One restless night Rick Richardson was disturbed throughout his sleep by an image of a man coming at him with a knife. Taking that image seriously set Rick on a profound journey of healing and prayer around issues of masculinity and relationships. Sometimes we feel spiritually numb, find ourselves emotionally dependent, struggle with addictive behavior, or see a trail of broken relationships behind us. These can be signs that we are in need of God's healing touch in our lives through prayer--prayer that we can learn and practice in community. In this biblical and very human book, Richardson walks us through the steps we need to receive this gift of healing from God as well as to begin praying for others in their pain.
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"Experiencing Healing Prayer is a wonderful book on an incredibly important subject. How I thank God for Rick Richardson's wisdom and insight in dealing with the very practical aspects of healing prayer. This book will bring healing to many hurting people." (Paul Cedar, Chairman/CEO, Mission America )
"Rick Richardson paints a compelling portrait of effective healing prayer ministry. His is a balanced and biblical view of such ministry, one that emphasizes listening to God, obedience to God, and reliance upon the healing power of a loving and sovereign Father. Through his transparency about his own journey of healing, he invites us to open ourselves to deeper possibilities of God's healing work. I recommend this book highly." (Dr. Stanton L. Jones, Provost, Wheaton College, and coauthor of the God's Design for Sex family sex education book series )
"This is a very practical book that is also the very personal story of a journey in the Spirit. Rick Richardson has not only learned much that is helpful, but he has picked up great gifts of communication along the way. I was greatly encouraged as I read this work. I felt excited all over again about praying for the sick, distressed and marginalized. The teaching points that Rick makes as he tells his story have equipped me to feel that my journey will now be that much more effective." (Steve Sjogren, Founding Pastor, Vineyard Cincinnati, and writer of www.ServantEvangelism.com )
"To write a book about healing is a formidable task. It is so easy to lose focus and balance, becoming shrill and dogmatic while overpromising or making healing a form of Christian magic. Rick Richardson has avoided all these pitfalls and given us a rich, nuanced, thoughtful, experience-based, story-filled and practical guide to the healing ministry. This is a book that touches people at the places where the Spirit can work: those dark points of brokenness, longing, pain, disadvantage and injustice." (Richard Peace, Ph.D., Robert Boyd Munger Professor of Evangelism and Spiritual Formation, Fuller Theological Seminary )
"Experiencing Healing Prayer is one of the most thorough books on healing prayer I have seen. It's not just a book about healing, however. It's a great book on how to grow deeper in discipleship and prayer. It's full of life-changing insights into our relationship with God, ourselves and others." (Steve Nicholson, Senior Pastor, Vineyard Christian Church of Evanston, National Coordinator of Church Planting for Vineyard Churches USA )
"We live in a dysfunctional and broken world--we need repair and we need to be made whole. Rick Richardson's book is a sacred health document that is illuminating, fresh and healthy; it certainly was for me." (J. John, author and speaker )
"A very thoughtful, useful and powerful resource for all those who want to bring the healing ministry of Jesus into the local church." (Rev. Dr. Mark Stibbe, author and speaker )
"Rick Richardson reminds us of the absolute centrality of healing prayer to the Christian life. He underscores the basic point that healing is not just about the escape or release from pain, but involves the transformation of the whole person in obedience to Jesus Christ.
"The reader will find a clearly written practical guide to creating and sustaining a ministry of healing. Gallup survey findings on the values and beliefs of teens support the author's belief that 'the emerging generation could lead the way into a new day of healing and transformation in the church and the world.'" (George Gallup Jr. )
"I was thankful to get hold of Rick Richardson's book Experiencing Healing Prayer. It will greatly help many people. Unlike some other books on healing prayer, it has a good and wise spirit about it." (Philip Yancey, author )
"This book came to me just as a group of people in our congregation were asking, 'How can we develop a healing prayer ministry?' I can't imagine a more thoughtful and practical resource than Experiencing Healing Prayer by Rick Richardson. Even where readers may differ with the author, they'll find honesty and sensitivity and experience on every page." (Brian McLaren, pastor, author of A Generous Orthodoxy )
"Some books on healing scare me. But I love this book's blend of passion and wisdom. Rick's honesty and insights made me want to pray and to receive prayer, to go deeper with others into the adventure of Christian healing." (Kevin A. Miller, Vice President, Christianity Today International )
"Experiencing Healing Prayer is a remarkable book. Rick Richardson . . . simply but profoundly leads his readers into the life of prayer for healing. His use of the miracles of the Gospels to develop a truly biblical doctrine of healing is coupled with suggestions for dealing with deep human wounds--emotional, physical and spiritual. Better yet, he has furnished me wise guidance on my own spiritual journey!" (Paul Emanuel Larsen, President Emeritus, Evangelical Covenant Church )
"We live in an age that desperately needs healing to be the heartbeat of the church. Experiencing Healing Prayer is an answer to that need. Rick Richardson intimately testifies of his own experience of healing and shares his wise gift of teaching to train others. Remarkably, he simplifies the complex without being simplistic while offering genuine hope for wounded souls and clear practical steps for those who care for the soul. Pastors who want to see their congregations transformed by the healing power of God will want a copy of Experiencing Healing Prayer for every member of their leadership team." (The Rev. William Beasley, Church of the Redeemer, Network Leader for Anglican Mission in America )
"God will use Experiencing Healing Prayer to dive deep into your mind and heart, helping you to understand and apply the personal and spiritual healing you need to have a healthy, balanced, Christ-centered life. Rick Richardson gives us personal and practical tools to make sure the wounds and pains of our past do not wreck the healthy and whole future we all yearn for." (Dr. Steve Shadrach, Founder, Student Mobilization, and Director of Mobilization, U.S. Center for World Mission )
"Whenever I see a book on healing prayer, I wonder if it is charismatic or evangelical in its approach; is it biblical or practical, psychological or spiritual? When it comes to Rick Richardson's new book, Experiencing Healing Prayer, the answer is . . . yes! Rick provides us with a model for healing prayer that is all of the above. While firmly committed to the authenticity and authority of Scripture, Rick guides us into a deeper partnership with the Holy Spirit as we venture to petition God for the healing of friends and strangers. He helps us recognize, from both Scripture and personal experience, the signs of God's healing presence as we pray with and for others. And healing is more than the reversal of a physical ailment; healing is the biblical hope and promise of a satisfied soul. Rick has written a road map for many of us who need to pursue a greater depth of healing (i.e., wholeness) for ourselves, even as we seek to pray for others and train others to join us in the journey." (Phil Miglioratti, National Pastors' Prayer Network )
"The journey of 'dying to self' so Christ can come alive in us appears to be a misunderstood and elapsed discipline in the lives of Christians and the church today. Rick Richardson offers practical insights into how we respond to the incarnation of God through healing prayer. I will pass this on to the prayer ministers in our church." (Jeanine Parolini, Director of Adult Discipleship and Small Groups, North Heights Lutheran Church )
"I chose Leanne Payne as a mentor through her writings--so you can imagine my interest when I saw Rick Richardson's book. I have been giving it a thorough working through and now am routinely recommending it for all my clients and others I pray for." (Jane Willard, counselor and prayer leader )
"I found the book most unique and refreshing. Rick Richardson integrates Jesus' power to heal with Jesus' mission to the world. Often healing prayer becomes the Christian substitute for the secular obsession to 'be all that we can be,' which means to do whatever we can to make ourselves feel good. Rick speaks to the reality of God's healing power and how it moves through us toward a world that is in desperate need of reconciliation on so many levels. This is a truth that the church needs to hear and embrace." (Nina Lau Branson, Methodist church prayer leader )
"As a pastor for over thirty years, I only wish it had been written over thirty years ago! It is amazingly balanced in its approach to healing. It is immensely practical. It is also very biblical and historically orthodox. Rick's definition of what healing is, that it is 'not primarily about escape or relief from pain . . . [but] is primarily about the transformation of the person into a truer and more whole follower, worshipper and lover of God,' so needs to be heard today." (Fr. George Kacena, Church of the Great Shepherd )
"Experiencing Healing Prayer affirms the power and place of healing prayer in the spiritual life from a solidly evangelical perspective and yet with a delightfully sacramental approach. Rick does an excellent job of synthesizing biblical material and other Christian sources on the matter while at the same time balancing it with a good discussion of potential pitfalls. It is a very helpful work for all of us who seek God's healing presence for ourselves and for others." (Ruth Haley Barton, cofounder, Transforming Center, and author )
"Rick Richardson paints a compelling portrait of effective healing prayer ministry. His is a balanced and biblical view of such ministry, one that emphasizes listening to God, obedience to God, and reliance upon the healing power of a loving and sovereign Father. Through his transparency about his own journey of healing, he invites us to open ourselves to deeper possibilities of God's healing work. I recommend this book highly." (Dr. Stanton L. Jones, Provost, Wheaton College, and coauthor of the God's Design for Sex family sex education book series )
"This is a very practical book that is also the very personal story of a journey in the Spirit. Rick Richardson has not only learned much that is helpful, but he has picked up great gifts of communication along the way. I was greatly encouraged as I read this work. I felt excited all over again about praying for the sick, distressed and marginalized. The teaching points that Rick makes as he tells his story have equipped me to feel that my journey will now be that much more effective." (Steve Sjogren, Founding Pastor, Vineyard Cincinnati, and writer of www.ServantEvangelism.com )
"To write a book about healing is a formidable task. It is so easy to lose focus and balance, becoming shrill and dogmatic while overpromising or making healing a form of Christian magic. Rick Richardson has avoided all these pitfalls and given us a rich, nuanced, thoughtful, experience-based, story-filled and practical guide to the healing ministry. This is a book that touches people at the places where the Spirit can work: those dark points of brokenness, longing, pain, disadvantage and injustice." (Richard Peace, Ph.D., Robert Boyd Munger Professor of Evangelism and Spiritual Formation, Fuller Theological Seminary )
"Experiencing Healing Prayer is one of the most thorough books on healing prayer I have seen. It's not just a book about healing, however. It's a great book on how to grow deeper in discipleship and prayer. It's full of life-changing insights into our relationship with God, ourselves and others." (Steve Nicholson, Senior Pastor, Vineyard Christian Church of Evanston, National Coordinator of Church Planting for Vineyard Churches USA )
"We live in a dysfunctional and broken world--we need repair and we need to be made whole. Rick Richardson's book is a sacred health document that is illuminating, fresh and healthy; it certainly was for me." (J. John, author and speaker )
"A very thoughtful, useful and powerful resource for all those who want to bring the healing ministry of Jesus into the local church." (Rev. Dr. Mark Stibbe, author and speaker )
"Rick Richardson reminds us of the absolute centrality of healing prayer to the Christian life. He underscores the basic point that healing is not just about the escape or release from pain, but involves the transformation of the whole person in obedience to Jesus Christ.
"The reader will find a clearly written practical guide to creating and sustaining a ministry of healing. Gallup survey findings on the values and beliefs of teens support the author's belief that 'the emerging generation could lead the way into a new day of healing and transformation in the church and the world.'" (George Gallup Jr. )
"I was thankful to get hold of Rick Richardson's book Experiencing Healing Prayer. It will greatly help many people. Unlike some other books on healing prayer, it has a good and wise spirit about it." (Philip Yancey, author )
"This book came to me just as a group of people in our congregation were asking, 'How can we develop a healing prayer ministry?' I can't imagine a more thoughtful and practical resource than Experiencing Healing Prayer by Rick Richardson. Even where readers may differ with the author, they'll find honesty and sensitivity and experience on every page." (Brian McLaren, pastor, author of A Generous Orthodoxy )
"Some books on healing scare me. But I love this book's blend of passion and wisdom. Rick's honesty and insights made me want to pray and to receive prayer, to go deeper with others into the adventure of Christian healing." (Kevin A. Miller, Vice President, Christianity Today International )
"Experiencing Healing Prayer is a remarkable book. Rick Richardson . . . simply but profoundly leads his readers into the life of prayer for healing. His use of the miracles of the Gospels to develop a truly biblical doctrine of healing is coupled with suggestions for dealing with deep human wounds--emotional, physical and spiritual. Better yet, he has furnished me wise guidance on my own spiritual journey!" (Paul Emanuel Larsen, President Emeritus, Evangelical Covenant Church )
"We live in an age that desperately needs healing to be the heartbeat of the church. Experiencing Healing Prayer is an answer to that need. Rick Richardson intimately testifies of his own experience of healing and shares his wise gift of teaching to train others. Remarkably, he simplifies the complex without being simplistic while offering genuine hope for wounded souls and clear practical steps for those who care for the soul. Pastors who want to see their congregations transformed by the healing power of God will want a copy of Experiencing Healing Prayer for every member of their leadership team." (The Rev. William Beasley, Church of the Redeemer, Network Leader for Anglican Mission in America )
"God will use Experiencing Healing Prayer to dive deep into your mind and heart, helping you to understand and apply the personal and spiritual healing you need to have a healthy, balanced, Christ-centered life. Rick Richardson gives us personal and practical tools to make sure the wounds and pains of our past do not wreck the healthy and whole future we all yearn for." (Dr. Steve Shadrach, Founder, Student Mobilization, and Director of Mobilization, U.S. Center for World Mission )
"Whenever I see a book on healing prayer, I wonder if it is charismatic or evangelical in its approach; is it biblical or practical, psychological or spiritual? When it comes to Rick Richardson's new book, Experiencing Healing Prayer, the answer is . . . yes! Rick provides us with a model for healing prayer that is all of the above. While firmly committed to the authenticity and authority of Scripture, Rick guides us into a deeper partnership with the Holy Spirit as we venture to petition God for the healing of friends and strangers. He helps us recognize, from both Scripture and personal experience, the signs of God's healing presence as we pray with and for others. And healing is more than the reversal of a physical ailment; healing is the biblical hope and promise of a satisfied soul. Rick has written a road map for many of us who need to pursue a greater depth of healing (i.e., wholeness) for ourselves, even as we seek to pray for others and train others to join us in the journey." (Phil Miglioratti, National Pastors' Prayer Network )
"The journey of 'dying to self' so Christ can come alive in us appears to be a misunderstood and elapsed discipline in the lives of Christians and the church today. Rick Richardson offers practical insights into how we respond to the incarnation of God through healing prayer. I will pass this on to the prayer ministers in our church." (Jeanine Parolini, Director of Adult Discipleship and Small Groups, North Heights Lutheran Church )
"I chose Leanne Payne as a mentor through her writings--so you can imagine my interest when I saw Rick Richardson's book. I have been giving it a thorough working through and now am routinely recommending it for all my clients and others I pray for." (Jane Willard, counselor and prayer leader )
"I found the book most unique and refreshing. Rick Richardson integrates Jesus' power to heal with Jesus' mission to the world. Often healing prayer becomes the Christian substitute for the secular obsession to 'be all that we can be,' which means to do whatever we can to make ourselves feel good. Rick speaks to the reality of God's healing power and how it moves through us toward a world that is in desperate need of reconciliation on so many levels. This is a truth that the church needs to hear and embrace." (Nina Lau Branson, Methodist church prayer leader )
"As a pastor for over thirty years, I only wish it had been written over thirty years ago! It is amazingly balanced in its approach to healing. It is immensely practical. It is also very biblical and historically orthodox. Rick's definition of what healing is, that it is 'not primarily about escape or relief from pain . . . [but] is primarily about the transformation of the person into a truer and more whole follower, worshipper and lover of God,' so needs to be heard today." (Fr. George Kacena, Church of the Great Shepherd )
"Experiencing Healing Prayer affirms the power and place of healing prayer in the spiritual life from a solidly evangelical perspective and yet with a delightfully sacramental approach. Rick does an excellent job of synthesizing biblical material and other Christian sources on the matter while at the same time balancing it with a good discussion of potential pitfalls. It is a very helpful work for all of us who seek God's healing presence for ourselves and for others." (Ruth Haley Barton, cofounder, Transforming Center, and author )
From the Publisher
"This book came to me just as a group of people in our congregation were asking, 'How can we develop a healing prayer ministry?' I can't imagine a more thoughtful and practical resource than Experiencing Healing Prayer by Rick Richardson. Even where readers may differ with the author, they'll find honesty and sensitivity and experience on every page." Brian McLaren, pastor, author of A Generous Orthodoxy
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Profound and Trustworthy Journey Into Healing Prayer,
By
This review is from: Experiencing Healing Prayer: How God Turns Our Hurts into Wholeness (Paperback)
When I was a junior in college at a major state university, Rick Richardson led a weekend retreat for the healing of past family wounds (see chapters 11 & 12 of this book). At this retreat, I heard the quiet voice of God for the first time tell me, "You are not a hypocrite." (Chapters 5 & 6) I then saw an image of my father embracing me and my whole family: and I wept. From that day God has continued to bring restoration and wholeness into my life through many experiences of healing prayer minsistry, and I have had the privilege of leading others in healing prayer as well. The stories and teaching found in this book are REAL. Chapters 13 & 14, focusing on Forgiveness/Healing of Memories and Battling Sexual Addiction, deal with two of the most important challenges our churches and culture face today. This book is filled with profound yet accessible understanding and practical help for those needing healing themselves, and those who are called to be ministers of Jesus' healing to others as pastors, prayer leaders, and friends of God. I highly recommend it!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Creating a Safe Place for Intercessory Healing Prayer,
By
This review is from: Experiencing Healing Prayer: How God Turns Our Hurts into Wholeness (Paperback)
Leaders of prayer ministries can tend toward a fear-based emphasis--fear of quelling the Spirit or abandoning Scripture or overlooking devils behind every bush. But for Richardson, quoting Augustine, "the healing journey is a journey of setting love in order." Healing has to do with the soul, torn and woven through past and current physical and relational experiences. With ordered love for both the recipient of prayer and the intercessor, fear has no place and neither does control. What does have predominance, established in early chapters, is God's presence, always available, always near, always the "marker" of our identity.
Healing prayer brings us into an awareness of God's presence but does not necessarily bring the results we want. The activity of intercession moves from performing for answers to collaborating with God. Intercessors ask Jesus: What are you praying? How can I enter into your prayers for this person or this situation? For Richardson's own journey, "The greatest gain has been the increase of my capacity to know, understand and love God." Co-author of The Heart of Racial Justice, Richardson urges prayer ministers to affirm varying expressions of prayer based on culture, personality, and experience instead of revering intuitive prayer. Although he comments on ethnicity, he does not acknowledge potential differences of prayer language based on gender. Nonetheless, he covers the centrality of gender identity to our healing journey as well as sexual addictions, forgiveness, and the influence of family of origin, areas through which he encourages prayer ministers to walk. Readers process these middle chapters through reflection-and response-sections, guiding them to ponder, pray, and worship. When I have described Richardson's final chapter to other prayer ministry leaders, their eyebrows raise in intrigue. Leaders fret that those who come to receive prayer will depend emotionally on the ministers: they vary the prayer ministers each week and use both genders. Richardson inverts this concern at the book's end. The pitfalls are numerous for prayer ministers themselves--to find their sole sense of intimacy through listening to others' cares, to take on another's anxiety, and to attach their identity to their power and performance. Ultimately, in his book, he has urged the creation of an emotionally and spiritually safe place for both recipients and prayer ministers, encircled by the presence of God within the church community.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good insights here and there,
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This review is from: Experiencing Healing Prayer: How God Turns Our Hurts into Wholeness (Paperback)
On the whole I like this book, however on some topics it just loses me. Rick pointed out that man has a tendency to worship the phallus or the reproductive system in the absence of God, but to me it seems here what has happened is an attempt to pin every single problem we face on our parents. The theories are a bit confusing and convoluted. I don't exactly fit neatly into any one of them so far as I can tell. For example, I had a controlling mother and yet I have no difficulty in committing to relationships. I've struggled with porn and my sex drive over the years and God has dealt with it in ways very different than as described in the book. I'm no misogynist, but in general once someone starts insisting that I need to delve back into my childhood and recapture the nurturing feeling of being at my mother's breast, they lose me. I'm not saying that this book won't help anyone, but it certainly isn't for everyone. I did find some things helpful (like where it discuses how to better discern Gods voice). It was good to have a brief part of the book devoted to how things can become "sexualized". I would have liked to have read more about that because it seems that satan can and will corrupt people desires in this way.
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