What I’ve Been Reading
August 30, 2009
A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward An Undivided Life, by Parker Palmer.
This is a book for the soul. The embattled soul. We live in a world of violence. A place where we do violence, not just to others, but to ourselves, with blasé efficiency. In spite of this, there is music inside us that continues on, in search of resolution.
Palmer gives us a glimpse into that resolution. This is a book that welcomes the soul and teaches us a way to weave true community in a wounded world.
Although he does not use ramrod-straight Christian vocabulary, Palmer’s Quaker roots are palpable, if not core to his thesis–that the soul is a shy thing; in order for it to show up in community, it must be Read more
Noise
August 27, 2009
ConneXions Class 8/29/09. Laura Facilitating.
Why is silence so hard to deal with? Why is it so much easier to live our lives with a lot going on all the time than to just be silent? Where consistantly surrounded by “voices” that influence how we think, feel and behave. Music, movies, internet, cell phone, and a never ending barrage of advertising. There’s always somethng going on. Always noise in our lives. But maybe there’s a conection between the amount of noise in our lives and the inability to hear Gods voice. If God sometimes feels distant to us, maybe it’s not because he’s not talking, but simply because we’re not listening.
First Serve (8/29) – Youth Speakers
August 26, 2009
Shelby Duncan is about to begin her sophmore year at Mountain View High School. She enjoys playing volleyball, running track, and going to the coast. Some of her most meaningful experiences include a mission trip to New Orleans last June and several family travels that will forever effect the rest of her life. Shelby’s favorite book is the Bible and her favorite verse is Proverbs 16:9. “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
Wyatt Gladden is 15 years old. He loves snowboarding, basketball, playing guitar, singing, driving, and talking. He is co-owner of Gladden Bros Window Washing. He recently returned from his first mission trip, to Ecuador. He loves having Jesus as his best friend and is passionate about the social justice issues that were important to Him.
“Hey all, my name is Shannon Murphy, I’m 17 years old, and I currently work and Jamba Juice (which I am enjoying thoroughly!) I was told to write a biography and well, here I am, talking about myself, hopefully not in a egotistical way. I am a writer, of stories, poems, and songs. I love to play the piano and sing. Music is pretty much amazing. I love to think abstractly and it comes out in quite a lot of my art. I hope to live in the country some day with trees and green grass and flowers every where I look. With the smells of nature surrounding me, and nothing but blue skies waiting for me to reach them. Where I can draw and paint, play my grand piano and sing as loud as I can, as free as I wish and without the distractions of noisy cars and mans machines.
Guiltless Solitude
August 26, 2009
People who like to be alone are weird. Aren’t they? We talk about them behind their backs. We say things like, “Oh, he’s just antisocial”. Or “She doesn’t like people.” Or, half chuckling, we use words like “hermit”, “monk”, “nerd”, “savant”. Or, my all-time favorite, “not a team player”, the kiss of death.
I grew up with these words. I was an only child till age seven. Being alone was the most natural thing in the world to me. I didn’t mind. I entertained myself well. I didn’t realize there was something “wrong” with that picture, or with me–until I started school. Read more
The Nines
August 23, 2009
Leaders. Alert! This a great FREE opportunity to get schooled in the art of spiritual leadership for the postmodern age. Don’t miss this exciting webinar. Great line up of speakers including Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church.
Eternal Life Starts Now
August 19, 2009
8/22/09. Speaker Bio:
Leslie Camacho is recovering from self-sufficiency and enjoying the grand adventures that happen when walking with God. He’s married to his beautiful wife Laura, is charmed everyday by his daughter Sophia, and is looking forward to meeting his second, due in February. Read more
Rhythm
August 18, 2009
What does it mean to have a relationship with God? What does it look like? For a lot of us it’s a hard thing to understand. If God is an infinite spirit with no shape or form, how can we possibly relate to that? And what about Jesus? He said he came to give everyone life in its fullest. He came to show us how to live. Maybe it’s through trusting Jesus and living the kind of life he taught us to live–a life of truth, love, justice, compassion, forgiveness, and sacrifice–that we have a relationship with God. Maybe the way we live every day, every single choice we make, determines how in tune with God we are.
Join us for a discussion of this short film in ConneXions Class. 9:30AM. Saturday, Aug. 22
Facilitator: Marc
Evangelism 2.0
August 18, 2009
“Stereotypes simply don’t apply these days in Portland, Oregon. A conservative Christian minister and an openly gay mayor of this progressive city provide a glimpse of what could be Christianity’s future. Welcome to “Jesus’ favorite city.” (more…)
by Tom Krattenmaker, USA TODAY. (Illustration by Alejandro Gonzalez)
BeWell Blog
August 18, 2009
As a physician, it’s only fitting that I should edify the body as well as the soul now and then. So to that end, I’m adding the BeWell Blog to ConneXions, starting today.
Wellness is a tradition in our community of faith. I can think of several people in ConneXions right off the top of my head who are well qualified to add to this blog. Hopefully they will.
It’s shockingly simple to be well. Did you know (according to definitive research done by Dr. Kenneth Cooper published in JAMA, 1989) it only takes a little bit of walking each week to dramatically impact your health?
Simply walking 2 miles in 30 minutes 3 times a week, or Read more
Rigid Things Break
August 15, 2009
A sword so technologically perfect in structure, so beautiful in creation, that it gave rise to an aristocratic warrior creed… the Samurai. Read more
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