Bishop’s Lenten Book Study: The Past is the Hero

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Week Three: The Past is the Hero Autopsy of a Deceased Church by Thom S. Rainer Back in 1983 Rebecca and I were first-year newlyweds.  I was in my third year of seminary and we had gone home to visit our parents.  During our visit, my mother called me back to her...

Forward Day By Day – March 20, 2019

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Do you want to be made well? Of course! Or is Jesus asking this man something even deeper and more crucial? The sick man has been sitting near the pool every day for thirty-eight years, with no one to help him into the water. Has he not asked? Has h….(View this...

Forward Day By Day – March 19, 2019

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

“My Father’s house…” For 12 years this boy has been at my side in the carpenter shop, my hands guiding his. I had almost forgotten the angels, the stable, the strange visitors, the terror of escaping Herod’s soldiers, and the journey to Egypt…and th….(View...

Forward Day By Day – March 18, 2019

Monday, March 18, 2019

Life is a group project. I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing without family, friends, teachers, and mentors. Where would I be without strangers who have grown and harvested my food, kept me healthy, built the house I live in, and invented the computer on which I write...

Forward Day By Day – March 17, 2019

Sunday, March 17, 2019

As parents, we want to keep our children safe under our wings. We hold our breath the first time a toddler tumbles; our hearts break at teenage disappointments or an adult child’s harsh treatment in a harsh world. And we are devastated when they stumble and...

Forward Day By Day – March 16, 2019

Saturday, March 16, 2019

As we grow older, we are less likely to recognize thirst. We may think we’re hungry or tired long before we realize we are becoming dehydrated and need a drink of water. We can easily fail to recognize our spiritual dehydration too, until we are parched and find...

Forward Day By Day – March 15, 2019

Friday, March 15, 2019

How does it feel to have a clean heart and a right spirit? Years ago, I found myself leaving a church position because the rector and I were simply at odds. That priest eventually left the parish; I went on to become director of communications for our diocese. For...

Forward Day By Day – March 14, 2019

Thursday, March 14, 2019

One of my treasures hangs on our living room wall. On this canvas painted by my uncle is a large red rock amid other rocks in a fast-flowing stream. He captured the light and power of the rapids beautifully. When I read this verse, I picture Uncle Joe’s...

Bishop’s Lenten Book Study: Slow Erosion

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Week Two: Chapters 3 and 4 of Autopsy of a Deceased Church by Thom S. Rainer Slow Erosion I often tell people who are thinking about remarrying that if they don’t work on what caused the divorce from their first spouse, they just might marry their old spouse with a...

Forward Day By Day – March 13, 2019

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

After church one Sunday, a fairly new member exclaimed to several of us, “I love this church! There are so many real born-again Christian people!” I do not match the criteria for what many people mean by born-again. “Oh,” ….(View this reading and more resources...