On The Table

Hey church,

In case you're hanging on the results from last week's edition, Jon finished his first ever marathon with a most righteously impressive time: 3:33. Jon makes us all want to be him! Except, without the "running for 26 miles without stopping" part. Most of us don't want to do that. ;-)

In other news, the ever-inquisitive Vince asked Amy, Mike and me if we could do a Sunday-morning recap of our time at the Christianity21 conference a few weeks ago. And we said, "No way, Vince. Nobody wants to sit through our travelogue." But then Dee saved the day, suggesting a service inspired by our time in Minneapolis, which all three of us felt changed by. So we're working on CT21: three 21st-century attempted-Jesus-followers will be given 21 minutes each to try to convey to y'all how this conference messed us up. Join us at 10am Sunday morning at Jammin' Java!

And that's the news from Lake Wobegon. Oh, wait, sorry. (Minnesota on the brain.) That's the news from Common Table. Where all the women are tough as nails, all the men are HAWT, and all the children are so far above average that we're readying a plan to turn the governance of the church over to them. Stay tuned for that.

Peace!
Mike Croghan

Well, there's not too much happening around the Table this week, unless you are Jon White. If you're Jon White, you're feeling the tractor beam of your very first and very long-anticipated marathon drawing you in. If you-- like me-- are a shameless fan of Jon White, then you're excited, too. You'll probably be pointing your browser to the real-time race results on Sunday morning, or perhaps hopping on the Metro to see him in all of his sweaty glory. To witness him triumph over *gulp* twenty-six-point-two miles.

If you'd like to come along, let me know. As a bonus gift for joining me on Sunday morning, you'll have the pleasure of being assistant kid-wrangler for my two little girls (who are huge fans of Jon White, too). And if you've never been to a marathon before, then you'd best prepare your heart and spirit to see something truly moving. With more than a few metaphors waiting to inspire you in your own journey of faith.

Go Jon,
Mike Stavlund

Hi church!

Well, I'm fresh back from Christianity21 and my mind and heart and body are all still buzzing and humming from that - so much so that I can't even talk about it now. It was awesome. It changed me. More later.

And anyway, the important thing right now is: what's on the Table for this week? And for that, I'll turn you over to the gent who'll be leading us in our gathering this Sunday (10am at Jammin' Java), our own Ken Tennyson:

This Sunday we will be looking at the thought and teachings of spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle. Based on his own life experiences, Tolle's work encourages us to break free from thought addictions and find freedom in fully living in the present moment. While Tolle's spiritual insight is independent of any religious tradition, he has been heavily influenced by Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism. He breathes new life into ancient truths and makes them relevant for today's culture. Expect to be challenged and hopefully edified as we explore his thought together in community.

I'm sorry to be missing it, but happy (!!) to be flying to the Midwest the second weekend in a row to see our dear friends Maggie and Schuyler and Levi and Adah! So I'll see y'all in a couple of weeks, when we'll be doing...well, we don't know what we'll be doing. Any ideas?

Oh, and it's kind of cold here. But it's colder in the Midwest. So it helps me keep perspective. :-) God is good!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Hey church!

This weekend, a bunch of us are traveling...Amy and Mike and Mike are going to Minneapolis for the Christianity21 conference, and I know some other folks are visiting family and friends. But, if you yourself are going to be in town, you must not miss a very cool worship service (at Jammin' Java, 10am) exploring a very interesting subject: the Jesus Sutras. Here's what Wikipedia says about them:

"The Jesus Sutras are early Chinese language manuscripts of Christian teachings. They are connected with the 7th century mission of Alopen, a Nestorian bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East.... Their language and content reflect varying levels of interaction with Chinese culture, including use of Buddhist and Taoist terminology."

Ryan Page will lead us as we explore these remarkable texts, and what is known about the communities that formed them. We'll also explore using some of these texts in their intended form as liturgical prayer, comparing them to other liturgical expressions that resulted from the interaction of the Christian gospel with new cultures (including Celtic and Anglo-Saxon peoples.) It should be an opportunity for broadening both mind and spirit as we encounter a bit of the amazing diversity of forms that the way of Jesus has taken through history.

And that's all for this week - next Sunday we'll return to Jammin' Java, where Ken Tennyson will lead us in a worshipful exploration of the thought of Eckhart Tolle.

Stay warm, and thank God for this crisp, beautiful autumn!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

This week we'll take a little time out of our busy weeks to create some contemplative space to think about what it is we are longing for -- for our world, for our church, for our families, for our relationships, and for ourselves, both in our spiritual and everyday lives. Come ready to enter into a shared experience that we hope will shape how we interact with one another, Sunday morning at 10am at Jammin' Java.

Before that, though, we'll be gathering at The Lamb Center on Friday night to share in the wonderful gift of Karaoke with the fine folks who gather there. Come at 6:30 for prayer and pizza, and we'll start up the old-fashioned audio-visual-midi-machine for a foot-stomping good time. Doors close at 8.

Next week, we'll be back at Java for a journey into the Jesus Sutras, an early example of an eastern expression of Christianity. It should be fascinating.

Happy October,
Mike Stavlund

Labels: karaoke, lamb center