As I write this, I’m mostly recovered from the jet-lag following my pilgrimage to Taize with eighteen Davidson students. This was my second time going and it did not disappoint. For those who are unfamiliar with the Taize Community, it is a unique and remarkable place; it is one of those “thin places” spoken of in Celtic spirituality.

During the second World War, Roger Schutz, a young Swiss theology student, felt called to travel to France to serve those w...

In our Wednesday morning Bible Study this week, we discussed the Gospel lesson for Sunday – the story of Jesus and the woman at the well in Chapter 4 of John’s Gospel. It has always been one of my favorite Jesus stories. Our discussion took me back to my 2014 visit to the well. Thirsty pilgrims who visit can still pull up a bucket of water and taste it, fresh from the source.

The Samaritan woman must have been so startled and confused by the mysterious behavior ...

But those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

This verse always gives me a renewed sense of purpose and makes me feel like I am filled with the Spirit to accomplish anything. What a powerful verse to inspire such emotion and feeling and the best example I can give of this is being the Director of Children, Youth, and Families Ministry a...

“An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” (Don S. Armentrout & Robert Boak Slocum) states that early Christians observed “a season of penitence and fasting” in preparation for the Paschal feast, or Pascha (BCP, pp. 264-265). The season now known as Lent (from an Old English word meaning “spring,” the time of lengthening days) has a long history. Originally, in places where Pascha was celebrated on a Sunday, th...

With Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent approaching, we often think of journeys: Israel’s 40-year journey through the wilderness; Jesus’ 40-day journey through the wilderness and, hopefully, our own journey through the season of Lent. Although arriving at one’s destination is certainly a reward in itself, there is so much to see and learn along the way to that destination. Yes, we are most thankful that when Easter Day finally arrives, we can give thanks for Christ’s...

Since the Grow, Gather, Serve capital campaign to raise funds for the design and construction of a parish hall at St. Alban’s concluded on June 22nd of last year, so much progress has occurred.

As many of you know, before the parish hall can be constructed, an important piece of our facilities must be replaced and relocated: the church playground. In tandem with engineering and architectural design efforts for the building, a new playground design and construction effo...

I listened to Kevin’s sermon from my sofa on Sunday morning. The doctor’s office said my antibiotics for strep needed a bit more time to work before I could lead worship, so I found myself at home, enjoy a hot cup of tea and a timely message. Kevin shared how the prophet Micah spoke to the people about God’s expectations for God’s people: to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

As Kevin pointed out, God’s expectations for us ha...

Believe it or not, we are just a few weeks from the start of Lent, a season that invites us to reflect on our spiritual lives and find ways to deepen our connection with God. As such, I would like to remind everyone that I continue to host a Zoom Morning Prayer on Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. We have a small, but faithful group of participants, and we would love to welcome some new faces to our screens. It is a modified version of Morning Prayer that lasts about twenty minutes. This ...

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. – Psalm 118:24

I love this verse for many reasons, but mostly because each time I see it, like I did this morning in my morning devotional, it takes me back to when I was in high school in Eastern North Carolina participating in Youth Diocesan Events. We used to sing the song to this verse at many of those events, camps, etc. and to this day when I see it, the song starts to play in my head, and...

This Sunday would have been The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s 94th birthday, had his life not been violently cut short by hatred and fear. In recognition of this anniversary and his legacy, our prayers on Sunday will include the following Collect from the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer supplement entitled Lesser Feasts and Fasts:

Almighty God, by the hand of Moses your servant you led your people out of slavery, and made them free at last: Grant tha...