Dear Friends, I hope that you are engaging in the discipline of Lent this season. Part of Lent involves examining what we need to let go and what we need to do more of. Last weekend, I offered several questions that stemmed from Jesus’ admonition to Peter to keep his [...]
Dear Friends, As we are now in Lent, I pray that you will find this time to be transformative. If you are like me, it is easy to drop back into my regular habits and prayer life, and I have to discipline myself to remember it is Lent. This [...]
Lent has begun
Dear Friends, I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday for our Annual Parish Meeting at 11:15 in the Church. I am so happy about those who have said yes to being candidates for the vestry: Ed Strong, Heather Williamson, and Nancy Snethen. I am also deeply grateful [...]
Reflection
Dear Friends, Before coming to the Eucharist this Saturday or Sunday, I invite you to reflect on a few things related to “Pray, Love, Give.” What kind of experiences have you had that you would consider holy moments – ones that impacted how you relate to God, yourself, and [...]
Prayer
Dear Friends, I look forward to our first visit from our new Bishop. I find Bishop Scharf to be engaging, thoughtful, open, innovative, and deeply caring. Bishop Scharf will continue our stewardship theme of “Pray, Love, Give,” and will be speaking about some of the exciting new initiatives being [...]
Lets talk about “Give”
Dear Friends, Our campaign for 2024 is “Pray, Give, Love.” Today, I’d like to talk about the “Give” portion of the campaign. First, let us consider how giving of your time, talent, and treasure affects you. 1) When you give of your time, you invest in something outside of yourself. [...]
Being a Follower of Jesus
Dear Friends, As I’ve mentioned recently, St. Monica’s campaign for 2024, “Pray, Give, Love,” reflects our understanding of being a follower of Jesus and how we change. We will be deepening and widening the ways we pray, give, and love. I promise you, if you seriously engage with this challenge [...]
Pray – Give – Love
Dear Friends, This year we will emphasize “Pray, Give, Love.” In last week’s message, I talked about the Daily Office and the resources for using it. Besides the discipline of prayer through the Daily Office, I would like to introduce you to a way of thinking and seeing prayerfully. [...]
I Invite You
Dear Friends, As we move into 2024 with our theme "Pray, Give, Love," I want to invite us all to expand our prayer lives. This week, I invite you to pray the Daily Office. This can be found in your Book of Common Prayer or on sites such as The Daily Office, MY DAILY [...]
Entering the Celebration of Jesus’ Birth
Dear Friends, As we move toward the end of Advent and enter the celebration of Jesus’ birth, we celebrate God’s incarnation. In the Christmas season, we remember that a little baby changes everything. God comes to us as a most vulnerable one, a helpless child totally dependent on those around [...]