A pastor in a book about giving recounts the following story: when he was a young boy, his mother used to send him on occasional errands to the local florist to pick up bouquets for the family dining table. He writes of how much he resented this chore. He didn’t care about having cut flowers in his home. He didn’t want to stop what he was doing to walk all the way to the shop to get them. On top of everything else, he really didn’t want to be seen out in his neighborhood carrying his purchase. He feared his friends might mock him, or incorrectly assume he had a romantic partner…..

As Christians we should have a strong belief in prayer and the power of prayer. It is part of our relationship with God where we can never stop growing or do too much. Prayer is a wonderful privilege that God extends to us to come and talk to Him and lay everything at His feet. Prayer shouldn’t be our last resort when times become difficult. Rather, it should be the first life-saving ring if you will, we grab when we are drowning and hold on to for dear life.

Is it always easy? No. But, then again, neither is life, hence the need for these reminders to take everything to the Lord in prayer before, in the middle of and after feeling totally overwhelmed by it all….

Halloween came early to my neighborhood last weekend. Charlie and I are renting an apartment not too far from the Javits Center. Often, we have guests from far and near walking our streets from various conventions, getting air or looking for restaurants. Last weekend, New York Comic Con was in residence, so our visitors were more colorful and more noticeable than usual…..

When she was eight years old, my niece Audrey asked me the very important theological question, “Does God have pets?” Now, she had an ulterior motive for this question, as she was angling to be allowed to get a dog (this was before Penny, and then Hugo, came into her life!) – but nevertheless, it is an intriguing question. I responded, “Yes, I think WE are all God’s pets.”….

Last Sunday, and for the next six weeks, our Adult Education at 10 am will be focused on The Way of Love. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has recommended this broad and adaptable Rule of Life to those of us identified with what he calls “the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.” The Way includes seven practices, each meant to help us follow Jesus more intentionally and grow in God’s love: Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, Rest….

On Sunday we have one of the most unusual parables Jesus ever uttered. We could call it the parable of the Shrewd Manager. It’s a story about a manager who was squandering money that belonged to his employer. He used dishonest methods to give an accounting of money that belonged to his boss.

You see the manager was a cunning, conniving, dishonest person. One can’t help but smile at how shrewd he was. You can’t help but admit that what he did was a clever little idea if however terrible, morally apprehensible….

What is it about autumn? Whether we are actively engaged with the academic year or not, there is something about Labor Day weekend coming and going; something about those days where the air is just a bit crisper and we notice it getting darker a tad earlier. Maybe it’s because so many of us were students for so long or because we live in the Northeast with its distinct seasons, but it’s hard not to feel the bittersweet combination of summer’s loss and the hope that accompanies new beginnings.

Today I came across this “Thought for the Day” on a poetry website (https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com):

Don’t resent the work.
It gives you strength to stand
whole and silent
before the Mystery.
– Ivan M. Granger

Granger may be talking about a more significant kind of work, but I immediately thought of all the little things that I resent doing each day. This is the stuff I “have to” do, the “shoulds” — much of it just the tedious things in work and life that we all have to attend to. Things like those emails I have to return, the doctor’s appointment I should make, and the research I need to do in order to fix my misbehaving computer….

I had two conversations this week that stayed with me long after they were finished. The first was with one of my sons, and the topic was the early retirement, at age 29, of NFL quarterback Andrew Luck. The second conversation was with one of my nephews, who is a rising junior in high school….

In the Gospel story for this coming Sunday, a lady whose disability has caused her to be bent over for 18 years, walks into the Synagogue and upon seeing her Jesus who was teaching calls her to come to Him. He lays His hands on her and she is healed. The leader of the synagogue was not happy because Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath….