Faith isn’t an achievement. It’s not a transaction. Faith is gift—God’s way of drawing us into relationship.
03.10.2025 23:40
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Faith isn’t an achievement. It’s not a transaction. Faith is gift—God’s way of drawing us into relationship.
Christian spiritual practices are about relationship. They open us to God’s presence.
When our daughter was seven, a psychologist told us that her way of processing the world fell within the autism spectrum. Like most of us, Meredith wants to be herself—and she wants to belong.
Belief isn’t an idea we hold. It’s a way of life we practice. Doing is believing.
Sister Agnes asked the class, “Do you believe in hell?” Not a hand went up. I finally said, “A loving God wouldn’t torture people for eternity.” Everyone stared at their desks.
Sometimes faithfulness starts fires.
I told my diocese: our first loyalty is to Christ, not party, flag, or nation. It sparked a reaction.
My ego says, “Hurry up.”
Jesus says, “Wait. See what God is up to. Then join in.”
God doesn’t wait for us to go searching.
The Infinite comes to meet us where we are. ⚓
“I’m not exactly Christian,” she said.
And that’s when things got interesting. ⚓
We don’t find our true selves by curating a spiritual identity. We become our true selves by answering a call from beyond us. ⚓
Striving won’t satisfy the soul. Love will. In the Incarnation, God crossed the universe to give our lives meaning.
Part Two of The Infinite in the Everyday series. ⚓
The driver had something to get off his chest.
We had 90 minutes to the airport.
And he had a bishop in the back seat. ⚓
We long for more—but we aim too low.
We settle for what fades when we were made for what lasts.
God’s love for us is real, relentless—and demanding in the best way.
Part 3 of The Power of Grace asks: What does grace ask of us? ⚓
God’s love is a gift, not a transaction.
But it does shape us. It frees us—from fear, from striving, from self-justifying—and it calls us to something bigger than ourselves.
Here’s Part 3 of The Power of Grace. (Links to the full series are inside.)
There’s an anonymous quote often mistakenly attributed to Maya Angelou. It goes like this: “Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs.” Jesus wants us as part of his family. ⚓
Hi from week one of sabbatical, everybody!
Part One of a new series The Way of Grace just dropped at The Woodlands. Parts 2 & 3 drop on the following Fridays. Come join me at The Woodlands. Subscriptions are free.
Would love to hear your thoughts: ⚓
Jesus overturns empire by standing in solidarity with the powerless, with those on the margins. And he tells us: take up your cross and follow me. ⚓
None of us can keep walking a pathway relying upon our own sense of unassailable certainty. Alone, we may grow weary and abandon the path. We need walking companions.
Are mystical experiences all in your head? Here are some thoughts about spiritual experiences in a secular age. ⚓️
In a world where empathy can be disparaged and can even be called a sin, the Christian community becomes a crucial force of resistance.
Led a Preaching Conference today for the Brant-Norfolk Deanery in the Diocese of Huron at Trinity Anglican Church in Simcoe. Here’s a pic of the group in the nave and yours truly in the War Memorial Chapel. Love our Canadian neighbors. ⚓️
All roads in the social media universe lead to life hacks, to increasingly effortless shortcuts for making life’s biggest dreams come true.
There’s just one problem when it comes to soul making. The process of spiritual growth requires discomfort, effort, patience, frustration, and perseverance. ⚓
Here are some of the birds we heard singing on our walk this morning:
Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Gray Catbird, Tufted Titmouse, Brown Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird, Barn Swallow, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Carolina Wren
So looking forward to this! ⚓️
Presiding at the School of Theology’s graduation at All Saints’ Chapel, Sewanee. Such a remarkable class! ⚓️
