What’s your favorite part about living in Rochester? A lot of us might answer that question with a response like, “I get to experience all four seasons”. Sure, some of those seasons might be longer or shorter than we would prefer… but we have them all!
Many of us participate in traditions to mark each of these seasons. There is the Lilac Festival in the spring, fireworks in the summer, cider and donuts in the fall, and ice skating at the Liberty Pole in the winter. We celebrate each season in a unique way.
The Church experiences seasons, too. In fact, we are getting ready to engage in one of the most significant times in the Christian calendar. It is the period leading up to Easter called Lent. Although we always live with an awareness of God’s presence and love for us, this is an opportunity to become even more intentional in our relationship with Him. We don’t earn more of God’s favor by practicing spiritual disciplines. Instead, we hope to experience more of God as we put other activities aside and focus on Him.
We don’t earn more of God’s favor by practicing spiritual disciplines. Instead, we hope to experience more of God as we put other activities aside and focus on Him.
We will be highlighting six important spiritual practices during this season of intentionality. Our hope is that by focusing on prayer, confession, gratitude, silence, fasting, and service we will grow in our love for God and others. Each of these practices will be accompanied by a short video and a few questions to get you thinking about how you might engage in this activity over the course of a week. Keep an eye on this “Browncroft Conversations” playlist on our YouTube page for fresh content each Sunday morning until Easter. Or, better yet… subscribe to our YouTube page!
Also, because spiritual disciplines are even more powerful in the context of a community we will be hosting two church-wide events.
The first is a prayer night on Monday, March 6, from 6:30-8pm. This evening together is designed to be interactive and meaningful for everyone from kids to seasoned adults. No matter where we are on our spiritual journey, we can all grow in prayer! Please let us know you’re coming by clicking the image below.
The second event is a unique opportunity on Saturday, March 18 — our “Spiritual Formation Conference.” This will be a day to explore different spiritual practices to help you grow in your walk with Christ. We will hear from a variety of guest speakers, as well as spend time fellowshipping and worshiping together. You can check out all the details and sign up by clicking the image below. We would LOVE to see you there!
I truly believe God is at work at Browncroft, and I’m excited to see how He continues to move as we surrender more of ourselves to Him.
Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash
