Upcoming Dates
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7/9 - 7/11
Power in the Spirit.
7/19 - 22 @ 6:00pm
VBS.
8/8
Yard Sale.
8/9 @ 7:00pm
Wilkens book launch.
8/16
End of Summer BLAST at Lake Monacan.
9/13 @ 9:45am
Sunday school begins.
9/27
Peace's 25th Anniversary Celebration.
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Worship Schedule
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Saturday
5:00pm - contemporary worship
Sunday
9:30am - worship
Wednesday
noon - prayers
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Quick Link
The Skit Guys video
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God's Chisel
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Free and Open
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As we look forward to celebrating the 4th of July, we are reminded everytime we hear or read the news from Iran, Honduras, Iraq, Afghanistan and the list goes on and on, how blessed we are to live in this country. But, of course, all is not well on our homefront either. Some of us are facing serious economic hardships, addictions, broken relationships, illness and dark nights of the soul. Our consumer-saturated culture leaves much to be desired in addressing these issues. Bishop Mark Hanson also speaks of the great divide we are experiencing in our American culture.
"We live in a polarized culture that equates unity with uniformity and sees differences as a reason for division. This moment, and our witness as a church body in the midst of it, deserves something better from us. We have the opportunity to offer the witness of our unity in Christ - diverse, filled with different-ness and differences, broken in sin, and yet united and whole in Christ. This moment deserves the witness of a community that finds and trusts its unity in Christ alone, engages one another with respect, and seeks a communal discernment of the Spirit's leading."
Listen to these words of hope from The Message translation of 1 Corinthians 1:4-9.
"I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by
Jesus. There's no end to what has happened in you-it's beyond speech,
beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in
your lives. Just
think-you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are
right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to
arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself
is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all
wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual
adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He
will never give up on you. Never forget that."
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Honduras Mission Trip Status
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Due to the current turmoil in Honduras we have decided to cancel the
trip. This is based on the State Department warning, information
received from Gerizim, and the fact that the exiled president plans to
return tomorrow which could set off violence. Please keep the mission team as well as our mission partners in Honduras in your prayers as they face this difficult situation.
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| Power in the Spirit |
Don't miss our Synod's Annual Power in the Spirit Conference - this year's theme is Power Through Scripture: Fueling our Faith. The key keynote speaker and Bible study leader is Mark Allan Powell. Dr. Powell is an internationally known theologian and Bible scholar and professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. This conference also offers fantastic breakout sessions and fellowship opportunities!
When: July 9 - 11
Where: Roanoke College in Salem, VA
More info: Conference brochure & registration
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Thoughts from Renovaré
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I recently attended a Renovaré conference called The Jesus Way in San Antonio. First impression: It's hot! Was it always this hot in Texas? Second impression: Why in the world did I come to this thing? It's a much bigger conference than I imagined, over 2,500 attendees (I'm not a fan of crowds;). The first worship experience was a kinda over the top contemporary Christian performance. There must have been over 100 singers & musicians on stage. It didn't feel very participatory. I was reminded how lucky we are to have Ken and his drive to always include the worshipers in the musical experience.
Then Eugene Peterson came on stage to explain The Jesus Way (recovering the lost content of discipleship) and I knew why I was there. That first night alone was worth the price of admission. I had only a vague awareness of Peterson as the author of The Message. After hearing him that first night and returning for a Q&A the next day, I am hooked. I've just started reading The Jesus Way and I think it is definitely a resource we should begin using at Peace. Here's just a few gems from early on in the book to chew on:
"The operating biblical metaphor regarding worship is sacrifice - we bring ourselves to the altar and let God do with us what he will."
"Within the Christian community there are few words that are more disabling than "layperson" and "laity". The words convey the impression - an impression that quickly solidifies into a lie - that there is a two-level hierarchy among the men and women who follow Jesus."
I was also impressed with Chris Webb and how he spoke about sin. I can't even begin do it justice. Chris is a very dynamic speaker and he really nails our issues with sin both in ourselves and in others. Things like "we are not shattered by our sin", "we don't tell the truth" and "we are here to love people not to put them straight - that's God's job". I've purchased the DVDs for Peterson and Webb, so you can borrow them anytime.
I met Christie's brother-in-law, Jim Smith, author of the book we used at the women's retreat this year. He's also involved with the creation of a new discipleship resource called "The Apprentice Series". It's a 3 book series along with curriculum and leaders guide. It focuses on transformation through four components: adopting a healthy Jesus narrative, engaging in soul training exercises (aka spiritual disciplines), participating in community and letting the Holy Spirit go to work. Sounds like a great discipleship group resource for us. They were sold out of the first book, but you can find more info at www.apprenticeofjesus.org.
Peace,
Kim Wilkens
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