Sierra Pacific Synod Resource Center


 
May 10, 2016

As we approach Pentecost Sunday, I have 2 more prayers from Prayer for a Privileged People that I must share....
By Walter Brueggeman:

"Blown by the Spirit ..... We Know Not Where"

We hear the story of the wind at Pentecost,
   Holy wind that dismantles what was,
   Holy wind that evokes what is to be,
   Holy wind that overrides barriers and causes communication,
   Holy wind that signals your rule, even among us.

We are dazzled, but then - reverting to type -
   we wonder how to harness the wind,
      how to manage the wind by our technology,
      how to turn the wind to our usefulness,
      how to make ourselves managers of the wind.

Partly we do not believe such an odd tale
      because we are not religious freaks;
Partly we resist such a story,
      because it surges beyond our categories;
Partly we had imagined you to be more ordered
      and reliable than that.

So we listen, depart, and return to our ordered existence;
   we depart with only a little curiosity
            but not yielding;
   we return to how it was before,
      unconvinced but wistful, slightly praying for wind,
            craving for newness,
            wishing to have it all available to us.

We pray toward the wind and wait, unconvinced but wistful.

But I personally say, NO! Do not settle for that kind of living. Instead, be "Blown by God toward Newness"
 
The news is that God's wind is blowing.
      It may be a breeze that cools and comforts.
      It may be a gust that summons you to notice.
      It may be a storm that blows you where you have never been before.

Whatever the wind is in your life,
      pay attention to it...
         and the blessing of God,
         Father, Son, and Spirit,
            will abide with you always.   Amen.
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Synod Assembly is less than a month away! 
Please stop by our display table and meet our Advisory Board and staff! 
As we enter the digital arena, we will showcase our Facebook page, and we will have a 
"Must be present to win" raffle for a brand new ASUS Chromebook Flip
Stop by, sign up to win, and have a conversation with us. 
We want to put faces with names and say "Hello!"
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What is new and thought provoking at the Resource Center??

We have a new and innovative book, Declaration of the Way: Church, Ministry and Eucharist. 
This resource celebrates fifty years of international and regional Lutheran-Catholic dialogues and harvests the results of those efforts into Statements of Agreement on the church, ministry and Eucharist. It invites both communions to affirm the unity achieved through these agreements and establish church practices that reflect this growth. Because this is a declaration "on the way" not all differences have been reconciled at this time, but it certainly is a starting point for future openness and change! This book makes a great adult study, affirming and celebrating these Lutheran - Catholic agreements is a step toward greater unity in our neighborhoods and communities.

And another new resource, Embracing Stewardship: How to put stewardship at the Heart of your congregation's Life, by Charles R. Lane and Grace Duddy Pomroy. 
This book will help you strengthen your congregation's stewardship ministry. 
Mindful of generational perspectives and attuned to the world in which congregations live, this book provides eight pathways your congregation can follow to deepen your members' understanding of themselves as stewards of the bounty of God.
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Embracing the Prophets, DVD and Workbook curriculum by Walter Brueggemann
Do the Prophets speak to contemporary culture?

Walter Brueggemann, arguably America's leading Old Testament scholar and theologian, takes us on a wild ride through the poetic prophecy of the Hebrew Scripture, identifying cultural contexts, putting a framework to Israel's history, and most significantly (and at times most challenging) drawing connections between Israel's sociological, economic, and spiritual status and that of America today.

Session 1: Moses, Pharaoh, the Prophets and Us
Session 2: The Prophets as Uncredentialed Purveyors of Covenant
Session 3: Moral Coherence in a World of Power, Money and Violence
Session 4: The Shrill Rhetoric that Breaks Denial
Session 5: The Grief of Lass as Divine Judgement
Session 6: The Promissory Language that Breaks Despair

Ready to give this study a try? Contact Janet.

  

Want a great summer read that will awaken your Lutheran theological heart?

We now have a copy of 
Volumes 1 and 2 of the new Annotated Luther, published by Fortress Press. This is a new 6 volume series, only the first 2 volumes are in print at this point, and we have them! Don't miss out on reading these amazing collections of writings! To read them, contact Janet and request The Annotated Luther. 

Volume 1: "The Roots of Freedom" contains many of the writings that defined the roots of reform set in motion by Martin Luther, from the Ninety-Five Theses through The Freedom of a Christian. Included are a variety of compositions produced between 1517 and 1520 that reveal Luther's pastoral and theological commitments, his earliest confrontations with Rome, and his defense of views that led to his excommunication.

Volume 2: "Word and Faith" contains a number of the writings categorized under the theme Word and Faith. Luther was particularly focused on what the word "does" in order to create and sustain faith. In the treatises in this volume we hear Luther's understanding of Scripture and theology as he continues his growth as teaching theologian, pastor, Biblical exegete and apologist for the faith.
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Your Synod Resource Center has a masterful 3-volume biography on Martin Luther.

These books are returning with great accolades! If you are interested in learning more about the life and development of Martin Luther, you will LOVE this series!
Click here to Email Janet your request. Get your name on our waiting list. Reading this series is a great way to get excited about Reformation 500!!!! It's coming, ready or not! Here's your chance to really dig in to Luther's theology and the time in history that he lived.
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****And, here's a link for another very exciting resource related to Reformation 500!!!!****
Do you sense change in our world? Let's all pray for that!

Here is a downloadable guide to "Common Prayer: From conflict to communion" encouraging Lutherans and Catholics to join hearts and voices in intercession. 
  
Luther's Small Catechism pamphlets are still available for you.
  
We purchase these for you and your congregations. 
As Lutherans, it is aways a great time to have a class on Luther's Small Catechism. 
We'll supply you with Luther's words! Just ask, via email at rspsecla@pacbell.net
  
To date we have passed out over 1,500 Small Catechism pamphlets. 
Join the excitement, as our Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton suggested by 
"dusting off the catechism and taking another look at the basics of our faith."

Luther's Catechism is relevant today! 
Take the Second Commandment: You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, 
but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
(Stop and think on that, call upon His name in every trouble, feel the peace implied in those simple words.)
Our Lutheran heritage has SO much to offer each one of us, each day.
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Please note that the Synod Resource Center of the Sierra Pacific Synod is eligible to receive your Choice Dollars from Thrivent Financial. 
We are sincerely grateful to Thrivent Financial and those individuals who designate their Choice Dollars and Local Chapter Funds to support the Synod Resource Center.
THANK YOU Thrivent for this wonderful opportunity! 
For more information email Janet or contact your Thrivent Representative.


 
We appreciate your calls and e-mails about resources!

The Resource Center is your lending library!  
You are helping us to do a better job when you recommend the specific resources you are looking for.
 Please, keep telling us what you want, at rspselca@pacbell.net    
This is how we know what to purchase.

Resource Center office hours for May and June: 

We will be CLOSED May 25 through June 6.

Mondays - 3pm-5pm
Tuesdays - 8:30am-11:30am
Thursdays - Hours and dates vary, please email me in advance if you plan to come in on a Thursday.
Fridays - 8:30am-11:00am, 

Other hours are available by appointment, please contact me. You can reach me by email: rspselca@pacbell.net

To order materials through our website, please visit us at:  www.resourcecenterspselca.org
Click "Resources" and then click "Request Manager for the SPS Resource Center." You will then be on our online catalog page! Let me know if you have any questions or problems. Blessings! 
 
  
Janet Lane, Synod Resource Center Director
           Call 559-345-2725, (please leave a message)
           or send an Email rspselca@pacbell.net
 
           This is your Synod Resource Center; 
               I am happy to serve you. 

  
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