seattle on Saturday, July 19, and booking return flights after 2:00 PM on July 25. Detailed meeting instructions will be sent in early July. Reserve your seat by July 10, registration link is in your welcome email.

  Registration Fee

  The registration fee covers full participation in the school, including meals and accommodations.
  $1125 per person, double occupancy
  $1525 per person, double occupancy

  Registration is now closed.
  Ministries of Pastoral Care reserves the right to decline any registration. Cancellations prior to May 16 will receive a full refund. If you must cancel after May 16, we’re not able to provide a refund due to our own non-refundable costs.

  Scholarships

  If the registration fee is a barrier to your participation, please request a scholarship. We will review your request, and if we have sufficient funds, will provide you with a scholarship code to use when registering.

  Scholarships are funded by donor gifts. Partner with us in opening the way for those who want to build up Christ’s church! Donate on our site or contact the registrar.

  Donate

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  Questions?

  Please email our registrar.

  “Once Christ abides within, one with our spirits, then His life can radiate throughout our souls. As His light encounters dark places of unforgiveness and woundedness within us, healing can take place.“

  Leanne Payne

• Australia Retreat: February 21-22, 2025

  

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  REGISTER HERE

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  Two-Day Retreat

  God’s plan and desire is that His love would flow freely through our lives, completing us and overflowing to others.

  As much as we strive to live in this flow, barriers to His love can build up in our hearts. We might sense that we’re being held back, but on our own we can’t clearly see what the barrier is or find a way to remove it. Praise God, He has not left us on our own.

  Through His cross and shed blood, Jesus brought something purely divine and radically new into this world – forgiveness! His miraculous gift enables us to:

  • Accept ourselves as God accepts us, leaving self-hatred behind.
  • Embrace His forgiveness and gladly wear Christ’s righteousness as our own.
  • Forgive those whose sins have hurt, harmed, and hindered us.

  Through worship, teaching, and prayer, this retreat will help us receive His gift, and equip us to share the miracle with others.

  Who Should Attend?

  All seekers of the kingdom of God are encouraged to attend. Those who struggle with roadblocks in following Jesus will find real help. Ministers and lay leaders from all denominations, and those in caregiving roles and professions will be equipped to help others live as forgiven and forgiving people.

  About Ministries of Pastoral Care

  We build up the Church through the cross of Christ by helping his followers reach maturity in him. Our work is inspired by the writings and ministry of Leanne Payne. Our team is led by Sarah Colyn, a seminary-trained psychologist with a passion for the gospel. This retreat will be staffed by a team of worshippers, speakers, and prayer ministers who are seasoned witnesses to Christ’s power to remove barriers and set His people free.

  Retreat Location

  Paradise Point Uniting Church
  126 Paradise Parade, Paradise Point
  Gold Coast, Queensland

  Registration Fee

  $200 (AUD) – The retreat fee covers all sessions, materials, and three meals. Need-based scholarships can be requested at registration.

  Retreat Schedule

  Friday & Saturday: 9am – 6pm (both days include lunch)

  REGISTER HERE

  Scholarships

  If the registration fee is a barrier to your participation, please request a scholarship. We will review your request, and if we have sufficient funds, will provide you with a scholarship code to use when registering.

  Request a scholarship

  Questions?

  Please reach out to Registrar@MinistriesofPastoralCare.com

  “Once Christ abides within, one with our spirits, then His life can radiate throughout our souls. As His light encounters dark places of unforgiveness and woundedness within us, healing can take place.“

  -Leanne Payne

• New Zealand Retreat: February 14-15, 2025

  

  Register Here

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  A 2-day Ministries of Pastoral Care Retreat

  Living the Miracle

  God’s plan and desire is that His love would flow freely through our lives, completing us and overflowing to others.

  As much as we strive to live in this flow, barriers to His love can build up in our hearts. We might sense that we’re being held back, but on our own we can’t clearly see what the barrier is or find a way to remove it. Praise God, He has not left us on our own.

  Through His cross and shed blood, Jesus brought something purely divine and radically new into this world – forgiveness! His miraculous gift enables us to:

  • • Accept ourselves as God accepts us, leaving self-hatred behind.
  • • Embrace His forgiveness and gladly wear Christ’s righteousness as our own.
  • • Forgive those whose sins have hurt, harmed, and hindered us.

  Through worship, teaching, and prayer, this retreat will help us receive His gift, and equip us to share the miracle with others.

  Who should attend

  All seekers of the kingdom of God are encouraged to attend. Those who struggle with roadblocks in following Jesus will find real help. Ministers and lay leaders from all denominations, and those in caregiving roles and professions, will be equipped to help others live as forgiven and forgiving people.

  Retreat schedule

  9:00 am – 8:00 pm Friday, February 14 & 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Saturday, February 15.

  Retreat Location

  Bethlehem Baptist Church
  90 Bethlehem Road
  Bethlehem, Tauranga 3110
  Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

  Register Here

  Registration Fee

  The retreat fee covers all retreat sessions, materials, and meals.

  Early Bird Prices through November 15: $160 NZD, $130 for pastors & students | $100 USD, $80 USD for pastors & students

  Standard (Nov 16-Jan 31): $200 NZD, $170 for pastors & students | $125 USD, $105 USD for pastors & students.

  Scholarships

  If the registration fee is a barrier to your participation, please request a scholarship. We will review your request, and if we have sufficient funds, will provide you with a scholarship code to use when registering.

  Request a scholarship

  Scholarships are funded by donor gifts. Partner with us in opening the way for those who want to build up Christ’s church! Donate on our site, or contact the registrar to give directly to the New Zealand charitable trust.

  Sponsor a scholarship

  Questions?

  Please email our registrar.

  “Once Christ abides within, one with our spirits, then His life can radiate throughout our souls. As His light encounters dark places of unforgiveness and woundedness within us, healing can take place.“

  Leanne Payne

  Register Here

• Notes for The Virtue of Hope II – Magnanimity Destroys Despair

  Notes for The Virtue of Hope II: Magnanimity Destroys DespairDownload

  presented by Sarah Colyn

  This teaching considers how magnanimity — greatness of soul — protects hope from despair and empowers us to continue the journey of becoming. These notes outline the basic flow of the teaching and contain the full text and reference for each scripture and quotation shared. At the bottom of the notes are resources for further exploration of this topic.

  Youthfulness

  God is “closer and more intimate to us than we are to ourselves,” and hope of fulfillment in Him “cannot be touched by aging or disappointment” (Pieper, On Hope, 42).

  The youthfulness of Christ’s saints:  aspiration that is at once both relaxed and disciplined; adaptability and readiness; strong-hearted freshness; resilient joy; steady perseverance in trust.

  Hope is the steadfast turning toward the true fulfillment of our nature.

  Acedia and Despair, enemies of hope

  Acedia:  “a sadness in view of the divine good in man” (Pieper, 52).

  “One who is trapped in acedia has neither the courage nor the will to be as great as he really is. He would prefer to be less great in order thus to avoid the obligation of his greatness. Acedia is a perverted humility; it will not accept supernatural goods because they are, by their very nature, linked to a claim on him who receives them” (56).

  The sorrow of acedia “lacks courage for the great things that are proper to the nature of the Christian” (55).

  Despair:  “It will turn out badly for us and for me myself.”

  “It is not so much sin as despair that casts us into hell.”  (St. John Chrysostum)  

  When an individual whose despair springs initially ‘from weakness’ comes ‘to realize why he does not want to be himself, then it changes suddenly, and defiance steps in’ (Kierkegaard quoted in Pieper, 61).  

  Magnanimity, Protection against Despair

  “A person is magnanimous if he has the courage to seek what is great and becomes worthy of it” (Pieper, 28).  

  “Despair [is destroyed] only by that clear-sighted magnanimity that courageously expects and has confidence in the greatness of its own nature and by the grace-filled impetus of the hope of eternal life” (60).

  Resources on this topic:

  Josef Pieper (1986), On Hope, Ignatius Press, San Francisco. 

  C. S. Lewis (1953), The Silver Chair, HarperTrophy, New York. Passage read in this video can be found on pages 180-182.“The Virtue of Hope” live audio recording of lecture and prayer from an MPC school held in Wheaton, IL in 2019.

• Notes for The Virtue of Hope I: Humble Homo Viators

  Notes for The Virtue of Hope I: Humble Homo ViatorsDownload

  presented by Sarah Colyn

  This teaching considers the pilgrim nature of this life, and the temptation called presumption that is a counterfeit of hope. These notes outline the basic flow of the teaching and contain the full text and reference for each scripture and quotation shared. At the bottom of the notes are resources for further exploration of this topic.

  Homo Viators

  To be a human being is to be a person “on the way” – Aquinas calls us homo viators.  

  I do not consider that I have laid hold already. Phil 3:13

  A place for us

  In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. John 14:2-3

  A journey of becoming

  By your steadfastness and patient endurance you shall win the true life of your souls. Luke 21:19 

  “Many of us prefer to stay at the threshold of the Christian life instead of going on to construct a soul in accordance with the new life God has put within” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, May 20). 

  Homo viators are virtuous

  Virtue is “the most a man can be,” the realization of our potential for being.  

  Virtue enables us to “perform excellent actions easily and joyfully, in a stable manner, with profound interior freedom, the freedom of the children of God” (Nault, The Noonday Devil, 77).

  His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence (virtue), by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue (excellence), and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:3-8

  Homo viators live in Christ

  Hope:  a steadfast turning toward the true fulfillment of our nature, that is, toward good.

  “Hope, as the lasting elevation of man’s being, cannot exist except from, through and in Christ” (Pieper, On Hope, 36).

  For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.  2 Cor 1:20, ESV

  “We must not measure our spiritual capacity by education or by intellect; our capacity in spiritual things is measured by the promises of God”  (Chambers, April 20).

  Christ in you, the hope of glory.  Col 1:27

  Presumption

  Presumption is a fraudulent imitator of hope.  

  In presumption, a person thinks and lives as though they have already arrived.  

  Theological distortion

  Presumption abandons the paradox of Phil 2:12-13:  Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you.

  “We are not only saved by grace, we are paralyzed by it.”

  “The path of spiritual growth in the riches of Christ is not a passive one. Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning. Effort is action” (Dallas Willard)

  Man-centered optimism/confidence

  Liberal moralism, Pseudo-religious activism, or the myth of human progress.

  Humility

  Humility reveals the limits of our possibilities.

  Resources on this topic:

  Chapter 15, “Restoring the Christian Hope of Heaven and the Grace to Persevere” in The Healing Presence by Leanne Payne.

  Josef Pieper (1986), On Hope, Ignatius Press, San Francisco. 

  “The Virtue of Hope” live audio recording of lecture and prayer from an MPC school held in Wheaton, IL in 2019.

  Dallas Willard quotes can be found at:  

  https://dwillard.org/articles/spirituality-made-hard;

  Willard, Christian Herald (U.K.) 14 April 2001, https://dwillard.org/articles/live-life-to-the-full

• Notes for Healing of sense of being: A testimony

  Notes for Healing of sense of being -A testimonyDownload

  presented by Kim Jones

  This testimony gives us the privilege of understanding more of what it means to have, or lack, a

  solid ‘sense of being,’ and to witness God’s healing power at work in one unique and precious

  woman’s life. These notes contain the full text and reference for the scripture and quotations

  shared. At the bottom of the notes are resources for further exploration of this topic.

  “it is when the unbearable infantile feelings charge forward that we minister to the suffering

  inner child…Sufferers are at these times … back in the experience of abandonment with its

  associated feelings” (Payne (1991), Restoring the Christian Soul Through Healing Prayer, 110).

  “… we often find that the power to feel the pain is itself a vital part of the healing. The sufferer

  has repressed this heretofore and denied it precisely because it was so painful. But now he has

  to get it up and out. He needs to understand that, if he will stand in the cross and hurt, there is

  a place for it to go, an end to the pain. This seemingly endless pain is the way he gets in touch

  with and names the heretofore repressed grief, fear, anger, and shame, underlying his

  depression…” (Payne (1991), Restoring the Christian Soul Through Healing Prayer, 103).

  I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

  “Another lives in me. My spirit is one with His. That is my whole place. All else is raging around

  me and within me, but I can stand now, confident, and watch as God heals this part of me that

  is so wounded” (Payne (1991), Restoring the Christian Soul Through Healing Prayer, 71).

  Resources on this topic:

  Chapter 8, “Prolonged Healing of Memories: Abandonment Issues and the Repression of

  Painful Emotions,” Restoring the Christian Soul through Healing Prayer by Leanne Payne.

  Chapter 4, “The Search for Sexual Identity,” The Broken Image, by Leanne Payne

  “God’s Creative Power: Sense of Being and Well-Being” live audio recording of lecture and

  prayer from an MPC school held in Wheaton, IL in 2019

• Notes for Becoming the true self: A testimony

  Notes for Becoming the true self -A testimonyDownload

  presented by Anjonette Baum
  
  This testimony invites us to witness the process of liberation from the prison cell of the illusory self and journey into the wholeness of the true self. These notes contain the full text and reference for each scripture and quotation shared. At the bottom of the notes are resources for further exploration of this topic.

  “The compulsive, illusory self:  that center of pride, inferiority, fear and pain, the hurting, unhealed childish attitudes within.” (Payne, The Healing Presence, 87).

  O Israel, hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love (or lovingkindness) and with him abundant redemption. Psalm 130:7

  “Your new real self will not come as long as you are looking for it.  It will come when you are looking for Him.” (Payne, Restoring the Christian Soul Through Healing Prayer, 32).

  Resources on this topic:

  Patterns and Characteristics of Codependency:  https://coda.org/meeting-materials/patterns-and-characteristics-2011/

  12-step support:  Co-Dependents Anonymous 

  Chapter 5, “The Identity Crisis According to the Scriptures, in The Broken Image, by Leanne Payne

  Part 2, “Incarnational Reality:  The Presence of God Within Us,” in The Healing Presence, by Leanne Payne

  “God Within Us: Incarnational Reality and the True Self,” live audio recording of lecture and prayer from an MPC school held in Wheaton, IL in 2019. 

• Notes for Standing in the cross: Emotional maturity & the true self

• Notes for God’s Creative Love: Being and Well-being

  Notes for God’s Creative Love: Being & Well-beingDownload

  presented by Sarah Colyn

  This teaching considers the foundations of our existence, what Leanne Payne calls sense of being and well-being. These notes outline the basic flow of the teaching and contain the full text and reference for each scripture and quotation shared. At the bottom of the notes are resources for further exploration of this topic.

  God’s creative power

        …the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him! from Psa 33:5 – 9

  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  Gen 1:1-3

  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:1-4, 9-14

  God’s created norms for how we become persons

  Dynamic Cycle of Being:

  1.  Acceptance (dynamic input of existence)

  2.  Sustenance (dynamic input of essence)

  3.  Status (dynamic output of personal selfhood)

  4.  Achievement (dynamic output of work)

  In God’s design, our experiences in infancy set into us a solid sense of being and well-being; these inner resources can then carry us through the challenges of adult life.

  Disruptions of God’s ways

  Sources of disruption of the dynamic cycle include:  prolonged physical separation from mother/primary caregiver; emotionally shut out from her presence; rough or insufficient care.

  Reactions to disruption include:  

  Desperate and clingy orientation in relationship

  Remain disconnected and withdrawn 

  Core-level persistent depression or anxiety

  Enemies to the ‘womb of the spirit’ include:  physical or emotional illness of mother; hostility or breakdown between the parents; family life harmed by poverty, war, racism; medical issues for baby that causes prolonged separation from mother; misogyny (hatred of the feminine) that militates against the mother-baby pair.

  Healing and rebirth in Christ

  God has come down to us, taken on our flesh, and entered into our infantile experiences of suffering, abandonment, and rejection. He bore what we cannot so that we might have life.

  Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us that we might receive the gift of life.

  God is able to heal us:

  1. To take the unendurable edge off our mental suffering, always. What remains we shall bear with joy, finding our strength in the Lord.
  2. To the point that we shall be fruitful. Out of our inner being will flow living water for others.
  3. To the degree that we shall fully enter into our identities as children of God and heirs of Christ.

  Resources on this topic:

  Chapter 2, “The Understanding of Depressed, Melancholy, or Accidious Persons,” Clinical Theology by Frank Lake

  Chapter 4, “The Search for Sexual Identity,” The Broken Image, by Leanne Payne

  Chapter 9, “The Imagery Really Matters,” The Healing Presence, both by Leanne Payne

  “God’s Creative Power: Sense of Being and Well-Being” live audio recording of lecture and prayer from an MPC school held in Wheaton, IL in 2019.

• Notes for The presence of God within us: Incarnational reality and the true self

  Notes for The presence of God within us: Incarnational reality & the true selfDownload

  presented by Sarah Colyn

  This teaching considers the maturity of soul that must be chosen and developed in those who take up their cross to follow Christ. These notes outline the basic flow of the teaching and contain the full text and reference for each scripture and quotation shared. At the bottom of the notes are resources for further exploration of this topic.

  True Center

  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezekiel 36:27, Today’s NIV

  I pray that out of his glorious riches the Father may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Ephesians 3:16-17, NIV

  The “home within” is the center in which we abide in Christ and Christ abides in us.

  The Illusory Self

  A false, mis-created center:  Living in the constellation of feelings and attitudes that belong to the old self holds us in immaturity and causes dis-ease.

  The illusory nature of evil:  “All that is evil and untrue has an illusory character to it… Sin has to do, in a very real sense, with rebelliously demanding to experience what is not – what God did not create and can never look upon, much less bless” (Payne, Healing Presence, 85). 

  The construction of the illusory self:  built on the flawed foundation, “I will be my own;” supported by pillars of pride & shame, defensiveness, and bentness; a prison cell in which accusation and condemnation echo; aligned with other false selves through projection and co-dependency.

  Transformation:  Death, Life, & Spiritual Battle

  “Only the real ‘I,’ shedding its illusory selves, can draw near to God. In His Presence, my masks fall off, my false selves are revealed. I stand stripped and naked before Him. To continually abide in His Presence is to have one face only – the true one. To draw near to God, therefore, is to find the real ‘I’ as well as its true home, my true Center” (Payne, Healing Presence, 83).

  Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  John 12:24

  Resources on this topic:

  Chapter 5, “The Identity Crisis According to the Scriptures, in The Broken Image, by Leanne Payne

  Part 2, “Incarnational Reality:  The Presence of God Within Us,” in The Healing Presence, by Leanne Payne“God Within Us: Incarnational Reality and the True Self,” live audio recording of lecture and prayer from an MPC school held in Wheaton, IL in 2019.

• Notes for A Testimony on Forgiving Others

  Notes for A Testimony on Forgiving OthersDownload

  Presented by Gay Barretta

  Resources on this topic:

  Chapter seven of Leanne Payne’s Restoring the Christian Soul through Healing Prayer, “Second Great Barrier to Wholeness in Christ:  Failure to Forgive Others” 

  “Removing Barriers to Wholeness:  Forgiving Others” lecture and prayer live audio recording from an MPC school held in New Zealand in 2019.

• Notes for The Virtue of Self-Acceptance

  Notes for The Virtue of Self-AcceptanceDownload

  Presented by Sarah Colyn

  This session considers how we attain the virtue of self-acceptance on the basis of Christ’s righteousness. These notes outline the basic flow of the teaching and contain the full text and reference for scriptures and quotations. At the bottom of the notes are resources for further exploration of this topic.

  “Jesus then said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must leave self behind. He must take up his cross and come with me. Whoever cares for his own safety is lost, but if a man will let himself be lost for my sake, he will find his true self. What will a man gain by winning the whole world at the cost of his true self? Or what can he give that will buy that self back?’” Matthew 16:24-26 (NEB) 

  “There is a line over which many of us never step. That is the line between

  Immaturity / Maturity

  Being under the Law, a law, or many laws / The walk in the Spirit

  Listening to many voices: 

  those within our unhealed hearts, and of the world, the flesh, the devil / Listening to God”

  Diagnosis

  Five qualities observed in people who lack self-acceptance: 

  1.  a judgmental spirit that is harsh and demanding on self and others 

  2.  a strong, perfectionistic attitude demanding the impossible from self and others 

  3.  a strong pattern of fearing future events; 

  4.  a sense of aloneness and abandonment whenever there are times of decision; 

  5.  a preoccupation with one’s own guilt and a compulsive reaction to compete for position and success. 

  (from Inner Healing by Michael Scanlan)

  What self-acceptance is

  “The act of self-acceptance is the root of all things. I must agree to be the person who I am. 

  I must agree to have the qualifications which I have, agree to live within the limitations set for me. The clarity and courageousness of this acceptance is the foundation of all existence” (Romano Guardini).

  What it’s based on

  “The humble acceptance of myself as fallen but now justified by Another who is my righteousness is the basis on which I can accept myself, learn to laugh at myself, be patient with myself” (Payne, Restoring the Christian Soul, 51).

  “Only because we are addressed by God can each of us really say ‘I’, for the whole existence of each of us is nothing other than our answer to God’s creative call, ‘You, exist!’” (Guardini, Spiritual Writings, 62).

  What opposes it

  Christ calls us out of self-hatred and self-deprecation that causes us to reject ourselves.

  It’s only after we’ve accepted ourselves that we’re free to love others. 

  How we acquire it

  Natural building blocks:  Parental affirmation and the role of the father

  Virtue:  structures of character that guide our emotions, motivations, interpretations, and choices, enabling us to be and do excellently, consistently, with ease.

  Dialog:  a listening prayer journal is helpful in replacing the diseased inner narrative 

  with God’s healing word

  Supernaturally Received:  “We all must eventually turn to the Master Affirmer, 

  God the Father, for our true identity, our real, authentic selves” (Payne, Restoring the Christian Soul, 45).

  What a self-accepting person looks like

  Freedom:  “I have permission to be, to move, to walk with God” (Payne, RCS, 49).

  Divine Objectivity:  We can relate with love and respect, speaking truth and naming problems appropriately, and seeing and affirming the good.

  Unselfconsciousness:  “And then, wonder of wonders, we are enabled for at least 

  part of the time, to forget ourselves” (Payne, Restoring the Christian Soul, 51).

  Resources on this topic:

  Part I of Leanne Payne’s Restoring the Christian Soul through Healing Prayer, “The Virtue of Self-Acceptance” 

  “Removing Barriers to Wholeness:  The Virtue of Self Acceptance” lecture and prayer live audio recording from an MPC school held in Wheaton, IL in 2019.

  See below for full text of guided prayer of repentance from self-hatred and dedication to self-acceptance

  PRAYER OF RENUNCIATION OP SELF-HATRED

  For God caused Christ, who himself knew nothing of sin, to be sin for our sakes, so that in Christ we might be made good with the goodness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21, J. B. Philips, emphasis in Philip’s text). 

  Prayer of Thanksgiving 

  Holy Father, I thank You that I am reconciled to You through the death of Your Son, 

  and that through faith in Him as my Savior from sin, 

  my heart is not only washed clean from my own sin, 

  but it can be delivered from its grievous reactions 

  to the sins and shortcomings of others around and against it. 

  Because of Your Son, Father, I can look straight up to You 

  and dare to let all these feelings surface, and I do so now, 

  knowing that Christ is ready to take them 

  and give me in exchange His Life and Your perspective on myself and others. 

  Accept my thanksgiving, O God our Father.  

  I thank You for Christ who has redeemed me from sin and death 

  and who even now is pouring His eternal life into me. 

  Lord Jesus Christ Son of the Father, 

  in whom I am to abide, to fully live, move and have my being, (my true and new self), 

  I direct my thanksgiving to You. 

  I bow before You as Lord of my life, and I thank You, 

  Precious Holy One, crucified for me, 

  that Your blood justifies me, that in oneness with You, Your goodness is mine. 

  Holy Spirit, who constantly and faithfully mediate to us the love of both Father and Son, 

  I thank you now for the grace to receive all that is mine as a child of God. 

  Empower me now as I renounce the sin of self-hatred 

  and as I move toward the goal of wholly accepting my true identity 

  as a child of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

  Pray quietly, giving thanks. 

  If diseased feelings start to surface, simply allow them to flow, 

  one at a time up and out of your heart and mind and into the crucified One. 

  Now see Him dying on the cross to take those things into Himself. 

  Then see Him risen again, ascending to the Father, there to intercede to the Father for you, 

  to pour out upon you His Spirit, 

  to send to you words of life that engender in you new and wholesome feelings and attitudes. 

  And give thanks. 

  Prayer of Petition 

  You may want to lift, simply and clearly, petitions to the Lord at this time. A prayer such as the following might be in order. It will better prepare you to make your renunciation of self-hatred.

  Well you know, O Lord, that I have been unable to appropriate Your holiness and righteousness as I wish; 

  I have been unable to practice Your Presence because my feelings about myself are so diseased. 

  I have looked to You, just now, as my dying Savior, taking into Yourself my sin and darkness, 

  my diseased feelings about you, others, myself.

  I thank You that You have done this and that in time even my feeling self will reflect this.

  Heretofore, Lord, I have taken my eyes from You and from objective truth 

  and have descended into and lived out of my unhealed feeling self. 

  This, with Your help, Lord, I will stop doing,

  and I will note the very moment I am “living out of” that subjective, hurting place 

  and will look straight up to You for the healing word You are always sending. 

  I confess to You the sin of pride that is bound up in my self hatred. 

  I thank You for Your forgiveness and for full release from it. 

  Prayer of Renunciation 

  Now, Lord, in Your Name and with the grace You shower upon me, 

  I renounce the sin of self-hatred. 

  Quietly give thanks for God’s forgiveness. 

  With this renunciation, a multitude of accusing thoughts or maybe even root causes behind the self-hatred may begin to surface. Simply write them down in your prayer journal, acknowledging them, and then listen for the thought or the illumination God is sending you, for this will be the word from Him that not only replaces the diseased thought pattern but will flood you with understanding.

• Notes for Removing the Barrier of Unforgiveness

  Notes for Removing the Barrier of UnforgivenessDownload

  Presented by Sarah Colyn

  This session addresses the barrier to our wholeness in Christ that is created by unforgiveness. These notes outline the basic flow of the teaching and contain the full text and reference for scriptures and quotations. At the bottom of the notes are resources for further exploration of this topic.

  Forgiving others for petty offenses

  “It’s the everydayness of such irritations and transgressions that get to us, and we can easily come to despise those who offend us in these ways” (Payne, Restoring the Christian Soul Through Healing Prayer, 81).

  “We find we must enroll in a primary level of the Holy Spirit’s school of prayer. ‘Father, I am nothing apart from you. Have mercy on me. I have been seeing apart from You. If you leave me for an instant, I shall be even more prideful, more self-serving.’ When we learn to pray this prayer, without the least taint of the wrong kind of self-hatred on the one hand, or a feeling of superiority on the other, we will be well on our way to maturity in Christ” (Payne, 83).

  Forgiving others when the offense is so great

  Some sins are so grievous that, from our human vantage point, they seem unforgivable.

  We find the supernatural grace to forgive by pressing into Christ and taking our place in Him.

  Resources on this topic:

  Chapter seven of Leanne Payne’s Restoring the Christian Soul through Healing Prayer, “Second Great Barrier to Wholeness in Christ:  Failure to Forgive Others” 

  “Removing Barriers to Wholeness:  Forgiving Others” lecture and prayer live audio recording from an MPC school held in New Zealand in 2019.

• Notes for Setting the Stage for Forgiveness

  Notes for Setting the Stage for ForgivenessDownload

  Presented by Sarah Colyn

  This session considers Christian forgiveness and how we participate in it by faith. These notes outline the basic flow of the teaching and contain the full text and reference for scriptures and quotations. At the bottom of the notes are resources for further exploration of this topic.

  The necessity of forgiving

  “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:24, 25.

  “Forgive us our sins, as we also forgive everyone who sins against us.” (Luke 11:3)

  “The way to one’s neighbor leads only through Christ” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 93).

  What is forgiveness?

  “The exclusive prerogative of Christianity, not natural to the human heart, but rather an exotic, which Christ brought with Him from Heaven” (Meyer, Our Daily Bread, May 7).

  “A miracle of God that is to be participated in by faith” (Coutts, A Shared Mercy, 118). 

  Forgiveness is one aspect of biblical reconciliation

  Forbearance 

  Gracious Confrontation 

  Confession 

  Repentance 

  Correction 

  Restoration 

  This is an ongoing, non-linear ministry of the Body of Christ;

  Forgiveness is not:

  Forgetting

  Sentimentality

  Self-negation

  False Amnesty

  A Method

  Human

  “Because of Jesus’ cross and emptied tomb, and because of His ascension and sending of the Spirit,there is a fellowship made on earth wherein we people look to ‘continually receive afresh’ our freedom from sin and allow ourselves ‘to be set forward on the road ahead” (Coutts, 172-173).

  Resources on this topic:

  John Coutts’ A Shared Mercy

  Part II of Leanne Payne’s Restoring the Christian Soul through Healing Prayer, “The Forgiveness of Sin” 

  Leslie Vernick’s How to Act Right When Your Spouse Acts Wrong

  “Removing Barriers to Wholeness:  Forgiving Others” lecture and prayer live audio recording from an MPC school held in Wheaton, IL in 2019.

• Notes for Receiving God’s Forgiveness: Knowing our Need

  Notes for Receiving God’s Forgiveness: Knowing our NeedDownload

  Presented by Sarah Colyn

  This session addresses the failure to receive God’s forgiveness by considering those who do not recognize their need to be forgiven. These notes outline the basic flow of the teaching and contain the full text and reference for scriptures and quotations. At the bottom of the notes are resources for further exploration of this topic.

  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9

  We need to know we’re sinners

  Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 

  I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:31-32 

  Cultural influence, bad theology, or inner denial and pride may block our awareness of the “bad guy” within, and this blindness can be worsened by a super-religious attitude.

  “If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us very much worse” (Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms, 31).

  “We must know and acknowledge our two identities — that of sinner and saint. Our prime identity, of course, is that of saint… But the rhythm of repentance and reception of forgiveness must be woven into every life. We are always to rise up from confession in our prime identity, having received forgiveness” (Payne, Restoring the Christian Soul, 145).

  Search me, O God, and know my heart, Test me and know my anxious thoughts; See if there be any offensive way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.  Ps 139:23,24

  We need to be in touch with our hearts

  Self-analysis or an activistic state can thwart authentic prayer and block us from receiving the forgiveness God is offering.

  Our hearts must be open

  Like the dwarfs in The Last Battle, our hearts may be closed off through cynical self-protection:  “The dwarfs are for the dwarfs. We won’t be taken in… You wanted to make use of us. That’s why you rescued us” (Lewis, 73).

  As Aslan explained to Lucy, a closed heart can refuse to receive God’s grace:  “You see, they will not let us help them. They have chosen cunning instead of belief. Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they can not be taken out” (ibid, 148).

  We must agree with God about sin

  In order to receive God’s forgiveness, we must will to turn from our sin. The Spirit can revive a seared conscience, restoring our ability to feel compunction and choose repentance.

  Resources on this topic:

  Chapter nine of Leanne Payne’s Restoring the Christian Soul through Healing Prayer, “Third Great Barrier to Wholeness in Christ: Failure to Receive Forgiveness” 

  “Removing Barriers to Wholeness:  Receiving God’s Forgiveness” lecture and prayer live audio recording from an MPC school held in Wheaton, IL in 2019.