Ash Wednesday Evangelism

"The imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday

is nothing if not bold."

Read Lauren Winner's story of letting Christ's light shine into the questioning darkness of Columbia University in

Ash Wednesday Evangelism.

Incarnation: Honoring the Body

Christmas is a vivid reminder that God uses flesh and bones, hands and feet, voices and ears to spread his Kingdom in the world. Mary made herself available to God and literally had Christ formed in her own body. The result was the birth of a giddy mystery: Word-become-flesh; God with us!

This year in SFCC, we've been given the opportunity to read the chapter in Sacred Rhythms about honoring our own bodies. If you haven't had the chance yet, give yourself an hour or two to read and rest with this material.

If you have read the chapter, you might also enjoy this essay and its ideas for honoring our bodies.

Golf and Transformation

"No one in their right mind would consider their [golf] training sufficient if it only involved a daily reading and some inspiring "golf music" designed make them feel deeply about learning golf! Yet this is exactly our view of discipleship..." ~ J.P. Moreland

As you continue to look at your Rule of Life, you might find a bit of inspiration in this article by J. P. Moreland. He explains how the spiritual disciplines form us into the image of God in a similar way that physical practice improves our golf game.

Missional Hearts

As our Spiritual Formation Covanent Communities take a break over the holidays, please continue to listen and pray about missional opportunities to explore with your group.

You can find information about the trips, events, and organizations available in partnership with First Presbyterian by clicking here.

"True godliness does not turn men out of the world, but enables them to live better in it and excites their endeavors to mend it." ~ William Penn

Prayer Labyrinth

Here is one of the most prayerful and quieting online experiences I've ever encountered. This "virtual" prayer labyrinth, hosted by Youth for Christ, can be a restoring way to spend your lunch hour or to quiet your heart on a Sunday afternoon.

http://www.yfc.co.uk/labyrinth/online.html

Praying Online

The Internet can be a place to pray. The links below offer three different tools for opening up space in your life to connect with and listen to God.

• Jesuits in the U.K. have created a Web site providing downloadable MP3 "podcasts" of daily prayer and scripture meditation (similar to Lectio) as well as a "Review of the Day" (similar to the Examen), all accompanied by beautiful music: http://www.pray-as-you-go.org/

• A group in England has compiled scripture and historical, traditional readings to encourage worldwide Christians to pray the Daily Office ~ prayers for morning, noon, evening, and bedtime: http://www.northumbriacommunity.org/PraytheOffice/index.html

• For anyone who wants to be more deliberate in praying for people and specific requests, MyPrayerTeam.com has created an electronic "reminder" system for partnering friends and family who want to lift up each others' requests regularly: http://www.myprayerteam.com/

"The Practice of Paying Attention"

Do you need a bit of encouragement to slow down and notice what God is up to? The link below is to a short article by Ruth Haley Barton (author of Sacred Rhythms) on the practice of paying attention in the midst of our sometimes overly-busy lives.

http://www.thetransformingcenter.org/pdf/payingattention07.pdf