Try the Lectio Divina

Good People of the February Snows,

Did you try to find God in the ordinary tasks of life this week?  In the repetition of peeling carrots or the sorting of the laundry or the steps to take out the trash?   I found that on the days that I was mindful, there were ways to turn these every day tasks into opportunities to repeat phrases like thank you for being there, take my sin away, what do I do?  On those days I was drawn closer to God as God became a part of what I did every day.   On days I was not mindful, it would slip my mind completely and I would be left farther from God, not because God had moved, but I had not moved closer.

This week, we will be looking at the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina.   This is an ancient practice of praying the Scripture.    The process is pick a short Bible passage and read it aloud ( practically any passage would work). Then in silence,  (try 2 minutes) reflect on what the passage is saying.   Then read the same passage aloud again, this time in your silent reflection ask where am I in the passage?  Then read it a third time, and in the silence ask what is God trying to teach me in this passage.

Let me know how it works for you.  

Watch the Weather

It seems that there is the possibility of a snow storm this weekend.  If it's possible we will hold church, but, safety first... if you don't feel comfortable driving Sunday morning stay home where it's safe and warm.
If you do plan on coming, check first.  If we are not having our Sunday morning Worship Service we will send out an email, leave it on the answering machine and post it on WMUR.

Condolences to the Lane family

A memorial service will be held on Friday, February 22, at 4:00 p.m. at the Northwood Congregational Church, 881 First New Hampshire Turnpike in Northwood with Rev. Gayle Murphy officiating.  A reception will follow at the conclusion of the service.

Andrew John Lane

NORTHWOOD -   Mr. Andrew "John" Lane, 87, of Northwood, died Sunday, February 17, 2013, at Presidential Oaks in Concord, NH after a brief illness.

Born in Keene, NH on October 2, 1925, John was the son of the late Earl N. and Lilly (Lofgren) Lane.  He graduated from Keene High School before entering the U.S. Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet during World War II.  He was an alumnus of Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York graduating in June, 1950 with a B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering.  John was married to Jean Whitcomb on October 21, 1950.

John worked in construction for Arthur Whitcomb Construction Company of Keene for five years before moving to Northwood in 1955.  He then began his career with the State of New Hampshire Department of Transportation as a civil engineer in the Bridge Division.  Mr. Lane was promoted to Assistant Bridge Engineer in 1970 and retired as the State Bridge Engineer in 1989.

John was active in his community, having served on the Northwood Highway Advisory Committee, Northwood Budget Committee, Saddleback Mountain Lion's Club, American Legion.  He was also active in the Northwood Congregational Church.  Most of all, he enjoyed attending events at Coe-Brown Northwood Academy, where he and Jean were staples at sporting events, as well as plays and musicals.  He also enjoyed snowmobiling and summers at their camp on Wild Goose Pond.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Jean Lane; two children, daughter Betsy Colburn and her husband Jim of Northwood and their children Steve, Brian, & Lindsey; and daughter Peggy Riley and her husband Pat of San Antonio, Texas, and their children Sean, Kyle, & Kevin; 9 great grandchildren, 13 nieces and nephews.  He is pre-deceased by his parents and brother Richard L. Lane of Swanzey, NH.

A special thank you to the wonderful staff at Concord Hospital and Presidential Oaks who provided boundless care, devotion, and love.

Memorial donations, in his memory, may be made to the Northwood Congregational Church, PO Box 65, Northwood, NH  03261 or Coe-Brown Northwood Academy, 907 First New Hampshire Turnpike, Northwood, NH  03261.

 The Bennett Funeral Home in Concord is handling arrangements. 

Lenten Challenge of Infusing daily tasks with God's presence

During this Lenten Season, I will be preaching about different Spiritual Disciplines inspired by a book called, Flunking Sainthood:   A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor by Jan Riess.

This Sunday, (Feb 17) we will talk about infusing daily tasks with a sense of God's presence.   This will include the ideas of using the phyical activity of a daily task to free your mind/spirit to pray.   Or reminding yourself to "allow the deep love of God to sufuse every meal you prepare, every pot you scrub."  (the words of Brother Lawrence).

There will be a challenge issued at the end of each sermon for you to try during the course of the next week.  You will be invited to bring back the journaling of your efforts to be put in the offering plate as a gift to God.   And there will be an opportunity for people to share how this challenge has worked for them during the service.

So here is the challenge for this next week:      Each day (this is the discipline - to do it each day) find/sense God's presence in your daily work.   Write it down, and for extra credit, ponder what this meant to you.

May God's presence suprise you each day, and may that be a blessing to you in the week ahead.

With love,
Gayle

Concord Coalition to End Homelessness Soupfest

On Saturday, Feb 16 the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness is having their 2nd Annual Soupfest at South Church.   There are two seatings, one at 5:00pm and a second one at 6:30pm.  Support a good cause and enjoy a variety of homemade soups and artisan breads.  Our own Gayle Murphy will be making Sausage Sweet Potato Stew for the event.

Welcome Rev. Chris Owen

Join us Sunday at 9:00am.  

Gayle is away this weekend but you are in a for a treat as you worship with Rev. Chris Owen.   Chris Owen is ordained in the United Church of Christ, and most recently served the church in Mason, New Hampshire. He lives in Wilton with his wife, 2 children, and assorted farm animals. He blogs at religioninthebalance.wordpress.com.