What Are YOU Giving Up For Lent?

This a question we Episcopalians  all get asked 50 bizillion times when the Lenten season creeps up on us each year.  There are the old favs: chocolate, TV, alcohol and more recently the internet (esp. Facebook & MySpace).  All great options for clearing out the things that clutter your day-to-day life in order to make room for God.  But, I have always liked the idea of taking on something for Lent instead of giving something up.  Each year I like to decide upon a different Lenten discipline that challenges me each day, brings me closer to God and helps me reflect theologicially on some or all aspects of my life.  Last year I chose to journal every single day, which was excruciatingly painful for me.  I have never and I mean never been able to find time each day to consistently record my thoughts.  I like to be busy and on-the-go.  Quiet time each day that produces something meaningful is not normally in my schedule and I know that creating this time means giving up some of that busyness I like so much (and yes, busyness does include watching episodes of The Bachelor and other brain-rotting tv shows).  It’s tough and makes me whine, but I do it and find that when I do carve those precious moments out of my day I feel renewed and refreshed in ways I never thought possible.

So, if you’d rather take on something this Lenten season instead of giving something up, I’d like to invite you to join T3 on Sunday mornings at 9 a.m.  Beginning on February 28th, we’ll be meeting upstairs in the yellow room to help each other navigate through a 40-day devotional study based on The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.  Each week we’ll read through the text, carving a few precious moments out of our day to focus on our relationship with God & others.  Then we’ll gather together on Sunday morning to share any insights or struggles we had with the material for the week.  These conversations will be relaxed and informal, so come on up even if its just to soak in what others have to say.

The text we are used can be purchased for a decent price.  To order it, follow this link: http://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Driven%C2%AE-Life-What-Earth/dp/0310276993/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235504270&sr=8-1.  Have any questions or concerns?  E-mail Morgan!  Hope to see you there!

Blessings,

Morgan

Back In The Swing Of Things

Well, folks, the Young Adults group is officially back.  They actually never left, I did, but I am back and ready to dive into a new year and tell you a bit about what we have planned! 

First, we’re still meeting every Sunday morning at 9 a.m. upstairs in the yellow room.  We are about to embark on a 40 day devotional study for lent based on the book The Purpose Drive Life by Rick Warren.  If you would like to join us on this journey, please come to the group this Sunday or e-mail me for information about where to purchase the text.  Post-Easter we are revisioning our time together on Sunday mornings.  We are thinking about meeting once a month instead of every Sunday as well as changing our meeting time to 9:45 a.m. to accommodate those wishing to participate who have children above the nursery age limit (5 years old).  We’ll keep you posted on what we decide.

We are continuing to have our social gatherings once a month and if you click on the Calendar tab above, you’ll be able to read about all of the events we have planned through August of this year!  Each of our outings will either be a family-friendly activity or childcare will be provided.

Third, we are interesting in hosting another adult education series after Easter.  We had so much fun with Via Media that we want to provide the church with another opportunity to learn and grow together.  This time we are considering a six week program that would meet after church in May and June.  We are currently researching materials to find a good option for the class and we’ll also keep you posted about what we finally decide for this!

As you can probably tell, we’ve been busy coming up with new ideas and we’d love your thoughts & comments!  Let us know what you think and we look forward to spending some time with you soon!  As always, questions or comments can be left on this site or e-mailed to Morgan (mmacintire@trinityepiscopalchurch.org)!

Blessings,

Morgan