Happy New Year!

Reflection and Anticipation

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Dear family,

A very, merry, and happy New Year’s Day to us all! One of the practices we have often championed in our community is pausing to reflect on the past in our to establish a grounding of thankfulness upon which we can look forward with God’s faithfulness as our guide. A few questions I have found quite helpful in my own times of reflection this week:

What was the overarching theme of this year in my personal journey?
What are two or three moments that have shaped my sentiment toward 2016?
What can I celebrate that show’s evidence of Gods grace at work?
What do I mourn in such a way as I press in to Him for comfort?

The value in taking time to process with God so we might move forward in deeper health cannot be overstated. I encourage you, today or tomorrow, seek a quiet place to inquire of the Lord about your past year so this year can be open to everything He has in store for you.

My prayer for you this morning is that you are able to end one year well so you may begin the next with a holy anticipation. May this be a year we learn to love even better than the one before.

+Ryan

January 8
Washer Sunday

We will continue our tradition of pausing at the beginning of the year and asking the Lord, “What do you have in store for me this year?” by seeking a word to guide us. Gathering times return to our usual 10:30am and 6:00pm.

January 13+14
Anchor Mission Conference

We have the privilege to host a conference for the collective of churches who ordained me, Anchor Mission. Their theme for this year is “City on Fire”, exploring how we love our cities and bring heaven to earth.

This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to love some brothers and sisters from around the country, and to build kingdom friendships as we encourage them on their journeys. We are invited to attend, and they will be joining us for worship on Sunday the 15th.

I am looking for people from our community who would be interested in helping with childcare or cooking chili for lunch on Saturday. Please email me at ryan@citybeautiful.ch if you would like to serve and love in this specific way!

January 29
PRAXIS

Our PRAXIS gatherings are intended to help us pause, reflect, and seek vision for the coming season. On January 29th we will be talking about where the Lord is taking us next, in addition to how each of us are called to contribute to His work in our community and beyond. Be praying now about how you might step into deeper responsibility for the gifts and resources He has granted you for 2017.