“Eternal Father of my soul, let my first thought today be of Thee, let my first impulse be to worship Thee, let my first speech be Thy name, let my first action be to kneel before Thee in prayer.
O God, who hast been the Refuge of my fathers and mothers through many generations, be my Refuge today in every time and circumstance of need.
Be my Guide through all that is dark and doubtful. Be my Guard against all that threatens my spirit’s welfare. Be my Strength in time of testing. Gladden my heart with Thy peace. Amen. (Day 1, A Diary of Private Prayer. John Baillie)
Hi Restoration!
As we take our first breaths on this first day of a new year, I know that most of us are anticipating what God might have for us in 2025. It is my hope that each of us will establish rhythms where our first thoughts and first words each day are focused on our kind, heavenly Father.
Restoration created a Daily Prayer Guide so you can do it! You can pick up a hard copy in our narthex, you can add the PDF to an e-reader, or you can bookmark the page on our website. Whatever works best for you!
Each day, as the Lord wakes you up, you will have something to read (today it was Genesis 1, John 1, Psalm 1!), something to pray (your confession, a historic prayer from the tradition of the church, your intercession for our outreach partners p.59), and a moment to reflect on God’s provision and your daily needs. I need a guide that tells me what to do as I start each day. ‘Let my first action be to kneel before Thee in prayer.’ Amen.
Restoration has other good things that will help you move towards God and grow deeper in your relationship with Jesus. Put them on the calendar now! Build the first part of this year around them. Get to know the wonderful people in our church and the gracious God who leads us.
On January 12, registration will open for Adult Small Groups. It’s a 9-week commitment. You get hosted in someone’s home. People pray for you and save a seat for you on Sundays. In a big church, you have to find places of small. Be in one this winter! We’ve got small groups for kids and students too.
On January 15, before Adult Small Groups start, we will host an evening of Winter Forums. We start at 7pm with cookies in the narthex. (Could you bring a dozen?) Then at 7:15pm, we will have eight hour-long classes with Q+A. Topics like: ‘Learning to Read Poetry as Prayer”, “What’s happening with Taiwan?”, “A Philosophical Story of the Modern Age”, and “An introduction to Ignatian Spiritual Practices” and more! We will close our time together being led in Compline by Isaac Wardell. It will be a fun night of eating, learning, and worship!
There are 4 retreats in the coming months: The RestoWomen Retreat is Feb 1-2. Breakaway for HS Students is Feb 14-17. Breakaway for MS Students is Feb 28-Mar 2. The RestoMen Retreat is Mar 14-15. A retreat is the perfect chance to align your relationship with God with the priority you want Him to have in your life. You’ll laugh (a lot). You’ll grow and pray and wonder (and laugh!).
In the world God made, winter is essential for spring. In the winter, there is quiet, stillness, silence. Things seem dormant on the outside while growth is happening on the inside. Seeds are germinating.
Make some winter choices to set things right and build healthy rhythms.
Let’s do it together.
I love the way you push me to grow and I love the way you celebrate when it happens.
