St. John the Baptist of New Brighton


	Pray without Ceasing... Anne Marie Bartlett, St. John's Pastoral Minister

Little Lights Round Up

Mary Walus (director) & Raeann Schmalzbauer (parent)

Not so long ago, I read a book called The Way of a Pilgrim by Olga Savin. The book was one of many recommended reading options for some coursework that I am taking in Spiritual Direction. As only the Holy Spirit would have it, I went to the library to find one of these books, and this was the only one available. Shocker! So I checked it out and took it home and began to read. I was mesmerized. This book is about praying without ceasing. While the pilgrim of the book did not mirror at all the life that I lead on a daily basis, the inner workings of this pilgrim resonated with me.

"To tell the truth, although much has been preached on prayer and much is written about it in the teaching of various writers, they are better equipped to preach about the elements that constitute prayer than about the very essence of it, because their thoughts are based mostly on speculation and the deliberations of natural reason, rather than on a living experience of prayer...many good works are required of a Christian, but it is a prayer that must come first and foremost, for without prayer no other good work can be performed and one cannot find the way to the Lord."

excerpt from The Way of a Pilgrim

Do you want to give your children the opportunity to play, learn, and grow in a nurturing environment? Then St. John's Little Lights Preschool is the place for them. Starting on Thursday, 18 January 2007, we will be welcoming registrations for the 2007 - 2008 school year.

Little Lights Preschool offers a half-day program for ages three (by September 1 and potty-trained) through 5-year-olds (pre-kindergarten.) We offer schedules of two, three, or five days per week.

While at Little Lights, children experience playing with others their own age in both small and large groups, practice small and large motor skills, learn name and letter recognition, work on problem solving and math skills, enjoy music and artistic expression, and much, much more! All this is accomplished in a warm, welcoming, Christian classroom staffed by dedicated, nurturing teachers.

If you would like to learn more about Little Lights and what we are able to give your preschooler, then come to our:

PRESCHOOL ROUND UP
Thursday, 18 January 2007
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

The evening will begin with an Open House in the classrooms. Children will then be supervised in the preschool classrooms while parents attend an informational meeting where registration materials will be provided.

Families who are currently in Little Lights, or have been, or those on record as St. John's parishioners will have priority placement until Friday, January 26. After that, children will be placed on a first-come, priority basis. Make sure to register early for this exceptional experience!

If you cannot make it to the Round Up, please call Mary Walus, Little Lights Preschool Director, today for more information, (651) 633-8333, ext. 1227.

This transformation of being has come to me in an even stronger and pressing way in these years of working at St. John's. Prayer has become one of the most precious gifts I give myself each day. Life is tough for many, and we have many requests of time, treasure, prayer, relationship... St. John's is one small place in a big world, and God is very much at work among us. I see and feel the power of prayer at work all the time. I pray to be a better person who believes in the loving providence of God in all that I am and in all that I do. It is and must be the essence from where our work and spirit flow.

True stewardship will at long last come when we have finally learned to trust that God is in all things, and when we place our faith and trust in Him without question. When we live and breathe from a place of gratitude and blessing, then we can know all will be well. It does not mean that we will not suffer or experience hardship or feel pain... it means all will be well, whatever our life is about. God has told us, from the beginning of time, that He will be with us always, and we will have what we need. This is a challenging place to live. Many of us have yet to try it out...

We can easily get in word entanglements in our church circles about how we are worshiping, how we are spending money, how we should be spending money, who is on the same wavelength that I can get on board with, etc. We are not consumers of the Church; we ARE the Church. We must take every frustration, every disagreement, every "about to be spoken word" to prayer first, and then we move forward. I believe that when we forget how we began and where the source of our first love came from, we have then forgotten to give honor to the God who breathed life into us.

I feel that we are all being called to our knees in these days of unrest in the world, in our communities, in our families, and in our own souls. God is calling, beckoning, yearning for us to come back to Him, or come to Him for the first time. Our work must continue, but to do it well, we must "pray without ceasing."

"It is we who do not give power and momentum to this capability in our souls, and we squelch it beneath the bonds of either the carnal fleshiness of our bodies or our confused thoughts and scattered ideas. Yet, when we focus our attention on the inner self, divert our concentration from everything external, and refine our mind, then the soul finds its truest fulfillment and exercises its highest powers, which is quite natural... but what occurs during the prayer of the heart is the direct result of God's grace, and it is so delightful no tongue can describe it..."

excerpt from The Way of a Pilgrim