I heard Phil Madeira at the Episcopal Churchmen of Tennessee conference this past weekend. Madeira has worked with a lot of great musicians in the Nashville Area. He is a fellow Episcopalian too which make this even cooler. He has a edgy, classic sound that speaks to the soul. Check him out.
Tonight my church gathered to remember and to pray for those who were lost in Saturday’s mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub. In the service our priest said that prayers are being heard and God is with those who are suffering. I have a problem with the thoughts and prayers platitude some say but you know after his homily we can’t discount the power of prayer, because it can do a lot of good if we have the patience. In the context of those who perished their families and friends will need lots of prayer for comfort. For those who are injured they will need prayer to help them recover. In both cases there is a lot of healing and understanding that will be done in the foreseeable future.
I am glad to be a part of a parish that cares about those who they don’t even know and answers the call to keep others in their minds as they suffer.
We had a special Sunday at church featuring a church wide meal, bouncy house for kids and a petting zoo. These petting zoos bring animals to the community you don’t encounter daily. These animals were cool except for a couple of goats who were all about the drama. God’s creation is not without a sense of humor and whimsy, these critters prove that.
Today is Pentecost in the Christian faith. It celebrates the fire of the Holy Spirit coming down to the people of God. At St. Peter’s Episcopal Church this morning we celebrated the occasion by wearing red and observing the eucharist.
I find it sad when Atheists, Agnostics, people of other faiths and people in corporate America start reflecting the love of Christ more than people who profess to call him their Lord and Savior. Many people have been run off from the church because of fundamentalism and legalism. Some religious people just need to shut up and sit down. Old time American religion leaves a horrible taste in my mouth.
I am a follower of Christ in the Episcopal/Anglican tradition. Our faith and practice is ancient but also relevant. We seek a 3rd way that balances scripture, reason and tradition. I am glad to be a part of a community that believes with our hearts and heads and our lives.
“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”
By Thomas Merton from “Thoughts In Solitude”
At church we say this prayer in my Sunday school class we call The Table. It’s a special prayer that anyone can say. The language is very inclusive and one of hope and faith.
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