There is a wonderful prayer in our Episcopal Book of Common Prayer that is intended for someone struggling with illness but eloquently applies to where we are right now. “This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If...
Several years ago I made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The impressions and experiences I gained there would fill up so many pages, I have found that over time, I have to share the stories, just a few here and there – because to tell it all, would overpower me and the world. But one of...
When I was in divinity school, one of my professors began the first lecture of the semester by saying “if you do all of the assigned reading, you will fail.” At the time, I didn’t fully understand the depth and truth of his statement, but as the semester (and subsequent years)...
One of the more common phrases I’ve read lately, is how the Corona Virus does not discriminate—everyone is at risk of being infected. This is true, viruses are simply opportunists, genetically programmed to spread so as to land in a host cell where they can replicate themselves...
“Between stimulus and response there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”Viktor E. Frankl There is a stark difference between reacting and responding. Reacting is knee-jerk. We typically react without...
Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks...
The Diocese of North Carolina’s annual convention this past fall was keynoted by Tod Bolsinger, author of the book Canoeing The Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory. His talks were probably really good. The ones I was able to sit still for certainly were. Shortly after we...
We had a flat tire the other day. And it wasn’t just a slow leak from somewhere in the tire, or the obvious foreign object jutting out of the tread…this was a three inch gash that ended the life of the tire instantly, and was well beyond repair. There was no limping home with this...
“The new survival unit is no longer the individual nation; it’s the entire human race and its environment. This newfound oneness is only a rediscovery of an ancient religious truth. Unity is not something we are called to create; it is something we are called to...
Dearly beloved: I’ve been hearing from many of you about how we might experience Eucharist together in this difficult time. I understand and resonate with the questions – and the feelings of longing for the sacrament that those ideas express. If there was any doubt in the meaningful...