New Sign

Today we put up a new sign on the church office building. It faces First Street and Himmel Park and it announces The Refuge worship services. The big print says "Come as you are". You can see it Sunday, and I'll post a photo here next week.

Bike Commuting

I rode my bike to work today for the first time and it went OK. I think it's about 11 miles and it made it in 43 minutes. I rode west on Broadway for the vast majority of my ride and then turned north on Treat Street to the church. By the way, Treat Street is no treat. It is uphill the whole way from Broadway to Himmel Park and it is mostly uneven, broken pavement which is extremely bumpy.

Sunday Worship @ The Refuge

"Could Faith Be as Simple as Breathing?" is our theme for this Sunday, August 29. Click here for the worship bulletin to see Scriptures and notes. We will view a short NOOMA video by Rob Bell. The title for this one is "Breathe". You can see a preview here. We will pray, think, and discuss.

"Worthy to Approach God" is our theme for next Sunday, September 2. This will be a unique service structured around the pattern we find in Psalm 24 . Psalm 24 has three sections, or movements. Psalm 24 is divided into three sections. The first section is verses 1-2, which is an affirmation of faith; a statement of worship to God. The second section is approaching God (verses 3-6). This segment will feature prayers of confession and forgiveness. Then the final section is opening our lives to God (verses 7-10). We will engage in a journaling exercise. All three movements will include music and prayer and Scripture. This will also be communion Sunday. I will post the worship bulletin next week.

"Paint by the Spirit' is our next series. Beginning September 9, we will spend four weeks exploring the spiritual significance of the works of great artists like Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, and Monet.