Welcome to TLU!

Welcome all to TLU: 2012 Edition!

If you are a new student or returning, welcome to a great year.  We want TLU Canterbury to be a place where you can be yourself and be challenged, have fun and be serious, look for answers and live with the questions.  Canterbury isn't high school youth group.  It's for men and women who want to discover why Jesus matters, and we figure it out through worship, Bible Studies, meals, retreats, movies, games, service projects, and more.  Below are a few of things happening in the weeks ahead.  Come join us; you won't regret it.

First off, NEXT WEDNESDAY, August 30, we will begin our brand new year of TLU Canterbury!

At 7:15 PM, we will meet over at the Canterbury Episcopal Student Center (inside St. Andrew's Episcopal Church on the square) for a fabulous meal, fun, and excitement!  Come join us to meet new friends, and discover who you are inside.  If you need a ride, we would love to give you one! Contact Kelsey Yoemans, our wonderful peer minister, to find out more.  you can email her at keyoemans@tlu.edu . 

Also, don't forget we have Sunday services!  Please feel free to join us at St. Andrew's for a wonderful service at 10:30 AM on Sundays.  So, you have heard all this talk about St. Andrew's, but still can't figure out where it is?  Well, check out this link and it will give you all the info.

Well, we hope to see you at TLU Canterbury.  GO BULLDOGS!

In Christ,

Brad Eubanks

Program Coordinator

TLU Canterbury

Out of all the things that happened at Gather – the cold, the power outages, the lack of oxygen, etc, etc, the thing I will remember the most is my time in small group. I was lucky enough to be placed in the world’s most incredible small group. Starting on the second day, we began bonding at a very accelerated pace, and by the end of Gather, we were planning extra small group sessions, and even planning ways to get all of us together in the future. Aside from having this amazing ‘family’ the scenery was beautiful, and the crew I traveled with was pretty awesome too.

-Kelley!

December in Colorado= COLD and fun!

Well as cold as the trip was, and it wasn't just cold, it was "...in about three hours we will get all the way up to 0 degrees" cold. The trip was well worth having to bundle up every day. Meeting new people, seeing friends from the previous Gather as well as other Campus pastors was fun too. The speakers were amazing. My favorite was definitely Melissa Loya given that hers was on biblical Hebrew, but that is one of my interests anyways. She talked about how closely related we are to nature and to God. Specifically how the name Adam in Hebrew actually means dirt, or earth- that from which the creation stories tell us we are made of. Another fun fact is that God breathes air into Adam's nostrils right? Well the Hebrew word means "breath, wind, spirit". Connection to God, nature, and humans anyone? Anyways back from the bunny trail. For anyone who goes in the future- you have to try rolling down a big hill. So much fun! (just make sure your phone is not in your pocket and will not fall out of it :) ) Anyways- it was an awesome week. :) I hope everyone has a chance to go and or go again! :)     Taylor Bailey

Written thoughts by Amelie

Having looked over my Vlog, I decided to add some more written thoughts to better express my experience at the Episcopal College Student Gathering.  Here we go:




Colorado was so amazing.  It was my first time in the snow!  The  
entire trip was one adventure after another.  Even the blackout meant  
that we got to eat by candlelight, which was awesome :) I plan on  
staying at TLU another 2 years so I can go again! Not really, but that  
would be ideal.

My favorite part, which I didn't get to record, was my small group.   
We used each topic as a jumping platform to talk about whatever we  
wanted.  I have never had such an amazing small group.  We talked  
about everything from the music and type of pie we like (did you know  
that if you eat pie from crust to tip, you can make a wish on the  
tip?) to Christian responsibility towards to environment and  
religion's role in relationships, sex, and sexual ethics.  I may even  
be staying with a couple of my small group peers when I visit Chicago  
for seminary.

I also got to talk to one of the priests, who I don't think I can  
thank enough for his insight into the process of becoming ordained.  I  
learned so much in just talking with him for half an hour, and it made  
such a difference in how I approach the entire process.
So, basically, the snow and cold were fun, but ultimately, it was the  
people that I met, and the relationships I cultivated that really made  
this trip super special to me.



<3 Amelie

(Amelie's VideoBlog) Going home

I hope that you all have enjoyed the Vlog, or Video Blog...or..whatever. This is the last post, made from the bus.

-Amelie

(I think I look like Snooki in the thumbnail, but I'm not going to change it.)

(Amelie's VideoBlog) Happy New Year!

(Amelie's VideoBlog) Blackout update

(Amelie's VideoBlog) Blackout!

(Amelie's VideoBlog) Day 4

(Amelie's VideoBlog) Snow!

(Amelie's VideoBlog) Day 3

(Amelie's VideoBlog) More Exodus

They gave me a tambourine. You don't say no to tambourines.

(Amelie's VideoBlog) More skating

(Amelie's VideoBlog) CO trip 2

Ummm...video was filmed sideways. I do this often. Sorry.

(Amelie's VideoBlog) Colorado message 1

Amelie's VideoBlog

Hi guys.  I have been keeping a video blog for all of your enjoyment.  As I was unable to add these at the time, I will be adding them all at once on here.  Enjoy!

-Amelie

Our Friend, Samson

Hello, everybody!

Time for another installment of fun, fruitful, freezing facts about our wonderful trip!

The above picture is of Samson, a magnificently huge Elk that hangs above the fireplace. You're probably wondering whether we came up with the name ourselves, and the answer is, unfortunately, no. Beside Samson's chimney, there is a picture of Samson when he was alive and a plaque below that describes the circumstances by which The YMCA of the Rockies came by this beautiful beast.

Samson was evidently one of Estes Park's most prized wild Elk, wandering free and wowing the locals and the tourists alike. Samson unfortunately fell prey to a poacher who shot him purely for his beautiful rack and had him stuffed as you see above. He was prosecuted by the city of Estes Park (I believe), was found guilty of illegally killing this wonderful animal, and among his many fines and other criminal punishments, he was required to relinquish his Samson "trophy". This is how the YMCA came to possess Samson. They keep him over their main fireplace in the main lodge of the facility (he wears a Santa hat) with his picture and his plaque, reminding all the visitors moving through the building about the importance of conservation and respect for all creation, including the environment and the animals and people within.

One of the main points highlighted during the last few discussions I've had with my small groups has been the interconnectedness between man, nature, and God. It is easy to be awed by nature and God's creation while surrounded by these beautiful mountains, though somewhat more difficult when living our day-to-day lives, mostly in the city. Our relationship to God's creation is essential and telling of our relationship with God. If one cannot cultivate a relationship of awe and respect for their natural surroundings, God's creation, then is it possible to have a truly sound awe and respect for God? If we cannot love and respect each other, how can we expect to show true love and respect to God? Samson the Elk is a reminder of the importance of awe, the importance of respect with regard to nature and respect between ourselves.

I appreciate that being in this setting with such brilliant minds from all across the country has fostered such important discussions. This has been a week focused on strengthening our relationships with God and with our fellow believers, and the fact that such personal and important topics are able to be broached between relative strangers is really a small miracle and a testament to the determination and passion of all the people participating in Gather Around the Table.

And now... OFF TO BUNDLE UP AND GO SLEDDING!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAW!!!!

Love and Hugs,
Alli

Hey, look! Pictures!

Hey, y'all! I figured it was my turn to update the blog and show how wonderful this experience has been! Well, at least a little bit of it...
First of all, let's get rid of the elephant in the room. THERE'S SNOW HERE. LOTS. SNOW THAT FALLS FROM THE SKY AND LANDS AND STAYS AND GATHERS AND. yeah. It's snow. We found out today that not all snow is good for snowmen, though. So we'll have to try again tomorrow - I know, it's a hard life I live.

Hope y'all enjoy the pictures! More later.


-Alli

Day 2!

We have had a wonderful day and and a half! Here are some pics!

Sent from my Samsung Captivate(tm) on AT&T

We made it!

We made it! we are now at the YMCA of the Rockies - Estes Park Center!  I plan on having more updates as we go here, and we will try and post some good pictures as well..

Here's some of what greeted us:

denver!

We have arrived in Denver! We will be eating lunch here, then next stop, YMCA of the Rockies!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

we be on our way!

We now have picked up Tyler in Keller! Next stop, Estes Park!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Colorado Trip!

Welcome to the TLU Canterbury Blog -  Colorado Edition
----
For the next week, this blog will be used to record the adventures of TLU Canterbury and Christ Chapel at Texas State University as students from these two ministries attend the Gathering of Episcopal College and University Students in Colorado.  Stay tuned for more postings!  Please feel free to comment on any of them, leave us your thoughts below.


In Christ,
Brad Eubanks
Program Assistant
Christ Chapel at Texas State University

Welcome to our Blog

Welcome to the TLU Canterbury Blog.  Here you will find various musings by students, the peer minister, and various other people related to TLU Canterbury.  Thanks for dropping by.

-Webmaster