April 2011



NEWS AND EVENTS

  • New Devotionals - We are very excited about the new 60 day devotionals that were recently published. The one for Emmaus is called, "Fourth Day Forward" and the one for Chrysalis is called, "Taking Flight". "Fourth Day Forward" was written by Emmaus people and "Taking Flight" was written by Chrysalis people.
  • Upper Room Family Reunions all across the Globe - It is with great joy that we want to share with you about The Upper Room Family Reunions across the world. The international family reunions will be a way to gather The Upper Room's global community of faith in a humble effort to draw people together in a retreat -type setting.
  • Academy for Spiritual Formation # 32 in Leesburg , Florida : An opportunity to grow in your Fourth Day. -This is an opportunity for spiritually hungry pilgrims, wether clergy or lay, to participate on a multicultural two year experience that will deepen their spiritual life roots.

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A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR

I recently took some time to reread the Emmaus story in the Bible but this time, I started by reading Luke 24 from verse 1 instead of verse 13. I find it very interesting that Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James and others who went to the tomb and were reminded by the angels that Jesus was risen just like he, "told you when you were still in Galilee." They go tell the eleven but they don't believe them – even though they had been told by Jesus that He would rise on the third day. Peter then runs to the tomb and only sees burial clothing and "went away, wondering to himself what had happened."

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LETTERS FROM PARTICIPANTS
Letters, poems or reflections shared with you by participants of the Emmaus weekend.

 

"Decision Points"

I've recently been reading George Bush's new book, Decision Points. He describes meeting the Rev. Billy Graham while his father was in office. Billy explained to George that "there's nothing wrong with using the Bible as a guide to self-improvement…Jesus' life provides a powerful example for our own. But self-improvement is not really the point of the Bible. The center of Christianity is not the self. It is Christ."

When Emmaus Walk teams are preparing, we discuss the fact that this walk is not about ourselves. Whether we are the Lay or Spiritual Director or whether we are cooking to cleaning bathrooms, it's not about us; it's about Christ. It's about everyone's eyes, pilgrim and team, being opened up to the power of the Holy Spirit. It's about knowing that God has been glorified by the Emmaus weekend, and just maybe some of the grace that we share with our pilgrims may also be present for team members. Ultimately, we all expect to be glorified one day. As we read in Philippians 1:6, "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."

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More Information about Emmaus including Regional Representatives, Emmaus staff members and more is available at www.upperroom.org/emmaus

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1908 Grand Ave
Nashville, TN  37203