The gift-giving season of Christmas is right around the corner. Here are a few ideas to steer you away from big-box gadgets and toward creative choices that will convey your thoughtfulness and build up our community of faith.
Icons Over Idols: Heroes in an Age of Disillusionment
There is an overwhelming lack of trust in leadership and institutions, including religious leaders, in our day. I’ve had young men approach me privately within my parish, lamenting that they believe they cannot trust the actions or teachings of any religious leader or denomination. A perceived absence of trustworthy shepherds—dare I say heroes—plagues the Christian…
Rosemarie Adcock: An Artist Finds Her Mission Field
The polar bear was too eye-catching. It drew attention away from the painting’s intended focal point. But Rosemarie Adcock, thanks to years of training and experience as a fine artist, knew what to do. With her eye for color, depth, and composition, she deftly added hints of lavender and apricot to soften the polar bear’s…
Today’s Anglican Poets
Among all the Christian traditions, and especially those in the Protestant sphere, Anglicanism stands out for its rich and beautiful language. From the creation of the Book of Common Prayer forward, we have been a tradition of prayer through cadence, rhythm… poetry. This tradition may flow naturally from the emphasis on beauty in the Prayer…
We Believe: Maker of Heaven and Earth
After the Nicene Creed asserts that we believe in “One God, the Father, the Almighty,” we begin to explore his characteristics. The first and most fundamental of these reflects the opening statement of the Bible itself: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). From that sentence onward, Scripture leaves no…
Contemplative Movies for Lent
The season of Lent is a time for contemplation. The Ash Wednesday service in the Book of Common Prayer calls us to observe the season “by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and alms-giving; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word” (BCP 2019, pg. 544). In its call for self-examination and repentance, Lent…
Beauty Shines Through: A Stained Glass Story
At St. Mark’s Anglican Church in Loomis, CA, a new stained glass panel, still in its design stages, will soon adorn the space.
Our Church Speaks: The Voice and Vision of Ben Lansing
If you have spent time on social media with enough other Anglicans, chances are you’ve come across Ben Lansing’s artwork. In a few short years, he has built up a collection of over 250 portraits called Our Church Speaks, inviting viewers to engage with the words and lives of saints from throughout the ages. His…
Remembering Rod Whitacre: The Ukulele Evangelist
In early 2023, the Rev. Dr. Rod Whitacre sat in a hospital bed, reflecting on his life with his son Chad. He was receiving treatment for lymphoma and would soon decide to come home to hospice care. Together that day, they remembered Rod’s many published contributions to New Testament studies, including the IVP New Testament…
