Here is a small collection of quotes and comments about the Cross and Holy Week that I have collected over the years. They are sermon starters, devotional nudges, and deep expressions of our faith and love of Jesus Christ and the Cross He endured. May the Lord richly bless you all in the Holy Week. …
WATCH: A Call to Plant a Church
A week or so ago I had the chance to sit with one of the church planters in our diocese (C4SO) from the Austin area. Shawn is one of a growing number of young leaders that have sensed a strong call to ministry in the Anglican Church in North America. However, he’s done more than…
For the Beauty of The Year: The Liturgical Calendar
Our culture has its own calendar for the next month or so. We can mark off these days: Door-busters, Black Friday, Parties, Winter breaks, Holiday cheer, Family dinners (and political arguments) and ending with a Ball-dropping champagne toast. That is the liturgy of the world at the end of a year. But what about the Liturgical…
How to Write A Year End Appeal Letter
As a ‘lame duck’ rector of the church I’d pastored for decades, I had an unusual experience writing my last year-end appeal letter. I had announced my resignation six months earlier. The entire congregation was waiting for some good news from the Search Committee. And we had a significant financial need. HUGE! We needed to…
When You Hate Ministry: Don’t Quit It, Fix It.
It’s time for a little honesty. Just you and me talking. There are parts of pastoral ministry you hate. You’d rather clean toilets. You’d rather go to the dentist for a root canal. You drive by garbage collectors and think: “That’s appealing!” Sometimes, our lofty ideals and our devotion to Jesus are insufficient to keep…
A Year of First Blessings
So, you now know the origin of this blog title: First Blessing. It is also traditional that first blessings are too special to be restricted to one day; the new priest gives first blessings for an entire year. So, I have set my heart and hand to writing these public reflections of the life of…
We Can’t Do it
In the 17th century, pastor and poet George Herbert wrote the book The Country Parson, one of the first manuals for pastors written in English. He starts his book by acknowledging that he feels inadequate: the way to please [God], is to feed my Flock diligently and faithfully, since our Savior has made that the…
The Rector: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Over the years, I have experienced numerous periods of growth and development as the Rector and Senior Pastor of Christ Church. I have made mistakes along the way; I’ve also had some blessed moments. Many of both. And, fortunately, for all but a few years, I have had a great relationship with our vestry. We have developed a…
Leave-Taking
Last week, I received a lapel pin to commemorate twenty-five years of service to public education. It has actually been twenty-seven years, but my school system has only recently begun such recognitions and is a bit “behind.” I will not get a thirty-year pin. When I close my calculus text in May, I will close…
Ash Wednesday: Are You Really Only Dust in the Wind?
On Ash Wednesday, clergy around the world will draw a cross-shaped smudge of dark black ashes on the foreheads of millions of people. It is the ancient rite of The Imposition of Ashes which signals the start of Lent. The words that accompany the ‘imposition’ on Ash Wednesday are simple, sober, and true. Over the years I…
What Do I Call You?
“What do I call you?” the bank teller asked as we conducted a routine financial transaction—a question prompted by the collar I was wearing. “I am an Anglican priest. Sometimes we are called Father and sometimes simply by first name. Whichever you please is fine.” A Title is an Identity with Jesus Christ What I…
Herding Cats
Comedians often use humor as social commentary. A joke can slip through our defenses, expose our hidden hypocrisy, question our cherished beliefs, scrutinize our preconceived notions, and all this while making us laugh at ourselves. Such jokes are nearer parables than we often realize. They are humorous precisely because we recognize some grain of truth…
