Spirit Garage - Big Questions

Variety is the spice of life or root of indecision?

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:56:57 -0500

Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I've been to SG and I'm so happy to see it celebrate another anniversary.

Recently my husband, John, and I moved out of Minneapolis proper and now live in the tiny little town of Marine on St Croix. So small in fact that we only have one church to choose from that is within biking distance of our home -- Christ Lutheran Church. It harkens back to the late 1800s and is rich with its Scandinavian traditions. So rich that there will, in fact, be a lutefisk festival.

Behind the Scenes at a Minneapolis Men's Shelter

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:52:44 -0400

Behind-the-Scenes at the Simpson Men's Shelter
10 to 11:30 AM Saturday, November 1
Join us for a continental breakfast, shelter tour and
viewing of the Land of 10,000 Homeless movie.
Simpson Men's Shelter, 1st Ave S & 28th St, Minneapolis
Please RSVP to Christina. All are welcome

Devotion - Living an Authentic Faith

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 16:04:37 -0400

Jesus asked, "Who do you say I am?" Mark 8:29a

Living an Authentic Relationship is a Spirit Garage Core Value

This includes your faith. Everyone has a faith story, but few take the time to actually write it down, share it with others, and intentionally live it out.

In the coming weeks we will be looking at "Living an Authentic Faith." We invite you to participate in this experience by taking the time to write your faith story. During this years Mid-Week Lent Services, members of the community shared their faith stories. To help them along, the following template was shared. If you would like to share your faith story, contact Pastor Rob Norris-Weber rob@spiritgarage.org or Community Life Minister Ryan Torma ryan@spiritgarage.org.

Lent Devotional - Day 31

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 17:39:12 -0400

--Excerpted from Alternatives for Simple Living Lent Devotional Calendar--

The Joy of Discipleship

Each Lent we are called to be disciples of Jesus, to learn his teachings and to follow in his footsteps. We often approach Lent as a time of sacrifice and suffering. We give up the things of the world - soda pop, meat, time, etc. - to suffer as Jesus suffered. And yet the forty days of Lent can also be a time of joy. Jesus lives, and through his living, we are given a road map for our journey. We learn how to strengthen our spiritual selves, how to feed the hungry, how to house the homeless, how to empower the poor and disenfranchised. And that is a message of love, healing and joy!

Violence in Minneapolis

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 10:00:33 -0500

Why do human beings commit acts of violence against each other?

1. Is it the devil's work?

2. Is it about poverty, power, greed, lack of empathy for your fellow man?

3. Does the death of one person count more than another? Does the death or violence against an "innocent" victim count more in the eyes of God than a criminal who knew that was the chance they were taking in their choices in life.

Forgiveness is not fair

Thu, 02 Mar 2006 11:43:34 -0500

In Rob's Ash Wednesday message, this statement really resonated with me: forgiveness is not fair. Maybe that's why I struggle with forgiveness sometimes, and why it can feel so strange to ask another human being for the gift of forgiveness, not to mention God. Rob's statment makes a lot of sense, and sure helps explain why forgiveness, especially forgiving myself, can feel so strange and unnatural. In our society, we seem to think that life is supposed to be fair--so I guess that would mean that we are taught to think that revenge is right and forgiveness is somehow the lesser of the two options? Other thoughts?

Self-employment and faith

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 16:07:01 -0500

Changes in life seem to be constant. One of the changes I am undertaking right now is becoming an independent contractor. For those of you in the community who are already self-employed, or know someone who is, what words of wisdom can you offer to balance your faith, your business, and the rest of your life? I am also thinking about forming a small group that would meet once a month for Bible study and conversation surrounding self-employment. Would anyone be interested? Jen Vickerman

"Seeing everyone as a child of God"

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 16:48:59 -0500

February 3, 2006

Handy tip for small group leaders

Mon, 05 Dec 2005 16:29:57 -0500

Tired of trying to organize signups through email ? Wouldn't it be nice to have a website that people could see what slots were open and then sign up right there?

I use this site for Theology Pub signups to do hosting Sunday morning. www.mysignup.com. If you want to see an example, check out our signup sheet for December 11 worship hosting.

the Greatest Trick

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 16:01:07 -0400

In the 1995 Academy Award winning film The Usual Suspects, Kevin Spacey plays a crippled small time con man trying to convince the Feds of the existence of an almost mythical crime lord named Keyser Soze. No-one seems to believe that Soze exists, let alone that he is responsible for the crimes in the movie. This lack of belief in his existence allows Soze to operate with impunity, killing, stealing, and generally doing evil at will with no fear of consequences.

What is the twinkie middle / Solid or Liquid?

Fri, 22 Jul 2005 11:05:34 -0400

Seriously, Inquiring minds want to know. It just might be an alien substance.

So what do you think of the core values?

Mon, 18 Jul 2005 00:23:54 -0400

You've seen them. We've revised. They're almost there. What do you all think about the latest revision of our core values document?

Cheers,
Ben

Breakfast

Thu, 31 Mar 2005 22:13:28 -0500

For Breakfast this morning I had:
http://www.quakerquakes.com/
The caramel kind... they were tasty.