April 10, 2015
An eNote from Rodney
Dear Trinity Church Family,
Thank you for a wonderful Easter Sunday last week. I love the way it starts out at sunrise in the Harrison’s front yard and then moves to the front yard of the church where the kids are looking for eggs. Thank you Tom and Mary Jo for hosting us, 92 folks came to the service. We had 186 in worship and with our Lenten coin folders we raised a smidge over $1,100.00. A tradition that has developed at Trinity is the Easter Monday morning removal and counting of quarters from the folders. This year Ellen Mitchell and Diane Hall did the honors. We will split this collection between Methodist missionaries overseas and our church members who are going on the Dominican Republic mission trip this summer.
If you have a Easter Lily to take home please do so this week. Lee Thomas gave them all a shot of water this week.
One of the lectionary lessons for this week comes from the fourth chapter of Acts. It talks about some of the earliest followers in the Jesus movement and introduces us to Barnabas. I have never preached about Barnabas but he played an important role in the development of the early church so we will see what he is up to.
Tomorrow morning I will be meeting with a cross section of our members and we will be starting the process of developing a Vision statement for our congregation. We will be looking at the information you gave is in December when we held those listening sessions. Please hold us up in your prayers as we meet and talk about the future God has for us in West Asheville. Thank you.
I hope you have enjoyed the Frequently Asked Questions from Peter Scazzero. Mr. Scazzero is an authority on the Christian practices of prayer, silence and stillness in order to be with God. This morning we will look at his last FAQ which deals with hanging in there as you try to develop a serious practice.
10. I did it for a while but I got bored and quit.
Like any other practice in life, you will find your way over time. There is a great deal to learn about the interior movements of your heart and silence with God. Getting started is the most difficult – much like jogging or exercise. Over time, however, you will wonder, as so many others before you, how you lived without it. I highly recommend you begin by looking at the Centering Prayer website materials of Thomas Keating and the resources found at The Transforming Center. And I would encourage you to look up at the many evangelical authors who are now writing on the integration of contemplative spirituality within a Protestant theological framework.
That’s it for now and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday morning.
Sincerely,
Rodney
rodhagans@gmail.com