Happy New Year 2011!

Wishing all of you a blessed new year for 2011!

We are looking forward to a great second half of the school year, and the first half of 2011.

Here are the dates for the REFRESH events remaining for this school year:

January 15
February 19
March 19
April 30
May 21

Each REFRESH is on a Saturday.

From 6:30 to 7:00 PM we have art and acoustic music, along with Sojo's Cafe.  Worship is from 7:00 to 8:30.  Art and acoustic music and the cafe continues from 8:30 to 9:00.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Happy Christmas from REFRESH!

Happy Christmas from REFRESH!  May you have a blessed season of joy, reflecting on Christ's birth and all that means for us.

Blessings,

The REFRESH Team

Next REFRESH -- January 15!

The next REFRESH is January 15th, and the first one of 2011!

We're excited to have to art of Karen Block at this coming REFRESH, as well as Premi Koshi, who will be dancing for the artistic piece.

Photos!

Here are a few photos and pictures from December:

 Pre-worship we enjoyed the art of Jennifer Leeper

 

Spoken word by Rupert Abbot, with music and art in the background as he spoke.

REFRESH December 4th!

The next REFRESH is coming up in a few days!

December 4th, at Chiang Mai International School.

REFRESH will run from 7PM to 8:30PM, with Sojo's cafe, acoustic music and art from 6:30 to the start of REFRESH, and afterwards as well.

Plan to come, enjoy the art, worship together, and hang out afterwards!

Thank you!

Thanks to all of you who've given such positive feedback and encouragement about REFRESH at the Women's Retreat! It has been a privilege to lead the worship at the retreat, and we are uplifted and encouraged by all of the people who've talked with us, sent an email, or a Facebook message.  Thanks! Thanks too to Laura and Chuck for joining the REFRESH band for the event! 

Looking forward to seeing folks at the next REFRESH -- December 4th -- at CMIS!

(Photo credit: Denise Smith on Facebook)

Photos from the Women's Retreat!

Art for November REFRESH

We are blessed to have the photography of Jennifer Leeper at the next REFRESH.

Here is just a taste.

REFRESH! at the Women's Retreat

This Friday through Sunday (November 5-7), the annual Women's Retreat will take place again at the Suan Bua Resort.

New this year, REFRESH will be featured on the Saturday night.  The band will also be leading for all of the worship events (Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday night REFRESH and Sunday morning).

Hope to see you there!

Photos from the last REFRESH!

Here are a few photos from the last REFRESH in October.

Thanks to all the folks who helped with set-up and break down, as well as running sound and lights during REFRESH!

Sound check!

Simon's art

Acoustic music before and after

Sojo's cafe!

Thanks to the girls for their worship dance!

Art and REFRESH

Tomorrow (FRIDAY!) is the next REFRESH!

We're happy to have the artwork of Simon Carey this coming REFRESH.

As God is a creative God, He expresses that through giving us creativity. Simon's watercolors aren't done for show, but as a creative outlet for himself. As such, they reflect God's gift of creativity to all of us -- as artists are compelled to create, even if they don't anticipate or expect others to see their work.

Dance

We're excited to have REFRESH this Friday (October 8) Cindy Heine's dance school performing "You're Worthy Of My Praise," danced by her 8-11 year old class.

We've seen them before at dance recitals, and her older girls class danced at the first REFRESH, so we're really looking forward to it!

See you on Friday!

Friday! (October 8)

REFRESH is happening this coming Friday, October 8!

REFRESH is usually on Saturday night, but we've gotten some requests for a Friday event -- so we're having our first Friday REFRESH.

As usual, the cafe and acoustic music and art will start around 6:30 and then worship will start at 7:00 to 8:30, followed by the cafe, more acoustic music, and the art.

See you there!

Rhythm

The Nooma for September 18 was "Rhythm."


What does it mean to have a relationship with God? What does it look like? For a lot of us it's a hard thing to understand. If God is an infinite spirit with no shape or form, how can we possibly relate to that? And what about Jesus? He said he came to give everyone life in its fullest. He came to show us how to live. Maybe it's through trusting Jesus and living the kind of life he taught us to live--a life of truth, love, justice, compassion, forgiveness, and sacrifice--that we have a relationship with God. Maybe the way we live every day, every single choice we make, determines how in tune with God we are.

Go to nooma.com for more.

Evangelion: Spoken Word

Our performance art for September 18th REFRESH was Steve Gibboney reading two poems, In Between by Robert Cording, and Evangelion by Steve. Here is the full text of Evangelion.


EVANGELION

By Steve Gibboney

In the Beginning
was the word,
working, sustaining
building, creating
all things.
Through Him,
By Him, and
to Him,
all things are.
without Him,
nothing that is
would be.
The only Begotten
Son of God,
begotten not made,
Very God of Very God,
He became flesh,
He did not put flesh on,
like a garment, but became
flesh as he is spirit,
became man as he is God.

He made his dwelling
among us,
but the darkness had not understood, and
his own, did not receive.
Those of us
that did believe-
those branches,
natural and grafted-
He dwells
among us still,
Full of Grace and Truth,
the true Light
shining in the darkness
of our sin and the shameful
secrets of our slowly crucified hearts,
He dwells with us bringing sorrow
unto repentance,
and the Joy of life abundantly,
from the fullness of his grace.

Music, art and worship

Pre-and post acoustic music with low whistle (Mark), flute (Todd) and Celtic harp (Judi).



Some of Stu Corlette's photos that were on display as his exhibit "Reflections on light." For more of Stu's work, go to www.corlettimages.com



Sojo's Cafe!



Worship.






No photo of Steve doing the spoken word, but we'll have his poem up soon.