October Ladies Retreat

Gateway will be hosting a Ladies Retreat at the Christ the King Spiritual Life Center in Greenwich Friday, Oct. 31 through Saturday, Nov. 1.

Ladies are welcome to attend any part of the retreat depending on schedules. Thursday night through Friday afternoon will be time for personal renewal, rest and recreation at the Retreat Center. Friday evening after dinner our worship service and sessions will kick off followed by a bonfire and some other relaxing group activities. Saturday we will continue our sessions and have some fun too.

The cost is $75.00 for Friday night-Saturday, this includes 3 meals (supper, breakfast & lunch) and all sessions & activities.

Please note, the first 22 ladies who register will receive the deluxe rooms which include 2-3 single beds per room and linens. Later registrants will be staying in large lodge rooms with 14 bunks in each (byo linens). We will have a central meeting/hang out room. All lodging is recently updated, modern comfortable, clean and welcoming. And the food is wonderful! The facility will also provide some recreational options for us at no extra charge. Hikers and walkers will have some beautiful country to explore. Tennis courts and other outdoor facilities will be available as well.

I hope you will join us! Here’s a link to the facility to check it out. Christ the King

Registration forms are available at the church.

Getting mykix

So, there we are sitting in group and the conversation turns to Sunday’s services.  One member begins to talk about how faith can be hard, which starts us all discussing how easy it is to analyze things.

It’s true.  Every day, we sit in colleges and universities across the world where we are taught to cultivate a healthy skepticism in our search for higher truth, better science, deeper peace.  Well, maybe not deeper peace, since there’s one problem with all of this, and it’s a fairly significant one.  Namely, with the fall of Adam, man’s ability to reason fell, too.  As a result of corruption, we can’t even trust ourselves to distrust ourselves and peace is sort of connected to being able to trust and, well, you get the dilemma.

So, we’re sitting there in group and Mike gets a grin on his face.  “You know what the word, ‘analyze’ is like?”. No, we don’t know what the word “analyze” is like, so we all wait, with breath abated, for our epiphanous enlightenment.  “It’s looking at the world with anal-eyes!”, and he begins to roar.  Nothing like looking at the world through your butt.  You get it.  The pithiness of Mykix.

Now, picture me next in class, where the instructor is admonishing us to follow the money when looking at studies.  When the sugar industry pays for a study of non-caloric sweetners, you probably want to take it with a grain of…well, you know.  She ends by saying that textbooks are probably the most reliable sources of information but, even then, we will want to “be like her and stay skeptical”.  And, all of a sudden it hit me…I’m sitting in nutrition class where we’ve just reviewed the GI tract complete with sphincters and the instructor is telling us to look at things with…you got it…anal eyes!!

I want to share with you Colossians 3:1-2, because the Lord showed this to me one day when convicting me about my penchant for learning, and I think it makes sense here.  It goes:  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

According to Strong’s, affection is a word that means to “exercise the mind”.  Beyond the rebuke to academics that’s here (and I received it =)), there’s also this question:  how do we exercise our rational mind in things that pertain to faith, to seek after the heavenly things that are above?

Going back to Sunday’s services:  in this world there are shadows of the one that’s to come, and the most-powerfully anointed people seem to be those who have been inspired to see, or disciplined themselves TO see, how connected the two are.  We see the reality of that when we sow in the spirit and find ourselves reaping in the natural.

For me, when I am disciplining myself in daily devotions of prayer and Bible, and times of fastings, my mind and spirit seem to operate as a seamless, connected entity in pursuit of God.  It’s impossible to pursue God and not pray…often…daily…hourly.

No anal-eyes, then; instead, my mind becomes an affection, firmly set on the things that are above.  And, incidentally, it’s also where peace is:

Philipians 4:4-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Join us Sunday at the Albany Church

Please join us Sunday evening as the Albany church celebrates its first service at its new location at the Old Reformed Church on Boght Road in Cohoes.

The service begins at 5 p.m. and will be followed by a dessert and coffee reception.

The church is located just off Route 9 and is very simple to get to.

From the North: Get off Exit 8 on the Northway. Turn left off the exit ramp. Follow road till it meets with Route 9. Turn right on Route 9 and drive for about four miles.

Boght Road is on your left. (There is a firehouse on the corner). Turn left onto Boght Road. The church is located a quarter mile down Boght Road on the left side. Plenty of parking in back.

Hope to see you there!

Youth Trip to Italy/Greece 2008

Here is the link to Emily’s commentary of the trip to Europe:  http://oitsm.blogspot.com/2008/06/brief-introduction.html

If might come up with the Conclusion being the first entry.  If so, look to the left margin and click on "Introduction".  Enjoy!

FUN DAY POSTPONED TO SUNDAY!!!

Gateway’s Family Fun Day has been postponed to SUNDAY.  Please plan to stay after church service for an afternoon of free food, fellowship and activities.

There will be a Bounce House, Giant Slide, Dunk Booth, Kids’ Games with prizes, Face Painting, Sno-Cones, a Kids’ Craft Tent, Make-your-own-Sundaes, food and more.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD TO YOUR GROUP MEMBERS!!!