Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Anticipation


In today's age of "now, now, NOW!", we forget sometimes to stop and rest. And that is what I will be doing with this blog for the next two weeks. Don't worry, I'll be back, and this time I won't delete the old posts. I just need to regroup, refocus, and recharge. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!




Saturday, December 13, 2008

Sad News from the Dioces of Arkansas

I just read this in my e-mail this evening.

From the Dioces of Arkansas:

The Rev. Peggy Bosmyer
With sadness we report that our friend and colleague, Peggy Bosmyer, Vicar and Canon Missioner of St. Margaret's, Little Rock, died early this morning after a long illness. She was at home with her family. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, December 17, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity Cathedral, Little Rock.

Please keep Peggy's husband, Dennis Campbell and her children, Michael, Larnie, Hannah and Caitlin in your thoughts and prayers.
May Peggy's soul, and the souls of all the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

My prayers go out to Dennis and his family as well tonight. Rest in peace, and may the Holy Spirit comfort her family during this time of sorrow...

Amen

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Hat Tip to MadPriest

Go check this link out... NOW...
http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/12/08/hi-im-baby-jesus-hope-you-enjoy-my-blog/

18 Days!!

Officially 18 days today until I finish my associates degree via CTU Online!! Woo Hoo!! Major milestone for me, concidering this will be the first college degree anyone in my family has received, EVER. Almost there! Then I get to start on the bachelor's degree...

And if anyone tells you getting a degree online is "easier" than a brick and mortar school, they're lying to you. The courses have had me writing 4-6 research papers every week since i started back in August.

But, 16 months from now, and I will be the proud owner of two diplomas...

Friday, December 5, 2008

Humility


Luke 20:45-47 and Luke 21:4
In the hearing of all the people he said to the* disciples, ‘Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.’

He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.’


This passage of scripture is a part of today's Gospel reading from the Book of Common Prayer. It is easy to look at this verse and apply it to the happenings in the Anglican Communion today. Pointing fingers at someone else is always easier, and all the grandstanding being done this week makes it even more so. I'll admit that deposed bishop Duncan and company were the first people I thought about, and probably rightly so. However, Jesus sayings are almost never that specific, and usually can cut both ways.


Much to the dismay of most fundamentalists, Jesus ministry was about more than a legalistic notion of purity. But what is missed many times, even by progressive Christians like me, is Jesus call for honest humility in his servants. These passages give a warning to us about following leaders who are full of hubris, but it also gives us instruction for what we should aspire to, and how we as leaders ourselves should be.


Many times throughout the Gospels, Jesus praises those who are humble, who put others needs before their own out of love. The story of the rich people and the beggar woman is one example, but many others abound. Even the Old Testament prophets, like Ezekiel and Isaiah speak of doing for others and putting aside your pride.


How many times have you done something for someone, and became upset when you were not recognized for it. What are your motivations for doing what you do. Are you doing it for the sheer joy of doing it, because it is needed, or is it because you want to be noticed? We are all guilty of this in one way or another. Some more so than others, but we all have our moments.


What Jesus is talking about in this passage is attitudes. When we do for others, it should be from our hearts. This season, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord, think about that. Remember why we celebrate, and why we give.
Merry Christmas

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Holiday Blues



I'm not usually one to get excited about the holidays, but with my son now old enough to understand how to open presents I've been on pins and needles waiting for Christmas day. I even put up our small Christmas tree this year, and it's been no small feat to keep that 18 month old from removing all the ornaments and trying to pull the lights off of it. I haven't felt this excited about the Holidays since I was a kid!

But of course with every silver lining comes a cloud. My wife and I are debating whether or not to go 2 hours away to spend Christmas with my family in North Central Arkansas or to stay home this holiday season and volunteer at our church. Most years this wouldn't be a contest, and we'd be treking the trip, baby and all. This year I'm not so excited about the prospect.

See, this Thanksgiving we did make the trip and things didn't go so well. I don't know exactly how to explain it, except to say that I almost didn't feel welcomed this year at our family gathering. While I made pains to try to avoid talking politics, my youngest brother couldn't help but comment on my Obama sticker on the car, "You know this is McCain country, right?" Later that afternoon, my brothers started talking about how the country was about to go downhill, hearing Obama jokes (some racial enough for me to have to curb my temper lest I haul off and hit my brother), and hearing comments of, "Sarah Palin is a good Conservative Christian woman," and such, I finally left their discussion with, "I think you may be pleasantly supprised with what happens next," to which I got the ending response, "Yeah, maybe he'll really screw up and they'll get tired of Democrats." Like I said, I left before I got really mad.

It seems like my family and I have been drifting apart again, and that I am once again becoming the black sheep. Before it was because I had left Christianity entirely. Now it's because my Christian views have moved beyond what they were when I first came back to the Path, and have actually moved away from their more conservative views. It's a tough fit.

I think I can see thier side too. In their eyes, I'm becoming "citified" (my word, not theirs), and I'm losing my country roots. They are having to feel me out as much as I am having to do the same. I'm just not sure if I want to go through that again on a day when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. On the other hand, I don't want to deprive them of seeing Eli go crazy with the wrapping paper and I do miss them. So that's the crux of the problem. Go and pray that we can avoid the two dreaded topics of politics and religion, or stay and help celebrate Christ's birth with people who otherwise might not have anything to celebrate. Sounds easy, but it's a tough choice.

Can you ever truly go home again?

The Papers Are Signed, Time to Move On





Well, it's official. According to Preludium, PACNA has now formed, consisting of the break-away churches and diocies and friends. What I find amazing is that this network is holding together so well, considering the differences in doctrine between the organizations. One has to wonder how well they would hold together if TEC ignored them all together. I mean concidering that they are a coalition only as long as they have a common enemy, that of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, they would most likely turn on eachother in their quest for spiritual purity. To take a phrase from John Stewart, "It's 3am, the host has yawned and put on his bathrobe... Time to leave the party." Good luck you guys, have fun in your future bickering. We in the Episcopal Church will now go on about picking up the pieces and spreading the Gospel, as opposed to this supposed "faith once delivered" nonsense.