FEBRUARY 2010
I don't really like driving in snowy weather, with slippery road conditions, but yesterday I was aware as I was out in it, of how beautiful the fresh snow is. When it falls, it offers a quieting blanket of white that covers over dirty snow, making the landscape fresh, new, and clean. As I was caught by the beauty of it, I experienced a quieting in my soul. I began to notice a peacefulness settling over me in the quiet stillness of the freshly falling snow. I was able to let go of the tight grip on the steering wheel, let go of thoughts of my destination, to enjoy the experience of peace that came from awareness of God's gift in that present moment.
I invite you to come to the retreat that Restoration is offering on February 20. Dr. Glenn Myers will be facilitating our day and inviting us into an experience of deeper love and passion for Christ. God's love, compassion and mercy for people is demonstrated over and over again, and most clearly in God's action on our behalf at the cross through the death (and resurrection) of Jesus Christ. Christ became the sacrifice for our sin (that which keeps us separated and disconnected from God), so that we can experience restoration into communion, fellowship and peace with God.
Atonement--at one with God--accomplished for us. Like dirty snow, our sins are covered over by the blood of Christ, making us fresh, new, and clean. We get to receive this gift of forgiveness, freedom and newness of life. Stop for a moment, see anew what is being offered. Let go of the tight grip on your own life and destination. Receive from God this gracious gift and let him be your way and your life.
LENTEN RETREAT
Drawn into Love with Christ
Exploring Bridal Spirituality with the Beguines
Location: Trinity Episcopal Church
322 2nd Street, Excelsior, MN 55331
Date: Saturday, February 20, 2010
Time: 8:30am - 3:30pm
Cost: $35.00 for the day (includes lunch)
Registration: registration@restorationmn.org
Facilitated by Dr. Glenn Myers
As we begin the Lenten season and prepare our hearts for Christ’s passion, our retreat, “Drawn into Love with Christ,” will explore what it means to be passionately in love with Jesus. He is the One who cared so intensely for us that he gave his life for us. That love did not cease two thousand years ago but continues to pour forth today, inviting us into an intimate relationship with him. Indeed, he is the Bridegroom who unceasingly woos us as the Bride of Christ to himself.
Guiding our exploration of this bridal relationship with Jesus will be the devotional writings of a remarkable community of laywomen from the 13th century known as the Beguines. One of the Beguines named Hadewijch calls us to come into the deeper life in Christ:
Please join us for a day of soaking in Scripture, reflecting on devotional classics by the Beguines, solitude, silence and sharing, as we set aside time to focus on our Lord and his phenomenal love for us.
Glenn Myers is a professor at Crown College where he teaches classes in spiritual formation, Scripture and church history. His book on the Beguines is projected to be released in early 2011 by InterVarsity Press. To taste a bit of the deeper Christian life modeled by the Beguines, see Glenn’s webpage: http://www.deepwellswithglennmyers.blogspot.com/.
SPIRITUAL DIRECTION MINISTRY AVAILABLE
Restoration Ministries has a number of trained spiritual directors available to provide spiritual companionship in one-to-one sessions.The intention is to provide space and time to listen, notice and be attentive to God's invitations in one's life and journey, to foster a deeper relationship with God, and to cultivate noticing, discerning and responding to God's Holy Spirit. Call to schedule an appointment at 952.241.4150
EVENINGS OF LISTENING PRAYER
Every Wednesday: 7-9pm
Join with us and others for evenings of LISTENIING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing, this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others. We meet every Wednesday evening from 7-9pm. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space. Location: Restoration Ministry Center, 7975 Stone Creek Drive, #130, Chanhassen, MN 952.241.4150
SHAPED BY THE WORD
Genesis: A New Beginning
We invite you to join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through notIcing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart.
Cost: There is no cost for these sessions.
Register: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
Facilitator: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
For further information: Restoration Ministries website: www.restorationmn.org
Pastor Jean Leih
For your information and interest:
Dr. Glenn Myers on Beguine spirituality and the intersect with our spiritual lives at http://www.deepwellswithglennmyers.blogspot.com/
Pastor Jean Leih at http://IntegratingFaithandLife.blogspot.com/
You can find Restoration Ministries Christian Spiritual Direction and Formation on Facebook. Become a fan for the latest news, information and postings. JANUARY 2010
Spiritual writer Henri Nouwen wrote: "Who can listen to a story of loneliness and despair without taking the risk of experiencing similar pains in his own heart and even losing his precious peace of mind? In short: Who can take away suffering without entering it?"
As disaster strikes, as we are now witnessing in Haiti, all of life is changed in just moments. Buildings--homes and workplaces, hospitals, government buildings crumble; people are missing and lives are destroyed. That which was once known is gone. Pain, confusion and shock overwhelm; response varies. Trauma sets in with effects that are long-lasting.
Personal disaster can enter our lives in much the same way as a natural disaster--unexpected or sudden. Perhaps we can see it coming without a way to stop it; unemployment, loss of a business, divorce, accident, diagnosis of a life-changing illness, an act of violence of another. Life changes quickly and we are not in control. Pain, confusion and suffering may come.
Mercy and compassion ministries move in to provide much needed care and even funding in times of natural disaster. No one rushes in with assistance in quite the same way in a personal disaster. We are often left to try to figure it out or make sense of it by ourselves. Some may choose to go it alone in times of loss and change. Others may long to have someone to talk with or someone who will listen and understand. Someone else may not be able to solve it or fix it, but allowing another to enter the story with you can mitigate the suffering and pain and is in itself an act of faith. It is a faith that someone would care enough to be present in the suffering; would listen, understand and be with you, offering a connection, a physical touch, or a prayer. Caring for the well-being of others; compassionate, merciful, grace-filled actions and ministry--these are qualities of God and of those who live out God's ways in the world.
In Christianity a core belief is that God demonstrated His love for people by entering the world in human form as Jesus Christ. In this strategic action, God demonstrated solidarity with the human experience by entering, bearing and overcoming human pain, suffering and death. God understands it; He has experienced it and will be with us in it to bring comfort, peace and assurance that we are not alone. With God, we also can bear and overcome the effects of pain, suffering and death. It is an act of faith to believe such a God-story. "Who can take away suffering without entering it?"
SPIRITUAL DIRECTION MINISTRY AVAILABLE
Restoration Ministries has a number of trained spiritual directors available to provide spiritual companionship in one-to-one sessions.The intention is to provide space and time to listen, notice and be attentive to God's invitations in one's life and journey, to foster a deeper relationship with God, and to cultivate noticing, discerning and responding to God's Holy Spirit. Call to schedule an appointment at 952.241.4150 .
LENTEN RETREAT
Drawn into Love with Christ: Exploring Bridal Spirituality with the Beguines
Saturday, February 20, 2010
8:30am - 3:30pm
Cost: $35.00 for the day (includes lunch)
Facilitated by Dr. Glenn Myers
As we begin the Lenten season and prepare our hearts for Christ’s passion, our retreat, “Drawn into Love with Christ,” will explore what it means to be passionately in love with Jesus. He is the One who cared so intensely for us that he gave his life for us. That love did not cease two thousand years ago but continues to pour forth today, inviting us into an intimate relationship with him. Indeed, he is the Bridegroom who unceasingly woos us as the Bride of Christ to himself.
Guiding our exploration of this bridal relationship with Jesus will be the devotional writings of a remarkable community of laywomen from the 13th century known as the Beguines. One of the Beguines named Hadewijch calls us to come into the deeper life in Christ:
O beloved, why has not Love sufficiently overwhelmed you and engulfed you in her abyss?
Alas! when Love is so sweet, why do you not fall deep into her? And why do you not touch God deeply enough in the abyss of his Nature, which is so unfathomable? Sweet love, give yourself for Love’s sake fully to God in love.
Please join us for a day of soaking in Scripture, reflecting on devotional classics by the Beguines, solitude, silence and sharing, as we set aside time to focus on our Lord and his phenomenal love for us.
Glenn Myers is a professor at Crown College where he teaches classes in spiritual formation, Scripture and church history. His book on the Beguines is projected to be released in early 2011 by InterVarsity Press. To taste a bit of the deeper Christian life modeled by the Beguines, see Glenn’s webpage: www.deepwellswithglennmyers.blogspot.com.
EVENINGS OF LISTENING PRAYER
Every Wednesday: 7-9pm
Join with us and others for evenings of LISTENIING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing, this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others. We meet every Wednesday evening from 7-9pm. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space. Location: Restoration Ministry Center, 7975 Stone Creek Drive, #130, Chanhassen, MN 952.241.4150
SHAPED BY THE WORD
Genesis: A New Beginning
We invite you to join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through notIcing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart. Next session begins soon: January 26-March 16.
Cost: There is no cost for these sessions.
Register: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
Facilitator: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
For further information: Restoration Ministries website: www.restorationmn.org
Other blogs of interest:
Dr. Glenn Myers on Beguine spirituality and the intersect with our own spiritual lives at http://www.deepwellswithglennmyers.blogspot.com/
Pastor Jean Leih at http://IntegratingFaithandLife.blogspot.com/
Now on Facebook: You can find Restoration Ministries Christian Spiritual Direction and Formation on Facebook. Become a fan for the latest news, information and postings.
Pastor Jean Leih DECEMBER 2009
We have now entered the season of Advent. Last Sunday was the marker point in the church year for acknowledging Advent, the coming of the Messiah, foretold by the prophets, announced to Mary, celebrated at the birth of the Christ-child, the Messiah. The season of Advent is really the season of pregnancy, the waiting time prior to birth.The waiting is anticipatory for what is yet to come and we long for the coming, to see the newness, the hope of new life, the anticipation of a new way of life. That is what the promise of Messiah meant for those who had been waiting for so long for this promise to be fulfilled. We, too, celebrate Christ's coming, God with us (incarnation), again and again, each year, and acknowedge that we also long for a Messiah-healed world.
I long for a Messiah-healed world. I long for a world filled with hope instead of despair, love instead of fear, acceptance and compassion for others, peaceful ways. I long and catch glimpses of such a world, possible because of what happened because the Christ-child came so long ago.
Now we live in the in-between time, between Christ's first coming and his coming again. God sent the Christ-child into the world to save the world, not to condemn or to punish. Christ came to bring life. God knew the world was a mess, fractured by sin, suffering and death. In his death and suffering, Christ brought assurance of life, and God's power over death. We get to receive this gift of life that has been graciously given and offered to us by God in and through Christ. In this in-between waiting time in which we live, God comes again and again, birthed anew through the human heart. Incarnation happens again and is possible to be lived out through each one of us now. The world can change one person at a time, through the God-transformation that can happen within each human heart. In the annunciation story in Luke, chapter 1, Mary, when hearing such news from the Angel Gabriel, responded: I surrender to God as God's servant, and am willing to accept this holy invitation, to bear the Christ-child.
One at a time, we are given this very invitation to allow God to inhabit our lives through God's Holy Spirit. What seems a long-ago story is renewed every day, again and again. God sends messengers inviting us to respond to receiving and bearing the Spirit of Christ. Will you respond as Mary?
COME AND SEE: Still time to register for this one-day Advent retreat!
How do we hear God's voice for the coming year? How do we let his voice of love create the year ahead--before the pressures and expectations of life and ministry create it first?
Jesus saw John's disciples following and asked, "What do you desire?" They said, "Teacher, where are you staying?" "Come, he replied, "and you will see." John 1:38-39
When we come aside with Jesus we learn that we are loved, we are not alone, someone is thinking about us, eager to draw us into his counsel and care. As we prepare to live God's word in our families and communities in the year ahead, let's first come away to become a home for that powerful, restoring, and recreating Word.
Joel Warne of WellSpring Life Resources will be facilitating this retreat opportunity. Joel offers a wide variety of leader and lay retreats and workshops that help participants weave intimacy with God throughout ministry and daily life. Joel has written spiritual formation curricula used by over 30 denominations around the country. Join us for this day of Advent gift.
Saturday, December 12, 2009 8:30-3:30pm
Location: Discovery United Methodist Church
275 Lake Drive East, Chanhassen, MN 55317
Cost: $35.00 includes lunch
Register: registration@restorationmn.org
EVENINGS OF PRAYER
Join with us and others for our evenings of LISTENING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others and praying for each other and our world. We will gather weekly during the month of December as we honor the season of Advent. Join us on December 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 from 7-9pm. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space.
SHAPED BY THE WORD
Genesis: A New Beginning
We invite you to join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through notIcing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart.
Session 2: November 10-December 15
Session 3: January 26-March 16
Session 4: April 6-May 11
COST: There is no cost for these sessions.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATOR: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
BLOGSITES FOR YOU TO VIEW
In case you are interested, here are a couple of Blogs you could follow:
Dr. Glenn Myers on Beguine spirituality and the intersect with our own spiritual lives at http://www.deepwellswithglennmyers.blogspot.com/
Pastor Jean Leih at http://IntegratingFaithandLife.blogspot.com/
PLAN AHEAD INTO 2010:
Mark your calendar for a one-day Lenten retreat to be held on Saturday, February 20, 2010, facilitated by Dr. Glenn Myers. The day's topic is Learning from the Saints: The Beguines: Exceptional Models of Lay Spirituality.
Now on Facebook: You can find Restoration Ministries Christian Spiritual Direction and Formation on Facebook. Become a fan for the latest news, information and postings.
May the season of Advent be one of blessing and gift for you.
Pastor Jean Leih NOVEMBER 2009
COME AND SEE
How do we hear God's voice for the coming year? How do we let his voice of love create the year ahead--before the pressures and expectations of life and ministry create it first?
Jesus saw John's disciples following and asked, "What do you desire?" They said, "Teacher, where are you staying?" "Come, he replied, "and you will see." John 1:38-39
When we come aside with Jesus we learn that we are loved, we are not alone, someone is thinking about us, eager to draw us into his counsel and care. As we prepare to live God's word in our families and communities in the year ahead, let's first come away to become a home for that powerful, restoring, and recreating Word.
Joel Warne of WellSpring Life Resources will be facilitating this retreat opportunity. Joel offers a wide variety of leader and lay retreats and workshops that help participants weave intimacy with God throughout ministry and daily life. Joel has written spiritual formation curricula used by over 30 denominations around the country. Join us for this day of Advent gift.
Saturday, December 12, 2009 8:30-3:30pm
Location: Discovery United Methodist Church
275 Lake Drive East, Chanhassen, MN 55317
Cost: $35.00 includes lunch
Register: registration@restorationmn.org
EVENINGS OF PRAYER
Join with us and others for our evenings of LISTENING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others and praying for each other and our world. We will gather on November 11 and November 25 from 7-9pm at the Restoration Ministries offices. We will gather weekly during the month of December as we honor the season of Advent. December 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space.
SHAPED BY THE WORD ***New Session Beginning November 10***
Genesis: A New Beginning
Join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We will meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through notIcing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart. We ask that participants commit to regular attendance throughout each session.
Session 2: November 10-December 15
Session 3: January 26-March 16
Session 4: April 6-May 11
COST: There is no cost for these sessions.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATOR: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
CARE OF THE MINISTER'S SOUL
Leaders Day, Monday, November 16, 2009, 8:30-3:30pm
Location: Hope Presbyterian Church, 7132 Portland Ave., Richfield, MN 55423
Cost: $55.00 includes lunch
Christian leaders tend to reproduce their own inner life in those to whom they minister. As you and your ministry team launch into a fresh season of caring for souls, are you finding ways to care for your own souls? Join us for another day of prayerful listening, rest, and conversation about cultivating strength of soul, helping your life and the lives of your fellow leaders be an invitation to fullness in Christ. This retreat day is for pastors, staffs, ministry leaders, missionaries, spouses and is designed for your own refreshing and renewal.
For more information or to register: http://www.wellrefreshed.com/ click "leaders day" icon, or call
Now on Facebook: You can find Restoration Ministries Christian Spiritual Direction and Formation on Facebook. Become a fan for the latest news, information and postings.
May you know and experience God's blessing today.
Pastor Jean Leih
Copyright (C) 2009 Restoration Ministries All rights reserved. OCTOBER 2009
Restoration Ministries is offering a retreat experience on Saturday, October 10, in which we will explore the concept of spiritual desire. Desire for God is often experienced as a longing, an inner yearning, for that which is beyond what we can rationally or logically figure out. Some put words around it as a "longing to be at home" in their very soul.
We often look for and indulge in ways to ease this soul longing; we wander, trying to find something or someone who we think can meet this deepest desire. Away from and outside of God we only experience greater dis-ease. The desire to realign your steps and to seek after God comes as a gift from God -- so wherever you are in your journey, take heart that God has inspired your longing and your seeking of God. You might find that seeing a spiritual director can be a helpful practice as you seek after God. Spiritual direction offers a relationship with another who comes alongside to be a journey companion, listening, praying, noticing, encouraging and supporting; one who offers spiritual friendship on the journey, intentional to seeking after God, and discerning and helping align with God's Spirit invitations. It is a journey of shedding, of renewal of sight, of softening of the heart; it is a journey into deeper trust and greater faith. Many people need this kind of soulful companionship at some point in their spiritual journey.
It has been said that the great act of faith is when one decides that he/she is not God. Eventually, most of us end up realizing that all the ways we try to be in control of our own lives and others (often unrecognized patterns) are only our ways of acting like we ourselves are God instead of letting God be God. Letting go of the ways we have stayed in control of our lives can be a bit scary and may seem to be a looming unknown. The unknown can be uncomfortable. Minnie Louise Haskins, a British poet, said: "And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied, "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way." The prophet Isaiah has similar words for us: If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God." Isaiah continues with words that invite turning to God instead of being our own God: "But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon lie down in great torment" (Isaiah 50:10-11). I have heard that said like this: "My life has become unmanageable as I have lived it as my own God" (Step One: Alcoholics Anonymous).
Even if you are one who has always believed that God is, turning to God to be the one who guides your life can feel like a new, unknown journey when you have been most comfortable guiding it and figuring it out for yourself. How will you know the way? When Jesus spoke with his disciples and said "you know where I am going and how to get there," Thomas responded, "We haven't any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:4-6). If you are willing to let God guide your life, begin with prayer; ask God to be the lead, invite the Spirit of Christ to be your light and way. Ask God to wake up your desire, to restore and renew your first-love. Prayerlessness and loss of first love may mean the same thing.
There is still time to register for the spiritual desire retreat experience: mailto:registration@restorationmn.org
PATHWAYS: SPIRITUAL PRACTICES FOR LIFE
Spiritual Formation through Desire
Saturday, October 10, 2009 8:30-4:00pm
Location: Restoration Ministries Offices, 7975 Stone Creek Drive #130 Chanhassen, MN 55317
Cost: $35.00 includes lunch
Register: registration@restorationmn.org
We continue to offer our PATHWAYS courses through retreat format, utilizing different themes that help participants integrate spiritual conceps and practices into their lives leading to greater freedom, healing and growth in relationship with God. SPIRITUAL FORMATION THROUGH DESIRE will be offered on Saturday, October 10, 8:30-4:00pm and will be facilitated by Pastor Jean Leih. God loves and desires relationship with humankind. Our desire for God has often been interrupted by misinformation or never having been given a picure of God that reflects God's true attributes and character. Our desire for God is God given; our journey is about learning to cooperate with and be attentive to this our own deep desire for God. So much can get in the way of our desire for God, and yet God persists in drawing us to himself. To acknowledge that our deepest desire is for God and can only be met by God is the foundation of this retreat experience.
EVENINGS OF PRAYER
Join with us and others for our evenings of LISTENING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others and praying for each other and our world. We will gather on October 14 and October 28 from 7-9pm at the Restoration Ministries offices. These evenings of prayer are on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday nights of each month. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space. These Wednesday evenings of prayer are facilitated by Pastor Jean Leih.
SHAPED BY THE WORD
Genesis: A New Beginning
Join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We will meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through noticing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart. We ask that participants commit to regular attendance throughout each session.
Session 1: September 22-October 27
Session 2: November 10-December 15
Session 3: January 26-March 16
Session 4: April 6-May 11
COST: There is no cost for these sessions.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATOR: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
PLAN AHEAD DATES:
CARE OF THE MINISTER'S SOUL
Leaders Day: Monday, November 16, 2009, 8:30-3:30pm
Location: Hope Presbyterian Church, 7132 Portland Ave., Richfield, MN 55423
Cost: $55.00 includes lunch
Christian leaders tend to reproduce their own inner life in those to whom they minister. As you and your ministry team launch into a fresh season of caring for souls, are you finding ways to care for your own souls? Join us for another day of prayerful listening, rest, and conversation about cultivating strength of soul, helping your life and the lives of your fellow leaders be an invitation to fullness in Christ. This retreat day is for pastors, staffs, ministry leaders, missionaries, spouses and is designed for your own refreshing and renewal. For more information or to register: http://www.wellrefreshed.com/ click "leaders day" icon, or call 763.449.9009
Hosted by WellSpring Life Resources, Restoration Ministries and the Minnesota Renewal Center.
PATHWAYS: SPIRITUAL PRACTICES FOR LIFE
Spiritual Formation through Silence and Solitude
This retreat day on Saturday, December 12, will be facilitated by author and retreat leader, Joel Warne of WellSpring Life Resources. Plan ahead and add this to your Advent calendar as a gift for yourself or give to another.
Blessings and prayers,
Pastor Jean Leih
Restoration Ministries is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Contributions can be made to our ministry as a tax-deductible contribution. Our website is http://www.restorationmn.org/.
Copyright (C) 2009 Restoration Ministries All rights reserved.
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Remove me from this list September 2009
A couple of weeks ago I visited the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center. I had not been at either for some time and never on the same day. I specifically went to the Institute of Arts to see a current exhibit of wood pieces and then on to the Walker to see what was new in the art world. In my opinion, the Walker offers the avant garde of artistic expression. I viewed a number of exhibits; was struck by a photographic display of a lunar eclipse taken from a number of different geographic locations around the world at the very same moment of clock time. Another was a wooden chair with a three inch layer of vegetable fat balanced on the chair (hmmm); and then the piece that I have been pondering ever since I saw it. I actually was disgusted by it, but I think that may be what the artist was wanting to accomplish through this piece of art; perhaps not disgust, but certainly an inner response. I think that art is meant to communicate something; the beholder of the art actually sees it, has an inner response to it, whether provoked or evoked, and takes away something that somehow changes or enhances one's perspective to live differently in the world. You may argue with me about what art is meant to accomplish, but I think my perspective has some merit.
This particular art piece consisted of several glass containers of the artist's hair that had been cut and collected in the jars, and two smaller glass jars that contained her fingernail clippings and body sloughings. She was reserving space for another jar that would contain her ashes at her death. Well, there you have it. You might want to pay a visit to the Walker and see for yourself.
I really have no idea what the artist was hoping to communicate through this particular piece, but I do know that I have been thinking about it since I saw it. Some of my thoughts and questions have been about meaning and what I would put in jars that would characterize who I was and how I lived my life. For me this wouldn't have much to do with hair and fingernails and, in fact, could most likely not be contained in a jar. I don't want my life focus to consist only on the externals. In fact, the primary focus and work of spiritual direction is on inner life realities.
I want my life to be characterized by love and compassion for God and others, to live as Christ. I have to admit that some things have had to be cut off and rubbed off of me along the way towards that goal. These prunings are a necessary part of the spiritual journey; one has to let go of old patterns and ways in order to move into the new way of becoming who we desire to become. Thought patterns, emotional reactions and life choices are the very places where God changes and makes us new. We often need others to help us see what we can't see ourselves. We especially need God to give us new eyes to see and new ears to hear. One of my favorite Scripture passages is in Ezekiel 36:26: "I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart." Perhaps that stony heart could be likened to old fingernail clippings and body sloughings.
Perhaps the art piece is about metamorphosis, a profound change where the old is left behind, and a new way is undertaken. That is worth pondering.
If you have a few moments click on the following link to view an art gallery that is intentional about faith meeting art: www.whitestonegallery.com Enjoy!
OPPORTUNITIES BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER
EVENINGS OF PRAYER
Join with us and others for our evenings of LISTENING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others. We will gather on September 23 from 7-9pm at the Restoration Ministries offices. These evenings of prayer will be on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday nights of each month. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space. These Wednesday evenings of prayer are facilitated by Pastor Jean Leih.
FOSTERING INTIMACY WITH GOD
Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St.Ignatius
These well-known spiritual exercises were developed and practiced to foster growth into becoming like Christ. Doing these proven spiritual exercises brings the participant into the life of Christ by spending time in Scripture with a variety of prayer methods. The goal of the exercises is to be with, like and for Christ in the world in which we live. As one grows more deeply in relationship with Christ, we grow in becoming more loving of God, self and others. Participating in these exercises can give hope to us personally, but also to our world as we walk back into it with attentiveness to bearing his likeness.
The entire series is 20 weeks, divided into three sessions. Participants can take any or all of the sessions. We will meet on Monday evenings from 7-9pm at the offices of Restoration Ministries.
Session One: September 28-November 23 (September 28 is orientation.)
Session Two: February 1-March 22
Session Three: April 5-April 26
Participants will be given 3-5 passages of Scripture each week and will be practicing a variety of methods of prayer over the course of the series. We are asking for a personal commitment of 30 minutes of time 4 to 5 times per week to be set aside for doing the exercises.
COST: Session One: $100.00; Session Two: $100.00; Session Three: $50.00.
Payment may be made through the website at www.restorationmn.org or on first evening of session.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATORS: Deborah Luedtke and Kim Isaak, Spiritual Directors
SHAPED BY THE WORD
Genesis: A New Beginning
Join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We will meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through notIcing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart. We ask that participants commit to regular attendance throughout each session.
Session 1: September 22-October 27
Session 2: November 10-December 15
Session 3: January 26-March 16
Session 4: April 6-May 11
COST: There is no cost for these sessions.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATOR: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
PLAN AHEAD DATES:
PATHWAYS: A SPIRITUAL FORMATION SERIES
We will continue to offer our PATHWAYS courses through retreat format in the coming year. SPIRITUAL FORMATION THROUGH DESIRE will be offered on Saturday, October 10, 8:30-4:00pm and will be facilitated by Pastor Jean Leih. Desire for God is God given; our journey is about learning to cooperate with and be attentive to this deep desire for God. So much can get in the way of our desire for God, and yet God persists in drawing us to himself. To acknowledge that our deepest desire is for God and can only be met by God is the foundation of this retreat experience.
CARE FOR THE MINISTER'S SOUL
This retreat day is for pastors, spouses, and ministry leaders and is designed for your own refreshing and renewal. Hosted by WellSpring Life Resources, Restoration Ministries and the Minnesota Renewal Center.
Monday, November 16, 2009. Details to come. Save the date.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION THROUGH SILENCE AND SOLITUDE
This retreat day on Saturday, December 12, will be facilitated by author and retreat leader, Joel Warne of WellSpring Life Resources. Plan ahead and add this to your Advent calendar as a gift for yourself or give to another.
Blessings and prayers,
Pastor Jean Leih
Restoration Ministries is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Contributions can be made to our ministry as a tax-deductible contribution. Our website is www.restorationmn.org.
Copyright (C) 2008 Restoration Ministries All rights reserved.==============================================You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive our newsletterOur mailing address is:7975 Stone Creek Drive #130Chanhassen, MN 55317Our telephone:952.241.4150Forward this email to a friendUpdate your subscription preferencesRemove me from this list August 2009
I received a Kindle for my birthday this summer. You probably know that the Kindle is this amazing technological device that downloads books, newspapers, magazines, and even blogs within seconds for your reading pleasure. Of course, it is marketed and sold by Amazon and the bills come as instantly as the download. Constraint is required for one like me who loves to read. It doesn't have the same scent as a bookstore or the same feel as the pages between your fingers, but quite amazing none-the-less, and I can even adjust the font size which may eliminate my need for reading glasses.
My first download was a new book by Macrina Wiederkehr, Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day. This is already one of those books that as I read, slows me down, and I feel more at rest and peaceful (a bit different than the speed of the instant download). She is describing in new ways and new words the rhythms of the benedictine monastic community and the daily rhythms of seven times of communal prayer. Her descriptive writing makes these kinds of rhythms very attractive and accessible to those of us in the everyday world. One of her themes is becoming more mindful of the words of the Scriptures and prayers, instead of reciting them for the sake of having met the requirement for the hours of prayer. She suggests pausing to become more mindful of the "space between the words."
That particular phrase "caught" me and has again inspired me to less words and information and more space in order to see, listen and reflect more deeply. Our instant-download culture doesn't allow for much slowing to see anew, listen more deeply, or to notice what keeps us spinning and running. I invite you to consider adding some pauses into your day to become more mindful of God and God's presence with you and around you. Release your hurry and stress in these moments of intentional, prayerful attentiveness. Add a Scripture phrase to your thoughts and prayer pause. The Psalms are wonderful prayers, the phrases of which can be absorbed and carried into your own prayer and awareness throughout your day. Here is one for you to hold onto today: To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. I trust in you, my God! Psalm 25:1.
Perhaps this brief reflection has inspired you to purchase your own copy of Wiederkehr's book; she does include daily suggestions and reflections for one's personal use. Sorry, I can't lend out my copy.
OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD
EVENINGS OF PRAYER
Join with us and others for an evening of LISTENING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others. We will gather on September 9 from 7-9pm at the Restoration Ministries offices. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space.
You are invited to join us on Wednesday night, September 23, 7-9pm, to experience space for simple worship and a guided prayer time. We will join in prayer for our country, community, families, and personal needs. No registration or cost. All are welcome!
These Wednesday evenings of prayer will be facilitated by Pastor Jean Leih.
FOSTERING INTIMACY WITH GOD
Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St.Ignatius
These well-known spiritual exercises were developed and practiced to foster growth into becoming like Christ. Doing these proven spiritual exercises brings the participant into the life of Christ by spending time in Scripture with a variety of prayer methods. The goal of the exercises is to be with, like and for Christ in the world in which we live. As one grows more deeply in relationship with Christ, we grow in becoming more loving of God, self and others. Participating in these exercises can give hope to us personally, but also to our world as we walk back into it with attentiveness to bearing his likeness.
The entire series is 20 weeks, divided into three sessions. Participants can take any or all of the sessions. We will meet on Monday evenings from 7-9pm at the offices of Restoration Ministries.
Session One: September 28-November 23 (September 28 is orientation.) Session Two: February 1-March 22; Session Three: April 5-April 26
Participants will be given 3-5 passages of Scripture each week and will be practicing a variety of methods of prayer over the course of the series. We are asking for a personal commitment of 30 minutes of time 4 to 5 times per week to be set aside for doing the exercises.
COST: Session One: $100.00; Session Two: $100.00; Session Three: $50.00.
Payment may be made through the website at www.restorationmn.org or on first evening of session.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATORS: Deborah Luedtke and Kim Isaak, Spiritual Directors
SHAPED BY THE WORD
Genesis: A New Beginning
Join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We will meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through notIcing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart. We ask that participants commit to regular attendance throughout each session.
Session 1: September 22-October 27
Session 2: November 10-December 15
Session 3: January 26-March 16
Session 4: April 6-May 11
COST: There is no cost for these sessions.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATOR: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
PLAN AHEAD DATES:
PATHWAYS: A SPIRITUAL FORMATION SERIES
We will continue to offer our PATHWAYS courses through retreat format in the coming year.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION THROUGH DESIRE will be offered on Saturday, October 10, 8:30-4:00pm and will be facilitated by Pastor Jean Leih. Desire for God is God given; our journey is about learning to cooperate with and be attentive to this deep desire for God. So much can get in the way of our desire for God, and yet God persists in drawing us to himself. To acknowledge that our deepest desire is for God and can only be met by God is the foundation of this retreat experience.
CARE FOR THE MINISTER'S SOUL
This retreat day is for pastors, spouses, and ministry leaders and is designed for your own refreshing and renewal. Hosted by WellSpring Life Resources, Restoration Ministries and the Minnesota Renewal Center.Monday, November 16, 2009. Details to come. Save the date.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION THROUGH SILENCE AND SOLITUDE
This retreat day on Saturday, December 12, will be facilitated by author and retreat leader, Joel Warne of WellSpring Life Resources. Plan ahead and add this to your Advent calendar as a gift for yourself or give to another.
Blessings and prayers,
Pastor Jean Leih
Restoration Ministries is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Contributions can be made to our ministry as a tax-deductible contribution. Our website is www.restorationmn.org.
Copyright (C) 2008 Restoration Ministries All rights reserved.==============================================You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive our newsletterOur mailing address is:7975 Stone Creek Drive #130Chanhassen, MN 55317Our telephone:952.241.4150Forward this email to a friendUpdate your subscription preferencesRemove me from this list
I don't really like driving in snowy weather, with slippery road conditions, but yesterday I was aware as I was out in it, of how beautiful the fresh snow is. When it falls, it offers a quieting blanket of white that covers over dirty snow, making the landscape fresh, new, and clean. As I was caught by the beauty of it, I experienced a quieting in my soul. I began to notice a peacefulness settling over me in the quiet stillness of the freshly falling snow. I was able to let go of the tight grip on the steering wheel, let go of thoughts of my destination, to enjoy the experience of peace that came from awareness of God's gift in that present moment.
I invite you to come to the retreat that Restoration is offering on February 20. Dr. Glenn Myers will be facilitating our day and inviting us into an experience of deeper love and passion for Christ. God's love, compassion and mercy for people is demonstrated over and over again, and most clearly in God's action on our behalf at the cross through the death (and resurrection) of Jesus Christ. Christ became the sacrifice for our sin (that which keeps us separated and disconnected from God), so that we can experience restoration into communion, fellowship and peace with God.
Atonement--at one with God--accomplished for us. Like dirty snow, our sins are covered over by the blood of Christ, making us fresh, new, and clean. We get to receive this gift of forgiveness, freedom and newness of life. Stop for a moment, see anew what is being offered. Let go of the tight grip on your own life and destination. Receive from God this gracious gift and let him be your way and your life.
LENTEN RETREAT
Drawn into Love with Christ
Exploring Bridal Spirituality with the Beguines
Location: Trinity Episcopal Church
322 2nd Street, Excelsior, MN 55331
Date: Saturday, February 20, 2010
Time: 8:30am - 3:30pm
Cost: $35.00 for the day (includes lunch)
Registration: registration@restorationmn.org
Facilitated by Dr. Glenn Myers
As we begin the Lenten season and prepare our hearts for Christ’s passion, our retreat, “Drawn into Love with Christ,” will explore what it means to be passionately in love with Jesus. He is the One who cared so intensely for us that he gave his life for us. That love did not cease two thousand years ago but continues to pour forth today, inviting us into an intimate relationship with him. Indeed, he is the Bridegroom who unceasingly woos us as the Bride of Christ to himself.
Guiding our exploration of this bridal relationship with Jesus will be the devotional writings of a remarkable community of laywomen from the 13th century known as the Beguines. One of the Beguines named Hadewijch calls us to come into the deeper life in Christ:
O beloved, why has not Love sufficiently overwhelmed you
and engulfed you in her abyss?
Alas! when Love is so sweet, why do you not fall deep into her?
And why do you not touch God deeply enough
in the abyss of his Nature, which is so unfathomable?
Sweet love, give yourself for Love’s sake fully to God in love.
Glenn Myers is a professor at Crown College where he teaches classes in spiritual formation, Scripture and church history. His book on the Beguines is projected to be released in early 2011 by InterVarsity Press. To taste a bit of the deeper Christian life modeled by the Beguines, see Glenn’s webpage: http://www.deepwellswithglennmyers.blogspot.com/.
SPIRITUAL DIRECTION MINISTRY AVAILABLE
Restoration Ministries has a number of trained spiritual directors available to provide spiritual companionship in one-to-one sessions.The intention is to provide space and time to listen, notice and be attentive to God's invitations in one's life and journey, to foster a deeper relationship with God, and to cultivate noticing, discerning and responding to God's Holy Spirit. Call to schedule an appointment at 952.241.4150
EVENINGS OF LISTENING PRAYER
Every Wednesday: 7-9pm
Join with us and others for evenings of LISTENIING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing, this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others. We meet every Wednesday evening from 7-9pm. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space. Location: Restoration Ministry Center, 7975 Stone Creek Drive, #130, Chanhassen, MN 952.241.4150
SHAPED BY THE WORD
Genesis: A New Beginning
We invite you to join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through notIcing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart.
Cost: There is no cost for these sessions.
Register: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
Facilitator: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
For further information: Restoration Ministries website: www.restorationmn.org
Pastor Jean Leih
For your information and interest:
Dr. Glenn Myers on Beguine spirituality and the intersect with our spiritual lives at http://www.deepwellswithglennmyers.blogspot.com/
Pastor Jean Leih at http://IntegratingFaithandLife.blogspot.com/
You can find Restoration Ministries Christian Spiritual Direction and Formation on Facebook. Become a fan for the latest news, information and postings. JANUARY 2010
Spiritual writer Henri Nouwen wrote: "Who can listen to a story of loneliness and despair without taking the risk of experiencing similar pains in his own heart and even losing his precious peace of mind? In short: Who can take away suffering without entering it?"
As disaster strikes, as we are now witnessing in Haiti, all of life is changed in just moments. Buildings--homes and workplaces, hospitals, government buildings crumble; people are missing and lives are destroyed. That which was once known is gone. Pain, confusion and shock overwhelm; response varies. Trauma sets in with effects that are long-lasting.
Personal disaster can enter our lives in much the same way as a natural disaster--unexpected or sudden. Perhaps we can see it coming without a way to stop it; unemployment, loss of a business, divorce, accident, diagnosis of a life-changing illness, an act of violence of another. Life changes quickly and we are not in control. Pain, confusion and suffering may come.
Mercy and compassion ministries move in to provide much needed care and even funding in times of natural disaster. No one rushes in with assistance in quite the same way in a personal disaster. We are often left to try to figure it out or make sense of it by ourselves. Some may choose to go it alone in times of loss and change. Others may long to have someone to talk with or someone who will listen and understand. Someone else may not be able to solve it or fix it, but allowing another to enter the story with you can mitigate the suffering and pain and is in itself an act of faith. It is a faith that someone would care enough to be present in the suffering; would listen, understand and be with you, offering a connection, a physical touch, or a prayer. Caring for the well-being of others; compassionate, merciful, grace-filled actions and ministry--these are qualities of God and of those who live out God's ways in the world.
In Christianity a core belief is that God demonstrated His love for people by entering the world in human form as Jesus Christ. In this strategic action, God demonstrated solidarity with the human experience by entering, bearing and overcoming human pain, suffering and death. God understands it; He has experienced it and will be with us in it to bring comfort, peace and assurance that we are not alone. With God, we also can bear and overcome the effects of pain, suffering and death. It is an act of faith to believe such a God-story. "Who can take away suffering without entering it?"
SPIRITUAL DIRECTION MINISTRY AVAILABLE
Restoration Ministries has a number of trained spiritual directors available to provide spiritual companionship in one-to-one sessions.The intention is to provide space and time to listen, notice and be attentive to God's invitations in one's life and journey, to foster a deeper relationship with God, and to cultivate noticing, discerning and responding to God's Holy Spirit. Call to schedule an appointment at 952.241.4150 .
LENTEN RETREAT
Drawn into Love with Christ: Exploring Bridal Spirituality with the Beguines
Saturday, February 20, 2010
8:30am - 3:30pm
Cost: $35.00 for the day (includes lunch)
Facilitated by Dr. Glenn Myers
As we begin the Lenten season and prepare our hearts for Christ’s passion, our retreat, “Drawn into Love with Christ,” will explore what it means to be passionately in love with Jesus. He is the One who cared so intensely for us that he gave his life for us. That love did not cease two thousand years ago but continues to pour forth today, inviting us into an intimate relationship with him. Indeed, he is the Bridegroom who unceasingly woos us as the Bride of Christ to himself.
Guiding our exploration of this bridal relationship with Jesus will be the devotional writings of a remarkable community of laywomen from the 13th century known as the Beguines. One of the Beguines named Hadewijch calls us to come into the deeper life in Christ:
O beloved, why has not Love sufficiently overwhelmed you and engulfed you in her abyss?
Alas! when Love is so sweet, why do you not fall deep into her? And why do you not touch God deeply enough in the abyss of his Nature, which is so unfathomable? Sweet love, give yourself for Love’s sake fully to God in love.
Please join us for a day of soaking in Scripture, reflecting on devotional classics by the Beguines, solitude, silence and sharing, as we set aside time to focus on our Lord and his phenomenal love for us.
Glenn Myers is a professor at Crown College where he teaches classes in spiritual formation, Scripture and church history. His book on the Beguines is projected to be released in early 2011 by InterVarsity Press. To taste a bit of the deeper Christian life modeled by the Beguines, see Glenn’s webpage: www.deepwellswithglennmyers.blogspot.com.
EVENINGS OF LISTENING PRAYER
Every Wednesday: 7-9pm
Join with us and others for evenings of LISTENIING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing, this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others. We meet every Wednesday evening from 7-9pm. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space. Location: Restoration Ministry Center, 7975 Stone Creek Drive, #130, Chanhassen, MN 952.241.4150
SHAPED BY THE WORD
Genesis: A New Beginning
We invite you to join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through notIcing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart. Next session begins soon: January 26-March 16.
Cost: There is no cost for these sessions.
Register: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
Facilitator: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
For further information: Restoration Ministries website: www.restorationmn.org
Other blogs of interest:
Dr. Glenn Myers on Beguine spirituality and the intersect with our own spiritual lives at http://www.deepwellswithglennmyers.blogspot.com/
Pastor Jean Leih at http://IntegratingFaithandLife.blogspot.com/
Now on Facebook: You can find Restoration Ministries Christian Spiritual Direction and Formation on Facebook. Become a fan for the latest news, information and postings.
Pastor Jean Leih DECEMBER 2009
We have now entered the season of Advent. Last Sunday was the marker point in the church year for acknowledging Advent, the coming of the Messiah, foretold by the prophets, announced to Mary, celebrated at the birth of the Christ-child, the Messiah. The season of Advent is really the season of pregnancy, the waiting time prior to birth.The waiting is anticipatory for what is yet to come and we long for the coming, to see the newness, the hope of new life, the anticipation of a new way of life. That is what the promise of Messiah meant for those who had been waiting for so long for this promise to be fulfilled. We, too, celebrate Christ's coming, God with us (incarnation), again and again, each year, and acknowedge that we also long for a Messiah-healed world.
I long for a Messiah-healed world. I long for a world filled with hope instead of despair, love instead of fear, acceptance and compassion for others, peaceful ways. I long and catch glimpses of such a world, possible because of what happened because the Christ-child came so long ago.
Now we live in the in-between time, between Christ's first coming and his coming again. God sent the Christ-child into the world to save the world, not to condemn or to punish. Christ came to bring life. God knew the world was a mess, fractured by sin, suffering and death. In his death and suffering, Christ brought assurance of life, and God's power over death. We get to receive this gift of life that has been graciously given and offered to us by God in and through Christ. In this in-between waiting time in which we live, God comes again and again, birthed anew through the human heart. Incarnation happens again and is possible to be lived out through each one of us now. The world can change one person at a time, through the God-transformation that can happen within each human heart. In the annunciation story in Luke, chapter 1, Mary, when hearing such news from the Angel Gabriel, responded: I surrender to God as God's servant, and am willing to accept this holy invitation, to bear the Christ-child.
One at a time, we are given this very invitation to allow God to inhabit our lives through God's Holy Spirit. What seems a long-ago story is renewed every day, again and again. God sends messengers inviting us to respond to receiving and bearing the Spirit of Christ. Will you respond as Mary?
COME AND SEE: Still time to register for this one-day Advent retreat!
How do we hear God's voice for the coming year? How do we let his voice of love create the year ahead--before the pressures and expectations of life and ministry create it first?
Jesus saw John's disciples following and asked, "What do you desire?" They said, "Teacher, where are you staying?" "Come, he replied, "and you will see." John 1:38-39
When we come aside with Jesus we learn that we are loved, we are not alone, someone is thinking about us, eager to draw us into his counsel and care. As we prepare to live God's word in our families and communities in the year ahead, let's first come away to become a home for that powerful, restoring, and recreating Word.
Saturday, December 12, 2009 8:30-3:30pm
Location: Discovery United Methodist Church
275 Lake Drive East, Chanhassen, MN 55317
Cost: $35.00 includes lunch
Register: registration@restorationmn.org
EVENINGS OF PRAYER
Join with us and others for our evenings of LISTENING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others and praying for each other and our world. We will gather weekly during the month of December as we honor the season of Advent. Join us on December 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 from 7-9pm. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space.
SHAPED BY THE WORD
Genesis: A New Beginning
We invite you to join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through notIcing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart.
Session 2: November 10-December 15
Session 3: January 26-March 16
Session 4: April 6-May 11
COST: There is no cost for these sessions.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATOR: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
BLOGSITES FOR YOU TO VIEW
In case you are interested, here are a couple of Blogs you could follow:
Dr. Glenn Myers on Beguine spirituality and the intersect with our own spiritual lives at http://www.deepwellswithglennmyers.blogspot.com/
Pastor Jean Leih at http://IntegratingFaithandLife.blogspot.com/
PLAN AHEAD INTO 2010:
Mark your calendar for a one-day Lenten retreat to be held on Saturday, February 20, 2010, facilitated by Dr. Glenn Myers. The day's topic is Learning from the Saints: The Beguines: Exceptional Models of Lay Spirituality.
Now on Facebook: You can find Restoration Ministries Christian Spiritual Direction and Formation on Facebook. Become a fan for the latest news, information and postings.
May the season of Advent be one of blessing and gift for you.
Pastor Jean Leih NOVEMBER 2009
COME AND SEE
How do we hear God's voice for the coming year? How do we let his voice of love create the year ahead--before the pressures and expectations of life and ministry create it first?
Jesus saw John's disciples following and asked, "What do you desire?" They said, "Teacher, where are you staying?" "Come, he replied, "and you will see." John 1:38-39
When we come aside with Jesus we learn that we are loved, we are not alone, someone is thinking about us, eager to draw us into his counsel and care. As we prepare to live God's word in our families and communities in the year ahead, let's first come away to become a home for that powerful, restoring, and recreating Word.
Joel Warne of WellSpring Life Resources will be facilitating this retreat opportunity. Joel offers a wide variety of leader and lay retreats and workshops that help participants weave intimacy with God throughout ministry and daily life. Joel has written spiritual formation curricula used by over 30 denominations around the country. Join us for this day of Advent gift.
Saturday, December 12, 2009 8:30-3:30pm
Location: Discovery United Methodist Church
275 Lake Drive East, Chanhassen, MN 55317
Cost: $35.00 includes lunch
Register: registration@restorationmn.org
EVENINGS OF PRAYER
Join with us and others for our evenings of LISTENING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others and praying for each other and our world. We will gather on November 11 and November 25 from 7-9pm at the Restoration Ministries offices. We will gather weekly during the month of December as we honor the season of Advent. December 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space.
SHAPED BY THE WORD ***New Session Beginning November 10***
Genesis: A New Beginning
Join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We will meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through notIcing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart. We ask that participants commit to regular attendance throughout each session.
Session 2: November 10-December 15
Session 3: January 26-March 16
Session 4: April 6-May 11
COST: There is no cost for these sessions.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATOR: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
Leaders Day, Monday, November 16, 2009, 8:30-3:30pm
Location: Hope Presbyterian Church, 7132 Portland Ave., Richfield, MN 55423
Cost: $55.00 includes lunch
Christian leaders tend to reproduce their own inner life in those to whom they minister. As you and your ministry team launch into a fresh season of caring for souls, are you finding ways to care for your own souls? Join us for another day of prayerful listening, rest, and conversation about cultivating strength of soul, helping your life and the lives of your fellow leaders be an invitation to fullness in Christ. This retreat day is for pastors, staffs, ministry leaders, missionaries, spouses and is designed for your own refreshing and renewal.
For more information or to register: http://www.wellrefreshed.com/ click "leaders day" icon, or call
Now on Facebook: You can find Restoration Ministries Christian Spiritual Direction and Formation on Facebook. Become a fan for the latest news, information and postings.
May you know and experience God's blessing today.
Pastor Jean Leih
Copyright (C) 2009 Restoration Ministries All rights reserved. OCTOBER 2009
Restoration Ministries is offering a retreat experience on Saturday, October 10, in which we will explore the concept of spiritual desire. Desire for God is often experienced as a longing, an inner yearning, for that which is beyond what we can rationally or logically figure out. Some put words around it as a "longing to be at home" in their very soul.
We often look for and indulge in ways to ease this soul longing; we wander, trying to find something or someone who we think can meet this deepest desire. Away from and outside of God we only experience greater dis-ease. The desire to realign your steps and to seek after God comes as a gift from God -- so wherever you are in your journey, take heart that God has inspired your longing and your seeking of God. You might find that seeing a spiritual director can be a helpful practice as you seek after God. Spiritual direction offers a relationship with another who comes alongside to be a journey companion, listening, praying, noticing, encouraging and supporting; one who offers spiritual friendship on the journey, intentional to seeking after God, and discerning and helping align with God's Spirit invitations. It is a journey of shedding, of renewal of sight, of softening of the heart; it is a journey into deeper trust and greater faith. Many people need this kind of soulful companionship at some point in their spiritual journey.
It has been said that the great act of faith is when one decides that he/she is not God. Eventually, most of us end up realizing that all the ways we try to be in control of our own lives and others (often unrecognized patterns) are only our ways of acting like we ourselves are God instead of letting God be God. Letting go of the ways we have stayed in control of our lives can be a bit scary and may seem to be a looming unknown. The unknown can be uncomfortable. Minnie Louise Haskins, a British poet, said: "And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied, "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way." The prophet Isaiah has similar words for us: If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God." Isaiah continues with words that invite turning to God instead of being our own God: "But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon lie down in great torment" (Isaiah 50:10-11). I have heard that said like this: "My life has become unmanageable as I have lived it as my own God" (Step One: Alcoholics Anonymous).
Even if you are one who has always believed that God is, turning to God to be the one who guides your life can feel like a new, unknown journey when you have been most comfortable guiding it and figuring it out for yourself. How will you know the way? When Jesus spoke with his disciples and said "you know where I am going and how to get there," Thomas responded, "We haven't any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:4-6). If you are willing to let God guide your life, begin with prayer; ask God to be the lead, invite the Spirit of Christ to be your light and way. Ask God to wake up your desire, to restore and renew your first-love. Prayerlessness and loss of first love may mean the same thing.
There is still time to register for the spiritual desire retreat experience: mailto:registration@restorationmn.org
PATHWAYS: SPIRITUAL PRACTICES FOR LIFE
Spiritual Formation through Desire
Saturday, October 10, 2009 8:30-4:00pm
Location: Restoration Ministries Offices, 7975 Stone Creek Drive #130 Chanhassen, MN 55317
Cost: $35.00 includes lunch
Register: registration@restorationmn.org
We continue to offer our PATHWAYS courses through retreat format, utilizing different themes that help participants integrate spiritual conceps and practices into their lives leading to greater freedom, healing and growth in relationship with God. SPIRITUAL FORMATION THROUGH DESIRE will be offered on Saturday, October 10, 8:30-4:00pm and will be facilitated by Pastor Jean Leih. God loves and desires relationship with humankind. Our desire for God has often been interrupted by misinformation or never having been given a picure of God that reflects God's true attributes and character. Our desire for God is God given; our journey is about learning to cooperate with and be attentive to this our own deep desire for God. So much can get in the way of our desire for God, and yet God persists in drawing us to himself. To acknowledge that our deepest desire is for God and can only be met by God is the foundation of this retreat experience.
EVENINGS OF PRAYER
Join with us and others for our evenings of LISTENING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others and praying for each other and our world. We will gather on October 14 and October 28 from 7-9pm at the Restoration Ministries offices. These evenings of prayer are on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday nights of each month. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space. These Wednesday evenings of prayer are facilitated by Pastor Jean Leih.
SHAPED BY THE WORD
Genesis: A New Beginning
Join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We will meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through noticing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart. We ask that participants commit to regular attendance throughout each session.
Session 1: September 22-October 27
Session 2: November 10-December 15
Session 3: January 26-March 16
Session 4: April 6-May 11
COST: There is no cost for these sessions.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATOR: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
PLAN AHEAD DATES:
CARE OF THE MINISTER'S SOUL
Leaders Day: Monday, November 16, 2009, 8:30-3:30pm
Location: Hope Presbyterian Church, 7132 Portland Ave., Richfield, MN 55423
Cost: $55.00 includes lunch
Christian leaders tend to reproduce their own inner life in those to whom they minister. As you and your ministry team launch into a fresh season of caring for souls, are you finding ways to care for your own souls? Join us for another day of prayerful listening, rest, and conversation about cultivating strength of soul, helping your life and the lives of your fellow leaders be an invitation to fullness in Christ. This retreat day is for pastors, staffs, ministry leaders, missionaries, spouses and is designed for your own refreshing and renewal. For more information or to register: http://www.wellrefreshed.com/ click "leaders day" icon, or call 763.449.9009
Hosted by WellSpring Life Resources, Restoration Ministries and the Minnesota Renewal Center.
PATHWAYS: SPIRITUAL PRACTICES FOR LIFE
Spiritual Formation through Silence and Solitude
This retreat day on Saturday, December 12, will be facilitated by author and retreat leader, Joel Warne of WellSpring Life Resources. Plan ahead and add this to your Advent calendar as a gift for yourself or give to another.
Blessings and prayers,
Pastor Jean Leih
Restoration Ministries is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Contributions can be made to our ministry as a tax-deductible contribution. Our website is http://www.restorationmn.org/.
Copyright (C) 2009 Restoration Ministries All rights reserved.
==============================================
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Remove me from this list September 2009
A couple of weeks ago I visited the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center. I had not been at either for some time and never on the same day. I specifically went to the Institute of Arts to see a current exhibit of wood pieces and then on to the Walker to see what was new in the art world. In my opinion, the Walker offers the avant garde of artistic expression. I viewed a number of exhibits; was struck by a photographic display of a lunar eclipse taken from a number of different geographic locations around the world at the very same moment of clock time. Another was a wooden chair with a three inch layer of vegetable fat balanced on the chair (hmmm); and then the piece that I have been pondering ever since I saw it. I actually was disgusted by it, but I think that may be what the artist was wanting to accomplish through this piece of art; perhaps not disgust, but certainly an inner response. I think that art is meant to communicate something; the beholder of the art actually sees it, has an inner response to it, whether provoked or evoked, and takes away something that somehow changes or enhances one's perspective to live differently in the world. You may argue with me about what art is meant to accomplish, but I think my perspective has some merit.
This particular art piece consisted of several glass containers of the artist's hair that had been cut and collected in the jars, and two smaller glass jars that contained her fingernail clippings and body sloughings. She was reserving space for another jar that would contain her ashes at her death. Well, there you have it. You might want to pay a visit to the Walker and see for yourself.
I really have no idea what the artist was hoping to communicate through this particular piece, but I do know that I have been thinking about it since I saw it. Some of my thoughts and questions have been about meaning and what I would put in jars that would characterize who I was and how I lived my life. For me this wouldn't have much to do with hair and fingernails and, in fact, could most likely not be contained in a jar. I don't want my life focus to consist only on the externals. In fact, the primary focus and work of spiritual direction is on inner life realities.
I want my life to be characterized by love and compassion for God and others, to live as Christ. I have to admit that some things have had to be cut off and rubbed off of me along the way towards that goal. These prunings are a necessary part of the spiritual journey; one has to let go of old patterns and ways in order to move into the new way of becoming who we desire to become. Thought patterns, emotional reactions and life choices are the very places where God changes and makes us new. We often need others to help us see what we can't see ourselves. We especially need God to give us new eyes to see and new ears to hear. One of my favorite Scripture passages is in Ezekiel 36:26: "I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart." Perhaps that stony heart could be likened to old fingernail clippings and body sloughings.
Perhaps the art piece is about metamorphosis, a profound change where the old is left behind, and a new way is undertaken. That is worth pondering.
If you have a few moments click on the following link to view an art gallery that is intentional about faith meeting art: www.whitestonegallery.com Enjoy!
OPPORTUNITIES BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER
EVENINGS OF PRAYER
Join with us and others for our evenings of LISTENING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others. We will gather on September 23 from 7-9pm at the Restoration Ministries offices. These evenings of prayer will be on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday nights of each month. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space. These Wednesday evenings of prayer are facilitated by Pastor Jean Leih.
FOSTERING INTIMACY WITH GOD
Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St.Ignatius
These well-known spiritual exercises were developed and practiced to foster growth into becoming like Christ. Doing these proven spiritual exercises brings the participant into the life of Christ by spending time in Scripture with a variety of prayer methods. The goal of the exercises is to be with, like and for Christ in the world in which we live. As one grows more deeply in relationship with Christ, we grow in becoming more loving of God, self and others. Participating in these exercises can give hope to us personally, but also to our world as we walk back into it with attentiveness to bearing his likeness.
The entire series is 20 weeks, divided into three sessions. Participants can take any or all of the sessions. We will meet on Monday evenings from 7-9pm at the offices of Restoration Ministries.
Session One: September 28-November 23 (September 28 is orientation.)
Session Two: February 1-March 22
Session Three: April 5-April 26
Participants will be given 3-5 passages of Scripture each week and will be practicing a variety of methods of prayer over the course of the series. We are asking for a personal commitment of 30 minutes of time 4 to 5 times per week to be set aside for doing the exercises.
COST: Session One: $100.00; Session Two: $100.00; Session Three: $50.00.
Payment may be made through the website at www.restorationmn.org or on first evening of session.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATORS: Deborah Luedtke and Kim Isaak, Spiritual Directors
SHAPED BY THE WORD
Genesis: A New Beginning
Join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We will meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through notIcing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart. We ask that participants commit to regular attendance throughout each session.
Session 1: September 22-October 27
Session 2: November 10-December 15
Session 3: January 26-March 16
Session 4: April 6-May 11
COST: There is no cost for these sessions.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATOR: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
PLAN AHEAD DATES:
PATHWAYS: A SPIRITUAL FORMATION SERIES
We will continue to offer our PATHWAYS courses through retreat format in the coming year. SPIRITUAL FORMATION THROUGH DESIRE will be offered on Saturday, October 10, 8:30-4:00pm and will be facilitated by Pastor Jean Leih. Desire for God is God given; our journey is about learning to cooperate with and be attentive to this deep desire for God. So much can get in the way of our desire for God, and yet God persists in drawing us to himself. To acknowledge that our deepest desire is for God and can only be met by God is the foundation of this retreat experience.
CARE FOR THE MINISTER'S SOUL
This retreat day is for pastors, spouses, and ministry leaders and is designed for your own refreshing and renewal. Hosted by WellSpring Life Resources, Restoration Ministries and the Minnesota Renewal Center.
Monday, November 16, 2009. Details to come. Save the date.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION THROUGH SILENCE AND SOLITUDE
This retreat day on Saturday, December 12, will be facilitated by author and retreat leader, Joel Warne of WellSpring Life Resources. Plan ahead and add this to your Advent calendar as a gift for yourself or give to another.
Blessings and prayers,
Pastor Jean Leih
Restoration Ministries is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Contributions can be made to our ministry as a tax-deductible contribution. Our website is www.restorationmn.org.
Copyright (C) 2008 Restoration Ministries All rights reserved.==============================================You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive our newsletterOur mailing address is:7975 Stone Creek Drive #130Chanhassen, MN 55317Our telephone:952.241.4150Forward this email to a friendUpdate your subscription preferencesRemove me from this list August 2009
I received a Kindle for my birthday this summer. You probably know that the Kindle is this amazing technological device that downloads books, newspapers, magazines, and even blogs within seconds for your reading pleasure. Of course, it is marketed and sold by Amazon and the bills come as instantly as the download. Constraint is required for one like me who loves to read. It doesn't have the same scent as a bookstore or the same feel as the pages between your fingers, but quite amazing none-the-less, and I can even adjust the font size which may eliminate my need for reading glasses.
My first download was a new book by Macrina Wiederkehr, Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day. This is already one of those books that as I read, slows me down, and I feel more at rest and peaceful (a bit different than the speed of the instant download). She is describing in new ways and new words the rhythms of the benedictine monastic community and the daily rhythms of seven times of communal prayer. Her descriptive writing makes these kinds of rhythms very attractive and accessible to those of us in the everyday world. One of her themes is becoming more mindful of the words of the Scriptures and prayers, instead of reciting them for the sake of having met the requirement for the hours of prayer. She suggests pausing to become more mindful of the "space between the words."
That particular phrase "caught" me and has again inspired me to less words and information and more space in order to see, listen and reflect more deeply. Our instant-download culture doesn't allow for much slowing to see anew, listen more deeply, or to notice what keeps us spinning and running. I invite you to consider adding some pauses into your day to become more mindful of God and God's presence with you and around you. Release your hurry and stress in these moments of intentional, prayerful attentiveness. Add a Scripture phrase to your thoughts and prayer pause. The Psalms are wonderful prayers, the phrases of which can be absorbed and carried into your own prayer and awareness throughout your day. Here is one for you to hold onto today: To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. I trust in you, my God! Psalm 25:1.
Perhaps this brief reflection has inspired you to purchase your own copy of Wiederkehr's book; she does include daily suggestions and reflections for one's personal use. Sorry, I can't lend out my copy.
OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD
EVENINGS OF PRAYER
Join with us and others for an evening of LISTENING PRAYER. Framed in simple worship, Scripture and prayerful sharing this space is provided for attentiveness to listening to God and others. We will gather on September 9 from 7-9pm at the Restoration Ministries offices. There is no registration nor cost. Anyone is welcome to come and experience this quiet, worshipful listening space.
You are invited to join us on Wednesday night, September 23, 7-9pm, to experience space for simple worship and a guided prayer time. We will join in prayer for our country, community, families, and personal needs. No registration or cost. All are welcome!
These Wednesday evenings of prayer will be facilitated by Pastor Jean Leih.
FOSTERING INTIMACY WITH GOD
Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of St.Ignatius
These well-known spiritual exercises were developed and practiced to foster growth into becoming like Christ. Doing these proven spiritual exercises brings the participant into the life of Christ by spending time in Scripture with a variety of prayer methods. The goal of the exercises is to be with, like and for Christ in the world in which we live. As one grows more deeply in relationship with Christ, we grow in becoming more loving of God, self and others. Participating in these exercises can give hope to us personally, but also to our world as we walk back into it with attentiveness to bearing his likeness.
The entire series is 20 weeks, divided into three sessions. Participants can take any or all of the sessions. We will meet on Monday evenings from 7-9pm at the offices of Restoration Ministries.
Session One: September 28-November 23 (September 28 is orientation.) Session Two: February 1-March 22; Session Three: April 5-April 26
Participants will be given 3-5 passages of Scripture each week and will be practicing a variety of methods of prayer over the course of the series. We are asking for a personal commitment of 30 minutes of time 4 to 5 times per week to be set aside for doing the exercises.
COST: Session One: $100.00; Session Two: $100.00; Session Three: $50.00.
Payment may be made through the website at www.restorationmn.org or on first evening of session.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATORS: Deborah Luedtke and Kim Isaak, Spiritual Directors
SHAPED BY THE WORD
Genesis: A New Beginning
Join us for a "manuscript" study of the book of Genesis. We will meet on Tuesday evenings, 7-9pm, at the offices of Restoration Ministries. This way of reading and responding through notIcing and attending to God's revelation through Word and Spirit fosters personal renewal and transformation of mind and heart. We ask that participants commit to regular attendance throughout each session.
Session 1: September 22-October 27
Session 2: November 10-December 15
Session 3: January 26-March 16
Session 4: April 6-May 11
COST: There is no cost for these sessions.
REGISTER: registration@restorationmn.org (Please specify class name.)
FACILITATOR: Marjorie Karjalahti, MDiv.
PLAN AHEAD DATES:
PATHWAYS: A SPIRITUAL FORMATION SERIES
We will continue to offer our PATHWAYS courses through retreat format in the coming year.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION THROUGH DESIRE will be offered on Saturday, October 10, 8:30-4:00pm and will be facilitated by Pastor Jean Leih. Desire for God is God given; our journey is about learning to cooperate with and be attentive to this deep desire for God. So much can get in the way of our desire for God, and yet God persists in drawing us to himself. To acknowledge that our deepest desire is for God and can only be met by God is the foundation of this retreat experience.
CARE FOR THE MINISTER'S SOUL
This retreat day is for pastors, spouses, and ministry leaders and is designed for your own refreshing and renewal. Hosted by WellSpring Life Resources, Restoration Ministries and the Minnesota Renewal Center.Monday, November 16, 2009. Details to come. Save the date.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION THROUGH SILENCE AND SOLITUDE
This retreat day on Saturday, December 12, will be facilitated by author and retreat leader, Joel Warne of WellSpring Life Resources. Plan ahead and add this to your Advent calendar as a gift for yourself or give to another.
Blessings and prayers,
Pastor Jean Leih
Restoration Ministries is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Contributions can be made to our ministry as a tax-deductible contribution. Our website is www.restorationmn.org.
Copyright (C) 2008 Restoration Ministries All rights reserved.==============================================You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive our newsletterOur mailing address is:7975 Stone Creek Drive #130Chanhassen, MN 55317Our telephone:952.241.4150Forward this email to a friendUpdate your subscription preferencesRemove me from this list
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