One of my favorite authors is Greg Boyle. He is a Jesuit priest and has served the last 40 years in Los Angeles doing ministry with gang members. He started Homeboy Industries which employs people coming out of gangs in auto repair, culinary arts, and carpentry. Several years ago President Joe […]
All superheroes have to have some kind of special power. Most superheroes can fly, many can make themselves invisible, or can shapeshift: they all have some degree of superstrength and superspeed. This was not so in the days of 1st century Palestines […]
Of the sisterhoods founded during the Oxford Movement in the Episcopal Church, the Sisterhood of the Holy Nativity considered its mission unique […]
Being a postulant and seminarian at Virginia Theological Seminary is an incredible journey that integrates study, formation, and practical experience, shaping my understanding of ordained ministry as an embodiment of the sacraments[…]
In a classic TED Talk, Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast explains that it’s not that happiness makes us grateful, it’s that gratitude makes us happy[…]
Their quiet, faithful work is the foundation of our worship, making it possible for the congregation to experience the beauty, reverence, and continuity of our sacred rituals. This is the altar guild — a ministry of care, faithfulness, and dedication[…]
I asked Bishop Rob O’Neil to lead a retreat for those in the ordination process. During his time with us, he said something that I have been praying over ever since. He said, “Community is excruciating”[…]
This summer I plan to begin a research/writing project on the spiritual dimensions of generativity….generative persons are those who find meaning and joy in the thriving of others[…]
I was caught off guard when I joined the team as to how spiritual it is to serve on the Flower Guild […]
Earlier this year I asked my staff to take some time and consider the question, “What does it take to make church?” […]
As a “Free Range Priest,” offering supply coverage primarily for Sunday services only in parishes in two adjacent dioceses, I have a deep appreciation for the ministry of the altar guild in churches I visit […]
Toward the end of The House at Pooh Corner Christopher Robin tells Pooh that what he likes doing best is “nothing.” Most of us don’t have the time to do just nothing as we might have done as children. Perhaps, though we should make the time to do it […]
It is very clear that the realities of the COVID pandemic have radically upset the regular patterns of life in the church as we have known them. While we are no way near the end of the pandemic, it is good to ponder what the Body of Christ might look like in the “new missional age” post pandemic […]
Both Debie and Dan thanked the altar guild for the work it does. Debie lovingly referred to it as the work of cultivating mystery, beauty, wonder, reverence, artistry and grace […]
We are delighted to present our 2021 NAGA program for July 7, and hope you will be pleased with what has been planned for you […]
If I asked you to describe the sacrament of baptism, what adjectives would you choose[…]
Current literature indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased stress levels in everyone, even those who usually cope well. Courage to Thrive is a workbook designed to help its users tackle their issues bit-by-bit {…}
During the anxious moments that have made up the last few months, I have looked to my dogs for spiritual guidance. They are calm, centered, consistent, and joyful […]
My parishioner, Ed, was an electrical engineer. During World War II he worked on a highly secret project involving long-wave radio technology. Later he learned the purpose of the technology he’d helped to perfect […]
“The function of Advent is to remind us what we’re waiting for as we go through life too busy with things that do not matter to remember the things that do” […]
My first awareness of the ministry of the altar guild comes from my childhood. I remember my mother regularly excusing herself from life at home to work with other altar guild members[…]
Who has not experienced a deep nurturing of his or her spirit by an interaction with nature, awed at the beauty or drama of lightning and thunder, and recognized the glory and power of God? Bob Flanagan shows us how nature is a teacher in our growth process […]
Once I began reading, I literally could not put the book down. It is that compelling, that beautifully written, and that important […]
Recently I was asked “Do you still do needlepoint?” The next question was “Why?” This started me thinking — why, indeed, do I still do canvaswork when I now am a senior citizen with the usual arthritic aches and pains, especially in my hands […]
Diagnosing the human soul with a longing for peace in the face of fear and fragmentation nurtured by global political forces and fundamentalisms, Newell offers the ancient traditions of Celtic Christianity as a way forward in healing humankind and the earth […]
The spirit in which your altar guild lives ripples out to affect the feel of the whole congregation […]
Archbishop Williams identifies the elements essential to Christian life, those things that make one part of a Christian community. He sees the four most obvious as Baptism, Bible, Eucharist and Prayer […]
While not a substitute for deeper study, this a wonderful book you can give to friends with confidence […]
For Flannery O’Connor, the craft of her art — good stories well told — was an end in itself and a sign of God’s grace […]
My greatest joy serving in the office and role of bishop is to bring children deeper into our worship. What I find, more often than not, is they will teach me, long before I can teach them […]
Many of us use a daily reading as part of our Lenten observation. Here are a few suggestions for Lent and Easter […]
Watch for the Light offers a cross section of literature tied together by the recurring themes of Advent, expectancy and watchfulness […]
‘How do I go forth and spread the good news?’ ‘How has the Holy Spirit guided me in my ministry?’ ‘Does the way I live show forth my belief and relationship with God?’ […]
Robert Sibley recalls his own camino experiences in this travel memoir…Like many pilgrims, he wanted to escape the ruts and routines of everyday life […]
The lessons shared in this book were forged in the fires of the “pure pain” of grief following his wife’s death. “It wouldn’t be so hard if it hadn’t been so good.” […]
Before his NDE, Alexander was a friendly sceptic. He wasn’t religious, and only went to church on Christmas and Easter […]
Weaving literature and experience, Father Rohr shows how the search for meaning has been a constant, and that only through struggle is a transformation achieved […]
Bishop Charleston would not be surprised at the readers who read his book as I did, grasping — no, gasping — for entries most significant, finally settling down to quiet contemplation of each meditation […]
“The beauty of holiness” is a familiar phrase to most Episcopalians. Keynote speaker, Sr. Suzanne Elizabeth from the Community of St. John Baptist explores the meaning of these words and how they shape our lives […]
The joy I found in The Eyes of the Heart was so uplifting that I kept reading passages over and over […]
Braestrup says she cannot make “those two realities — what I’ve lost and what I’ve found — fit together in some tidy pattern of divine causality […]
The tradition of Christian icons began in the Roman catacombs of the early church, with roots that can be traced back to Egyptian sarcophagus portraits. An icon represents the Word of God as image; it is theology depicted in line and color, and is therefore called icon “writing” […]
A meditation from Anthony deMello’s “Book of Spiritual Exercises” [..]
A school friend of mine once jokingly remarked that it was not until he was a teenager that he learned that all girls were not named either Mary Martha or Martha Mary! Both of these women have places in our liturgical calendar and are honored by the church […]