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In the American context, I find it highly annoying that many of the Johnny-come-lately churches believe they are the largest churches (as if that matters). It might be true in a regional context; for example, the area I live in will have four things in even the smallest communities: a Methodist...

Acts 1.16-17: 16 ‘Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus— 17 for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.’ Judas was counted as one of the apostles...

I don't do many funerals even though most of the churches are full of old people. So many families are foregoing the service or opting for a "celebration of life" now. If I turn on the midday news show, when they run the local obituaries less than half are having any gathering. My colleague in...

I have many colleagues who schedule an "Instructed Eucharist" once a year. I hate that and have never had the desire to do it. There are several reasons: 1) it takes more than one week to cover this topic thoroughly 2) you don't know until 4 minutes after the service starts who is going to be...

The Easter lilies were almost as bad. I couldn't get up on the top step in front of the altar yesterday. I suspect I do rather more of the service from that position than most of the previous pastors. But it was my last Sunday at that congregation for the time being so I let it go.

I didn't serve Tenebrae. The church secretary sent me a format the previous pastor had used 2 years ago which was remarkably similar to the non-communion liturgy for Good Friday in Common Worship by the Church of England. So I just reworked that a bit with the Series B propers and a better...

Cognac. It's very difficult to get any cognac where I live. However, I was in the vicinity of the only upscale liquor store in a 3 county area today and thought to myself, your birthday is coming up, buy something nice. I left with their last bottle of Remy Martin 1738.

That is incorrect. Bp. Lopes himself wrote a piece shortly after "Divine Worship" was issued stating that the Ordinariate Mass is an expression of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite Mass, much to the chagrin of most of his clergy who thought it was more akin to the Extraordinary Form.

Mine seems to stay about 5 deep. Not always because of books I bought. I do book reviews for North American Anglican and sometimes I am passed books some interested party (Archbishop, clergy colleagues, parishioners) want me to read and usually comment on.

Yes. They are coming to our house next week. My mother is at a stage of mental deterioration where she is becoming less agreeable and more surly. My daughter's are having so much fun here they want to return next year. Very expensive place though.

Today is my older daughter's birthday (she is 9). It is also the day that clergy meetings commence at the pro-Cathedral in Myrtle Beach. It didn't make my parents too happy, but I decided I would just take her and her sister with me to Myrtle Beach. It's a fairly popular vacation spot in the US...

I've been doing home visits for the Lutheran parish I'm serving on a long-term supply basis. They have an old-timer who is feeble minded. I don't mean in the Alzheimer's/dementia manner but rather low IQ -not hardly mentally retarded but not a smart person. Some of the other old-timers went to...

I've had a nagging pain in my right forearm for 4 months, maybe 6, more often than not. Feels like tennis elbow but not in the correct spot. I pop Aleve when I really notice it and go on.

I had a bit of a clunker by him sitting around: the overly long book on the spirituality of Dostoevsky's works. It was a gift and I was appreciative of that. And I gifted it to one of the Deacons -even covered the $4 in postage. Hopefully it serves him better than me.

I must confess, I dislike pancakes. This stems from a time when my brother was 5 or 6, didn't eat well, and was markedly underweight. Dad would cook whatever he would actually eat for breakfast and he asked for pancakes for at least 2 months straight. And Dad wouldn't cook 2 different things. I...

When ELCA and TEC entered full communion all of the bishops were supposed to receive consecration sub conditione. However, many were reticent to do so, not really believing it important. Last I knew, there were still holdouts.

I found this compendium of the Patriachs of the ancient Pentarchy looking for something else entirely: Popes and Patriarchs | Christian History Institute It should be noted that the compiler chose to follow the Eastern, rather than Oriental, line for Alexandria.

A case of some people not speaking the language of the church. In the Evangelical world there is a dialect I have come to call 'Christianish' which employs Biblical words in a manner utterly divorced from their denotation.

They've got a lay worship leader that went through some degree of formal training. I'm not sure exactly what that entailed but he occasionally does a communion from the reserved sacrament. He also often accompanies me when I take home communion to some of the elderly.

My congregation just recently dropped down to one service. Within a week they were suggesting that maybe I should have some communion assistants. Thus far I have been able to resist. It really doesn't take that much longer for me to serve everyone myself than what it does if they give me a...