By Ron McCrary One Astonishing Motion by Our God: The Cross and Resurrection Our Easter celebration really begins with Good Friday: Jesus' victory on the cross that defeated Satan and the spiritual forces of evil, and his triumphant resurrection on the third day. Easter and the cross are inseparably joined in God’s redeeming work in [...]
By Carol Dowsett, a Bible study teacher, intercessor and lay leader at All Saints Dallas "Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment." (Luke 23:56 ESV) It is the day slid between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Not much is said in the Scriptures about the time between the filling [...]
By Mark Nesbitt, Formation Pastor at Luminous Parish As you are well aware, there are group of people who only show up for church on Christmas and Easter. The pangs of guilt they feel as these two seasons roll around, often prompted by a call or text from a parent, bring them back to the [...]
By Katy Monwai, parishioner at St. Bartholomew’s, Dallas, TX This Lent, we at St. Bartholomew’s mourn the loss of our dear friend Nelson Koscheski. He was a retired priest who lived a crazy and full life, and my husband, Brian, and I had the privilege of knowing him and his patient wife, Judy, during the past five years in pastorate. He had uncommon depth. We knew him as a contemplative intellectual who spent his time painting icons, writing poetry and regaling us with stories of his life and of God’s unending faithfulness. […]
By Bryan+ Patrick Let’s begin by doing something that our beloved Bishop Chuck used to do all the time: Let’s throw a skunk on the table. My guess is that most of us reading this blog have not taken the time to read the new constitution for our mission society and, unless someone twists your [...]
By Anne Ciccoline, Parishioner and Aspirant at Four Winds Anglican Mission, Columbia, TN My life is busy, with many, many things always clamoring for my attention. Many roles and responsibilities place demands on my time and energy. Many voices require listening and response. As I’ve sought to enter into the season of Lent, observing the traditions of self-examination and repentance—by prayer, fasting and self-denial, and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word—I’ve found that the noise in my own head and heart gets in the way. […]
By Rob Shafer, member of the AMiA Board of Directors At the General Assembly held in Dallas in September 2018, a supermajority of the delegates considered a new constitution for the Anglican Mission. Members and friends of the Anglican Mission may well ask, “Why was this important, and what does it accomplish?” […]
By Rachel Hunt, a parishioner at St. Andrew’s Little Rock I am a dirty, messy, broken girl. As we approach Lent, I examine myself. I am unable to deny that I am a dirty saint, a messy image-bearer, a broken disciple. This would be troubling if not for the gospel of grace that wipes away the dirt, cleans up the mess and smooths the sharp places of my broken edges. […]
By Lauren Balfour, parishioner at Grace Northridge Church in San Antonio, Texas Lent is a season to remember what is and is not truly ours through the act of fasting. Time, resources, pleasures, favorite foods or drinks—any of these, the Holy Spirit may nudge us to fast from. For a few years now, my fast has been from social media. I’m not an active contributor to Facebook or Instagram, but I do seem to love whiling away time scrolling, using my phone to stave off boredom or loneliness or impatience. When I fast from social media, I realize how little control I have over time. Without social media, in the empty moments of waiting that are a part of daily life, I just have to be patient and be in my own thoughts. Suddenly I find myself more available to open my Bible app or to say a short prayer when a friend comes to mind. It is not that social media is innately harmful; it’s that my flesh loves entertainment and the enemy loves distraction. Sometimes doing what’s not quite right is just as detrimental as doing what is wrong. […]
The Holy Spirit day or weekend retreat has always been a high point in the life of churches where I have served. Although it is part of the Alpha program, all Alpha participants for that season and all of our parishioners are encouraged to come and to bring friends. Because we seem to find so little teaching on the role of the power of the Holy Spirit in the church today, we try to make it as available as possible. […]
