The Prayer Cottage and the Sacred Garden: Experiencing Intimacy With Christ

by Rocky Fleming

Are you overwhelmed by the pressures of life and cannot even find a stopping point? - then accept the invitation to enter the Prayer Cottage and the Sacred Garden. There the Savior will allow you to experience His grace, find a new perspective, and be restored. You will want to read this beautiful allegory again and again, returning to the Prayer Cottage and the Sacred Garden to find the peace you seek. ROCKY FLEMING, cofounder of The Influencers Discipleship Ministries, which equips disciples for Christ Within the business culture, has been mentoring young men and women for over twenty years. Also the author of the modern Christian classic ‘Journey to the Inner Chamber’, Rocky Fleming is a self-employed businessman in Northwest Arkansas. Once you have tasted the purity and the power of grace, no other religion tastes good. Rocky Fleming has prepared a thanksgiving feast for anyone hungry enough to complete the journey. This is a creative book, a substantive book, and one that could leave your life with God in much better condition after the fact. —STEPHEN R. GRAVES, Co-founder of The Life at Work Company and the Cornerstone Group, a consulting company located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and co-author of The Fourth Frontier and other books “Be still and know that I am God.” Sounds great, but in my over 30 years as a Christian, l’ve discovered it’s easier said than done. My time in the Prayer Cottage and Sacred Garden helped me “be still” and experience a fresh awareness of God’s presence and peace as well as a renewed sense of His power to embrace the day. Buy this book, read it, and you will experience His grace in a new way, and you will trust Him as never before to accompany you through your valleys of the shadow and to fully restore you on the other side. I guarantee this is a book you will read more than once. —GARY J. OLIVER, PH.D. Executive Director of The Center for Marriage & Family Studies at John Brown University and co-author of Raising Sons

72 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2002

Reviews

[Sandy Amgad · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب بسيط بيمشي بمراحل الصلاة بطريقة سرد جميلة و لطيفه جدا.. و عميقة في معناها ..كل مرحلة هتفتح قدمك فكر و نظره اعمق للامور..فتكون اكثر رحمة على العالم.. و تحس قد ايه ده ممكن يفرق فيك و في اللي حوليك .. و تشوف تعامل ربنا مع مخاوفك و احتياجاتك.. اللي احيانا بنكون احنا مكسوفين منها..
كتاب حقيقي عظيم ...١٢ غرفة مُلمين بحياة صلاة عميقة جدا جدا جدا...

[Julie Ackeret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was part of The Journey group that I have recently been a part of, and I read it in one sitting. What I have encountered in this study has already been life changing. (This is just one of the books in this discipleship program, and I highly recommend reading each one as they are all essential to the full “journey.”)

Written as an allegory, Rocky Fleming’s “The Prayer Cottage and the Secret Garden” painted a beautiful picture of what intimacy with Christ looks like to all who take time to seek Him.
Focusing on the 23rd Psalm, Fleming encourages readers to accept Christ’s invitation to remove themselves from the pressures of this life and instead gain a new perspective and be restored.
While his writing is not of earth-shattering talent, the truth behind his words is far more monumental.

A simple (short and sweet) story with a valuable guide on how to approach Christ, grow an intimate relationship with Him, and share His influence with others. Easy read.

[Bryan Kizer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as part of The Journey, and what I got from doing it together with The Journey is an encounter with God that I'll never forget. As part of The Journey after reading The Prayer Cottage and the Sacred Garden we actually do a prayer retreat as though we were the person in the story walking through the cottage and garden with Jesus.

I can assure you that if you really desire to have an intimacy with Christ that you've never experienced before then this is an exercise that cannot be overlooked.

I also forgot to mention that I did this during the beginning of my 21 Day fast, adding on to it The Journey and doing the prayer retreat...not only did I discover an intimacy with Christ that I'd never had before, but I also discovered that I was experiencing His presence in a way I'd never experienced it before.

If your goal is to just read a book to read it...then you'll get out of it just that...you'll accomplish reading a book.

If your goal, however, is pursuing intimacy with Jesus...then you'll get out of it what you put into it. In other words, the more sincere and intentional you are about encountering Jesus, deepening the intimacy of your relationship with Him, and a relentless pursuit of His presence...you'll get it.

If you don't encounter Jesus then it's not His fault.

[Heidi Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book met me in such a tender way. Reading it felt like being invited into a quiet place where I could sit with Jesus and just be still. The imagery of the cottage and garden helped me picture what intimacy with Him can look like, and I found myself slowing down and really listening as I read.

It is not a long book, but that made it even more meaningful. I could linger over the words and return to them easily. I know it’s one I will come back to whenever I need to be reminded of God’s nearness and peace.

I would give it 5 stars for the encouragement and renewal it brought to my heart, would highly recommend!!!

[Sh&ra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an allegory and for an allegory it is decent. I like the pictures I was able to imagine as I walked through the Sacred Garden with the author but I had to heavily rely on my imagination because the author was very short and to the point. Maybe that was Mr Fleming's intent so that even non-readers could get through it, but I found it a bit dull. However, this did offer some ideas and concepts as the allegory unfolded that I found interesting. Overall it was decent, and being so small in page numbers, worth the 15 min it took to read.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

On my journey to intimacy with God, this book speaks to me right where I am. It outlines eleven areas of prayer that a person can expect to encounter no matter where they are in the spectrum of spiritual growth. This book is an immense help to those seeking answers to prayer and one that I will turn to again and again. I am thankful to Rocky Fleming for sharing these insights with the world.

[Youstina Asaad · Rating 5 out of 5]

ان ما لديك هي المعرفة الذهنية عن نعمتي و ليست المعرفة القلبية❤️
قصة مجازية رائعة... بدلا من ان يحدثنا عن نعمة الله جعلنا نحياها معه خلال صفحات الكتاب و بدلا من ان يخبرنا ان هناك صعاب تواجهنا جعلنا نحيا صعابه بصورة حسية معه.. و هكذا في كل الفصول
في النهاية ستتمني لو كنت مكان الكاتب لتكتشف انك بالفعل هو...... ❤️

[Demiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

الكتاب المناسب في التوقيت المناسب.🫂

٧- موضع البصيرة:
فوق كل ذلك، فقد فهمت الآن أن العالم به العديد من الفرص للخدمة ومحاولة فهم هؤلاء الناس المختلفين عني. فعالمي يجمع ما بين الفقير والثري المهان والمستكبر المرتفع نحو والهابط إلى الحضيض، وكل ما يتخلل جميع هذه المستويات. ولا أحتاج أن أتطلع بعيداً لأجدهم، فهم جميعاً حولي. ولكن ينبغي أن أنظر من خلال أعين الرب يسوع، وليس من خلال طبيعتي الساقطة.

اعترض الرب أفكاري. فقد كنت على وشك أن أسأله عن كيفية النظر إلى هؤلاء الناس من خلال عينيه، والتفاعل معهم بصورة مختلفة عندما بادر قائلا، "ثمر الروح." ثم استطرد " عندما تثبت في ستنتقل إليك بصيرتي وسماتي. ستصبح حساساً للآخرين، وستكون لديك الحكمة التي بها تتعامل معهم. وهذا سيؤثر على الناس الذين تتفاعل معهم في الواقع، إن الاختلاف المدهش الذي سأصنعه في حياتك، سيكون له صدى أعلى من مجرد الكلمات الموجهة إلى هؤلاء الناس." تساءلت "ربي، هناك المزيد لأتعلم عن الحياة وعنك. فأين أجد تلك الإجابات؟"

أجابني "للإجابة على هذا السؤال تعال إلى موضع الصلاة التالي."

١١ - بِرْكة تجديد النفس:
-لقد استطعت الآن أن أدرك الثقة العظيمة التي تتولد عندما نجتاز امتحاناتنا المستمرة. إنني أشعر الآن أنه لا يوجد شيء لا أستطيع مواجهته طالما كان مخلصي معي.

-لا تدع الناس ينجذبون إليك أنت. وجه نظرهم باستمرار نحوي. فلا تضع نفسك علي الإطلاق في مكانة متوسطة بيني وبين الناس. بل شجّع هؤلاء الناس علي الدوام علي أن يدخلوا في علاقة شركة حميمة معي. إن كل اولادي يستمدون قوة، ومواهب خدمات روحية يستطيعون بها أن يؤثروا علي الآخرين بأسلوب خارق. ومع ذلك، فلا يجب عليهم إطلاقا أن يوجهوا تأثيرهم لمنفعتهم أو لمجدهم الذاتي.
اخدم الناس الذين أضعهم في حياتك. أحببهم لأجلي ووّجهم نحوي، وسوف أعتني بك. فأنت بطلي. كن ممثلاً لمملكتي ولشخصي في العالم حولك.♥️🙏🏻

١٢ - الانطباع:
ولأنني جعلت الأولوية الآن لقضاء وقت مع مخلصي، فقد أيقنت أن هذا قد أصبح جزءاً ضرورياً في حياتي. فكلما تواجدت معه كلما زاد تعلقي ببقائي بالبستان. ففي معظم الأحيان، لا أريد أن أرحل ولكنه دائما يحثني على العودة إلى الفرص التي تسنح لي خلال يومي.
أعتقد أن هذا هو السبب الذي لأجله أحب أن أكون معه كثيراً. لا أتعب من ذلك أبداً، بل أدرك أن تلك هي بداية علاقة ستدوم إلى الأبد هناك الكثير لأتعلمه عن الحياة، وفوق كل شيء، عنه هو شخصياً، فكوخ الصلاة والبستان المقدس هما مدرستي في هذا الأمر. بل هما أيضاً ملجأي. فهناك أجد الحلول التي أحتاجها للسلوك في هذه الحياة، مع عدم إهدار الاستثمارات الثمينة التي استثمرها مخلصي في.


وقت قطع النور أتضح انه له فايدة..

[John Dobbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a peaceful book, a guided prayer of sorts. It has a lot to offer and I could see a spiritual guide / director using it as a source to work through some spiritual growth exercises. It is thoughtful. At the beginning I was really enjoying it. Honestly I was tired of it before I got through, thus the three star rating. It was highly reminiscent of My Heart Christ's Home, which is much briefer but similar. I could see how someone could get a lot out of it and I did feel it to be a source of encouragement.

[Caleb Pfanstiel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Besides this allegory being portrayed as a personal vision on the part of the author, there were some very powerful and encouraging spiritual truths throughout this book about how to pray and the ethos behind different kinds of prayer. However, even though this is an allegory, I do not enjoy the amount of words put into the Lord’s mouth. It also appears fairly disingenuous to make up a story about a vision you experienced personally, which makes it difficult to trust in. In any case, I am left with a few positive things to ponder but ultimately disappointed.

[Chien-Wei Kung · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little book allegorizing the various aspects of prayer and meditation which helps build communion with God. It was an easy and enjoyable read, and a book likely to be enjoyed by both young and old alike. I feel like this is a good book to turn back to periodically when one's spiritual life runs dry.

[Joanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allegory explains it well

I enjoyed the allegory of how to have an intimate relationship with God, Nicely written to explain how God sees us as His children and extends His grace and love to us.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take this read slow and allow yourself to experience God in a different way.

[Michael Ayed · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب رائع جدا… ياخذك بعيد جدا عن العالم ودوشته …ياخدك علشان تبقي انت وربنا بس …استمتعت جدا جدا بيه

[Beverly]

Perfect

Just exactly what I need right at this moment. I'm sure I will read this again and again as needed to strengthen my spirit.

[Toshali Nutt]

Small book but dense. One of the best Christianity books I've ever read.

[Nermine Gamal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives a very beautiful illustration of our journey with God, I loved it and I’m sure gonna read it again.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really good.
It's a short book to show what can be possible, though would be different for each person

[Elizabeth Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

Loved the message and how to find PAPA when I'm lost ,I'm going to the prayer cottage to find my way .

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one I will read over and over again! Great book!

[Molly Vaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This quick read was a beautiful allegory of how prayer can look when we meet with our Savior the way he intended us to. This will be one to reread annually for me for sure.

[Mera Adel · Rating 5 out of 5]

ان ما لديك هي المعرفة الذهنية عن نعمتي و ليست المعرفة القلبية-
كتاب جميل و بسيط و عميق اوي و متأكدة اني هرجع اقراه تاني و هرشحوا دايماً لأي حد بيصارع عشان حياتوا الروحية و صلاتوا

[Mason Kirksey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic companion to a day of prayer.