'Camp Douglass' Cabin Retreat, Part trois
"Grease fires go for a while. You can get a lot of grilling done."
Hey, all. We're going camping again. We've secured another cabin in Red River Gorge, and we're looking to fill it up with awesome.
When
April 10-12, 2015. We'll be carpooling, so time of departure is TBA.
Where
The Manor, Red River Gorge.
A spacious (approx. 2400 sq. ft.) four-bedroom cabin, Cliffview Manor is able to sleep fifteen people. The amenities include: a large great room, dining room, kitchen, outdoor dining sunroom, outdoor hot tub, three flat screen satellite televisions, DVD/VCR, stone fireplace, large covered front porch, wrap around deck and phenomenal views everywhere you look. The location provides a perfect place for weddings, reunions, retreats, large families or guests just needing a little more space to spread out in.
FYI, this was the cabin we stayed in last April. Pretty boss.
How much?
$50.
Only $50.
Food and lodging included. (That's probably less than you'd spend that weekend anyway).
What you missed last time
Also, the time before that ...
I'm in. Who do I contact?
Email Clare (clare.rutz@gmail.com).
We hope to see you all there!
Suffering, Sorrow, and Being Nine Years-Old
By Derek Penwell
I had a baseball game that day, beginning and ending my career as a catcher for Dog ‘n Suds at the tender age of nine. I was nearsighted and my glasses didn’t fit beneath the mask. Every time I turned my head, the mask moved slightly, as did my black nerd glasses, which made every pitch a funhouse adventure.
After I got home, following yet another losing game, and parked my orange Huffy with the black and orange striped banana seat, my mom met me outside and said, “There’s been an accident.”
Not knowing quite what to say, I said, “Who?”
“Jamie,” she said. “He and Michael were playing with lighter fluid out in the woods, and Jamie was burned badly.”
I remember wondering how it might be possible to be burned “goodly.” But all I said was, “What happened?”
“I don’t know, honey. His mom just called. I think he’d like to see you.”
Read MoreBeer with Jesus Relocated!
Hilltop is closed! We're across the street at Silver dollar. Cmon in!
Lift Up Your Eyes (Isaiah 60:1-6)
Our ability to hear Isaiah has as much to do with where we’re standing when the message comes as with what the message says. There are a lot of folks here today who are pretty well situated. But there are other folks in the world who are trying to figure out how they’re going to make it through the week without their whole world falling apart.
There are folks sitting among us who have a pretty big stake in ruling the world, who believe that the next great opportunity is just around the corner, and that they’ll never fall so low that life won’t find a way to bear them up. But there are other folks, sitting right in this room, that understand that the world isn’t knocking down any doors to give them a shot, and that the safety nets most of us take for granted are shaky, at best, and illusory, at worst.
Subscribe to us on iTunes!
Beer with Jesus & friends: New Years Edition
Nothing special. Except that it's almost 2015. And we wanna hang out.
6pm at Hilltop Tavern.
Be advised, the UofL Bowl game begins at 6:30. The place may be a bit rowdy. But we hope to see everyone there!
My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation (Luke 2:22-40)
We have a pretty good idea what Anna and Simeon and Mary were so overjoyed by that it caused them to break out in song, because in many ways, I think, we're waiting for someone too—hoping against hope that we'll recognize God's anointed when we finally behold him. Not the angry, cursing waiting, not the waiting of despair or apathy, not even the waiting of those frantic to take back a little control, but the patient impatience of those who see a world that is not what God wants, and who look for a spark of light on the horizon signaling that God has come near, determined that, as much as it's up to us, a place for peace and justice will be made ready for God's reign to be revealed in all its fullness and glory.
As much as anything, Christmas prepares us to wait actively, patiently impatient with a world often overrun by violence and inequity—helping us to form the words of the song we are preparing ourselves to sing as we anticipate God's unfolding reign of peace and justice.
Subscribe to us on iTunes!
EDIT: Don't forget! Christmas Eve Service at 5PM
See you there.
Merry Christmas!
I'll Make You a House (2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16)
How are you supposed to control a God like that—an unpredictable God, who's always showing up at the most inopportune moments? If I could just get God to stay in one place, then at least I’d know where God was when I needed something, and where I should avoid being when I didn’t want to see God.
David wants to build God a house, domesticate God. David wants to keep an eye on God, do away with the surprises and outbursts, maintain a little control. But God’s having none of it. God refuses to be placed in a box, put on a leash, available at our beck and call. The Spirit moves, the wind blows where it will.
That can be either good news or bad news, depending on where you happen to be standing when you hear it.
Subscribe to us on iTunes!
Collecting Presents for Family Scholar House
DBCC just delivered over 80 presents to Family Scholar House for single mothers and their children for Christmas. If you don't know this great organization, follow the link above to check out the wonderful work they do!
DBCC Choir Christmas Concert This Sunday
Everyone is invited to join us this Sunday for the annual DBCC Choir Christmas Concert and Tasting Tea. This event is one of our favorites and is sure to be a treat. The concert begins at 5:30PM with the Tasting Tea to follow. There will be lots of hors d'oeuvres and hot drinks to go around, but if you're so inclined, bring a finger food or dessert to share.
It's a lot of fun, you all. Please don't miss it.
Voice of the People: Travis Myles
Travis Myles was presiding elder a few weeks ago. These are his words from the table that Sunday:
Since almost the beginning of time, there have been US's and THEM's: Cain and Abel, women and men, black and white. liberal and conservative. If humans are good at one thing, it's putting ourselves in any number of boxes, and then labeling those not like us in one way or another as a THEM.
But at this table, there are no labels, boxes, or lines. All are welcome and all truly means all. Those who have been excluded by others in the church. They are welcome here. Those who work to make the church open to all. They are welcome here. And, possibly the hardest lesson that I have to learn over and over again, even those who attempt to exclude others from this table. They are welcome here too. All who come to this table will find love and peace.
What Good News? (Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11)
The good news of Advent isn't just something we sit around waiting for, twiddling our thumbs with stars in our eyes. The good news of Advent . . . at least in part, is supposed to be us.
That’s right, we who’ve received the good gifts of God’s grace and blessing are now intended to be the good gifts of God’s grace and blessing to a world dying to see God, a world struggling just to keep its head above water.
Subscribe to us on iTunes!
The Word of Our God (Isaiah 40:1-11)
The promise of Advent is that because God has already come to us one time, lo these many years ago now, we may cling to the promise that God will come again for us—and is even now among us, seeking out and living among those who’ve been abused by the system, placing a hand on the shoulder of those who’ve known only the despair of powerlessness, spending time among those who’ve lost their children and their dignity to a world that fails to value them.
Take heart! Fear not! Our eyes shall behold the royal procession of our God. Indeed, we, ourselves, are meant to be drum majors and trumpeters in that royal procession, embodying a word from God about hope, peace, joy, and love to a world that's given up on ever hearing it again.
Subscribe to us on iTunes!
Come to Alan Martin's Holiday Organ Recital!
On December 7th at 4:00 p.m., Alan Martin will be delivering an Holiday Organ Recital here at DBCC. Alan just joined us earlier this fall, so we haven't really seen him stretch his pedal legs yet. This organ recital is sure to encourage him to show off a little bit. Composers include Zipoli, Bach, Brahms and Handel. It's sure to be a really great.
Hope to see you there!
UPDATE: The recital starts at 4pm.
If You Want to Give Online, Now You Can!
We've recently started something new at Douglass Blvd. Christian Church when it comes to stewardship: We've made it as painless as possible to give online. Now you can sign up for automatic payments to come from your bank account, your credit card, or your hopelessly rich aunt Carol (well, ok, you can't really sign up for aunt Carol without her knowing it, because that would be wrong—but the other two options are still good).
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions:
Why might I want to sign up for automatic payments to Douglass Blvd. Christian Church?
- It saves the aggravation of having to remember to keep your check book handy
- It saves you needless expense on (environmentally unfriendly) paper checks and messy ink pen refills
- It helps DBCC better track our finances, making Joanna's life easier
- It totally gives you street cred with the kids.
Does that mean you only want digital money now?
No. We still value cash, checks, and gifts of stock (see, aunt Carol). We're only trying to offer additional ways to open up the possibility of supporting the work and ministry of DBCC. Many of us pay our bills and do our shopping almost exclusively online, which makes this an attractive option. If that doesn't describe you, however, no need to worry. We're not trying to force you into doing something you aren't comfortable with.
I've heard a lot about online scams—identity theft, stolen credit card numbers, deposed Nigerian dictators—do I have to worry about the privacy and security of my financial information?
Great question! Faithstreet is a highly respected online presence, dedicated to helping congregations with stewardship and with making connections with people who are searching for a church. Here's the CBS News report on Faithstreet. And the Washington Post thought enough of Faithstreet to partner with them.
As far as privacy and security go, here's their statement on just how vigilantly they'll be watching your personal and financial information.
Can I pay on my phone?
You sure can! You can follow this link.
Or, you can use this handy dandy QR code.
Are there other ways to sign up?
Of course, if you feel more comfortable filling out a form by hand, and turning in a physical artifact, you can print this form off and send it in. We're fine however you want to do it.
Are there any other benefits to online giving?
Yes. There are people all over the world who regularly interact with DBCC online, reading the blog, listening to podcasts, appreciating our marvelous staff. Online giving provides them an easier alternative to support the work and ministry we're engaged in.
So, if you're up for it, try something new. Give online. It's fast, reliable, and simpler than a pack mule.
Come Down, O Lord (Isaiah 64:1-9)
You’ve always been the light in our world, shine for us now . . . now that everything seems so bleak and futile, now that everything seems to have lost meaning, and we only realistically are able to expect more of the same. Tear open the heavens, and come down, O Lord—down here where we are, where disease and violence take babies from the loving arms of their parents, where fire and gunshots destroy, and where we sit—our eyes searching for you in the Advent darkness, waiting for you to come down and take us by the hand once more, and shine a little light into our starless world.
Just a little light. Remind us that you’re still here. Come down, O Lord.
Subscribe to us on iTunes!
I Will (Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24)
Because in a world that’s heard it all before, in a world where people are dying for someone just to say what they mean, in a world in which sometimes even the most important people in our lives can’t be trusted, when God asks, 'Who will be for my people both the shepherd and the lamb slain on their behalf?' and we hear Jesus call out from the cross at the place of skull, 'I will,' we know that God’s serious about keeping promises.
Subscribe to us on iTunes!
A Reminder about Office Closing
Just a reminder: Because all of our staff live more than 10 miles from church, when the weather is bad enough for Jefferson County Public schools to close school, the church offices will also be closed.
The Audacity of Trust (Matthew 25:14-30)
Why not be audaciously trusting with the gifts we've been given, and just give them away—without the expectation that in so doing we will increase the membership rolls or the budget? Why not just do what we do because we've been blessed with so much, and because it's the right thing to do?
During stewardship emphasis month, all over the world congregations are telling individuals to do just that. Why don't we ask congregations to do the same kind of radical thing . . . and let God worry about how much is left over?
Subscribe to us on iTunes!