Saturday, September 20, 2014

Next Meeting Tuesday September 23 at Rodman House

Hi everyone - I'm looking forward to seeing you all this Tuesday 9/23, 7-9 

This week we'll be looking at Isaiah, chapter 6, the vision and call of Isaiah and the message he's told to carry which can be challenging. This is the passage referred to in all 4 gospels and Acts so we're going to have to wrestle with it a bit.  

Light refreshments will be available for all our meetings and you can feel free to bring something that you'd like to eat or share, as you wish - but there will always be food to start our meetings.  We gather at 7 for food & conversation, then move to Bible study and close with prayer, on our way by 9. Looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday.  

Our meetings this year are at Rodman House, on the campus of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, it's easy to miss because it just looks like a house along Beulah Road though it is on the campus of Holy Comforter. It is right opposite MacArthur Rd. - right before you get to the driveway into Holy Comforter if you're coming from Chain Bridge Rd.  If you're using a GPS you can put in 543 Beulah Rd. SE but know that the house is right on Beulah Rd (not back by the church).  There's a photo of the house with a previous post here.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

1st Day on Isaiah - "They shall beat their swords into plowshares" -Next Meeting Sept 23

(Please read this whole post as it contains retreat info in the next para)
I really enjoyed our first meeting - great to see those gathered again, and hope to see the rest of you next time!   We talked about the many ways to read the Bible as "Scripture" - i.e. as a word from God, and how that sometimes takes us to places we hadn't expected.  I do hope that as we continue this study of the conversation between the book of Isaiah and the New Testament, you will keep in mind 2 of my favorite passages:  Isaiah 2 (illustrated by this photo of the statue at the UN of a man "beating a sword into a plowshare), and Isaiah 40 -- a poem of comfort for people returning from a long exile.   There are a lot of dark places in the books of the prophets, especially in the first part of Isaiah, but there are also these poems of promise, which are always important to keep in mind as we read.

Our next meeting will be at Rodman House on the campus of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church on September 23 (see previous post with a photo of the house so you don't get lost). Feel free to be in touch in the meantime!


ALSO remember Registration is now open for our retreat at Lost River.  Cost is $149 per person for the weekend, including 2 nights and all meals -- not a bad deal, but I know it may still be a stretch for some of you.   However, folks at VBC have told me to make sure that NO ONE is deterred by finances - there is a scholarship fund available so please register if you'd like to come and then let me know how much you'll need from the scholarship fund.   I'l be leading the retreat, possibly with a co-leader-- and the topic I'm playing with is "What it means to live in hope".