What do you harbor in your mind and heart?
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Finding Joy in a Safe Harbor
Last Sunday, we considered a metaphor of tides ebbing and flowing as it illustrates the ordinary movement in relationships. We are always either moving toward others or away from them, even if only temporarily. The ebbing and flowing is simply part of daily life, even in terms of our relationship with the Lord.
This Sunday let's continue with this general topic of Finding Joy and consider another nautical metaphor - the nature of a harbor and what we harbor in our hearts and minds.
This ongoing sermon series
The word "joy" seems like a pretty exceptional experience, but the Lord clearly says he wants us to experience it fully - which I take to mean all the time. A tall goal, for sure. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." John 15:11
Guest Preacher, Frank Rose
NEXT Sunday, September 29
I'm happy to say that Frank Rose has accepted my invitation to lead the worship service on Sunday, September 29 while Elise and I are on a short vacation.
"New Church 101" Small Group Starting on Wednesday, Oct. 9
A few people have expressed interest in a small group to discuss the basics of our church - the unique teachings, the history, and the current "state of the union." We are looking at meeting on Wednesdays in the early to mid afternoon. If you are interested, please let me know so that we can get a group started!
I love this survey course, based on the workbook "New Church Foundations." We always have fascinating discussions and learn a lot about each other in the process of learning about the church. Even if you have been involved before, it's worth being involved again since there is so much to learn.
Sound booth update
This past week, I had a local sound engineer come and tune our sound system and provide more tips and resources. There is a lot to learn about how to provide the best quality sound for our worship services, not only in the room, but also for the livestream, the audio recordings, and the hearing assistance system. And the best result is when it all just works smoothly and no one even
notices!
Thank you to each volunteer who takes a turn in the sound booth each week.
Vacation time
This Monday, September 23, Elise and I will be taking a 10-day vacation, returning to the office on Thursday morning, October 3. I thank Frank Rose for preaching in my absence.
Also thank you to everyone for your love and support of our ministry and the health of our beloved Chapel.
With love and respect,
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Learning and
using people's names is music to their ears
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My dear readers, Sunrise Chapel is a relatively small community, and it would be really, really good and nurturing if everyone took it upon themselves to get to know each other by name. I encourage you to take initiative to meet and greet people you don't know and increase your network of acquaintances and friends. Before or after church services, at
luncheons, in meetings, make the friendly and loving effort to learn and use people's names. I know from personal experience that I goof up people's names from time to time, but I also know how useful it is to get it right.
Names are very important
In the Bible, people's names symbolize their qualities. In our own lives, we associate various qualities with our own names and the names of those we get to know. We appreciate being addressed by name in thoughtful ways. We love when people correctly say and spell our names. And we tend to be disappointed, or even offended, when our names are used incorrectly or
inappropriately.
Forgetting someone's name can feel very awkward, but it is really very common. We tend to remember a lot of other things about people before we get their name firmly in our head and heart.
But there are things we can do to repair the situation. Here are a few common sense tips:
1. Simply say your name and ask for theirs. "Hi. My name's Midge. What's yours?"
2. Ask someone else (discreetly), and then as soon as possible use the person's name in conversation with them.
3. Confess your situation to the person. Gracefully apologize for your limited memory. Most people will be understanding, and won't mind telling you their name a second time. The other person will probably appreciate your honesty and your request.
4. Introduce the person to someone else whose name you do remember. Often when one person is introduced, the other will naturally say his/her name.
Yes, we could reinstate the use of name tags if a volunteer wants to manage them. But actually, politely exchanging each others' names and really paying attention and using their name in conversation can be much more effective than reading it off a tag.
This is just friendly pastoral encouragement for us all to make our best effort to learn and use the names of the people we meet at church! Including the names of our teens and young children!
With love and respect, Nathan
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Presentations by Frank Rose at Summerhaven on Mt. Lemmon
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Frank is giving two slideshow presentations at the Summerhaven Community Center near the top of Mt. Lemmon.
TOMORROW: Saturday, September 21 @ 2:30 pm: The Santa Catalina Mountains, a Special Treasure
NEXT WEEK: Thursday, September 26 @ 2:30 pm: Water Features of the Santa Catalina Mountains
Speak to Frank for more details
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Special one-time Spiritual Growth Group Event Tuesday, Oct. 15 @ 6:30 pm in Friendship Hall
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The Arizona Spiritual Growth Foundation (ChooseJoyNow.org) invites you and your friends to an Intro to Spiritual Growth night on Tuesday, Oct 15th from 6:30-8:00 pm.
This is not your ordinary spiritual growth group. This is extraordinary! It is a one-night event where we are inviting folks who have already participated plus other church leaders, laypeople, and community members. The purpose is to share the blessings of this unique program and to continue to learn about spiritual growth and what we do here.
Topics will include:
The history of the spiritual growth program
The spiritual house in our mind
Simple tasks to help us get out of the basement of negative emotions.
We will also model how the group process works and invite attendees to participate in a small group at the event.
If you have participated in previous Spiritual Growth Groups, you can help model the group process and share some of your joys and experiences with newcomers.
If you know of someone who would like to learn about this spiritual growth group program or might want to take this material and run a group, please invite them to the event.
When? Tuesday, Oct 15 at 6:30-8:00 pm in Friendship Hall.
Come and help us share the joy of spiritual growth!
Join the team to help! Kelly Woofenden, Nathan & Elise Gladish, Sammie Alijagic, Frank Rose, Michael Brown, Betsy Gladish, Judith Keane.
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THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES AT SUNRISE CHAPEL
11 am Worship Service - Nathan Gladish - Finding Joy in a Safe Harbor
12 noon Luncheon
MONDAY 9/23/2018
Nathan and Elise depart for a vacation
11 am Tai Chi class (Basic)
6:30 pm Bereavement Support Group
WEDNESDAY 9/25/2019
No Worship Team mtg today
THURSDAY 9/26/2019
11 am Tai Chi class (Yang 24)
Women's Group - Contact Elise Gladish for details
FRIDAY 9/27/2019
5:30 pm Teen Time at the church (Contact Rachael Casto for details)
SUNDAY 9/29/2019
10 am Music rehearsal
11 am Worship Service - Guest Preacher, Frank S. Rose
12 noon AZ Mountain Camp Luncheon
Readings for this
Sunday's 11 am Worship Service
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Praying for Shelter
Psalm 55:1-2, 6-8
Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;
hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught...
I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
I would flee far away
and stay in the wilderness
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.”
Harboring Wisdom
James 7:13-18
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Finding Safe Harbor
True Christianity §820
After death, when people come into [a particular heavenly] community, they feel as if they have arisen from sleep into wakefulness, or as if they have left behind the harsh conditions of winter for the pleasures of early spring. They feel like sailors who have found safe harbor.
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Announcement
of a Global Gathering of Church Members and Friends
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When: June 18-21, 2020
Where: Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Who: All are welcome
It was a tradition in our global organization, The General Church of the New Jerusalem, to hold what used to be called an Assembly every 4 years or so. These days they are not as frequent. The last one was held in June 2011, the same summer Elise and I moved to Tucson.
This time it's being called a Retreat. Members and friends of the church from all over the world are invited to attend, renew friendships, make new friends, worship and learn together, talk about challenges, and get recharged to move forward in support of the upbuilding of the Lord's church around the globe. Elise and I plan to attend. We would love to
have other members and friends of Sunrise Chapel participate.
Please direct questions to gcretreat2020@newchurch.org
And look for more information to come as it becomes available.
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Your church home for partnering with the Lord and each other in the practice of cultivating spiritual growth and choosing heavenly joy www.sunrisechapel.org nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245 |
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