Afternoon at the Dojo

Diffrent church, diffrent people, new ministers, a whole new expierence. This retreat is new and fresh supplement to the routine 30 Hour famine and M.T.N. TOP and a halfway point comparable to back to school retreat. A good halfway expierence for an ontherwise bland schoolyear. The break away from the schooltime drone is always refreshing and needed. 

We’re supposed to be participating in God’s work in this world – participating in helping God’s dreams come true for this workd, but still there is something missing, a hole perhaps.  I dont feel like we as a collective are making a diffrence because we are working behind the scenes like the road crew during the tour of a major band but yet, that gives me something to be looking for this night and tomorow. Last nights adventure was refreshing and made me think of a new perspective to look for when im travling the streets of franklin and brentwood

Jesus Dojo Night 1

None of us really knew what was exactly going to happen when we met at Saint Bartholemew’s, along with three other churches. Dixon, the main leader of this Dojo, said, “Just follow me,” like Jesus. So, split into small groups, mixed with other churches, we followed. Our destination was Noshville, where we ate, talked, laughed, and got to know our groups. We then found ourselves at the mall. Of all places, right? No shopping was to be done there, though. Instead, we wandered the advertisement-plastered halls, each of us continuously thinking a prayer, and thought about what drives us to buy things, why stores suck you in. After an hour, we all met at Cafe Bronte and discussed what we had seen, our reflections. How it must insult God to have advertisements say we’re not good enough, His creations are not good enough. We talked about how sometimes the things that seem the most normal may not be the things that make God’s dreams come true. We used that prayer-walk so God might let us see something normal, like the mall, through new eyes.

In search of nametags.

Se*lah, October 12, 2008

 What were we seeking? Today we were seeking all of the names that people have called us, both positive and negative. 

How did we seek? To help us seek for these names, we watched a NOOMA video by Rob Bell. Then we thought about all the names that we have been called by people and wrote them down on name tags and placed them on a blank t-shirt to sort of cleanse ourselves and tell the world that we have only one name, the one that God gave especially to us. For as Sally explained tonight, our name describes us, it tells who we really are.

What did we find? We found that many people call us different names and try to categorize and stereotype us but we really need to go back to our roots and find who we really are. A child of God, named and called by Him.

How then shall we live? We need to remind everyone of who we are, and make it known that our names are the ones that our Savior gives us when we are born and we aren’t truly known by all those names on our back that everyone else calls us by.

Love,
Katherine

 

Want to see how we did all this in part?  Want to pray with us?  Want to reason with us?  Then check out the page on this blog called “Selah Liturgies” and you can view the slides and scriptures from the evening.

In search of the circle

October 5, 2008

This week we are still in search of the circle. After searching and tuning into God through song and other creative things we watched another Rob Bell video called “Breathe.” Rob Bell reminds us how little we actually think about our breath throughout our day. In the bible the word “breath” is the same as the word for “spirit.” We are literally breathing the spirit of God with every breath we take. Again this puts us in God’s circle and not out own. As we go through our day we hope to try and remember what we are doing and that is actually breathing in God’s spirit.

nooma - click here to preview the video “Breathe” and to learn more about Rob Bell

Want to see how we did all this in part?  Want to pray with us?  Want to reason with us?  Then check out the page on this blog called “Selah Liturgies” and you can view the slides and scriptures from the evening.

In search of the circle

September 28, 2008

This week we were in search of the circle. After tuning into God through song and other creative ways we watched a Rob Bell video called “Open.” Searching for our circle we realize that we are in God’s circle and not the other way around. God constantly encircles us. Rob Bell explains that “many of us have experienced situations where we’ve prayed and it felt like God wasn’t listening. And yet other times we’ve prayed or known someone that prayed and the situation changed. Does God answer prayers? Sometimes, but not all the time? Or does God always answer prayer and it’s just that sometimes God says no? Some of us are angry with God for not answering the prayers we’ve prayed for years. Why did He answer their prayer but nor ours? What if there’s more to prayer than just God listening and answering?”

Want to see how we did all this in part?  Want to pray with us?  Want to reason with us?  Then check out the page on this blog called “Selah Liturgies” and you can view the slides and scriptures from the evening.

In search of a compass

September 14, 2008

This week we were in search of a compass. As a way of tuning into God we sang songs, Blessed Be Your Name, Lord You Have My Heart, and Be Thou My Vision. As we sang we searched and tuned in by creating with paper, markers, crayons, pens, oil pastels, puzzles, and the magnet board. Reasoning through the Gospel of Mark and Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we found a compass that will lead us on the path until our eyes are fully opened by God and when we can see as God sees. This compass tells us to “trust unsteadily, hope unswervingly, and love extravagantly.” As we squint through this fog and wait for the weather to clear and the sun to shine brightly we can trust, hope, and love our God and each other. As the night closed we learned a new way to pray from the Celtic church called an encircling prayer. Taking home a vigil candle we were charged with keeping the watch during the week for Josh Stevens, our friend and brother in Christ.

Encircle Josh Lord. Keep darkness out. Keep light within.
Encircle Josh Lord. Keep pain out. Keep comfort within.
Encircle Josh Lord. Keep evil out. Keep peace within.
Encircle Josh  Lord. Keep fear out. Keep faith within.

 

Want to see how we did all this in part?  Want to pray with us?  Want to reason with us?  Then check out the page on this blog called “Selah Liturgies” and you can view the slides and scriptures from the evening.

In search of an altar

September 7, 2008

This week we were seeking an alter. What kind of altar? Where is our altar? In seeking our altar we found that we could create our own altar by activiely building one. We offered up worship by building our altar with candles and icons and crosses. In our way of tuning into God we sang and created with paper, crayons, markers, oil pastels, puzzles, and the magnet board. The magnets are separate words that can be put together on the magnet board or to stand alone as an offering or thanksgiving to God.The magnet words help us offer our prayers and thoughts up to God during our time of tuning in.  Reasoning through the Gospel of John we found Jesus calling us to come follow Him. When we ask “where are you staying” or “where are you taking me” or “why am I following you” Jesus replies to us saying “come and you will see.”

Want to see how we did all this in part?  Want to pray with us?  Want to reason with us?  Then check out the page on this blog called “Selah Liturgies” and you can view the slides and scriptures from the evening.