Faith is a Journey, Walk in it |
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Where are you on your path of faith? In many stories in the Bible, faith is not something experienced standing still. Faith is depicted as something progressive, having a beginning and being ongoing, and not even a strong sense of completion. Sometimes a section of the
journey of faith seems relatively short, but many times it is described as a long, winding route with many ups and downs, and many adventures along the way. Where are you on such a path? What is just around the bend? Where do you think the Lord is leading you? What do you think are the next steps you need to take? And what is the Lord's sight of us on such a path of faith?
World Labyrinth Day Activity at Sunrise Chapel Tomorrow, Saturday, May 5 you are invited to gather and "Walk as one at 1 o'clock." Join a wave of people around the globe walking labyrinths in their time zones. See below for more information.
More planning for Arizona Mountain CampThis Tuesday, I will personally drive up to the new campground for a visit and talk with the hosts about various features of the grounds and facilities. If you have any questions for me to ask the hosts, let me know. BTW, there is a phone landline at the campground, but apparently the location of the camp is beyond the reach
of cell phone service. I will be testing that with my Verizon service, too. Small Groups Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent small group series on the Spiritual Growth tasks from the new card deck! It was a robust effort following the Tucson Festival of Books. About 30 people were involved in three groups, some of them being introduced to the tasks for the first time. These groups are now over, but stay tuned. I plan
to facilitate more groups - there is much more to learn!
Thank you! to our group leaders for another outstanding series... Frank Rose, Kelly Woofenden, Elise Gladish, Betsy Gladish, and yours truly.
Special fundraising efforts
See below for information about two opportunities to have your special donation matched (doubled). The deadline is approaching - June
30.
Next Sunday is Mothers Day! Everyone has a mother - naturally and spiritually. Let's celebrate
both kinds of motherhood.
Thinking of you all with love and respect,
Nathan
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UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AT SUNRISE CHAPEL
SATURDAY 5/5/2018 12:30 pm Labyrinth Activity for World Labyrinth Day "Walk as One at 1 o'clock". [Gather in the Chapel at 12:30, then Walk at 1]
SUNDAY 5/6/2018 11 am WORSHIP SERVICE - Paths of Faith 12 noon LUNCHEON
MONDAY 5/7/2018
11 am Tai Chi Basics Friendship Hall 6:30 pm Bereavement Support
Group WEDNESDAY 5/9/2018 NO Worship Team meeting today
11 am Tai Chi Yang 24 Friendship Hall
7 pm Women's Group: Contact Elise Gladish for location 11 am Worship MOTHERS DAY!! 12 noon LUNCHEON
World Labyrinth Day Activity at Sunrise
Chapel |
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Saturday, May 5 at 12:30 pm I invite you to join together at Sunrise Chapel's labyrinth on World Labyrinth Day, Saturday May 5th.
At 12:30 pm on Saturday May 5, I will facilitate a time of sharing in preparation for walking the labyrinth at 1 pm. Since the weather prediction is for a hot day, we will start inside the Chapel and then move outside close to 1 pm.
We will then “Walk as one at 1 o’clock.” You're invited to walk or dance your way through to the center of this special pathway, and return
back through it, renewed and refreshed.
You will join the intention and energy and wave of many all over the world who will be walking labyrinths in their respective time zones.
You will also receive a gift from the
labyrinth, a memento of your journey.
Sunrise Chapel’s labyrinth was installed in October 2016 just east of the main chapel building under
two shady mesquite trees. See: www.sunrisechapel.org It is the most recently installed of several spiritual paths on the property. It is listed as open to the public on the world labyrinth locator, one of about 2 dozen labyrinths in Tucson, AZ. See: https://www.labyrinthlocator.com/
King David gave this declaration in the Psalms, "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy." Psalm 16:11 Nathan |
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Arizona Mountain Camp July 13-22,
2018 |
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NEW LOCATION! This July we will hold our summer family camp at the Arizona Elks Youth Camp - 40 miles Northeast of Globe, Arizona Our summer camp facilities this year are managed by the Arizona Elks Lodge to benefit children. We will have the camp to ourselves for the week, so we get to decide the schedule and program. This location is in pine woods
in the Tonto National Forest, northeast of Roosevelt Lake reservoir at an elevation of about 5,600 ft. It has good creature comforts, such as excellent kitchen facilities, bunk houses, full showers, and flush toilets. If you have an RV, you are welcome to use it, or you can tent camp if you prefer. We will be making this camp very affordable, especially for families with children. The main costs will be food and transportation. MAP: From Tucson, the drive to camp is about 3 hours and 15 minutes. Here is a link to a page of maps. http://www.elks4kids.org/campmap.html WEBSITE: http://www.elks4kids.org/camp.html You Tube video: https://youtu.be/LSRQUgVCMhc We have reserved the camp from Friday, July 13 through Sunday, July 22. You can come up for a portion of that time or enjoy and relax the whole week.
Anyone is invited to be part of the planning team. Linda
Waddell has offered to organize meal planning and preparation. Christine Morey has offered to be the Camp Director. The next step is to work on a registration form. Stay tuned!!
Nathan |
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New task "essays" for the ChooseJoyNow
website |
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One of the bonuses of this recent series of small groups featuring the task cards is that both Frank and I wrote additional essays for the website. We still have some more to write to complete the "deck" of 52 tasks, but here are the most recent additions:
22 Turning a Blind Eye
23 Not Worrying
25 Accepting What Is
28 Dealing with Losing Things
30 Not Procrastinating
31 Reducing Gossip
32
Giving Up Suffering
33 Observing IT
34 Naming the Mountain
41 Moving to a Better Place
42 Entering Heaven
26 Speaking the Truth with Love
43 Learning to forget Offenses
49 Don't Give Up
The numbering of each task is according to the cards in the new deck. Check out the task write-ups on
www.choosejoynow.org
Nathan |
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Special Financial
Request |
First, THANK YOU to everyone who gives to the general operating fund! Your generosity helps keep Sunrise Chapel serving. And as we approach the end of our fiscal year on June 30, please consider giving what you can to help meet our budget goals. Every donation to the general operating fund is needed and
useful.
ALSO, between now and June 30, extra donations to two funds will be MATCHED. Additional contributions will be DOUBLED!
1. Recently, the Asplundh Foundation awarded us a grant for special projects to enhance our programs and facilities. Part of the agreement is for Sunrise Chapel to raise $1,500 in local contributions. In turn, the Foundation will award us $9,250! As of last Sunday, we have received $600, so we have $900 left to raise. Any amount helps!
2. The Endowment Fund is a new initiative to provide income in perpetuity to sustain the uses of Sunrise Chapel. Since it was launched in December 2017, we have already accumulated $4,000! Additional local contributions up to $1,000 will be matched until June 30 by a remote donor, bringing the overall total to $6,000. Please consider donating to this important
cause.
These are exciting additions to our financial future! If you contribute, just include a memo to our Treasurer, Bill Smith specifying your preference. To donate online through our PayPal feature click on the
Donate button above, or go to http://sunrisechapel.org/donate/ To donate by check, the mailing address is Sunrise Chapel, 8421 E
Wrightstown Rd., Tucson, AZ 85715.
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Readings for this
Sunday's church service |
Many Symbolic Examples in the Word of Walking on Paths
The Lord says in Moses: I will walk in your midst and become your God, and you will become my people. (Leviticus 26:12)
In Micah: He has pointed out to you, friend, what is good; and what is Jehovah requiring of you but to carry out judgment and the love of mercy and to be humble walking with your God?
(Micah 6:8)
In David: You rescued my feet from tripping, to walk before God in the light of the living. (Psalms 56:13)
Make your ways known to me, Jehovah; teach me your paths. Lead the way for me in your truth and teach me. (Psalms 25:4, 5)
In Isaiah: The people walking in darkness now see great light. (Isaiah 9:2)
In Jeremiah: This is what Jehovah has said: “Stand on the footways and see, and ask about the ancient paths—which way is the good one—and go on it.” (Jeremiah 6:16)
In
Ezekiel: "I will give a new heart and a new spirit. I will put my spirit within you and I will make you walk the path of salvation." (Ezekiel 36:26, 27; 11:19)
Pathways of Faith
True Christianity 11, 24
Faith in God enters us on a pathway that comes down from above, from the soul into the higher reaches of the intellect. Concepts of God enter us on a pathway that
comes up from below, because the intellect takes them in from the revealed Word through our bodily senses. In mid-intellect the different inflows come together. There an earthly faith, which is mere belief, becomes a spiritual faith, which is actual acknowledgment.
The human intellect, then, is a kind of trading floor on which exchanges occur.
Each of us needs to make a pathway for God [Isaiah 40:3], meaning we need to prepare ourselves to receive God, and this preparation requires certain
concepts.
When we exercise our intellect and gain religious knowledge from the Word, we
smooth a pathway that God can use to come down and lift us up. The concepts that can lift our intellect higher, and let God take us by the hand and lead us, can be compared to the steps on the ladder that Jacob saw. It was set up on the ground but the top of it stretched into heaven. Angels were climbing up on it and Jehovah was standing above it (Genesis 28:12–13).
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Helping people experience heavenly joy through spiritual growth www.sunrisechapel.org
nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245
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