At the end of September, Young Adults from around the church gathered in Houston, TX for A Brand New Way. It was a great conference! Here is a video that Fr. Matthew created for us on Evangelism.
I found it over at this great new blog, St. Paul's Reflections.
31 January 2009
What's in, What's out!
So I signed into AOL this evening and came across this. I enjoyed it and hope you will too. 
Check it out here
Check it out here
28 January 2009
Holocaust Memorial Day
Below are two videos that the Archbishop of Canterbury posted on Holocaust Memorial Day. He asks us to "rediscover the depths of real humanity". I'm constantly amazed at how people have treated each other over the centuries. We've been horrible to each other. I wonder what it would be like if we took the Archbishop's advice and "rediscover the depths of real humanity".
This is a "Message for Holocaust Memorial Day"
The following are "Reflections on Auschwitz"
If you are interested in seeing more video from The Archbishop visit his YouTube page.
This is a "Message for Holocaust Memorial Day"
The following are "Reflections on Auschwitz"
If you are interested in seeing more video from The Archbishop visit his YouTube page.
27 January 2009
EfM Reflections
So below is a copy of something I wrote in response to Parallel Guide 19 in EfM year one. I may be totally out of it, but this is what I thought of. Let me know what you think.
Year One read about Judges. We read about how the people of Isreal entered into a cycle. During a time when a judge was in place, they followed God's commandments. When the judge was no longer around the people would fall and return to worshipping the Baals. This led the reading to discuss the fourfold pattern: sin > punishment > repentance > deliverance and the back to sin again. It was this pattern that was on my mind while watching the Rob Bell video "Dust".
In the video Bell discusses what a disciple is. He talks about the schooling that children at the time of Jesus could have done. The first - until about the age of ten - focused the children on the Torah, and more specifically memorizing it. By the end of that, most students had gone on to learn their family trade. For the best of the best they moved on to the next step and memorized the rest of Hebrew Scriptures. By the end of that most children had moved on to their family trade. This was at about 15 years of age. But, the best of the best of the best applied to be disciples of a rabbi. The rabbi would test the kid, really grill them to see if they knew their stuff. More often than not the rabbi would tell the student to continue learning their family trade. But, if the rabbi thought the kid had really got it, the kid would leave everything and follow the rabbi. They would learn to do what the rabbi does - to become like the rabbi.
James and John, disciples of Jesus, were fishing when Jesus called them. That meant that they weren't the best of the best. They were the B-team, the JV. Jesus doesn't call the best of the best, Jesus calls all of us, the B-team, the JV, the anybodies. What made the people of Israel so special? Could they have been just another group of people? A group of anybodies? The B-Team?
A continuing theme in year one has been that God calls us through no big achievement of our own. From that it shows that God believes in us. I think that is part of the reason He doesn't give up on us. Why that fourfold pattern keeps continuing.
The other point I got out of Rob Bell video comes out of the Story of jesus walking on the water. Jesus is walking on the water and calls Peter to come to Him. Peter tkes one or two steps and sinks. Jesus saves him and says, "You of little faith. But who did Peter not have faith in? Jesus wasn't sinking. Peter didn't have faith in himself.
Maybe that was part of Israel's problem. They didn't have enough faith in themselves to continue on without their judge.
I wonder how are like the people of Israel. It seems to me that when things are going well, and when we have good leadership we have faith in ourselves - we continue in the work God calls us to. But, when things get hard, when we loose our leaders how easy is it to give up, to loose faith, and stop - or step back - in the ministry we are called to.
Year One read about Judges. We read about how the people of Isreal entered into a cycle. During a time when a judge was in place, they followed God's commandments. When the judge was no longer around the people would fall and return to worshipping the Baals. This led the reading to discuss the fourfold pattern: sin > punishment > repentance > deliverance and the back to sin again. It was this pattern that was on my mind while watching the Rob Bell video "Dust".
In the video Bell discusses what a disciple is. He talks about the schooling that children at the time of Jesus could have done. The first - until about the age of ten - focused the children on the Torah, and more specifically memorizing it. By the end of that, most students had gone on to learn their family trade. For the best of the best they moved on to the next step and memorized the rest of Hebrew Scriptures. By the end of that most children had moved on to their family trade. This was at about 15 years of age. But, the best of the best of the best applied to be disciples of a rabbi. The rabbi would test the kid, really grill them to see if they knew their stuff. More often than not the rabbi would tell the student to continue learning their family trade. But, if the rabbi thought the kid had really got it, the kid would leave everything and follow the rabbi. They would learn to do what the rabbi does - to become like the rabbi.
James and John, disciples of Jesus, were fishing when Jesus called them. That meant that they weren't the best of the best. They were the B-team, the JV. Jesus doesn't call the best of the best, Jesus calls all of us, the B-team, the JV, the anybodies. What made the people of Israel so special? Could they have been just another group of people? A group of anybodies? The B-Team?
A continuing theme in year one has been that God calls us through no big achievement of our own. From that it shows that God believes in us. I think that is part of the reason He doesn't give up on us. Why that fourfold pattern keeps continuing.
The other point I got out of Rob Bell video comes out of the Story of jesus walking on the water. Jesus is walking on the water and calls Peter to come to Him. Peter tkes one or two steps and sinks. Jesus saves him and says, "You of little faith. But who did Peter not have faith in? Jesus wasn't sinking. Peter didn't have faith in himself.
Maybe that was part of Israel's problem. They didn't have enough faith in themselves to continue on without their judge.
I wonder how are like the people of Israel. It seems to me that when things are going well, and when we have good leadership we have faith in ourselves - we continue in the work God calls us to. But, when things get hard, when we loose our leaders how easy is it to give up, to loose faith, and stop - or step back - in the ministry we are called to.
19 January 2009
Some thoughts on history
As you are all well aware we are on the eve of history. Tomorrow the first African-American president will take his oath of office. How fitting that this historic event happens the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Could Dr. King ever have imagine that a short 45 years after his "I have a dream" speech that the leader of the free world would be black. No matter where you stand on the political issues, I think we can all be thankful and rejoice in the fact that a nation built on slavery has made such a major step towards equality.
This is the beginning of a new era, hopefully it will be a time when America will take seriously the words of the Declaration of Independence and strive to fulfill them. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
In my parish we have spent a lot of time discussing MLK and Obama, and what all of this means for us. We've renewed our Baptismal covenant vowing to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being. We've heard sermons on how we are all one and need to work together to tear down the walls that divide us: race, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, religion, and so many other things.
Last night The Rt. Rev'd V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire (the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church) offered the invocation at the inauguration ceremony. In it he asked God to bless us with anger: "Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people."
May we all stand with our President-Elect (soon to be President) are work of equality for all. May we strive for the dignity and respect of every human being. May we stand up and be angry at discrimination. May we do this as one because "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female."
We can't give up, we must stand strong because your rights are not safe until my rights are safe and my rights are not safe until your rights are safe.
May this day be a reminder for us all of all the people who have come before us - those people on whose shoulders we stand continuing to fight for justice, peace, and equality. May tomorrow be a day of hope, a new page in the history of our country, and a step closer to fulfilling the dream of our founders and MLK.
Posted here below is the complete invocation offered by Bishop Robinson:
"A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama"
By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire
Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.
O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…
Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.
Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.
Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.
Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.
Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.
Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.
And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.
Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.
Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.
Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.
Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.
Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.
Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.
And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.
AMEN.
This is the beginning of a new era, hopefully it will be a time when America will take seriously the words of the Declaration of Independence and strive to fulfill them. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
In my parish we have spent a lot of time discussing MLK and Obama, and what all of this means for us. We've renewed our Baptismal covenant vowing to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being. We've heard sermons on how we are all one and need to work together to tear down the walls that divide us: race, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, religion, and so many other things.
Last night The Rt. Rev'd V. Gene Robinson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire (the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church) offered the invocation at the inauguration ceremony. In it he asked God to bless us with anger: "Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people."
May we all stand with our President-Elect (soon to be President) are work of equality for all. May we strive for the dignity and respect of every human being. May we stand up and be angry at discrimination. May we do this as one because "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female."
We can't give up, we must stand strong because your rights are not safe until my rights are safe and my rights are not safe until your rights are safe.
May this day be a reminder for us all of all the people who have come before us - those people on whose shoulders we stand continuing to fight for justice, peace, and equality. May tomorrow be a day of hope, a new page in the history of our country, and a step closer to fulfilling the dream of our founders and MLK.
Posted here below is the complete invocation offered by Bishop Robinson:
"A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama"
By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire
Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.
O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…
Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.
Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.
Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.
Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.
Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.
Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.
And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.
Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.
Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.
Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.
Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.
Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.
Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.
And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.
AMEN.
Practical Advice for Young People Thinking About Ordination in The Episcopal Church
So I was cleaning out my desk the other day and came across this article called "Practical Advice for Young People Thinking About Ordination in The Episcopal Church". The article was written by The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe as part of his presentation to the Pathways for Ministry High School Conference held in April, 2006.
1. Attend an Episcopal Church and be active in worship. (This may seem obvious, but every now and then I speak with someone who thinks they may want to be a deacon or priest but who doesn't attend worship regularly or participate as an active part of an Episcopal faith community!)
2. Watch a variety of clergy. Find ways to work with them and assist them in their ministry so you can learn what they do. Notice both their giftedness and their failings. (God doesn't seem to call perfect people to Holy Orders.)
3. Read widely. History, Literature, the Bible, Poetry, Drama, Biography, Philosophy, Art, Science, Theology are all useful subjects. All human knowledge is ultimately connected to The Holy. Nothing you ever learn in any other field will be wasted in ordained ministry. (Knowledge of Computer Sciences, Teaching, Accounting, Marketing, Law, Medicine, even Concrete Testing . . . can all be effectively utilized in the service of the Church.)
4. Assert your Baptismal right to do ministry now! Look around your parish and decide what's being done poorly or, worse, not being done at all . . . an then do something about it! Be a Christian Activist. You don't need to wait until you are older.
5. Learn how to pry. Develop a comfortable, real, on-going conversational life with God. Talk to God about everything, including your future vocational plans.
6. Develop a variety of useful skills. Learn a foreign language. Learn how to write. Learn how to speak in public. Learn how to be helpful to people of all ages. Learn how to get something new started. Learn how to listen to people who are in trouble. Learn how to meet new people. Learn how to be helpful in crisis.
7. Develop healthy habits. Exercise, eat right, respect yourself as a part of God's Creation, live a balanced life, use good judgment in relationships, keep your word, develop good friends, participate in sports and hobbies which stretch you in some way.
8. Try being in charge. Learning how to be an effective leader is crucial for ordained clergy. In order to be in charge, you must learn to work collaboratively with a wide variety of people. Run for class office, be a leader on your team, lead extra-curricular activities at school, participate in leading a wide variety of events and activities.
9. Develop a healthy sense of humor. Clergy work closely with people who are going through times of great joy and great pain. Having a good sense of humor makes the difficult times more bearable. Learn to be positive and embrace joy.
10. Cultivate Tenacity. Christian ministry is hard and lots of people, both lay and ordained, just plain quit. Work on sticking difficult things out. Test your endurance. Try difficult things. Develop resilience. Get in shape emotionally, physically, and spiritually, "to run the race that has been set before us."
The Rt. Rev'd Dean Wolfe serves as Ninth Bishop of The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. Consecrated bishop in 2003, Bishop Wolfe was formerly Vice Rector of Saint Michael and All Angels Church in Dallas, Texas. (The church where the conference was held at.)
1. Attend an Episcopal Church and be active in worship. (This may seem obvious, but every now and then I speak with someone who thinks they may want to be a deacon or priest but who doesn't attend worship regularly or participate as an active part of an Episcopal faith community!)
2. Watch a variety of clergy. Find ways to work with them and assist them in their ministry so you can learn what they do. Notice both their giftedness and their failings. (God doesn't seem to call perfect people to Holy Orders.)
3. Read widely. History, Literature, the Bible, Poetry, Drama, Biography, Philosophy, Art, Science, Theology are all useful subjects. All human knowledge is ultimately connected to The Holy. Nothing you ever learn in any other field will be wasted in ordained ministry. (Knowledge of Computer Sciences, Teaching, Accounting, Marketing, Law, Medicine, even Concrete Testing . . . can all be effectively utilized in the service of the Church.)
4. Assert your Baptismal right to do ministry now! Look around your parish and decide what's being done poorly or, worse, not being done at all . . . an then do something about it! Be a Christian Activist. You don't need to wait until you are older.
5. Learn how to pry. Develop a comfortable, real, on-going conversational life with God. Talk to God about everything, including your future vocational plans.
6. Develop a variety of useful skills. Learn a foreign language. Learn how to write. Learn how to speak in public. Learn how to be helpful to people of all ages. Learn how to get something new started. Learn how to listen to people who are in trouble. Learn how to meet new people. Learn how to be helpful in crisis.
7. Develop healthy habits. Exercise, eat right, respect yourself as a part of God's Creation, live a balanced life, use good judgment in relationships, keep your word, develop good friends, participate in sports and hobbies which stretch you in some way.
8. Try being in charge. Learning how to be an effective leader is crucial for ordained clergy. In order to be in charge, you must learn to work collaboratively with a wide variety of people. Run for class office, be a leader on your team, lead extra-curricular activities at school, participate in leading a wide variety of events and activities.
9. Develop a healthy sense of humor. Clergy work closely with people who are going through times of great joy and great pain. Having a good sense of humor makes the difficult times more bearable. Learn to be positive and embrace joy.
10. Cultivate Tenacity. Christian ministry is hard and lots of people, both lay and ordained, just plain quit. Work on sticking difficult things out. Test your endurance. Try difficult things. Develop resilience. Get in shape emotionally, physically, and spiritually, "to run the race that has been set before us."
The Rt. Rev'd Dean Wolfe serves as Ninth Bishop of The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. Consecrated bishop in 2003, Bishop Wolfe was formerly Vice Rector of Saint Michael and All Angels Church in Dallas, Texas. (The church where the conference was held at.)
16 January 2009
Rev. vs. Rev'd
So I recently noticed that my parish has started using Rev'd instead of Rev. I got into a conversation with someone about it and the differences of the two. I decided to dig up this old email form a friend that explains why we should be using Rev'd instead of Rev.
Here are the key differences:
Who uses it?
Rev. = Baptists
Rev'd = Anglicans
More specifically, who uses it?
Rev. = Pat Robertson
Rev'd = Rowan Williams
Which one looks good?
Rev. = tacky abbreviation
Rev'd = classy contraction
What about parishes in RI?
Rev. = clueless
Rev'd = cluetrain
How does it make God feel?
Rev. = sad
Rev'd = happy
Thanks SG+
Here are the key differences:
Who uses it?
Rev. = Baptists
Rev'd = Anglicans
More specifically, who uses it?
Rev. = Pat Robertson
Rev'd = Rowan Williams
Which one looks good?
Rev. = tacky abbreviation
Rev'd = classy contraction
What about parishes in RI?
Rev. = clueless
Rev'd = cluetrain
How does it make God feel?
Rev. = sad
Rev'd = happy
Thanks SG+
14 January 2009
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