December 17th, 2008 by admin

The majority of the world’s resources pour into the United States. And as we Americans grow more and more wealthy, money is becoming a kind of narcotic for us. We hardly notice our own prosperity or the poverty of so many others. The great contradiction is that we have more and more money and less and less generosity — less and less public money for the needy, less charity for the neighbor.Robert Wuthnow, sociologist of religion at Princeton University, has studied stewardship in the church and discovered that preachers do a good job of promoting stewardship. They study it, think about it, explain it well. But folks don’t get it. Though many of us are well intentioned, we have invested our lives in consumerism. We have a love affair with “more” Read the rest of this entry »

December 15th, 2008 by admin

Is there a hell? The concepts of heaven and hell are as intimately connected as those of good and evil. When we are free to do good, we are also free to do evil; when we can say yes to God’s love, the possibility of saying no also exists. Consequently, when there is heaven there also must be hell. <br>

All of these distinctions are made to safeguard the mystery that God wants to be loved by us in freedom. In this sense, strange as it may sound, the idea of hell is good news. Human beings are not robots or automatons who have no choices and who, whatever they do in life, end up in God’s Kingdom. No, God loves us so much that God wants to be loved by us in return. And love cannot be forced; it has to be freely given. Hell is the bitter fruit of a final no to God.

November 5th, 2008 by admin

Hey just wanted to let you all know that we are not having the Central Teaching this week (Nov 5).

Enjoy the night off. We’ll see you next week! 

October 6th, 2008 by admin

Join us for a weekend up north at Camp JIM in Pillager, MN. We’ll spend time deepening our spiritual lives and strengthening relationships with God and one another.

Dates: October 24-26

Times: We’ll leave Woodland at 3pm on Friday and arrive back at 4pm on Sunday
Cost: $55 and money for two meals on the road
Registration: Due by Sunday, October 19th. Fill out your form and turn it in to your HouseGroup leader on a Sunday or at the Central Teaching.

We’d love to have you join us.
Peace

September 15th, 2008 by admin

The great danger of the turmoil of the end-time in which we live is losing our souls. Losing our souls means losing touch with our center, our true call in life, our mission, our spiritual task. Losing our soul means becoming so distracted by and preoccupied with all that is happening around us that we end up fragmented, confused, and erratic. Jesus is very aware of that danger. He says: “Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using my name and saying, ‘I am the one’ and ‘The time is near at hand’ Refuse to join them” (Luke 21:8).

In the midst of anxious times there are many false prophets, promising all sorts of “salvations.” It is important that we be faithful disciples of Jesus, never losing touch with our true spiritual selves.

September 8th, 2008 by admin

Think about this one from Henri Nouwen:

To bless means to say good things. We have to bless one another constantly. Parents need to bless their children, children their parents, husbands their wives, wives their husbands, friends their friends. In our society, so full of curses, we must fill each place we enter with our blessings. We forget so quickly that we are God’s beloved children and allow the many curses of our world to darken our hearts. Therefore we have to be reminded of our belovedness and remind others of theirs. Whether the blessing is given in words or with gestures, in a solemn or an informal way, our lives need to be blessed lives.

August 27th, 2008 by admin

HouseGroups

Hey guys just wanted to let you all know that HouseGroups start up again on Sunday, September 7th! 
Make a note! That’s a change from last year. HouseGroups will be meeting on Sundays this year, from 6pm-8pm. 

This year we’ll be going through a new set of stories from a book called Manna and Mercy. Our time in HouseGroups will be spent exploring God’s story, deepening relationships with each other, and finding ways to get involved in our neighborhoods.

The West HouseGroup will meet at the Hamline House: 1338 Thomas Av, St Paul, 55104.
For more info, contact Natalie at (763)-670-2919

The East HouseGroup will be meeting at Anna Buck’s house: 960 Earl St, St Paul, 55106
For more info, contact Joey at (651)-558-6582

To which HouseGroup you belong to, click the Find your HouseGroup link at the top of the page and locate your zipcode.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact your regional HouseGroup leader at the phone number given.

Central Teaching

This year on Wednesday nights from 7-8:30 we’ll be hosting the Central Teaching in the North Commons at Woodland Hills. The Central Teaching is a community gathering. We will take time to engage scripture, to participate in prayer and communion, and to share with one another what we’re learning and experiencing in our HouseGroups. Once per month, we’ll worship God with music and singing. 

Trips and Retreats

Also this year in Resonate, we’ll be planning short retreats designed to deepen our faith and our relationships with one another. Our fall retreat is scheduled for October 24-26. Watch for more information on that as we get into the fall.

With questions about HouseGroups, the Central Teaching, or Resonate, call Natalie at (763)-670-2919 

August 11th, 2008 by admin

Here’s some thoughts from the Henri Nouwen Society. This was encouraging and challenging to me this morning.

We belong to a generation that wants to see the results of our work. We want to be productive and see with our own eyes what we have made. But that is not the way of God’s Kingdom. Often our witness for God does not lead to tangible results. Jesus himself died as a failure on a cross. There was no success there to be proud of. Still, the fruitfulness of Jesus’ life is beyond any human measure. As faithful witnesses of Jesus we have to trust that our lives too will be fruitful, even though we cannot see their fruit. The fruit of our lives may be visible only to those who live after us.

What is important is how well we love. God will make our love fruitful, whether we see that fruitfulness or not.

August 4th, 2008 by admin

Now it’s the West HouseGroup’s opportunity to host a bash for the East. 
Come on over to Hamline Park at the corner of Snelling Ave and Thomas Ave on August 13th at 6:30pm.
Bring $5 to cover the cost of food and bring equipment to play basketball and tennis.

With questions, call Natalie at (763)-670-2919. We hope tp see you there!  

June 30th, 2008 by admin

The East HouseGroup is hosting a party for both HouseGroups on Wednesday, July 9. We have a shelter reserved at Casey Lake Park in North St Paul between 6pm and 9pm. We’ll be barbecuing so bring $5 to cover the cost of food.

There are facilities available to play volleyball, baseball, basketball, and tennis so bring your game! And your sporting equipment. We’ll bring board games in case the weather’s nasty. So come rain or shine! 

If you’ve never been to Resonate before we would love to meet you.
To RSVP or with questions, call Danielle at (651)-287-2070 or e-mail her at dhoel@whchurch.org.