MennoNet.com

Wondering if others are missing MD's category for Prayer Requests & Personal Testimonies?
Some MN prayer requests have been for the recent tornado disaster in the U.S. Southeast; ShantyShaker's unborn child, wife, family; the Ken Miller case:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=44&start=120

https://weather.com/storms/tornado/news ... nuary-2017

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=207

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=13

on MD, the category was put to good use, and, it was well-moderated; i.e., posts were kept specific to the matter of support and prayers.

sometimes, there were links to more information: obituaries, links to blogs, links to contribute/donate .. many were helped in various ways, according to need.

i believe there may be 3-4 MN members in the general tornado area .. ??

so .. this poll is an effort to get an idea of others' thoughts.
would a separate category be helpful?

i wanted to add this to Robert's "Additions" thread, but, in poll form, it seemed to require a new thread.

I think prayer requests and testimonies are appropriate for other threads as they are a normal part of how Mennonites talk to each other.

Josh wrote:I think prayer requests and testimonies are appropriate for other threads as they are a normal part of how Mennonites talk to each other.

good point. it's a way other Christians talk to each other, too.

to clarify,
1. this is not about stopping anyone's choice of where or how to to share such requests, it's simply about possibly adding a designated place to be used, by personal choice;

2. this category was original to the CM's who began MennoDiscuss, so, presumably, it did not conflict with their MB (Mennonite Born) CM beliefs;

3. the MD category was widely accepted+used by CM's, MB's, NMB's, and, "others."

4. one more thing.
this is not intended to press the issue.
the ultimate decision is for admin+mods, their choice should be respected.

this is just an informal poll, fwiw ..
a response to Robert's "Additions" thread .. wherein he openly asked for member suggestions.

all who actively post are MN forum members.
many who do not post are members, and able to participate in forum polls.

thank you for offering the opp to add clarification.

I've noticed that prayer requests embedded in threads tend to be overlooked. On the old forum, the prayer request category helped us all to be aware of prayer needs. I think it's always better to emphasize prayer as a help to others because in Thessalonians we find [bible]1 Thessalonians 5,16-18[/bible]

MaxPC wrote:I've noticed that prayer requests embedded in threads tend to be overlooked. On the old forum, the prayer request category helped us all to be aware of prayer needs. I think it's always better to emphasize prayer as a help to others because in Thessalonians we find [bible]1 Thessalonians 5,16-18[/bible]

Who says they're overlooked? We are commended to pray in secret in our closet, not loudly like the hypocrites do.

Josh wrote:Who says they're overlooked? We are commended to pray in secret in our closet, not loudly like the hypocrites do.

another wonderful point!
agreed (i believe) the vast majority of prayers that follow prayer requests are silent, not spoken.
most of this forum's membership+readership is "read only." but, indeed, in God's eyes, they/we do count!

many reading know or are family of those posting, so, shared info is a help .. even if not articulated on open forum. there is so much more than the little we see.

now that Robert has added the "heart" option, this might be an extra way for quiet ones to express interest/support (?) .. it's all personal choice.

no mandates, personal choice. marvelous.

imho, max is within his bounds to share his personal view that prayer requests may be overlooked.

Robert has shared his understanding of what a discussion forum is over the years.
not long ago, he posted this, i found his description worthwhile, and, easy to understand:

from the "Russian Hacking" thread, Page 20

Robert wrote: It is also okay for people to state their opinions, even if they are wrong.

We are not setting policy here, but speaking [off] the cuff on a lot of things.

We do not have to be professional or experts to speak.

It is also okay to be wrong when we do speak if we are being sincere and just sharing our opinions.

Sometimes speaking and listening to others opinions can help us grow our knowledge.

I also have no problem with someone having an opinion with little information as long as they are honest about their position.

All the research in the world also can not give a person wisdom. So often we mistake information for wisdom.

It also doesn't take a rocket scientist to have a gut feel for things.

Josh wrote:

MaxPC wrote:I've noticed that prayer requests embedded in threads tend to be overlooked. On the old forum, the prayer request category helped us all to be aware of prayer needs. I think it's always better to emphasize prayer as a help to others because in Thessalonians we find [bible]1 Thessalonians 5,16-18[/bible]

Who says they're overlooked? We are commended to pray in secret in our closet, not loudly like the hypocrites do.

Is this an example of prooftexting? Taking that passage and using it as a blanket rule? (Josh's reference to only pray in secret)

There are too many passages in Scripture about prayer. I honestly believe Jesus point was that the hypocrites were praying for attention- to be seen by man to get what- admiration? Appear holier? Appear more religious?
Jesus seemed to be making a point about that so we wouldn't do THAT-

But right away, we see a group of Christians gathered together praying for Peter, from Acts 12, Peter's miraculous escape from prison:
12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

So we see that the early Christians didn't take Jesus words as an admonishment to not pray together- we see corporate prayer throughout the New Testament- and the encouragement to do so- and testimonies have value as well, edify one another, glorify God, strengthen each other, I don't take that same view about prayer requests I guess-'closet only' Jesus was making a point.

refreshing this thread,
knowing some members only visit the forum on weekends.

i'm attempting to be a read-only member, now experimenting with 1 post daily.

1 post is difficult!
1 post often brings response that deserves response .. it's hard to wait until the next day, then, it's hard to decide which post to make for that one day.

searching for my new path ..

My observation: not everyone posts in every category. If not interested you don't have to read it: move to the next category. The "New Posts" options make that easy.

It seems that quite a few would like this category returned. The ball is now in the hands of the moderators.

What say you Mods?