New Way Church
News from New Way Church
Austin Uptown Dance Studio
Mac Frazier, Pastor
October 20, 2010
Pastor Mac FrazierGreetings!

Welcome to the latest issue of New Way Church's email newsletter! In this issue, We have a guest column from Lori Odhner, whose Caring for Marriage ministry I am a big fan of. Also, I'm excited to announce that we so enjoyed worshiping at Austin Uptown Dance studios, that we are returning there this month.

As things go along this newsletter will evolve, and your feedback is most appreciated. So email me at Mac@NewWayAustin.org with your thoughts and suggestions. Thanks!
New Way ChurchWashing Machines
by Lori Odhner

No one I know is overly mortified when their clothes get smeared with tomato sauce. You plug the chore of doing laundry into your routine somewhere between grocery shopping and paying bills. Clothes get dirty. You wash them. No shame in that. On the contrary, I once gave a quilt to a bachelor who did not think Irish Chains could get wet, and eight years later I was aghast to see how filthy it was. I sent it through the heavy cycle with triple soap.
 
I don't usually warn my kids "You didn't get any clothes dirty this week did you?" I skip the formality and say "Bring me your full laundry basket." 
 
My clever mother did buy me a dress when I was seven that was reversible. It was blue with green flowers on one side, and solid blue with a yellow pocket on the other. I remember getting it dirty at a restaurant and she took me in the bathroom to turn it inside out. We came out looking fresh, but I bet she still washed it. 
 
More recently I stood beneath the Eiffel Tower with my five oldest kids, and while we waited in line splurged on French ice cream cones. I chose chocolate, feeling especially decadent, and promptly dripped on my white shirt. This time it was my oldest daughter who pulled a Swash spot removing pen from her bare bones back pack possessions and wiped it clean.
 
What would it be like to have laundromats for marriages? All of the relationships that I have seen get soiled by grimy feelings and behaviors. What is our system for regular cleaning? Some couples pray together, which is good hygiene.
 
I recently started saying I am sorry to John for..... fill in the blank. I am trying to shift the question from "I didn't do anything wrong this week, did I?" to "What have I done that caused you pain?" It is as likely that I stepped on his emotional toes as that I spilled grape juice at breakfast. Both may have been accidental, but a response cleans it up better than pretending it never happened. 
 
"Grape juice on my shirt? What grape juice?" I stammer, while whipping a stack of mail to obscure the spot. I tie a scarf around my neck to cover it, but the purpleness is really on my shoulder and the neckerchief hangs in the center. It takes a lot of effort to keep mistakes hidden.
 
John is actually the King of Spot Removal in our spouseship. He tackles stains with an armory of potions he hides under the sink. He knows which ones respond to bleach or alcohol, hot water or cold.                   .
 
Gary Chapman wrote a book about the Five Languages of Apology. He suggests that different stains in relationships respond better to different kinds of apologies. 
 
I do know that when John said he was sorry for something he had done eight years ago, the smudge on my heart disappeared,  just as if he had used a magical spot removing pen. He did not even need triple soap.

New Way Church From the Pastor:
Running and Spirituality

So I started a new exercise program recently. I'm a runner. I'm building up to a 5k run. Which is weird, because I have never been a runner. But it's time for an interesting change.

And because I am prepping to preach about spiritual self-improvement, I thought I'd share my physical self-improvement experience with others, and use it as a jumping off point to talk about what it takes to overcome barriers that may be preventing you from finding meaning in your life and fulfilling that meaning.

But writing. Instead, how about a video? Here's a short video I shot on my phone a little while ago, right after my run, with some thoughts on spiritual health, among other things:


CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

So what do you think? How do you feel about exercise? How does that connect with spiritual health?


Click here to share your own thoughts at MacFrazier.com.

New Way Church Something to Think About
Is it hard to get to heaven? Not really! Heavenly happiness comes down to making a habit of thinking in a certain way, and then trying your best to live according to that habit of thought. (This is from Heaven and Hell 533.)

"...It is not so hard to lead the life of heaven as people think, because it is simply a matter of recognizing, when something attractive comes up that we know is dishonest or unfair, that this is not to be done because it is against the divine commandments. If we get used to thinking like this, and from this familiarity form a habit, then we are gradually united to heaven. To the extent that we are united to heaven, the higher levels of our minds are opened, and to the extent that they are opened, we see what is dishonest and unfair; and to the extent that we see this, these qualities can be dispelled. For no evil can be banished until it has been seen. This is a state we can enter because of our freedom, since everyone is free to think in this way. However, once the process has started, the Lord works his wonders within us, and causes us not only to see evils but to refuse them and eventually to turn away from them. This is the meaning of the Lord's words, 'My yoke is easy and my burden light' (Matthew 11:30).

"It is important to realize, though, that the difficulty of thinking like this and also of resisting evils increases to the extent that we deliberately do evil things-in fact, to that extent we become used to doing them until ultimately we no longer see them. Then we come to love them and to excuse them to gratify our love and to rationalize them with all kinds of self-deceptions and call them permissible and good. This happens, though, to people who in early adulthood plunge into all kinds of evil without restraint and at the same time at heart reject everything divine."

New Way Church Our Current Series:
"Life: What Does That Mean?"

In August, we began our four part monthly series, "Life: What Does That Mean?" by talking about the connection between your life's purpose, and Happiness. The Lord is Love itself, and so created you and everyone you know for the express purpose of connecting with you and making you truly, deeply happy. You and I are fulfilling our life's purpose when we emulate our creator by trying to connect with other people in ways that bring them joy.


In September, we took a look at the meaning of life from the angle of Service. You and I weren't put here just for our own sake. Part of the meaning of life is seeking out the good in others and finding ways to usefully serve that good. Everyone has good in them, because God is present with every person. Lovingly and usefully serving your neighbor is a way of worshiping your Creator. We followed up on the message by working in Pease Park last Saturday to help our neighbor.

Now, this Sunday we are looking at finding meaning in life through spiritual Growth.


Because sometimes being loving and useful to the people around you isn't easy. This Sunday we continue the discussion of the meaning of life by asking the question: "What's holding you back from fulfilling your potential? And what can you do about that?" Living a meaningful life can sometimes take hard work. Come learn a skill that will help you with the work, and hear a message that helps keep your mind focused on the amazing future the Lord has in store for you!


As we go through this monthly series, we may experiment with different locations before deciding on a long-term home. For this third worship gathering, though, we are returning to the location we used last time:


Austin Uptown Dance
8868 Research Blvd, #706
Austin, TX 78758


Click here for a map.


Worship will be from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.


Since future worship gatherings may happen at other locations, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter (if you don't already) to be sure you get notified as things develop.


The dates for this series are August 29, September 26, October 24, and November 21, which are all Sundays, in case you wondered. If you find you don't make it to all four parts, don't worry: each of these stands alone pretty well, and I'll be sure to recap what you missed at the beginning of each talk.


Dress is casual. Come as you are. And bring a friend!


So make a note on your calendar, sign up for our newsletter, and pass this information along to anyone else you know of in Austin who might benefit from connecting with our brand new community, here.

What do you do when things inside you hold you back from your potential?


Click here and tell us!
In This Issue
Washing Machines
From the Pastor
Something to Think About
Our Current Series
Inspirations
Open Bible
"Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow's cause.

"Come now, let us reason together, says Jehovah:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool."
-Isaiah 1:16-18


"It is difficult to be born human.
It is difficult to conduct life as a human being.
Rare is the opportunity to hear the Truth.
Even more rare is the appearance of a Buddha.

"To shun all evil.
To do good.
To purify one's heart.
This is the teaching of the Buddhas."
-The Way of Truth v 182-183
 
Quick Links
Upcoming Events

Monthly Worship Gatherings
10:00 - 11:00 AM
October 24, November 21

October gathering is at:
Austin Uptown Dance
8868 Research Blvd, #706, Austin, TX 78758
Click here for a map to Austin Uptown Dance.


Social Event: To be announced
Afternoon or Evening
November 6
Location to be announced
More details will be forthcoming in a future email.

Closing Thoughts

I hope something in this newsletter is helpful to you. Help us shape future issues by sending me email at Mac@NewWayAustin.org or visiting NewWayAustin.org with thoughts on what issues you are dealing with right now. What does "spiritual health" mean to you? What about "spiritual washing"? What is the meaning of your life, and what holds you back from fulfilling the Lord's dreams for you?

Please share this with anyone you might know who could benefit from something in it.

Finally, please come to our third ever worship gathering on October 24th. Come as you are, but bring a friend or two!

Contact Information

Mac Frazier
Pastor, New Way Church