Lord, sometimes you call us into the deep where untold treasures dwell. For reasons of your own, you have us venture beyond where we have gone before, leaving behind things we have relied upon and sailing away from the shoreline. Faith’s journey requires us to get in...
Some days, I can feel the covering of prayers once prayed for meReaching to me in the here-and-now from the knees upon which she once knelt,From love so deeply feltPrayed with the quiet murmurs of her heart or some agonizing plea Carried before the Almighty on behalf...
Why is it so hard for us to believe Jesus? Why are we always looking for a sign or further proof of Jesus being who he says he is? While the possessed people recognize Jesus, recognition alone does not cause the demons to follow Jesus. Once banished, the...
A woman shouted an enthusiastic “Amen!” each time her preacher pointed out the ways other parishioners stumbled in their Christian walk. When her own shortcoming was named, the woman mumbled, “Now, you’re just meddling.” During Jesus’ inaugural ….(View this...
Episcopal Church ACC member Rosalie Ballentine of the Diocese of the Virgin Islands asks May 4 for more information about the new formula for calculating provincial contributions to the Inter-Anglican Budget. Photo: Mary Frances Schjonberg/Episcopal News Service...
The disciples’ plan is to go fishing, but they don’t catch a thing. However, when they follow the direction given to them by Jesus, they catch more than they know what to do with. How often do we make our plans without including Jesus—even when we are planning to do...
Recently, I saw a good news story. As a mother and her young son were about to leave an outdoor concert, he began to randomly hug other concertgoers. While his mother kept close watch, the toddler hugged everyone nearby. Initially some people were taken by surprise,...
What a bold declaration of faith Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego make: Lord, we’re going to trust you, even if you don’t answer our prayer the way we want it answered. For their refusal to worship idols and other gods, the three are condemned t….(View this...
When John speaks to the crowds waiting to be baptized, he tells them that this blessing of baptism is going to cost them something—changed lives. The waters of baptism are not of the soak-in-the-tub luxury bubble bath or quick-cleansing variety. They are waters meant...
The sturdiest tree does not grow in the shadeBut it is out in open air that its sturdiness is made.There is where the tree is firmed and formed to become shelter and shade.As well, a thing of beauty.Its roots watered by adversity….(View this reading and more...
