Time Change

We are fortunate to have the Rev. Karen King visiting us for the next couple of months, and as a result, we will be changing the time of our normal service to 10:00 a.m.  This is to accommodate both the believers in Libby, MT and those who wish to visit from St. Mary's in Bonner's Ferry, ID.

This also means that through the end of August (and possibly part of September), we will be having a Eucharist service as well.

Reminders - participation is highly welcome, even if it's just making sure you say "Amen" (or So Be It) loud enough to be heard.

We look forward to seeing you!

Memorial Service for Helene Newland

We will be gathering at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Troy, MT on Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. to commemorate the life of a long-time resident in Troy, Helene Newland.  Helene celebrated her birth into the Kingdom of God on February 3 of this year.  All are welcome to attend and share stories of Helene with those of us who may not have known her as well.  We miss her company.

Nearer My God

Something this beautiful should be shared.  Interestingly, "Nearer My God to Thee" was written by a Unitarian actress, Sarah Flower Adams, with the music written by her sister Eliza.  The history of the song can be found here.  However, it wasn't until the words were paired with a tune by Lowell Mason that it gained popularity.

Lent - Day 15: Gratitude

STOP!!  First thing that comes to mind - what are you grateful for, right now?

I would recommend with today's video that you not read along with the text, as it's not quite accurate.  But the video is interesting.

From Kat Hurley - Transformational Coach who focuses on an Attitude of Gratitude with her clients

How many times throughout the day do you find yourself saying a "Thank you, God" out loud, or under your breath, or even just in your thoughts - just a quick acknowledgment of Divine blessings?  And what would happen if you would stop, and take all of those moments to create something like the picture above?

Try this - keep a notebook with you and as you find things to be grateful for, write it down.  Then creating such a picture of your own will be easy.  And the notebook will help you keep focused on the attitude of gratitude - even if sometimes, what we have to be grateful for is the opportunity to practice patience with your 2-year-old who is discovering the world around him - in the most dangerous and mess-causing ways.  Find the positive in each experience, and, remembering to say thanks at the time, know that you'll create a thing of beauty from the gratitude of the day.

Lent - Day 14: Intercession

Intercessory prayer - today's video puts it into an interesting perspective.  How many times have you been asked, would you pray for me?  or please pray for my friend [fill in the blank here]?

So often between the liturgical churches and the evangelical churches, there is controversy regarding "intercessory" prayer, because so often in liturgical churches (often Catholic, but also Episcopal or Lutheran), we request the saints who have gone before us to offer prayers on our behalf.  Perhaps we're hoping they might have the ear of God and can make our prayers better heard.

Another difference often seen is the presence of a "prayer list" - where when it is time to pray, we have a list of people for whom we offer intercessory prayer - and they're all those people who have asked for prayer or who others have asked on behalf of friends or family.  Often in evangelical churches, if you ask someone to pray for you, you're going to find that everything stops, right then and there, and the person literally offers up prayer, with you right there.

The concept of an "arrow prayer" - that quick, please God, watch over so and so on their journey or, thank you, God for the thing that has made my life easier at the moment, or the prayer of a parent - Lord God, please watch over my kid and give him a brai... er, wisdom -- these are the ongoing, little prayers we send on a regular basis to God, perhaps to ensure that we don't forget an intercessory prayer later, or to ensure that we don't forget to thank God for His blessings.  These are no less heartfelt than those prayers offered in a more formal manner, following "ACTS" as discussed previously - they're just different.

And perhaps we can each appreciate the differences people have in how intercessory prayer is offered - they are all heart-felt and sincere.  And whether it's our own intercession, or the intercession of one who's already on the other side - they're all prayers.  And that's the important part.

Lent - Day 13: Places to Pray

Today's video talks about where you pray, and the Brother speaks of going to a labyrinth for a walking meditation-type prayer.  Labyrinths can be something complex like the picture at the left, or something as simple as garden stones you've arranged in your backyard for your own use, like the one below.  This site has a good explanation for how to use a labyrinth in prayer.

For those in this area, there is a labyrinth behind the old Episcopal church in Libby, at St. Luke's.

Do you have other places outside that you like to pray, or as I often put it - talk with God?  What do you find different about praying outside as opposed to inside?  Do you find you have a preference?

Lent - Day 12: Praying

The video for today follows a reflection on prayer that can really make you think.

How do you pray?  Do you have different times for different types of prayer?  Do you have times for meditation?  What do you meditate on?

Do you feel that your life is just far to busy to fit in time to pray?  Here's an exercise for you:  Set a timer for 30 seconds.  For that 30 seconds, talk with God.

Stuck on how to start?  Think ACTS - Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication - or praise for whatever you feel like praising God about, confessing sins that come immediately to mind, thanking God for your blessings, and asking for something - healing, watching over loved ones, opportunities.

So try the 30-second exercise again - how'd that go?  Think you could do that three times a day?