Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the greenest religious leader of all? Les pointed me to this site a couple of weeks ago...just for your interest: http://liveearth.msn.com/le/photos/top15religious
You can also check out WWJD. No, not what would Jesus DO, but what would he DRIVE?
Hopefully most of you have been able to enjoy a beautiful civic holiday in honour of Mr. Simcoe. The website, alas, never rests...(ok, maybe this isn't always true)...Here's what's been added today:
:. Gene's teaching from last night.
:. In the Daily - The prayer of St. Francis, with links to more info and the slide from last night.
Hello everyone. Regular updates are...upated...
:. Bill's teaching.
:. Weekly resources.
:. Community prayer posting.
:. Prayer Map. (Still looking to continue adding people to it!)
:. NOTE: The TILT Teaching podcast is now registered with iTunes. Simply go to the iTunes store and search for "TILT Teaching" under podcasts and there it will be!!!!
About a month ago, the TILT leadership team took a day to pray through and for many aspects of TILT and its raison d'etre. Gene did an announcement a couple of weeks ago about that day, and since many of you likely weren't there, I figured I would put it up on the web for you! Thank you for all of you who gave us some feedback - it was much appreciated.Download the announcement here (right-click and select Save As...) or listen to it below:
Photo copyright istock photo
Sorry for the late posting this week... Anyhow...
:. The weekly resources are posted on Urban Monks here.
:. Community life and prayer posting also on Urban Monks here. Post a prayer request here.
:. The Acts background themes are in the TILT Web Photo Gallery.
:. Prayer map has been updated! If you would like to know how to get on the prayer map, read this post here.
Yes, TILT now has its own podcast, downloadable within iTunes and easily added to your iPod playlists. The podcast was just put on today, so it isn't yet in the directory, but here's how you can add the podcast to your iTunes...
Open up iTunes. You don't have iTunes? Download it here. Once you have downloaded and installed iTunes, follow these simple steps:
1. On the menu bar at the top, click on "Advanced".
2. On that drop-down menu, click on "Subscribe to Podcast".
3. Enter the following URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/tilttoronto
4. Click on "Podcasts" in the library on the left side of iTunes.
5. You should see "TILT Teaching" as a Podcast!!
6. To download all the sermons, click on the "Get All" button to the right of the Podcast title, or click on the "Get" next to any week's teaching.
7. The sermon will then be downloaded and you can listen to it in iTunes or on your iPod or other MP3 player!
Please let me know if there are any problems with this.
Lots is goin' on of course...
Pray for one another...pray for our city, our country, the world. Click here.
Weekly resources are posted (they begin on Wednesday...last week's are here.) We would love feedback on these! Are people already doing their own thing? Do you think there is power in a community of people reading the same Scriptures throughout the week? Are you too busy to do these kind of readings? Post a comment by click on "__ COMMENTS" at the bottom of the post!
Scott's teaching is posted on the teaching blog. No more slow voices!
Hot off the press! As we have been mentioning for a couple of weeks at the TILT gathering, we have purchased a bunch of copies of a new translation called the Voice - specifically, "The Dust off their feet" is a translation of Acts. It is refreshing and tells the story in an engaging manner that opens your eyes in new ways! If you are interested, please talk to anyone on leadership at TILT or leave a comment on this post. I believe they are $9, but if you can't pay any or all of that, don't let that stop you - we will still give you the book!
The resources for the week are now on the Urban Monks blog here.
Community Life and Prayer is here too!
Still looking for help (in preparation and on the trip) for the Moose Deer Point Reserve trip...read more here...
Good morning one and all!
Gene's teaching is now posted here. Not sure what is going on with the voices when you listen online, but we will work to resolve it...
Community Life & Prayer posting is here. As always, please leave any prayer requests, stories, anything by posting a comment here.
And of course, the prayer map is here as a way to pray for one another in the places we are throughout the week!
NOTE: the cartoon is a humourous way of expressing what we hope TILT NEVER becomes!! (Even though I really do like my Mac)
Hopefully you know that we are going on a trip to Moose Deer Point Reserve to run a day camp there for children. This is under the umbrella of an organization called DayStar. We still need help - both for people going on the trip and for preparing beforehand. Here's the original post about the trip. You can also read the DayStar newsletter here.
Good morning, you can find the Once-A-Day resources and Divine Offices in the Urban Monks blog - click here.
The Prayer Points Map should be fully operable! Email tilt.toronto@gmail.com if something isn't working, or if you'd like something changed, or if you'd like to be added!
The latest on the TILT site:
:. Greg's teaching from Sunday night is posted here.
:. Community Life & Prayer posting is here. As always,
please leave comments, prayer requests, stories, whatever.
:. A major part of our community prayer this week (and hopefully beyond!) will be focused on the prayer points map. Read about it here. If you are not yet included, please read this form and either print it out and give it to Scott at TILT or simply email tilt.toronto@gmail.com with your responses (& a picture!).
:. We still need more people for the Moose Deer Point Reserve Community Connections Trip. Read about it here. We are designing the week-long program from scratch (based on something Day Star Ministries provides) and so we also require lots of help in preparation prior to the trip in August. If you are interested in coming, or in helping along the way, please email Bill at billhall@springgardenchurch.ca or leave a comment on this post.
Check out this post under Urban Monks, or click on the image to read about the prayer points map!
As of 7 pm on Monday, names are added on the left. If you go to the post, you will see a form you can fill out!
Gene's teaching is up! Check out the teaching blog. Any responses to Gene's teaching? Post a comment on the teaching post here.
Here's your weekly provision of the usual TILT website fare...
:. Weekly Resources here. This is an opportunity for us to read Scripture and pray together as a community. The Once-A-Day approach is more of a devotional for the day, while the Divine Offices are short readings and prayers throughout the day (say 2 minutes per time, 8x per day). Check them out! Let us know if you are using them and post any comments you might have about what God is speaking to you through the readings.
:. Community life and prayer here. Again, another way for us to connect through the week by praying for one another. Post anything we can pray for here, as well as any stories you might have!
:. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us yesterday as the leadership team met all day. It was a good day and brought us all together on the same page. Gene will speak to everyone on Sunday night about some of the things we prayed through and discussed!
:. The "prayer map" that Scott talked about on Sunday night will be up and running as soon as possible (in other words, after the paper due Wednesday is done!).
:. Are there any stories of God working in your life, in your community, at your workplace, at TILT that you would like to share? We would love to here from you. Email tilt.toronto@gmail.com and we can post it on the website.
This Sunday we are beginning a series going through the book of Acts, which is the story of Christ's followers after the Resurrection. Gene will be preaching on Acts 1:1-12
In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile.
Check out this quote from Dallas Willard in the Daily. As I've been reading the Psalms in the Divine Offices, it is so evident how the Psalmists always had the Word of the Lord before them, in their hearts and on their minds. We continue to affirm the incredible power of a life of prayer and Scripture, especially reading together as a community. There are a couple of us that do the Divine Offices, and some who do the Once-A-Day approach. If you are on a computer a lot, the Divine Offices Calendar literally makes it two clicks away to read a short section of Scripture and say a prayer. You can also print either out when the resources posting in Urban Monks every week.
A couple of us (well, Kate and I) have begun weekly Scripture memory and if anyone is interested in joining in, let us know!! We are starting with Colossians 3, about 4 verses a week.
All of these things are not ends in and of themselves. They are merely practices that train us in becoming more and more like Jesus - becoming his disciples. It is sometimes easy to forget that!
All the regular fixin's are up...
:. Laura's teaching is here.
:. Community resources are here.
:. We still want to hear from you!
:. Community Prayer posting as always on urban monks.
Goooooooooood morning, everybody! It's probably not morning by the time you are reading this, but nevertheless...a few announcements:
:. COMMUNITY PRAYER post is up for the week. Check it out. Add to it. Pray through the things on it.
:. We are still looking for people to join the community connections trip in August. More info here. If you are interested, leave a comment on that post or email tilt.toronto@gmail.com
:. IMPORTANT! TILT Leadership is meeting on June 25th for a day of prayer and evaluation/visioning/all that good stuff....we need to hear from you! More info and ability to give input here.
:. If you haven't seen them yet, baby shower pictures are here!!
As Greg mentioned tonight during announcements, the TILT leadership team is dedicating a day on June 25th to praying through and discussing anything and everything regarding the TILT community. We believe leadership exists within the community and does not stand over and above it. In other words, leadership does not dictate. SO, we would like to give anyone and everyone an opportunity to put "items" up for discussion for this day. They can be concerns about the community, a vision of where God wants it to go, encouragements about what TILT is doing well, ideas to integrate into our worship gathering, thoughts about becoming more of a "sent-out" community rather than inward-focused...anything! We would really appreciate your input on this. You can provide input in one of three ways:
 | Sorry these took a wee while to get posted. But if you missed the TILT Baby Shower celebrating Rylie and Chloe, now you can see all the action in still photos!! Note: anything that looks like chocolate is chocolate, even if it is somewhere that it normally wouldn't be. The photos are here, or click on the picture or the link at the bottom of the picture. Options, baby! |
| From TILT Baby Shower |
Our friend Martin is headed to France in July as part of a team being sent by Operation Mobilisation. He will be part of the Hope for the West Campaign, doing evangelism work in partnership with local churches. Read his prayer letter here. Learn more about Operation Mobilization here.
As you are wittling time away at work or cruising the streets, you can now listen to the two most recent songs we have been singing at TILT, written by Greg. Both are rooted in Scripture from the Gospel of Matthew. Listen here.
Good Tuesday morning to one and all! Your regular updates as always:
:. Community life & prayer is posted.
:. Weekly resources are posted.
:. Greg's new song "Outcast (This Is Our God)" is under TILT art.
:. Bill's sermon is in teaching.
:. (Note the picture is of Rylie McIntyre and Chloe Kay from Friday's shower...more pictures to be posted later!)
The words of Paul to Timothy: "Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth". Read the whole Scripture for Sunday here. Bill will be preaching again this week!
Baby shower on Friday evening!! Details and RSVP info below.
You can listen to the teachings from the last month of the Moth & Rust series in the Teaching Blog. (Thus inspiring some good ol' painting of Jesus teaching.)
As always, Community Life & Prayer is posted in urban monks. Post!
As we have been announcing for a couple of weeks now, we have the opportunity to connect with the community at Moose Deer Point (click on the name for info about the community). We will be running a day camp for the children and youth of the community for the week of August 12-18.
If you are interested (not committed definitely necessarily!), just interested, please let Bill know. Email Bill AT springgardenchurch.ca, or post a comment here!
Here are some off-the-cuff thoughts on doing this trip within the context of our friends at Small(r) Blog.
Depending upon how much I procrastinate, things will be appearing throughout the day!
Check out the Communion Liturgy from yesterday under the Daily.
Resources for today and this upcoming week are now posted under Urban Monks.
Community Life & Prayer is now posted!
Images for the theme "Moth & Rust" are posted under TILT Art.
Sometimes things can get lost in a blog when your mouse scroll-down function just doesn't seem to be quite functioning properly. So here's a succinct re-cap of what's been posted lately:
:. BABY SHOWER! For Rylie McIntyre and Chloe Kay on Friday, June 8th. Post here.
:. Jan D'Angelo will be preaching this Sunday on Luke 12:13-21. We'll also be praying through the Lord's Prayer as translated in the Voice. Check it out under the Daily here.
:. COMMUNITY PRAYER posting is up. Read the post here. Post a comment here.
:. An interesting article in the Globe and Mail that gives us a taste of what it's like being a Christian in other countries...read it here.
:. Once-A-Day Devotionals and the Daily Offices will be back up and functioning next week!!
 |
| Scott Moore | From Designed Images |
| Parable of the Rich Fool 13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” 16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” |
Slowly the TILT website awakes again. Thank you Greg for your posts while yours truly was away on a certain special vacation.
This past week, we reflected on Jesus' words in Matthew's Gospel: 19
May our treasure be in the Kingdom of God!
Community Prayer Post is now up under Urban Monks. As always, we encourage you to post comments so we can pray for one another. Read the post here. Post a comment here.
The echo of the echo boom has begun within the TILT community!! Congrats to Jay and Michelle on the birth of Rylie, and to Mon and Greg on the birth of Chloe.
To celebrate, the Halls are hosting a "Jack & Jill" of Baby Showers (in other words, both men and women are welcome) on Friday, June 8th from 7 - 9 pm at the church (directions here should they be needed!).
What to bring?
If you haven't already thought about a gift, we'd like to throw out the suggestion of people bringing a meal for each family that they can freeze/store for when they need it. (It doesn't even have to be homemade!) It would be a great way to extend our hospitality to these sleep deprived couples! :)
Please talk to Lesley Daniels or Shelby Hall (billandshelbs@hotmail.com) for more info and to RSVP.
It seems to take a couple of weeks to return to normal life after marriages, honeymoons, and baby birthing. Please forgive the lack of updates, but life on tilttoronto.ca will be back to normal as soon as possible!
This coming Sunday May 20 as part of our worship we are going to be heading outdoors to walk around the neighbourhood on what we've previously called a Kingdom Walk, where we walk around watching for places of God's Kingdom presence and absence and praying for our city and neighbours.
Make sure you bring some comfortable walking shoes and appropriate clothing! If for any reason you are unable to walk we will have a car or two prepared to do a prayer DRIVE so that everyone can participate.
We will be meeting as per usual at 6:15pm for gathering, formally starting at 6:30 first inside for some singing, teaching and celebrating communion before heading out.
If you're wondering about the picture here, this is apparently what google considers to be a 'kingdom walk'... but don't worry, Gene is proficient at fending off any evil mushrooms that may attempt to thwart us!
Well, Scott is away on his honeymoon, so this is Greg attempting to cover for him!
Tonight (May 15) at 7:30 there is a prayer meeting being held for Spring Garden as a whole in the sanctuary to which everyone is invited. We are gathering to seek God's leading as a community, seeking revival as God leads us into new territory!
As per usual, we can't encourage you enough to read, pray through and add comments to the Community prayer post. Plus there are some pictures of babies there... who can resist pictures of babies!
Also here are the once a day and 8 daily offices resources for the week
That's all for now!
Note: TONIGHT at 7:30 - prayer at Spring Garden Church for any and all.
This week's resources are posted: here.
Make sure you read the announcement post below this one! It has lots of important information from last night.
Gene's teaching is up on the teaching blog, and the Community Prayer post is also up! Click on the links to see them.
HEAR YE!! HEAR YE!! I think tonight we had our longest ever TILT announcements and if your mind is anything like mine, you've forgotten all of them already. Thankfully, I wrote them all down so we can have them up on the website!! Here goes...in NO order of importance:
: See the earlier post on AIM {Acts of Intentional Mission} which is happening on May 27 from 11:30 - 2:00.
: We have the opportunity to minister among a First Nations Reserve near Georgian Bay from August 12 - August 18. We will be involved in running a day camp for youth and children on the reserve. More details to come!! These are people who have long been forgotten and ignored when it comes to national matters and treated unjustly for centuries. They are literally in our neighbourhood. Post a comment if you are interested!!
: Everyone is invited to attend Simon Wukasch's (son of Rick, Pastor at Spring) wedding at Spring Garden on Saturday. Not sure about the time.
: Everyone is invited to attend Scott Moore (guy who is typing this) and Kate Locke's wedding also on Saturday, May 12 at 2:00 pm at Georgetown Alliance Church. Click on the thumbnail on the right for a map.
: ***IMPORTANT*** On this Tuesday night at 7:30 pm (and the following one) at Spring Garden, we will be gathering together for a time of prayer. The TILT and Spring Garden communities have many pockets of prayer happening, but it is important that we pray as one voice together to God, listening to Him and responding to Him as a whole body. So, come! Gene is also offering people a book to use for praying through this time - for fresh encounters with God and for revival - not "more numbers" revival, but more "God being revealed" revival.
This Sunday, Gene wraps up our four weeks in the story of John 21:15-25. He will be bringing three things which Jesus says together: feed my sheep, I tell you the truth and come follow me. Spend some time in the story before coming on Sunday night!
I often say that sleep is the best spiritual medicine. I'm no doctor, but it sure is hard to be gracious and compassionate when you are dead tired. So, if you need a little entertainment, check out this sleep survey! I mean, we do spend (supposedly...for our better health) one third of our lives sleeping...
Have you checked out any videos, music, or writing at TILT art lately?
Spring Garden is putting on a Spring Festival of Ministries, called "AIM '07" - Acts of Intentional Mission. It will be an opportunity to link up with organizations that people within the Spring Garden Community are already working for. For more details, check out Spring Garden's website.
You may also want to check out this week's community post and comments!
As Greg mentioned on Sunday, Spring Garden is currently in a financial crunch. Rather than seeing this as a time of desperation and praying for money, we see it as an opportunity to pray and seek revival. To re-evaluate how we do ministry, what God is calling us to as a community and responding to His Words to us in faith. Go to the Spring Garden website here to listen to Sunday morning time of prayer, as well as words from Gene and a couple of others.
April showers give way to May flowers!! Spring finally looks like it has arrived...Here's what has arrived on the TILT website for this week.
As always, your weekly resources for devotion/meditation/worship/prayer are here. You can also listen to, download or read Scott's sermon under TILT teaching.
Most importantly [I suppose that is expressing a personal opinion], Community Life & Prayer is posted under Urban Monks. You can post your comments through that link, or directly here.
We are always looking for people to share their stories with the TILT community - it doesn't have to be anything stunningly remarkable! Just glimpses into one another's lives and seeing how God is moving among us as a community. Check out Diana's story here. If you don't know Diana, she is often graciously putting together coffee and the snack table before we gather on Sunday evenings.
Sorry this is a bit late:
Here are the weekly resources for the week - Scripture, song and prayer.
Have you checked out some of the writing of TILTers? Read it and post your thoughts!!
And throughout the week, post your reflections/thoughts/prayers here under Community Life & Prayer.
Sorry for a slow update week last week...Just a couple of additions this morning.
Greg's teaching is linked here.
As always, community and prayer is here (to read what people post - click on "COMMENTS" at the bottom of the post, unless they are already visible!). Please share your reflections, heart for prayer and anything else as we journey together as a TILT community.
Sunday is "Earth Day". The folks at small(er) blog are challenging us to consider alternative methods of transportation (alternative to single person vehicles that is) for getting to the worship gathering this Sunday - check it out: "I'm going to carpool, bus, walk or bike to church on April 22nd". If you are interested in connecting with other people for transportation on Sunday, post comments here!
Unfortunately we lost the audio to Bill's teaching. But, if you can decipher his notes here, kudos to you.
Yann Martel, Canadian author of "Life of Pi", made some interesting remarks about busy-ness in the Globe on Saturday. Read them here. What is a Christian response to busyness?
Last night, we had a meal by the beach...figuratively only unfortunately. Although the Daniels' fire pit made it as authentic as could be!! It was all harkening back to Jesus cooking fish and having bread with the disciples after his resurrection (see John 21). For four weeks, we will be dwelling and living in this passage.
First of all, a relatively urgent community need...pass the word along: Becki Lee is seeking a new room mate to share a spacious 2 bedroom apartment on Bloor St. between Bathurst and Spadina. Preferably a fun and easy going Christian female. Very short walking distance to subway. $600/month plus hydro. Available May 1st.
The usual suspects are posted:
Community Life & Prayer - as always, post your prayer needs!
Resources for the week - opportunities to dwell in God's written Word, worship His Incarnate Word (Jesus)
The Daily @ TILT entry for Praying with Icons - we did this for the first time on Sunday. Thoughts?
At TILT, we try to follow [loosely] the church calendar, which is essentially an annual calendar centered around the major celebrations, events and dates in the church year. (Read here for a very detailed and Catholic perspective on the calendar year.) As the Church, we now enter four weeks of Easter where we celebrate, contemplate and live out the Resurrection of Jesus.
We are doing something somewhat unique (not totally unique because the idea is from another church Greg read about)...for four weeks, we will be going through John 21, specifically verses 15 to the end (read it here). This is the story after Jesus' resurrection where he asks Peter three times if he loves him...Four people will teach from this same passage as we seek to hear God's living Word and what it means for TILT as a community.
I forgot to post images from last week's Journey with Jesus. They are now up under TILT art!
Also, Sunday's image is there too.
Haven't been able to see where people have been posting stuff? There are lots of areas from prayer over the weeks where we can continue to pray for people. Check out these:
A little later than usual, but your weekly (or more) update per usual...
We'd still love to hear your thoughts on subversive social justice and how TILT can be a community of justice. Comment on the linked post!
For this week - for the Scriptures we used as part of our Easter celebration, check out the post under teaching. Comment if you have any reflections from the evening - how did simply speaking the written Word impact you or reveal God to you?
Your weekly resources for contemplation/devotion/meditation/worship as always can be found on the urban monks blog. We continue to affirm our belief that a community rooted in reading the written Word together and praying together will hear from God and be moved by Him!
On that note, post any prayer requests, celebrations and life journeys on this week's community life and prayer post. Pray through how we can be a community of the resurrection this week, bringing hope to our communities.
Are you still struggling with this whole blog thing? Email TILT or read this post again.
An interesting campaign has been begun by an OCAD student to subversively raise awareness about the plea of those without homes in Toronto. It may be short-lived as the signs are taken down by government officials. Get more info from James Kingsley's post or read the article in the Toronto Star.
What do you think of the signs? How are we as the TILT community, the Church in Toronto to respond? Where's the balance between raising awareness and helping to end the cycle of poverty? How can we do both?
Still working on getting everything up here, but while we are at it...
Check out the handout/booklet from last night's Journey with Jesus - a pilgrimage of sorts through the last events of Jesus' life, in life with the tradition of the Stations of the Cross (click on the link for an entry from the Catholic Encyclopedia).
Also, you can download the image from last night under TILT art.
Here are the rest of the updates from Sunday Night. Community Life and Prayer. Weekly Resources for Scripture reading, reflection, meditation and worship.
TILT seeks to serve our city by fostering a growing, authentic, diverse community that will holistically encounter the mystery and healing of God together through worship and mission.
TILT is part of the wider Spring Garden Church community and we met here.
