Posts from 2019 (Page 4)

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV)             I was lucky to have been born an Episcopalian.             My uncle and cousin were priests. Another cousin married a priest after her brother introduced her to his friend from the seminary. Throughout my early days, I attended St John’s Episcopal Church in Sharon, Massachusetts, and I enjoyed it. I served as both an acolyte and a server.…

“Blessed be the Lord! For He has heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.” Psalm 28:6-7             Phil and I met in high school and double-dated initially, then married after I graduated from college (Phil said I moved up into the front seat).             I have a life-time of memories with…

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 (New Living Translation)             This is my life’s journey.             Beginning at age six through age fifty-five, I suffered from Spinal Meningitis, Polycystic Ovarian Disease, Hepatitis A, B and C, Endometriosis, Uterine and Cervical Cancer, Breast Cancer, broken legs, wrist and hip and knee replacement, Degenerative Disc Disease, Diabetes and Scoliosis of the Spine. I lost both parents in an auto accident, and my baby sister died…

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (NIV)             From the time I was eight until I was twelve, my grandfather sexually abused me.             For a long time, I was angry with my mother for leaving me with him. As I got older and knew more about abuse, I learned that abusers don’t just pop out of nowhere. They’ve usually been abused themselves.             When my grandfather died, I thought, “Well, at last I don’t…

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2: 17 (NIV)           It was January, 1972. I randomly ran into Jim Lovejoy in a grocery store. We began our friendship when my wife was in the hospital having our third baby. Never one to cook for myself, I ate out often during that time.…

“…he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways…”Psalm 91:11 (ESV)             “No,” I told my children. “I read that there are sink holes out there. It’s just not safe!”             Going to the beach was an almost daily ritual when my children were growing up. After all, we did live in Naples, the land of the world’s most beautiful beaches (in my estimation at least).             All three of my children enjoyed building castles,…

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139:16 (NLT)             In 1957, just out of law school, I was awarded a position with the Department of Justice in a special program set up for honors’ law school graduates by the attorney general. Two years into my Washington dream job, I married, and tried to build a marriage while…

“Then turning to His disciples, He said privately, ‘The eyes that see the things you see are blessed! For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things you see yet didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear yet didn’t hear them.’” Luke 10: 23-24 (HCSV)             The Lord has always known me, and I believe I have always known the Lord. The Episcopal Church has been the church of my family for centuries. …

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace  to me was not without effect.” 1 Corinthians 15:10           Critical comments swarmed in my mind long after they took place, never giving me a moment’s peace.            Does intelligent thought ever enter your skull? Who do you think you are? You’re just a joke with a bad punchline? Work harder, stupid! Never let ‘em see you sweat! Don’t be such a wuss! You’re too fast!…

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 (KJV) When I was six years old, my mom had divorced my father, married my stepfather and moved us to a new neighborhood in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Back then, kids walked everywhere, even through the woods to get to school. One day walking home from school, this big tree said gently, “Child.” I had such an overwhelming feeling that I sat down, and…