NEWS & Upcoming Events
All are invited to all events. Just show up! Even better, let us know that you're coming!
A Good Time to Press Into Formation
Many of us have found that we are home, with a lot more time / space than usual. This is a gift from God, to be treasured. We should be taking the time to ask, "Father - how should I invest this time?"
There are many good suggestions being offered by leaders in our communities and online. I would agree with them, or in many cases add to what they are saying, with this:
Let's invest in spiritual formation
Why invest in spiritual formation?
You can tell those who have already invested in formation, during this time of crisis. They have peace. They offer hope. They are not confused. Jesus teaches us how to respond graciously and well to whatever life throws our way.
So, what is spiritual formation?
We like George Miley's definition - Spending time with Jesus, to learn from Jesus, how to live like Jesus.
OK, what do I do?
There are many ways to engage in formation - the spiritual disciplines standing out among them. Solitude and silence might be easier now, but it still takes effort to turn off the various streams of media we have available, to spend time with Jesus. You might have more time for prayer now, but prayer is not necessarily easier! You may want to study, but what to study?
We can help with this! For one, we are working to put online the treasure trove of teachings that God has entrusted to us. See the first article below. For another, there are many opportunities to grow in the area of prayer. See the last two articles below.
Let's press in! Imagine coming out the other side of this remarkable & unforeseen season, strengthened in your innermost being ... you'll be so glad you put in the work.
Podcasting CTR
We are well on our way to having a number of podcasts available via iTunes, and our soon-to-be custom app. Soon I will send you the "how to subscribe" so that you can receive these podcasts, and be notified of when a new teaching is posted.
We already have the first ten up on our website. If you visit http://www.christthereconciler.org/home you will see a new menu item:
You can explore these now, and listen to the teachings that are posted. The Wittenberg teaching pages are complete - all teachings are on them. The first five pages are in progress - they have two teachings each, with more to be added. But now is a good time to start!
Stay "iTuned" for more updates regarding additional podcasts, and the ability to subscribe to them.
Prayer Opportunity from A2J
Our friends in Phoenix are offering twice-daily prayer times. If you want to join in with them, here are the details:
Daily Morning Prayer 7:30 am Arizona / 9:30 am Texas
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/303713345
You can find the daily prayer here. https://writtenprayers.weebly.com
We begin each morning prayer with song to listen to together that will serve as our call to prayer
Come in quietly and listen to song together. Make sure you are on mute
We will use the A2J Daily Prayers. The prayers are comprised of six readings. (During the opening song I will assign the six readings to different participants via Zoom text)
There are two sections for silent reflection and two sections for spontaneous prayers, the first for praise, and thanksgiving. The second for petitions and intercessions. In between these two is an opportunity for silent or corporate confession. We can confess our own sin and the sins of our ‘people’ our church traditions, nations, generations etc.
During the spontaneous prayers/confession make sure you remain on mute unless you are contributing. Feel free to pray in whatever language you are most comfortable with
The prayer should last 20-30 minutes. At the end of the prayer We will give a few minutes to allow each one to give a brief greeting—this can be as simple as your name and where you are calling from.
After sharing brief greetings, We will end the prayer time BUT if people would like to remain on the Zoom to chat, check in and continue praying this is possible.
Daily Evening Prayer 7:30 pm Arizona / 9:30 pm Texas
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/784637718
This prayer can last between 15-30 minutes. This prayer will have different facilitators and with that a potential of a variety of forms of prayer. If you would like to facilitate a prayer please email me and let me know which day?
Prayer Leadership Opportunity from ADRN
Our good friends at Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN) send this message:
These are unprecedented times, which calls for an unprecedented move of God to confront the fears, anxiety and trouble of our city and nation! I believe right now, thousands of Austinites are seeking for spiritual answers and emotional comfort but Churches are closed due to new city ordinances and social distancing. Where do these hurting people turn? Who do they call?
We believe God has called His Church for this very hour to be His "Good Samaritan," to the people of Austin, simply to befriend and love, comfort and support, to pray for those who have lost their peace and need to see His light. Will you be a listening ear and an open heart, one who brings hope back into someone's life?
We have been literally working day and night for the last 7-10 days, developing a virtual call center and online training program that will give you the ability to take our new training at anytime of the day to ultimately, take calls from your home and turn your computer or smart phone into a virtual Call Center phone through a software application. But the technology is meaningless without the Good Samaritan on the other end of the phone. That is why we need you.
We believe God will use the Prayer Hotline as an open door to the hearts of many Austinites who do not know Christ. Our plan includes to ask EVERY caller if they would like to be connected with a local church, to help them walk through these times. We also have thousands of Bibles, to ensure everyone has a bible sent to them.
How to become a prayer hotline volunteer:
Your first step is to visit our Hotline Training page to give you step by step instructions.
If you are an ADRN volunteer, you will select Pathway #2 on this page. If not, it will be Pathway #1. Please bear with us on the number of items we are asking of you. Due to the sensitivity of the position and training that is now online, we are having to do what is required of us in a virtual way. Thank you for your patience!
As soon as the requirements on this page are met, ADRN will email you the training link and quiz to complete the Prayer Hotline training.
Regular Weekly Prayer Times
The prayer room is open from 7:45 am to 6:15 pm each weekday. All are welcome to come and pray at any time while the prayer room is open. Access can be either through the main house (ring the bell) or directly through the door in back.
Our first goal in establishing continuous prayer at Christ the Reconciler is morning, noon & evening Bridge Prayer. Here are the times that we have Bridge Prayer scheduled, each day:
Morning : 7:50 am - 8:10 am
Noon : 11:50 am - 12:10 pm
Evening : 5:50 pm - 6:10 pm
We currently don't have enough volunteers to conduct Bridge Prayer at each of these times, every day. If you would like to volunteer to lead a Bridge Prayer session, contact us and let us know!
Open Table
Every* Friday night we have Open Table. Which basically means, "come to dinner!"
* It's always a good idea to contact us if you don't receive the weekly newsletter. The reason is that sometimes Open Table is cancelled (for example if the Cogdells are out of town) ... and we would hate for you to show up and be disappointed!
All are welcome to come, but we ask that you RSVP so we know that you are coming. We will have a simple soup, you can come as you are or bring bread/salad/dessert to share.
5:30 pm - Arrival
5:50 pm - Bridge Prayer
6:15 pm - Dinner - and afterwards, discussion, prayer & worship, sunset walking, game playing, or however the Spirit leads us!
8:00 pm (or thereabouts) - Departure