View Full Version : Praying for the Pearls
I heard of someone the other day who was given the Pearl book as a new mom and it made me sad that this is still happening, even though there has been so much more awareness drawn to their abusive teachings in recent years. In praying about it, God has put on my heart to pray for them daily for a month straight, so I think I am going to start this Friday, march 1. I am going to put a reminder on my phone or a post it on my mirror so I don't forget! Would anyone like to join me in this prayer endeavor? I am going to pray boldly that people in their organization (including them) experience conviction and are willing to listen to God's still small voice and change their teachings. It is a long shot that feels like a hopelessly long shot, but Jesus is the author of miracles and brings hope where there is none. Thanks for considering joining me!
Thank you for doing this.
ruhama
03-01-2013, 10:35 AM
A beautiful thought. :happytears We truly do know the author of miracles. I want to do this, too. Just put a reminder on my phone. For the month of march - intercessory prayer for the Pearls, their followers and those touched by their teachings. God's grace is so big. It's glorious! :heart
SewingGreenMama
03-01-2013, 10:57 AM
I'm joining you too. Im Including a friend of mine in my daily prayer who introduced me to the pearls book for wives. She and her husband are avid pearl followers.
charla
03-01-2013, 11:07 AM
I'll join. :pray4
Glitterfish
03-01-2013, 11:10 AM
I'm in. Adding a reminder to my phone now!
:pray4
Thanks to everyone praying! I really believe God is going to use our prayers to do something here, even if we never see the outcome. 2 things that have really encouraged me lately as i pray for them and against their teachings:
http://www.loveandlogic.com/pages/spanking.html - this is the love and logic authors retracting their previous pro-spanking statement and saying it is harmful. I realize that the love and logic people had a much shorter gap to bridge to get from where they were to anti-spanking than the Pearls do (now that is an understatement!), but it makes me want to pray that someday the Pearls are convicted and humbled enough by the love and grace of Christ to retract their previous teachings! Like you said above, God is the author of miracles, right? That would sure be one.
Then I saw Philippians 4:22 "All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household." You may want to read through Philippians to see it in context, and I am not a bible scholar on Philippians so please take this with a grain of salt, but my understanding is that "Ceasar's household" becoming a part of "God's people" was such a long shot back then that it would be about the equivalent of Debi Pearl becoming a GCM. I love the casual way it is mentioned at the end of Philippians too (like it is no big deal...but how great it must have felt to Paul to write that!)...earlier in the book it talks in more detail about how Paul got the opportunity to minister to Ceasar's household because of his chains. I wonder who out there God is giving the opportunity to minister to the Pearls, and what unexpected circumstance he is using to bring that about. Oh, how we can pray!!!!
charla
03-16-2013, 09:16 PM
I'm continuing to pray. I'm not remembering every single day but I think I remember the majority of days.
The first week, I found praying for them so hard. I felt such heaviness and oppression. It's getting easier, but I find I'm usually at a loss for words and am grateful that the Holy Spirit can hear the words I can't seem to form.
What has been the experience of the rest of you?
Agreed- I've struggled with a sense of where to even start. While I can see the hope of where God could bring them, it is so upsetting to acknowledge the place they are in right now and the harm they do to so many- in the name of God...kind of the "wolf in sheep's clothing" thing...which is definitely the worst kind of wolf. I try to remind myself to just pray...like you said, the Holy Spirit will intercede, and we sure need him to!
charla
03-16-2013, 09:30 PM
Yes, that's it exactly.
ruhama
03-16-2013, 09:45 PM
I haven't remembered everyday, but it hasn't been difficult for me. I lift them up, acknowledge their humanity and as image-bearers, praise God for the grace he gives, ask him to reveal his love, grace, kindness & mercy in dramatic and deeply challenging ways in their lives, I ask for healing in their lives (of relationships and abuse), I thank him for giving them hearts that desire him and ask that they grow closer to him and his truth, I ask for their hearts to be softened and for the ears of those who hear their message to be closed, I pray for the babies' protection, for soft hearts from current parents - that there may be some moment of clarity and dissonance that causes them to question and seek out those who both love God and discipline without hitting. Etc.
I'll add that the heaviness be lifted for my fellow intercessors. :heart
---------- Post added at 12:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:37 AM ----------
I've prayed against a lot of evil before, though, & was trained to pray by missionary intercessors. I personally don't pray anything for anyone I wouldn't want prayed for me. I don't want my wrong beliefs to hurt others, I do want their ears closed to my words if they are not leading them to God. I do want my relationship with him to be closer, to be deepened. I want healing and a soft heart. I pray for them as I would a friend. Could your own emotions be clouding your prayer or do you feel this is a sort of spiritual block?
Luciola
03-16-2013, 10:33 PM
Late to the thread, but praying. :pray4
DaraSKS
03-17-2013, 07:34 AM
For some reason this comment just really stuck out to me by Hope, "Paul got the opportunity to minister to Ceasar's household because of his chains."
Sometimes I feel like I get overwhelmed by the poor parenting I was raised with...and it just struck me that those are chains that I have. And, so I need to stop seeing the downside of the ill effects of how I was parented and just do like Paul did and just use those chains to help set others free.
I think that for me rather than a reminder on my phone, I'm gonna try to keep a reminder in my head for every time I feel one of the negative effects of having been raised "wrong" I need to have that be my reminder to me to pray for the Pearls...for the Ezzos...and the Dobsons...for the people trying to follow those books...for their children...and all those people walking thru bookstores looking for a good book to help them parent their children!
Thanks for this encouragement today!
charla
03-17-2013, 07:37 AM
---------- Post added at 12:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:37 AM ----------
I've prayed against a lot of evil before, though, & was trained to pray by missionary intercessors. I personally don't pray anything for anyone I wouldn't want prayed for me. I don't want my wrong beliefs to hurt others, I do want their ears closed to my words if they are not leading them to God. I do want my relationship with him to be closer, to be deepened. I want healing and a soft heart. I pray for them as I would a friend. Could your own emotions be clouding your prayer or do you feel this is a sort of spiritual block?
I think that it simply has to do with my personality type and the way God made me to have a gift of discernment. I can sense/feel the evil in a real way. I feel evil as oppression, a heaviness. I'm grateful that when words fail me sometimes that the Holy Spirit intercedes on my behalf and that God can see my heart. :amen
ruhama
03-17-2013, 10:05 AM
I'm the same way, that's why I asked. :)
arelyn
03-17-2013, 11:33 AM
Just seeing this and joining you! Wonderful idea!
anjelika
03-18-2013, 06:40 AM
Joining as well...
Luciola
03-19-2013, 10:59 AM
This sort of stuff is usually very difficult for me but it has been easy for me to pray for them, based on the prayer you posted Ruhama. :heart:pray4
For some reason this comment just really stuck out to me by Hope, "Paul got the opportunity to minister to Ceasar's household because of his chains."
Sometimes I feel like I get overwhelmed by the poor parenting I was raised with...and it just struck me that those are chains that I have. And, so I need to stop seeing the downside of the ill effects of how I was parented and just do like Paul did and just use those chains to help set others free.
I think that for me rather than a reminder on my phone, I'm gonna try to keep a reminder in my head for every time I feel one of the negative effects of having been raised "wrong" I need to have that be my reminder to me to pray for the Pearls...for the Ezzos...and the Dobsons...for the people trying to follow those books...for their children...and all those people walking thru bookstores looking for a good book to help them parent their children!
Thanks for this encouragement today!
Wow!!! We have prayed daily for the Pearls (and against their teachings) for the entire month of March! I believe we wont likely get to see the impact that made on this side of Heaven, but that it did make a powerful impact. Some verses that stand out to me are:
Matthew 7:7 ”Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 21:22 "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."
Mark 9:29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
James 5:16 "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
The post above by DaraSKS that I am quoting really spoke to me today as well. It is on my heart that in the month of April I'd like to challenge myself to a similar prayer goal like we did for the Pearls in March, but this time for the Ezzos and Dobsons. They seem to be more accepted by mainstream Christian culture than the Pearls, yet still seem so far off from the teachings of Jesus, and so dangerous in the way they seem to twist scripture to match their opinions. Would anyone like to join me in trying to pray daily for the Ezzos and the Dobsons in April?
charla
03-31-2013, 03:04 PM
I'm in for April.
Dovenoir
03-31-2013, 04:23 PM
I'm in, but shouldn't we focus one month to each? Ezzo for April and Dobson for May?
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I'm in, but shouldn't we focus one month to each? Ezzo for April and Dobson for May?
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Great suggestion! Ezzo for April, Dobson for May it is.
Luciola
04-01-2013, 11:48 AM
:pray4 Going to ask my IRL friend who was raised on Babywise but now a gentle mama to join us in prayer for Ezzo this month. :pray4:heart
How is everyone's prayer going for Ezzos this month? So thankful that we are doing this!
Virginia
04-14-2013, 06:57 PM
Just said a prayer for Ezzo.
Just a reminder that some of us are praying for the Dobsons this month...hope you can join in!
charla
05-02-2013, 08:41 PM
Thank you for the reminder.
Saw Dobson on tv the other day and was so thankful we are praying for him. He has such influence over so many, and if God could shift his heart toward promoting a style of parenting that is gentle/compassionate/selfless/etc it would sure be moving a mountain...what an impact that would make on so many Christian families. Sometimes I get discouraged praying because it feels like such a long shot...but God loves doing miracles on long shots, right? Praying his heart will be open to hear from God.
ShepherdsWife
06-03-2013, 06:35 PM
This is a great idea. I am amazed at the kindness you possess. I would like to try to join you :)
A bunch of us are praying for Ted Tripp daily in June- join us if you can
I have really been touched by our specific prayers for 4 months now that god would convict and change those who are promoting harming kids. Thanks for all who joined in! One thing on my heart as we get close to beginning a new month is the question: what if we spent the next 4 months praying that God would wildly bless and expand the ministries of some of the parenting teachers who are promoting gentle/positive/nonviolent biblical teachings of how to raise children? I know everyone has different favorites (sears? Coloroso? Lutton? VanVonderen? Those are all names I continue to hear really positively impact new parents... And I know there are so many more too) but we could maybe do a poll or something to select 4 of them and then pray daily for one each month. Would anyone be willing to join me in that? I believe there is a lot of spiritual warfare against these wonderful teachings becoming widespread- the enemy loves the stronghold he has over the Christian community by causing so many Christians to feel so passionate about the cause of promoting the hitting of children because they have been so misinformed that it is biblically mandated. And i would guess that even those who don't take a spiritual warfare worldview most likely would agree that there are at least major roadblocks (whatever the cause) to these nonviolent Christian parenting authors' work starting to spread the way the pro-violence authors' work has. It could make a great impact to pray and sure would be fun to watch! :) anyone in?
charla
06-27-2013, 08:54 PM
I'm in.
Rose5000
06-30-2013, 12:18 PM
Yes.
We decided to pray for Crystal Lutton in July. Future authors we are considering are Sears, Coloroso, VanVonderen and Clarkson. Let us know your suggestions! Blessings as you pray...
Hermana Linda
07-06-2013, 05:00 PM
We decided to pray for Crystal Lutton in July. Future authors we are considering are Sears, Coloroso, VanVonderen and Clarkson. Let us know your suggestions! Blessings as you pray...
Samuel Martin
dulce de leche
07-06-2013, 05:08 PM
LR Knost, Becky Eanes
Hermana Linda
07-06-2013, 09:29 PM
And Stephanie Cox who just wrote a book which is in the pre-publishing stages.
These are all great suggestions....lets do them all, one month at a time...we'll just do alphabetical order for the rest of them so I think that would make August Clarkson. Thanks for bring fervent in prayer!
Next up alphabetically is Coloroso...let's pray for her in September....
Luciola
09-02-2013, 10:08 AM
Can someone explain Coloroso to me? I haven't heard of her before.
She wrote some things on bullying and parenting in crisis that I've heard are quite good, but her most famous book is kids are worth it: teaching your children the gift of inner discipline- it takes a strong stance against spanking and offers great alternatives. I might be remembering wrong but I think she was formerly a nun and then an educator?
And Stephanie Cox who just wrote a book which is in the pre-publishing stages.
Next up alphabetically is Stephanie cox! Lets be praying for her and the success of her book this month of October!
Hermana Linda
10-04-2013, 03:00 PM
Wonderful! She submits her Master's Thesis in 5 weeks. :D And her book will be out in a few months so I have been praying for both. :pray4
Next up alphabetically is Becky Eanes! Let's pray for her in November.
December is LR Knost! Thanks for continuing to pray!
Let's do Samuel Martin in January and Elizabeth Pantley in February. (Side note, Stephanie cox's book can be preordered now which is so exciting since we prayed for it! And neat too that we also prayed for Crystal and LR Knost around the time their new books were coming out!)
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Hermana Linda
01-01-2014, 11:57 PM
Sounds great! :tu
Here is a link to Stephanie Cox's book (https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781628542363) and you can still read the preview here (http://whynottrainachild.com/stephs-stuff/).
Here is Samuel Martin's book (http://whynottrainachild.com/2013/06/22/download-martins-book/).
Let's pray for the Sears' family in March!
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Sparrow
02-27-2014, 03:04 PM
What an awesome thread!!
April is Jeff VanVonderen. Thanks for praying for these authors and the reach of their ministries!
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emerald
04-04-2014, 01:02 PM
:cup
sunflowermom
04-04-2014, 01:04 PM
I'm going to follow along and :pray4 as well.
I saw on Facebook that LR Knost is finishing a new book- Jesus, the gentle parent- and trying to take on some of the giants like pearl and Dobson in it. I'd love to commit to praying for that daily in may- anyone want to join me?
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So it is June and we haven't decided who to pray for this month. Now that we've made it through our list of gentle parenting authors, should we go back to praying for change in the lives and ministries of those who are promoting abuse? We could start with Pearl again? Would love to hear thoughts...
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Shutterbug
06-02-2014, 09:33 PM
So it is June and we haven't decided who to pray for this month. Now that we've made it through our list of gentle parenting authors, should we go back to praying for change in the lives and ministries of those who are promoting abuse? We could start with Pearl again? Would love to hear thoughts...
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I like that idea. Tripp and Dobson are the ones I pray for the most as they seem to be the most influential now.
Let's do it! I'm hearing of Tripp a lot lately too so let's start there and do them in reverse alphabetical order this time: Tripp in June, Pearl in July, Ezzo in August, Dobson in September. Thanks!
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Hermana Linda
06-07-2014, 09:12 PM
Sounds good. :tu
Praying for Pearls this month! Praying God will open their hearts and move mountains of abuse and oppression out of their teachings. It would take a miracle...
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Just a reminder that we are praying for Dobson in September. I'm praying God will open his eyes, soften his heart, and give him the humility to admit where he was wrong and gave advice that harmed kids. What a difference that could make if it ever happened! Also, if you aren't yet, please pray for LR Knost, a wonderful gentle parenting author who has been diagnosed with cancer. Thanks!
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Hermana Linda
09-14-2014, 07:16 AM
Thank you for the reminder.
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Let's take a season of praying for anti-spanking parenting authors again- that God would richly bless their influence and work! In October I'm going to pray for Diane Hansen because we missed her the first time around- she wrote "those are my private parts" with her daughter Charlotte which is a great sexual abuse prevention kids book that has a page at the end for parents explaining why not to spank. I'd like to pray boldly this month that the book gets in the hands of a lot of spanking families and that they are motivated to stop- if for no other reason than the sexual abuse one/ that's enough! Will anyone join me in that?
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Let's pray for favor for Stephanie cox this month and her book gentle firmness
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Hermana Linda
11-06-2014, 09:15 AM
Oh yes, let's!
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Hermana Linda
11-25-2014, 04:39 PM
Speaking of Stephanie Cox, she needs a new wheelchair (http://www.gofundme.com/ChairForSteph). Please pray for the linked campaign to be successful. At this time, it's at 31%. :pray4
Great prayer request...and thanks for sharing, I'd like to help :)
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mummy2boys
12-02-2014, 04:32 AM
What a great thread :smile
I don't think I ever posted a December author to pray for- sorry! Sounds like LR Knost's cancer is possibly recurring but they just did surgery and should know today or tomorrow based on the pathology report if it is cancer again or just inflammation/infection. Let's pray like crazy it's just inflammation/infection!
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Hermana Linda
12-20-2014, 09:14 PM
Praying for her. :pray4
Sounds like one of the things they are praying for specifically is that she is home in time for Christmas
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Looks like she will be! Still praying it's not a recurrence of cancer thoigh
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It wasn't cancer this time! Just infection and inflammation- praise God! Please continue to pray for miraculous healing
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Hermana Linda
12-29-2014, 07:23 PM
Oh! :ptl :dox
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