Flipped by Doug Pagitt

What's Brewing at Morning Blend?

Beginning Wednesday, January 9th, we will be reading through local Minneapolis Pastor Doug Pagitt's book, Flipped. From Doug Pagitt's the website:

In Flipped, Doug Pagitt challenges us to turn our thinking about God around. How does the biblical claim that God fills the universe with his presence influence our understanding of God’s greatness, his power, and his wisdom for living? Insistently biblical in his writing, Pagitt uses the words of Paul, Jesus, and other biblical figures to help us live more intentionally as we learn to experience God’s immediate presence. 

 You can check out Pagitt's podcast here: http://www.dougpagitt.com/doug-pagitt-radio/

Covenant Bible Study

What's brewing at Morning Blend? 

Starting September 14th, 2016 we will begin the first segment of the Covenant Bible Study, a 24-session series divided into three 8-session segments. This first segment is called "Creating." From the Cokesbury website: 

Creating the Covenant, examines how the covenant community is created and established—highlighting several examples throughout scripture. 

It discusses the story of our origins in Genesis, the Exodus narrative, the teachings of Moses, the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, as well as other books from each Testament that focus on the foundation of Christian faith. 

In doing so, it lays out the framework for a life lived in concert with God and others.

As a whole, the Covenant Bible Study takes participants through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It is our plan to cover the second and third segments of the study over the course of the study year.

Animate: Practices

What's brewing at Morning Blend? 

Starting Febraury 3rd, 2016 we will be studying Animate: Practices, a 7-session series by Spark House. This series focuses on the core practices of Christian faith presented by 7 different leaders in the Christian community:

Prayer: Oriented Toward God by Brian McLaren
Food: Eating, with Jesus by Sara Miles
Worship: Seeking God's Presence by Mike Slaughter
Sacraments: A Tapestry of Traditions by Phyllis Tickle 
Money: The Joy of Sharing by Shane Claiborne
Service: The Needs Right in Front of You by Enuma Okoro
Community: An Unexpected Family by Doug Pagitt

Our group has heard from a few of these speakers before, and we look forward to wrestling with the practices of our faith with both new and familiar voices!

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

What's brewing at Morning Blend? Starting September 9th, we will be studying Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, an 8-session series by Peter Scazzero. A synopsis from the website says this,

Pete Scazzero learned the hard way: you can’t be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature. Even though he was a pastor of a growing church, he did what most people do:

• Avoid conflict in the name of Christianity
• Ignore his anger, sadness, and fear
• Use God to run from God
• Live without boundaries

Eventually God awakened him to a biblical integration of emotional health, a relationship with Jesus, and the classic practices of contemplative spirituality. It created nothing short of a spiritual revolution, utterly transforming him and his church.

In this best-selling book Pete Scazzero outlines his journey and the signs of emotionally unhealthy spirituality. Then he provides seven biblical, reality-tested ways to break through to the revolutionary life Christ meant for you. “The combination of emotional health and contemplative spirituality,” he says, “unleashes the Holy Spirit inside us so that we might experientially know the power of an authentic life in Christ.”

It's a new year! We're looking forward to being challenged to learn and grow!

In the Dust of the Rabbi

What's brewing at Morning Blend? Starting April 8th, we will be studying In the Dust of the Rabbi, a 5-session series by Ray Vander Laan. A synopsis from the website says this,

Sixth in the Faith Lessons series. “Follow the rabbi, drink in his words, and be covered with the dust of his feet,” says the ancient Jewish proverb. Disciples followed so closely that they would be covered with the dust kicked up by the rabbi’s feet. Come, discover how to follow Jesus as you walk with teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan through the breathtaking terrain of Israel and Turkey and explore what it really means to be a disciple.

 We look forward to a new study and to new growth and learning together!

Living Beyond Yourself

Morning Blend is gearing back up to begin meeting formally at Park Avenue Church on September 10th! And this autumn, we'll begin with the study Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore.

From the Lifeway website, Living Beyond Yourself is an...

"...in-depth women's Bible study of the fruit of the Holy Spirit as presented in the book of Galatians. Beth walks participants through each trait listed in the fruit and encourages women to know the freedom of a Spirit-filled life. Through this study participants will look at the supernatural aspects of the fruit and that you cannot grow, learn, or produce the fruit on your own. Beth challenges you to develop the fruit by maintaining an intimate relationship with the Spirit of God. A Spirit-filled life truly results in living beyond yourself."

What's Brewing at Morning Blend April-May 2014? Mudhouse Sabbath!

Beginning April 23rd, the women of Morning Blend will be studying  Mudhouse Sabbath: Seven Ways of Christian Formation Inspired by the Jewishness of Jesus by Lauren Winner. We heard from Lauren Winner in our previous study, Animate: Faith, in the 6th session, Bible: A Book Like No Other. Here's a quick video of Ms. Winner describing Mudhouse Sabbath:

The product description says this about her DVD workshop:

"Its not just that Jesus was a Jew, Jesus still is a Jew. Engaging Jewish practice and tradition is one important way of overcoming the gaps that we sometimes feel exist between Jesus and ourselves." So begins Lauren Winner on the powerful new Mudhouse Sabbath DVD. Designed to be a course in Christian formation all by itself, or as a companion to her bestselling book, this resource will challenge you to:

* Encounter the Jewish context that nurtured Jesus
* Explore spiritual practices of hospitality, mindful eating, prayer and fasting, and mourning
* Deepen your Christian faith by incorporating these things into your life

See the study guide PDF here: Mudhouse Sabbath Study Guide

And a link to a previous blog post: Interview with Lauren Winner.

What's Brewing at Morning Blend February-March 2014? One Thousand Gifts!

For the next few months, we'll be taking a look at How Do You Find Joy? {One Thousand Gifts Small Group DVD Study} by Ann Voskamp.

Each session invites participants to explore further the transformative spiritual discipline of chronicling gifts and provides a Scripture, prayer, and between-session activities inviting you to go deeper into the concept of grace.

“How do we find joy,” Ann Voskamp wondered, “in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties?” When your days are filled with the mundane, disappointment, or even darkness, how can you break the bondage of self-hatred and fear that has white-knuckle control on your life and instead embrace the everyday blessings that will immerse you in Christ’s fullness? How can you live your life with a heart overflowing with delight?

For more information, including the first session of the study, see Ann Voskamp's website: A Holy Experience.

You can listen to/watch more of Ann Voskamp on her youtube channel: Ann Voskamp - YouTube. 

What's Brewing at Morning Blend November 2013-January 2014? Animate:Faith!

For the next several months Morning Blend will be using a DVD study series called Animate: Faith. The following is a list of topics and presenters:

God: Faith Is a Quest by Brian McLaren

Religion: Spirituality Is not Enough by Lillian Daniel

Jesus: The Revolution of Love by Mark Scandrette

Salvation: Abundant Life Now by Shane Hipps

Cross: Where God Is by Nadia Bolz-Weber

Bible: A Book Like No Other by Lauren Winner

Church: An Imperfect Family by Bruce Reyes-Chow

Check out the video intro to Animate: Faith. This study was the first Animate study put together by Spark House. You can see how excited all the participants are to be offering this study!

Read more and see sample sessions at: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/faith/try/

What's Brewing September/October 2013? Animate:Bible!

In September and October 2013 Morning Blend will be using a DVD study series called Animate: Bible. The following is a list of topics and presenters:








Canon: Mining for the Word – Eric Elnes
History: Parchment to Pixel – Phyllis Tickle
Testaments: One Story, Two Parts – Rachel Held Evans
Gospels: Unexpected Good News – Nadia Bolz-Weber
Genre: Rhythm of the Text – Jose Morales
Interpretation: Scripture Reads Us – Will Willimon
Grace: Love Is the Bottom Line – Jay Bakker

Learn more about Animate: Bible here: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/bible/