On March 27 at Historic St. Luke’s, New Orleans, an Evensong was held to celebrate Blessed Frances Joseph-Gaudet, a turn-of-the-century educator, prison reformer, and juvenile justice advocate. The officiant was the Rt. Rev. Morris K. Thompson, Jr.; cantor, the Rev. Jane-Allison Wiggin; homilist, the Rev. Lindsey Ardrey; with music provided by the St. Luke’s Choir. Special presentation and prayers led by the Gaudet Fund Committee, Commission for Racial Healing, and the Gaudet Legacy Committee.
Sometimes, I have difficulty finding God. Even when I am in church, singing the hymns and sacred songs, praying the historical and biblical prayers, listening to the message from those who have studied the Bible and theology, I don’t always feel close to God....
This verse reminds me of a friend. After only a few days of studying a language, he would begin to complain about the details that made that language difficult. Soon after, he would completely stop studying it. Then, in a bit, he would start the cycle again with...
The psalms describe several instruments for worship, including brass, woodwinds, strings, and percussion. Regardless of the instrument, the message is the same: praise God! In my career as a musician, I have learned a difficult lesson: do not judge others. W....(View...
In my gardening experience, I have learned that the rain nourishes my plants in different ways: It feeds the plants and washes off any dust or dirt or even excrement. The rain turns that debris into fertilizer, signaling the seeds to germinate, and encouraging fungi...
In her book, The Recovering: Intoxication and its Aftermath, Leslie Jamison writes: “From the night of my first buzz, I didn’t understand why everyone in the world wasn’t getting drunk every night.…. Scientists describe addiction as a dysregulation of the...
Will my son live? I can imagine that this question is racing through the royal official’s mind when he begs Jesus to heal his son. He must be anxious about his son’s condition, and his faith is shaken. Desperate and wondering if his child will l....(View this reading...
In this chapter of John, Jesus starts his conversation with the Samaritan woman by talking about her marital situation. However, rather than heaping condemnation after condemnation, Jesus teaches her. He chooses to continue the conversation without dwelling on the...
So is it perfect obedience or is it our faith that makes us God’s children? A girl in my preschool class sat crying at the bottom of the slide. I asked her what was wrong, but she wouldn’t say. Across the playground, my teaching assistant spoke to her gr....(View this...
When my sisters and I were young, our mother punished us for fighting by making us sit on the couch and hold hands for hours (or maybe it was ten minutes). We squirmed and glared. We muttered, “Mom is so mean.” We bonded together against our perceived co....(View this...
When I read Moses’ question about God’s requirements answered with the word only followed by: fear God, walk with God, love God, and serve God with all your heart and soul, I think, “Oh, that’s ALL? Those are the only requirements?!” ....(View this reading and more...