All Saints

In two and a half years at Trinity we have developed a great sense of fun surrounding the Feast of All Saints. Monica brought a really neat cake that the kids just loved this year. This is the second year I did the Christian Pumpkin carving for the kids. We even had a few kids in costume. I thought it was rather fitting that they were out of orange pumpkins at the store and we had to go with a white pumpkin…Because... after all, “The color for the feast day is white.”

Here’s the text for the Christian Pumpkin Carving:
Dear God, Open my mind so I can learn about You;
Take away all my sin and forgive me for the wrong things I do.
Open my eyes so Your love I will see;
I'm so sorry for turning up my nose to all you've given me.Open my ears so your word I will hear.
Open my mouth so I can tell others You're near
Let Your light shine in all I say and do! Amen.

Shoot The Clergy

It is interesting how certain traditions develop over time in the life of individual parishes. We recently celebrated "Shoot The Clergy Day." This is an annual youth event where the clergy of Trinity Church strap on Lazer Tag equipment and shoot it out with the kids in the congregation. Later, pizza and games are enjoyed by young and old alike. This year Bishop Wes was out of town and I had to do battle alone. However, I actually came in fourth out of a field of ten this year (Maybe I shouldn't mention that first place was taken by a teenage girl of seventeen).

Trinity has developed a real youthful feel. Actually...Over a third of the parish's membership is under age twenty-five. It's amazing to be part of a growing and faithful church family with numerous ages represented. I have to laugh when I go back and listen to my sermons and I hear the noise of kids in the background. It doesn't always make for the best sound quality in recordings...But...It's a great problem to have.

Blessing of the Animals

Trinity Anglican Church recently celebrated the "Blessing of the Animals". Twenty-five people were in attendance. Ten dogs, one twenty-two year old cat and one hedgehog were blessed. The “Blessing of the Animals” is an historic, time-honored service in Christian faith and tradition. It acknowledges what children and adults have been doing in their own spiritual lives from time immemorial: praying for their animals. People have named their animals, loved them, cared for them, tended to them when they are ill.A “Blessing of the Animals” allows the Church to recognize that the kind of unconditional love some people have received from their animals has actually rivaled the treatment they have gotten in some cases from their fellow humans. C.S. Lewis once said that, "just as God’s love for us lifts us into the Godhead, so our love for animals and our care for them lifts these other creatures heavenward...

We had the Evansville Police Department Canine Unit on hand and these dogs were absolutely brilliant! Their human partners could get these dogs to do about anything. It's easy to see how they were partners in the truest sense of the word. We are all blessed to have such brave (both human and non-human) law enforcement officers protecting our families and property in the Tri-State.

Anglican Unity-FACA

There is so much information out there on the New Province of the ACNA I wanted to make sure that other vehicles for Anglican unity are not forgotten along the way. The Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas (FACA) was formed in 2006 to provide a vehicle for communication, fellowship and cooperation between the various Anglican Jurisdictions in the Americas. http://anglicanfederation.org/

FACA VISION (Taken from the FACA website)
The Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas, in obedience to our Lord's command that His people be one, envisions faithful Anglican Churches working together in communion to fulfill the Great Commission. fellowship and cooperation between the various Anglican Jurisdictions in the Americas. On this site you will learn about the goals, privileges and procedures for membership.

1. FACA is a Federation of Anglican Provinces or Jurisdictions in North and South America which hold to the primacy of Holy Scripture, the Ecumenical Creeds and Councils, adhere to the 39 Articles of Religion, and the principles of the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral. Each member jurisdiction has adopted one of the historical Books of Common Prayer (as the primary standard for worship).

2. The autonomy of the individual Provinces, or Jurisdictions and their local parishes is in no way restricted or superceded by membership in FACA.

3. The Federation will seek to maintain the Patronage of orthodox Primates in the Anglican Communion. Such patronage is for advisory purposes in expanding fellowship with those in the Anglican Communion and working in concert with the godly projects and programs of the Archbishops primarily in the Global South.

4. Some of the member jurisdictions of the Federation are also members of the Common Cause Partners in North America. All deliberations and actions of the Federation will be executed with sensitivity to the godly goals and purposes of the Common Cause Partners to proclaim the Gospel and effect unity among faithful Anglicans in North America.

5. Further information about membership in the Federation may be obtained by contacting the current representative of the Admissions Committee.

The amount of cooperation that is allowed between FACA members is really incredible.

Among these are:

In the Consecration or Ordination of Bishops or other Ministers in the several Provinces. or Jurisdictions, the Bishops and Clergy of the other member Provinces, or Jurisdictions may be invited to participate.

The Ministers of member Provinces, Jurisdictions or Dioceses shall be entitled to officiate transiently in the congregations of member jurisdictions subject to the canonical requirements of the several Provinces, Jurisdictions and Dioceses, and also, subject to the respective regulations of said entities, shall be eligible to hold a cure of souls in the other.

The current members of FACA are: ACA, AMIA, APA, DHC, EMC, and the REC

Amusing Pictures

I thought it would be nice to post some humorous pictures of my life. I believe a lot of people think that clergy lead pretty boring lives. The truth is actually much different. When you truly have the joy that one receives from the Gopsel of Jesus Christ in your heart life is usually pretty fun!

Here's a picture of my mouse ears I got while in Disney. I tried to convince others that this was a "Disney Biretta"...No such luck! Guess I won't ever wear these in church again...

At Vacation Bible School this year we had the kids experience just a small taste of the pain Jesus went through for all of us. We read to the kids from Scripture about how Jesus got to taste vinegar and gall from a sponge while he was nailed to a cross. Then they got to experience how great vinegar tastes. Guess my buddy Ben didn't like it that much!

Here's my daughter, Faith, imitating a rice candy sculpture of a tiger she got while in Japan at Epcot. She's saying in a very politically incorrect oriental accent, "Orange tiger...Leaping tiger...Roar!"

Now this is a picture of me soaking wet at VBS. I was building an altar like Elijah did when he proved the Prophets of Baal were worshipping a false god. However, before I could ask God to set it on fire my friend Hank threw ice water on my yelling, "No open flames near the church building!". Who I am I to argue? He is a law enforcement officer after all!

Here's my son Connor. Yes, it was Connor vs. Food. Recently Connor ate four plates of food and seven side dishes at Shyler's Bar-B-Q. I believe the establishment is reconsidering the "All you can eat" dinner on their menu!

Getting Out Into The Community

It was my great pleasure to open the Vanderburgh County 4-H Fair Demolition Derby in prayer yesterday. I decided to let the Holy Spirit guide me in the prayer and not prepare for it in advance.

What came out was this.: "Dear God. Heavenly Father. We would ask that your blessings be upon every single driver here tonight. Bless them and protect them from harm. Help each one of them to drive to the best of their ability. So, they can give those assembled here the great competition they came for. It is in your son, Jesus Christ's name that we pray. AMEN!"

One of the things that I think is important for clergy to do is to get out into the community. I have had more than one new person in our parish tell me recently that, "You are certainly the Tri-State's best kept secret!" First and foremost we as Christians are called to spread the Good News of Christ, to help win souls for God. To defeat death by giving others the gift of eternal life that is Jesus Christ. We can't do that if we simply stay within the four walls of a building all the time.

Author Webb Kline wrote about the difference between a traditional church and a missional church:

Traditional Church: Inward-An institution created to attract people to a building, thus is focused on the futile task of appealing to and meeting the insatiable desires of its members in order to survive financially. Made up primarily of people for whom church is little more than an addendum to their busy self-engrossed lives.

Missional Church: Outward-A group of people whose passion and purpose is found in being the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need his mercy, grace compassion and love. Real missional Christians put the physical and spiritual needs of others before their own, for in this, they find their total satisfaction and meaning to life.

Now...I am not going to pretend that opening the Vanderburgh Co. Fair Demolition Derby with prayer turns us into a "Missional Church". However, when you combine it with other events our small mission parish does...Supporting unwed mothers... Helping family's devastated financially by cancer... Assisting poor families obtain baby beds so their infants have a safe place to sleep and supporting the Hemophilia Foundation we have started our young parish on a different path than what most churches take.

Here's our Sr. Warden, Jean Tillery. She is one of those rare people who cares about what others want and need more than her own comfort level. Few people are this unselfish. After all...She got out in the heat and humidity and helped me pass out hundreds of fans to the crowd. Fans that had information about Trinity Church on them... Of course...I had a lot of help from others too!
I would also like to thank those in the parish that supported this wonderful project but couldn't be there!

Loaves and Fishes

Today we have The Gospel of the Loaves and Fishes. One of the best known Gospels out there. I love this Gospel because I love talking about miracles. A few weeks ago at a vestry meeting we were discussing what was going to become last week’s carry-in dinner. We knew we were probably going to have guests and that being summer we were going to be missing a few members. So, we were concerned if we were going to have enough food. I said at one point…“Well, I guess we could give some loaves and fishes to Bishop Wes and he could divide them up and feed everyone here”…And…In ‘true Bishop Wes’ fashion he spoke up and said… "I’m sorry... I think you have me mistaken for the guy I work for!"

Again, I love talking about miracles….Why? Because, I believe in miracles. Yes, we Anglicans…The thinking man’s Christians certainly believe in miracles. There is a story about an Anglican priest who was riding on an air plane and was reading his Bible. At one point under his breath he mumbled just loud enough to be heard by the individual sitting next to him "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! God is great". The gentleman sitting next to him on the plane was a scientist. He was a man who put his trust in reason and asked the priest about the source of his joy.

The priest told him, "Don't you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle." The scientist began to try to open the priest’s eyes to the "realities" behind the miracles of the Bible. "That can all be very easily explained“, said the scientist. Modern scholarship has shown that the Red Sea in that area was only 10-inches deep at that time. It was no problem for the Israelites to wade across."

The scientist, content that he had enlightened a poor, naive and superstitious priest reclined his seat back as far as it could go and started to take what he thought was a well deserved nap. Scarcely thirty seconds had gone by when the priest said louder than before, “Hallelujah! Hallelujah. God is great!” The scientist turned to the priest and asked what he was so excited about this time and the priest said. "Wow!"… "God is greater than I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in only 10 inches of water!"

The miracle of the loaves and the fishes is the only miracle besides the Resurrection itself that is mentioned in all four Gospels.…. For this reason alone we need to pay close attention to it. We need to ask ourselves - What is it about THIS particular miracle? - unlike all the other miracles performed by Jesus that captures the attention of the Gospel writers? Now, first of all I am 100% certain that this miracle physically happened. Jesus really did feed thousands that day with a small boy’s lunch. However, I also believe there is another message to this Gospel than just “God will take care of those who believe.” One of the many keys to this passage is found in Mark Chapter 6 verse 37 when Jesus tells his disciples, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy bread and give them something to eat?” What Jesus is talking about is spiritual food and he’s telling the Apostles they need to feed the flock just like he does. The Apostles thought they were going to be going and buying food but Jesus shows them that God will provide for them. The five loaves and the fishes represent the Gospel and it’s way to salvation. With the words of Christ, all humanity can be fed. The Gospel is so bountiful, we can go to it forever and we can never empty it. The baskets will always be full and there will be more than we can ever expect. In directing the Apostles to feed the flock Jesus is directing us also. We have the responsibility to feed others by the witness to His Gospel and how we…Each and everyone of us…. live our lives.

The fact is this... Our salvation through Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected is so delicious…And of such abundance ….we can never want for anything else. If we truly allow the Gospel message of Christ’s redemption…Which in turn becomes our redemption, to live within us we have enough spiritual food to feed thousands. It multiplies in our words and actions so that we overflow with the love of Jesus Christ.

So, when we look at this Gospel and it’s deeper meaning we clearly see that Jesus is giving us our witness to one another as a great gift. Through the words of the Gospel we can heal the sick, we can save others from certain death and pain. We can even defeat the forces of darkness themselves. One of my favorite passages in scripture, strangely enough, comes from Book of Revelation Chapter 12 where the Angles in Heaven cast Satan and his minions out…Scripture says…“And they (the angels) overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Think of that. We are armed with the same power that God’s Angles in Heaven used to defeat Satan. The author of the Book of Hebrews in Chapter three says it best: "But all of you exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," so that not one of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. We are to “exhort one another” – that is the “word of our testimony”. That is the gift we walk out of here with every single week. Have you noticed that when I introduce the Gospel I have started to say…May these words remain in our minds, on our lips, in our hearts and I have added the statement “and be carried forth into our lives….” Please do just that…I am going to leave you with the same direction Jesus gave to his Apostles. In Jesus’ words “You give them something to eat.”