The Ambient Presence of The Lord.
© The Rev. Nigel Mumford+
I got up this morning as usual at 4.30am. For some strange reason I was wondering about darkness. The sudden realization that every morning I can see my way in the dark. It is of course familiar territory, but I can see my way.
On my journey the words ambient light came to mind. Where is that light source from?
A revelation began to unfold. Jesus said, ” I am the light of the world” he also said, ” I will never leave you.” Therefore His “ambient light,” His “ambient presence” is with us always. The understanding is that on any given night, there is always a light source, however subtle, however gentle. The Lord is always with you.
So I had to see what the dictionary says about the word ambient. The definition is, *existing or present on all sides : encompassing, encircling.” Well, there you have it – Jesus existing and present on all sides. This also struck me, “People shopped as ambient music played in the background.” The background music, Jesus is always there in the background, always with you, ambient in nature.
Ambient is: an encompassing atmosphere : environment. When we go to a Spirit filled worship service there is an ambient atmosphere. The Lord is with you.
Some words popped up that I had never heard of: Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra…
Wait, “carbon footprint?” How about a sand footprint?
Ambient lighting is a general illumination that comes from all directions in a room, yet has no visible source. Now we are onto something… No visible source? The ambient presence of the Christ?
In the context of places of worship the synonyms struck me: environment, atmosphere, environs, milieu, surroundings, place, position, and microenvironment. Having just spent time at Rochester cathedral (a place of worship since 604AD), I am now getting the picture of “ambient” in all its forms.
The medical definition of ambient writes, “Surrounding on all sides” or “completely enveloping” could suggest that the ambient presence of The Lord is with us for healing. That even The Lord is surrounding “that cell” that is misbehaving itself.
The medical definition even goes on to include “ambient air pollution”. In a positive sense, we breath in the ambient presence of God. We breath in the pray that has been proclaimed for centuries in a sacred place of worship.
Ambient lighting can refer to: available light in an environment. Perhaps we can look at it as the available presence in the environment. In other words Christ is always available and we are always in His presence.
As we pray, may I suggest that the ambient presence of The Lord surrounds us, encapsulates us, and consumes us with His love.
May you walk today in His ambient presence….
Amen.
*Source: Merriam-Webster
© The Rev. Nigel Mumford+ 2013
Author Archives: Nigel W.D. Mumford
The Washington Times
Healing Through Prayer
by Jen Waters
The Rev. Nigel Mumford said he is preaching the kingdom of God and healing the sick, as Jesus instructed his followers to do.
“Some churches preach the kingdom; even fewer heal the sick,” said Mr. Mumford, director of healing ministry at Christ the King Spiritual Life Center in Greenwich, N.Y. “For some reason, the healing ministry has had a bad rap.”
Because of scandals involving television evangelists, most Americans discount prayer for healing as nothing more than wishful thinking, Mr. Mumford said, but some Christians are trying to restore dignity to the notion that Jesus is a healer. In 2003, he said, he spoke to more than 400 physicians at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.
As a former drill instructor for the Royal Marine Commando in Britain, Mr. Mumford said, he has seen man’s inhumanity to man, but he also has seen God’s healing grace to man. He describes his experiences in the book “Hand to Hand: From Combat to Healing.”
“I don’t want to make a fantastic claim,” said Mr. Mumford, who has been praying for healings for 16 years. “I believe everybody is healed when you pray, and some are cured. Something always happens when you pray. I’ve seen people’s sight restored, and I’ve seen people die, but they have died a holy death, and they were literally dying with a smile on their face.”
In 1986, his sister Julie Sheldon, a dancer with the Royal Ballet in London, became severely ill and was expected to die from dystonia, a neurological movement disorder. In 1989, she made a full recovery after “laying on of hands,” with the Rev. Canon Jim Glennon of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney, Australia, Mr. Mumford said. She describes her recovery in the book “Dancer Off Her Feet.”
“I didn’t believe in healing then,” Mr. Mumford says. “I was just witnessing it. Witnessing it absolutely changed my life. I was going to kill my own sister. She was in so much pain. Thank God I didn’t. She would be dead, and I would be a murderer.”
Now Mr. Mumford spends most of his time praying for people’s illnesses, everything from ingrown toenails to cancer and AIDS. He holds healing services at his center and abroad.
When people do not have enough faith to trust God for healing, Mr. Mumford said, he asks them to let him believe for them. He said his prayer once helped an agnostic woman hobbling with a broken toe walk normally, even though she had never been in a church.
“I say: ‘It’s my job to believe. Let me believe for you,’ ” Mr. Mumford said. “I have seen people who have no faith at all get better.”
Prayer for healing does not discount other healing methods, said the Rev. Canon Mark A. Pearson, co-leader of New Creation Healing Center in Plaistow, N.H. The center features a doctor of osteopathy, a massage therapist, counselors, chaplains and prayer teams. In the future, the organization will offer a residential component to its treatment options. He is author of “Christian Healing: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide” and holds a master’s degree in theology from the University of Oxford and a doctorate in church history from Boston University.
“God can heal through medicine,” Mr. Pearson said. “God can heal a physical problem when an emotional problem is addressed. God can heal through counseling. God can heal miraculously when people pray. God can heal through any combination of these modalities. We don’t limit what God can do through a healing ministry.”
People shouldn’t categorize healing methods as secular or sacred, he said. Although some healings are mystical, others are practical. In 1 Corinthians 12, where gifts of healing are listed as spiritual gifts from God, gifts of administration, which are usually considered down-to-earth, also are mentioned, he says.
“Some people are so starved for the dramatic, that unless it’s dramatic they don’t think it’s from God,” Mr. Pearson says. “God can work through process, as well as dramatically.”
When people come to Mr. Pearson for prayer for healing, he tells them it is best to allow God to decide how to heal them. Sometimes, he said, God might give him a word of knowledge or word of wisdom, offering insight for the person’s healing.
“One guy came for prayer saying he had headaches,” Mr. Pearson said. “I asked him if he was estranged from his brother. He said yes. I told him I thought he needed to forgive his brother. His headaches went away after he did that.”
Although many Christians routinely pray for physical healing, the primary healing that Jesus accomplished on the cross is healing from sin, said the Rev. Bob Hartman, pastor for adult education at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield. He quotes Isaiah 53:5, which says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
If someone is sick, Immanuel Bible Church follows the guidelines of James 5:13-16, which says the elders of the church should pray for the person and anoint him with oil. Mr. Hartman, however, said he thinks complete healing will come in God’s presence in eternity.
“God’s plan for us is to trust Jesus Christ for salvation and to experience things like complete healing — no more sickness, no more crying — in heaven,” Mr. Hartman said. “This Earth is not the believer’s home.”
It is only in recent generations that Christians have shied away from praying for physical healing, said the Rev. Francis MacNutt, director of the ecumenical Christian Healing Ministries in Jacksonville, Fla. He is ordained as a Dominican priest and has a doctorate from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. His most recent book is “The Nearly Perfect Crime: How the Church Almost Killed the Ministry of Healing.”
“For the first 350 years, Christians did pray for healing,” Father MacNutt said. “It was accepted that it was ordinary, and everybody could do it. It was the main means of evangelization in the Roman Empire.”
Since Father MacNutt began praying for people’s healing in the 1960s, he said, he has seen a growth in the ministry of healing throughout Christian denominations. The organization holds seminars to enhance understanding about healing prayer.
“People are catching on,” Father MacNutt said. “It used to be fairly unusual for a Catholic priest to be involved in this. Now it’s fairly accepted.”
Copyright © 2006 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
See the Article on the Washington Times
Favorite bible verses…
My Favorite Bible Verses for Healing
If you or a friend is sick please print this page for easy reference.
I encourage you to look for the biblical promise of healing within the following words and to beleive.
Pray through these bible verses. Just say “The Word” Lord and we shall be healed.
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I am the Lord that heals you.
Exodus 15:26
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Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of you Holy Servant Jesus.
Acts 4:30
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Dear Friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
3 John 1:2
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I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 30″17
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Be Joyful always; pray continually;give thanks in all circumstances; for this is god’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 This 5:16-18
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Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7
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And Jesus sent them out to preach the Kingdom and to heal the sick.
Luke 9:2
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Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen.
Hebrews 11:1
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We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5.
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All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
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May the God who gives you endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6
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He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. it does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. it has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:8
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For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the Glory of God.
2 Corinthians 1:20
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Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
James 1:22
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Preach the Kingdom and heal the sick.
Luke 9:2
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Just say the word Lord and I shall be healed.
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Jesus said, “I will go and heal him.”
Matthew 8:7
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Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy..
Matthew 10:8
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And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.
Luke6:17
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Heal the sick who are there and tell them, The Kingdom of God is near you.
Luke 10:9
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So Moses cried out to the Lord, “O God, please heal her!”
Numbers 12:13
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I have heard you prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.
2 Kings 20:5
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If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Cor 7:14
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His hands also heal.
Job 5:18
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Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony.
Psalm 6:2
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O Lord, have mercy on me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.
Psalm 41:4
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There is a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build.
Eccl 3:3
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The Lord will heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to theirpleae and heal them.
Isaiah 19:22
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“I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him, creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel. Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
Isaiah 57:18-19
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Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.
Jer17:14
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But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord.
Jer 30:17
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Nevertheless, I will bring health and haling to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.
Jer 33:36
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Who can heal you?
Lam 2:13
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I will heal their waywardness and love them freely.
Hos 14:4
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Call on the name of the Lord, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.
2 Kings 5:11
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I pray that this will help you and those for whom you pray.
~Nigel Mumford+
Mumford’s Musings.
“Market Place Ministry”
I was on my way to my “new” office this morning. The church of the coffee shop of the Village Café, here in Greenwich, NY where on occasion I meet people to pray for them: “Market Place Ministry!” For the past ten years I have mostly turned left to go to work via the center of the village. This morning I was really drawn to turn right!
A little way down the hill was a woman in jogging gear, carrying a very large black and white dog. She looked stressed and worried. I stopped and lowered my window and asked her, “Are you OK?” She told me there was something wrong with her dog, so I offered her a ride home. I asked her if we needed to go to the vet right away. She said she had an appointment later. So I drove her home. She told me the dog was nine years old. She then told me she gave a ride to someone last week and wondered if anyone would stop if she ever needed help in the future!
Her house was half a mile away, a long haul with a large dog in your arms. I pulled up at her house and asked her if she was a Christian. She said yes. I said may I lay my hands on your dog, she said, “Absolutely” I did. The dog looked me right in the eyes and held my gaze with such a sad and forlorn look. I prayed…
If I hear more I will let you know…
Luke 10:25
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
By his wounds:
The vets showing off their Quilts of Valor. BRILLIANT.Hi Nigel,
I had been diagnosed with breast cancer. A biopsy was going to be done on a Tuesday. I was scared…more or less ballistic. On the Sunday before, I was in a Church with both hands lifted as high as I could get them and just praising and loving Jesus. All of a sudden, I felt heat begin at the tip of my left third finger, go all the way down my arm, and the heat settled in in my left breast where the cancer was. I knew I was healed. From Sunday until Tuesday, I felt a bubble of love around me and nothing could penetrate it..ALL of my fear was gone!!!! Praise God!
The Dr. went ahead and did the biopsy..NO CANCER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you Jesus!!!!!!!!! Halleluiah!!!!!!!!
Love and blessings to you and Lynn on your new venture,
Ann H
PS. My lungs have been feeling better since you prayed for me at the end of the healing school at St.. Cyprian’s. My breathing report from Johns Hopkins had not changed from the previous year. Awesome God!!!!
Note:
Ann has given me permission to use her story and her full name.
The following is a Q&A from a recent OSL Healing Conference.
QUESTION:
Tim, do you have a healing to share from the Healing Mission?
Are you the “Tall Man” that Nigel used for the demonstration on “How not to pray for healing?
Let us encourage each other by sharing God’s Power of Healing with one another.
Steve and Lela
ANSWER:
Steve,
Yes, in fact I am and we do. I (Tim) came into the conference weekend with a very compromised set of lungs do to an allergic reaction that had started a few days earlier. I was wheezing heavily (Gwynne can confirm this) and forcing myself to breathe deeply just to get enough air. Normally I will recover after removing myself from the allergy causing agent, but recovery usually takes a minimum of a week or two. I went to bed Friday night struggling to breath. After hearing and embracing the evenings sharing, along with the closing prayers by Fr. Nigel and others, I was intending to ask for prayer for my lungs on Sat. I awoke Sat. morning to find my lungs completely restored to a normal state of functioning. An overnight recovery! No shortness of breath. No struggling to breath deep just to get enough air. Without a doubt I know I was touched by the Holy Spirit and give praise and thanks to our Lord Jesus. I went into worship Sat. singing full on.
Along with this, my wife and I returned to our responsibilities (intercessory prayer team leaders) at our fellowship on Sunday with a powerfully renewed sense of our calling in Him and a sense of His empowering presence to touch other lives, to His glory.
Our thanks to all who participated in and made this last weekend possible. God bless each and all, particularly Fr. Nigel.
Tim & Gwynne Nation
Note:
Fr. Mumford has permission from Mr. T. Nation to reprint this email
In his blog 6/11/13 giving God ALL the Glory.
Talk #1 (Friday): http://www.stmarks-geneva.org/adults/Mumford_030113.mp3
Talk #2 (Saturday): http://www.stmarks-geneva.org/adults/Mumford_030213a.mp3
Talk #3 (Saturday): http://www.stmarks-geneva.org/adults/Mumford_030213b.mp3
Sunday Sermon: http://www.stmarks-geneva.org/adults/Mumford_030313.mp3