On Feb. 15 of each year, we commemorate a man by the name of Thomas Bray. This actually extraordinarily unassuming and yet courageous pioneer takes us back to the 1600s, when the original 13 Colonies were just beginning to get off the ground. And as a result, there was some real concern, particularly by the…

In part 1, we examined how God uses a new rector to bring a new beginning to a church, and that the new beginning must start with a common vision. We examined that “common vision” and concluded that it must contain a view of the centrality of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.…

The day of the Pulse shooting five years ago, I was traveling home to Orlando from Louisville. As I waited in the airport, CNN and all the other news services were blowing up. And before long, my phone was blowing up too. Deacon Nancy Oliver called me early on to make sure I knew what…

Feb. 28 marks the day we give special thanks for two extraordinary pioneers. Anna Julia Haywood Cooper Anna Julia Haywood Cooper was born in 1859 in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was a teacher; she went to what was at that point the embryonic version of what we know as St. Augustine College and, through an…

When I think about what I saw on television yesterday, I was brought to tears, nauseated and completely stunned. What I saw was a raw display of fury, rebellion and sedition. I saw the United States Capitol Building defaced. I saw the cross and the Confederate flag standing together in procession. I saw a screaming…

Dear Friends in Christ, I am watching the news this afternoon and seeing demonstrators break into the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., bringing an official meeting of Congress to a halt. Members of Congress and their staff were quickly evacuated from the building even as demonstrators continue to go throughout the Capitol Building. It is…

Almighty and everlasting God, we commend to your care President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania. Comfort them in their suffering, lend skill to all who attend them and bless the means used for their cure. Touch them with the healing presence of your Holy Spirit and draw them to even greater faith in you;…

In these days of the COVID-19 crisis, we face challenges we have never faced before. This past Monday, I spent almost an entire day in front of my laptop and on my phone, responding to emails and texting, crisis voice after crisis voice after crisis voice.  I texted a friend of mine that I know…

In the past two posts, we have been examining Pentecost and its invitation to “all who are thirsty” as well as the risk and reward it entails. But how does Pentecost impact us as we live out the Christian life today? In the midst of the extraordinary changes that have happened in our world, for…

In Part 1 of this series, we talked about Jesus’ invitation to “all who are thirsty.” But before we can come and drink at the well of the Spirit, before God can touch us in the deep places, we must open our hearts. Otherwise, it is possible to create such an ordered life that we…