A city on a hill Matthew 5: 14

Texas around the nation

2010-07-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

A minivan in Tennessee; an Aggie in Pittsburgh

Just a few examples of Texas projecting power abroad!

Keep flying

2010-07-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

The Rev. Canon Dr. Gordon K. McBride, priest, historian, pilot, author, historian, mentor and friend, died recently. He will be missed.

Flying to Tombstone, Gordon's first novel, is a compelling commentary on border and immigration issues. Set in Tombstone and Tucson, the novel offers a rich perspective on immigrants and ranchers and the land on which they live. A second novel set in England offers the idea that places have their own memory.

Gordon came to Texas last year to offer a Lenten program at St. Andrew's. His voice was strong, his message timely, and his graceful presence unwavering.

Keep flying, Gordon. Thanks for everything; I'll never forget you.

Finding water

2010-07-20T17:17:00.001-07:00

I have long been intrigued by the image of exilic people making their way through the desert. Throughout scripture, the experience of traveling through barren lands serves as a literary trope for the human condition. In the desert, the Israelites were as honest with God and each other as they ever had been.

As an itinerant preacher wandering from place to place, I draw strength from reading and reflecting the words of exilic people. Both testaments record the joys and sorrows of searching for meaning while on the move. Yet I asked recently, "what characterizes nomadic people?" As I often do when I have questions, particularly from the Hebrew Bible, I call my Rabbi (everyone should have a Rabbi in their life).

"What sustains people on the move?" I asked. With a slight pause and quick wit, my Rabbi replied, "water".

Of course! I exclaimed, slapping my forehead! Finding water in the desert: that's the stuff of life for nomads AND people in static locations!

Blessed with resources and networks, I am fortunate not to have to seek out food and shelter in my itinerant ministry (unless I count restaurants and hotels); instead I seek out "water" for the journey.

"Water": the substance of life. Most of the human body is composed of it. Our world is filled with it. A symbol of death and life: water greets us when we're born, sustains us in life, and cleanses us when we die. To allegorize water is not a far stretch!

My "water" on this journey might be described as exercise:

Spiritual exercise: reading scripture, prayer, attending services

Physical exercise: making time to run, swim, and work out stress

Mental exercise: reading, stopping in places that promise new insight (there have been many)

This is my "water"; exercise sustains me on this long journey. What's your "water"?

Lessons in hospitality

2010-07-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

The root word for "hospital" and "hospitality" are the same: to welcome somebody is an expression of healing.

Last week as I tended to the crew of a Coast Guard cutter that lost a shipmate (a few days later, the daughter of another crew member was trampled by a horse at a 4th of July parade), I was astounded by the hospitality the crew extended to me (a stranger).

On the first day I met the boat while it was still underway, the first question from the Officer in Charge was, "Have you eaten?", followed by, "How about some coffee?" In their grief and pain, they did not neglect hospitality to the stranger. After the cutter had arrived at homeport, I was invited to two barbeques hosted by crew members and allowed to share their stories, hear their hopes and dreams, and witness their support of each other.

Despite their many trials and tribulations, the crew never forgot the divine gift of hospitality. In the moments of meeting each other, true healing could occur. A lesson to take home...and share with others.

4th of July

2010-07-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

Chief Machinery Technican's Mate Christopher White, age 32, died in an accident early Thursday morning, leaving behind a wife and two little girls. He was well loved.

I will spend the weekend with his shipmates and co-officiate his memorial service on Tuesday.

Please remember Chris and his family in your prayers. As we celebrate this 4th of July, let's remember the sacrifices our service members make, both home and abroad.

Child friendly service

2010-06-13T19:20:00.001-07:00

This morning I worshipped at Calvary Episcopal Church in Cincinnati. The 9:30 family service was delightful; look at the lectern with children's hand prints! The Rector used a monkey puppet with a French accent as children gathered around. We sang a lively mix of traditional and contemporary music, which seemed to appeal to the array of people who participated.

How can we make our worship more welcoming to children?

Chance encounters!

2010-06-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

Howdy,

You just never know who you might see around the next corner! Last week I was in the middle of a 2400 mile road trip (Missouri-Tennessee-Alabama-Georgia-Mississippi-Louisiana-Tennessee-Missouri-Wyoming-Missouri). I ended up going to a meeting in New Orleans; look who I saw on Bourbon Street! Ron & Judy and I enjoyed jazz at Preservation Hall (thanks, Ron--I owe you!); it was great to catch up.

I went to church on Sunday at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis, where Mike Kinman, my friend from Chapel Rock Church Camp days in Arizona, is the Provost. A beautiful church and great liturgy. Also enjoyed lunch after church with some new friends from the Cathedral; we talked about the joys and struggles of urban ministry.

I'm also gearing up for our survey of the Book of Deuteronomy in the fall--join us on Wednesday nights beginning in September as part of our church's prayerful consideration of the immigration issue.

Thought for the day: is it easier to believe in Jesus, or to follow him?

Week 1

2010-05-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

I expected a challenge on this "mini deployment", but the sheer geography of this job is mind boggling! All has gone well; I've made new friends and have started my first "road trip" through the Southern US visiting Coast Guard installations.

Please pray for: endurance for Coast Guard members responding to the crisis in the Gulf Coast; family members who wait for their loved ones to return, and those who grieve the loss of their homes in recent flooding in Tennessee.

Resurrecting the blog

2010-05-11T12:06:00.000-07:00

After a long hiatus, I'm resurrecting this blog! Please stand by for future installments!

Faith through the ages

2009-09-03T09:51:00.001-07:00

We're off and running with "Faith Through the Ages". If you have an opportunity to pick up a copy of Owen Chadwick's book A History of Christianity, we're about half way through Chapter One.

Yesterday we discussed our Jewish background and Greco-Roman influence. Any "a-ha" moments so far? Mine was Chadwick's correlation of the pantheon of Greek & Roman gods with the early custom of patron saints.

Vandalism

2009-03-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

Sometime during the night of March 13, St. Andrew's was vandalized. John Rice, the man pictured, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief. Mr. Rice's arrest record is long and sordid.

Please remember Mr. Rice in your prayers.

An emerging conversation

2009-03-11T07:31:00.001-07:00

My friend Fr. Ron Pogue posted his notes from Brian McClaren's presentation at the Seminary of the Southwest. What do you think, particularly about the concluding sentence?

In this time of extraordinary change, the Episcopal Church has
ADVANTAGES
~ A Via Media Mindset (many never surrendered to modern reductionism)~ A Celtic Mindset (vestiges of non-Roman Christianity, non-imperial expression of faith)~ A Diverse Mindset (space to differ)~ A Liturgical Mindset (space to experience God, portal & exercises for experience of God)
DISADVANTAGES~ An Upper Class Mindset (elitist, civilized, uniform, colonial)~ An Institutional Mindset (centralized, controlled, change-resistant, risk-aversive)~ A Christendom Mindset (people ought to come to US)~ A Bi-Polar Mindset (Liberal vs. Conservative, etc.)
In order to overcome the disadvantages and leverage the advantages, the Episcopal Church needs
~ A "Bring Them In" spirit~ A "Let's Experiment" spirit~ A "We're Beginning Again" spirit~ A "Transcend & Include" spirit~ The Holy Spirit
There is no cosmetic or surgical solution to our problems.
We need a radically new/bold understanding of the Gospel.
The Gospel is NOT about self-enhancement. It is about "God so loved the world."
The church does not have a message of the kingdom of God, the message has a church to deliver it.
It is not about getting people into heaven, but getting heaven into people - getting the heavenly will done on earth.
What kind of example are YOU?
Would you rather be motivated by desperate necessity or surging creativity?
What would it take for you to be excited about inviting your friends to church?
Our work is forming disciples as agents of the kingdom of God.
Plant new congregations: new ones innovate, old ones imitate.
Find out what "Anglimergent" means...
We need to stop being worried about being Episcopalians and start worrying about people who've written off Christianity as they know it.
The Baptismal Covenant (BCP) is our strategic plan:~ We believe the story! (Apostles' Creed)~ We will practice what the story tells us.~ We will embrace a personal spirituality.~ We will share the good news liberally.~ We will work for peace and justice.
We need to abandon civil religion, which blesses and validates the state, and embrace prophetic religion, which may confront the state. Dr. King had it right, the church should not be either the servant or the master of the state. It should be the conscience (and imagination) of the state.
We need to avoid sub-contracting our conscience.
We need to stop making "The Church" the issue and make "Jesus Christ" the gift we offer.

Pentateuch

2008-10-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

(from study guide of Reading the Bible Again)
Ancient Israel's primal narrative brings together two areas of life that we tend to separate: religious passion and social justice. In Moses, as in the story of the Exodus as a whole, the experience of God adn the liberation from empire are brought together. How well are you doing at bringing together religious passion and social justice? What insights about this era can you find in this narrative of ancient Israel?

Continuation

2008-09-15T08:14:00.001-07:00

We'll continue with the same topic this week.

If you were affected by Hurricane Ike, please let me hear from you!

Creation narratives

2008-09-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

This week we're looking at the two creation narratives in Genesis: the "P" writer's version in Genesis 1: 1-2: 3 and the "J" writer in Genesis 2: 4-3: 24. Both stories are based on Ancient Israel's cultural myths, which are narratives designed to convey truth.

If you were asked to write your own creation story, how would you word it? I would be more likely to talk about other creations that I had a part in (my children), which is more vivid in my memory than my own birth (get the joke?).

To what part of creation are you connected?

Bible Study question

2008-09-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

Marcus Borg asserts on page 17 of Reading the Bible Again for the First Time that "post modernity" leads us to reading scripture through the lenses of cultural conditioning, turning to experience, and metaphors that communicate truth.

Through what cultural lenses do we read scripture?

What experiences do we apply in reading and interpreting scripture?

What metaphors do we use to communicate truth?

Multi cultural workshop at St. Andrew's

2008-09-02T07:06:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, St. Andrew's Church decided to remain in downtown Bryan to offer ministry to our neighborhood. What does a "downtown church" look like?

Canon Jaime Case from the Diocese of Texas www.epicenter.org will facilitate a workshop beginning Friday night to help us answer that question. Dinner will be served; come join us!

Kick Off Sunday

2008-08-28T12:45:00.001-07:00

August 31 is kick off Sunday (see www.standrewsbcs.org for details). Sunday School, choir, and other programs begin this weekend; next week we'll start new Bible Study opportunties for adults (Tuesdays at 2:30 and Wednesdays at 7).

Hope you'll join us!

Welcome to the St. Andrew's Blog!

2008-08-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the St. Andrew's Church web log (blog). For news about St. Andrew's Church, please see www.standrewsbcs.org.

On this blog, I will comment on lectionary readings, Bible Studies, and events around the community.

My hope is for a dialogue with the parish and beyond about life, faith, and the world entrusted into our care.