Recipe for success: one part awareness, one part knowledge, one part motivation, one part action. Slowly add one ingredient at a time, gradually and with care. Then begin again. Note: you may be inspired to start over at any point in the process. One might place knowledge before awareness, but without awareness how does knowledge…

James Hewett writes, “God did not save us to be a sensation. God saved us to be servants.” Today’s gospel reading provides a remarkable contrast between sensation and servant. In this reading we hear the story of two of Jesus’ disciples, James and John, who make the request to Jesus to receive a position of…

“How much should I give to the Church?” This is the dilemma faced by most Episcopalians each year around this time as they consider their pledge and annual giving to the work of the church. As a Sunday bulletin insert from the Ecumenical Stewardship Center explains the issue, “People are often asked to give the…

In today’s gospel, we hear the intriguing story of Jesus’ disciples trying to stop a man who had been casting out demons in Jesus’ name. They seem to have become especially upset because the offender was not one of them. In the eyes of the disciples, he was not part of the inner circle, and…

Love received is love to be shared. Life is short – and we do not have too much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel the way with us. So let us be swift to love and make haste to be kind, and the blessing of God will be with us. In the…

Sometimes you have to wonder about after-church snacks, especially celebrations. Eating congratulatory cake doesn’t make for a good pre-lunch appetizer, does it? Some parents oppose having cookies available for their little ones and insist on fruit or other more nutritious snacks. What’s the hospitality committee to do? Such minor controversy plays on the wider discussion…

What is it about youth-group songs that make them stick in your head? I am the resurrection [clap].And the life [clap, clap, clap, clap].Those who believe in me will live a new life.I am the resurrection [clap].And the life [clap, clap, clap, clap].Those who believe in me will never die. Who remembers that one? There’s…

“God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living.” What do you think about that verse from the Wisdom of Solomon? If God didn’t make death and doesn’t delight in the death of the living, then why do people we love die, and who thought up heaven and…

“Have you considered my servant Job?” God asked the Adversary in the first chapter of Job. And that was the fateful question, the catalyst, the push that set in motion a chain of events that would leave Job near despair. Job had seven sons and three daughters, and his livestock numbered in the hundreds. He…