From the category archives:

Best Practices

You Can Be Spiritual And Religious

June 4, 2010

This week, I came across an article by James Martin, a nationally known Jesuit priest, who spoke to the popular phrase “I’m spiritual, just not religious” and explained that this kind of thinking might be a way of saying that religion means, “abiding by arcane rules and hidebound dogmas, and being the tool of an [...]

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Archbishop Rowan Williams at the Beginning of Lent

February 21, 2010

In this video, also available here, Rowan Williams talks of Lent as providing an opportunity to “sweep and clean the room of our own minds and hearts so that the new life really may have room to come in and take over and transform us at Easter.”  The Archbishop says: “It’s not about feeling gloomy [...]

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The Hope of Christmas

December 24, 2009

In the Hymn “Once in David’s Royal City,” there comes this line: For he is our lifelong pattern: day by day like us he grew; he was little, weak, and helpless; tears and smiles like us he knew: and he feels for all our sadness, and he shares in all our gladness. “Our lifelong pattern” [...]

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Keeping Advent Online

November 29, 2009

Here are a number of good online Advent Resources to explore: The Church of England has its own online Advent calendar The Episcopal Diocese of Washington’s 2009 version begins with a brilliantly-colored nativity scene that is actually a child’s puzzle by a Sri Lankan cooperative working with SERRV International. The Diocese of Maryland’s 2009 calendar features daily mediations [...]

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Grateful

November 26, 2009

Grateful for each hand we hold Gathered round this table. From far and near we travel home, Blessed that we are able. Grateful for this sheltered place With light in every window, Saying “welcome, welcome, share this feast Come in away from sorrow.” Father, mother, daughter, son, Neighbor, friend and friendless; All together everyone in [...]

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Stewards of God’s Mysteries

November 6, 2009

In early October, I had the good fortune to attend the clergy retreat of the Diocese of Virginia and hear meditations offered by  both Br. Curtis Almquist (Superior) and Br. Geoffry Tristram from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE).  I was particularly struck by Brother Geoffry’s meditation on “Stewards of God’s Mysteries,” in [...]

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A Lexicon of Life

April 23, 2009

At Holy Comforter’s recent men’s retreat, our guest, Fr. Gideon Pollach, commended to us the value of the “Awareness Examen” out of the Ignatian tradition.  The central value of this ancient spiritual practice is that it offers an intentional way of discerning the presence of God in and through our concrete daily life.  A simple [...]

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Practicing hopefulness by living “as if”

March 2, 2009

Margaret M. Treadwell, M.S.W. has written a wonderful piece on Daily Episcopalian about hope and self-differentiation.  Here’s an excerpt: As the days have unfolded since my peak experience on January 20th [Obama's Innauguration], I’ve been wondering what we really mean by hope and how to keep it alive with the worsening world news from the [...]

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A New Harmonic

February 17, 2009

This past weekend, Tom Ehrich, a church wellness consultant and Director of Church Growth and Development at St. Bartholomew’s in New York, visited Holy Comforter for a series of meetings on the topic of “best practices” in congregational development. Tom was our preacher on Sunday, and his sermon moved me and many others deeply.  Speaking [...]

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Radical Welcome

January 21, 2009

This past weekend, our Vestry spent time in “appreciative inquiry” looking at the core practices of our parish life: radical welcome, engaging worship, intentional discipleship, risk-taking mission and service, and willing generosity.  These are practices embedded in our common life.  We do some well and there are others we need to relearn and deepen to [...]

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