A long, long time ago, in a land far, far away... It was a really hot July day. On the 7th of '73 at 2 o'clock in the afternoon Barbara and I got married. I swear the thermometer was pushing the triple digit line. And inside the sanctuary (sans air conditioning), it seemed even hotter. Not a hint of breeze made it through the open windows. And even with that, it was/is the best day of my life!

They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. Ps 84.7 One of the few fun things about moving is that thorough search for that ever-elusive item that you know made the move, but you just don't know where it is now. And in the process of the quest, you stumble upon a different treasure. It's not what you were looking for, but it's a valuable find, none-the-less.

Fourteen from the US and Rwanda gathered in Kigali and then half went to Kibundo, Tanzania and half went to Gisenyi. Several bishops with leaders from their dioceses were coming together in both places for a week of teaching, worship and prayer, and sharing about ministry.

Dear Friends at New Covenant, I want to share a few things with you: PLEASE PRAY Fr. Christopher, Sheryl, and I leave for Rwanda Friday and return July 6 and 7. Christopher and I will be ministering in Gisenyi, Rwanda, on the Congolese border, with 5 bishops and their leaders. Sheryl is on the team going to the Kibondo Diocese in Tanzania. Please pray for us.

The Peddler of Choices is one of the more provocative and lesser-known appellations ascribed to our Lord. As in the gospel reading for this Sunday, the story of the widow of Nain, Jesus reveals God's mercy and the oppression of people. And when our eyes are opened and we can see more clearly we realize the choices before us.

What can we do in 100 days? If we ask Satan he'll remind us that it's doable to slaughter, kill, murder 10,000 men, women, and children every day for 100 days. Just look at Rwanda's spring of '94. Let's not ask or look.

The colors are still visible but not nearly as vivid as they were in person. A rainbow streak appeared in the middle of the picture from the green streak, still visible, down. As a family was walking out the front doors of the church at the close of Sunday’s service, one of the children said something like, “I never hear from God or see anything like others do.” Just then he looked up and saw what’s below and took a picture of it. His father came to get me and said, “Fr. Carl, you have to see this!” It was gone by the time I got outside. But then, it wasn’t for me.

“He was a good man. He was a great sinner. He has a great Savior.” Those words bookended perhaps the best eulogy I have heard. The liturgy, in late April at Truro Anglican Church in Fairfax, was for a priest who was a good friend of mine and whose sins had become notorious – splashed across the Washington Post. All three of his sons shared from their wounded hearts at the service. Each courageously expressing the pain and love they felt in their own way. The last to share, the youngest, the one who used the words above, was absolutely brilliant. So much so that when the preacher began, he simply said, “Ditto to what Jamie just said.” As he told me afterward he was tempted to stop there.

Lately, a huge doublewide, honestly ugly, modular building landed on our charming New Covenant campus. When I first saw it I thought, “I’m sure I’ll find the witch’s feet sticking out somewhere. I know she’s here.” Its landing zone had been ‘out back.’ Out of sight, more or less. But zoning, or fire, or water, or sewage, or something brought it in from ‘out back.’ People used to say when coming on our property, ”What a beautiful campus.” When someone asked, “What is that?” I came back with, “What do you see?” After 40 plus years in the ministry I still find parish life fascinating and unconquerable. There are eddies of opinions swirling about and a plethora of tastes that go well beyond the riverbanks of religion. I can understand the diverse opinions but in this case what I find truly amazing are those that haven’t noticed the monstrosity in their midst!

Dear Friends at New Covenant: In my sermon Sunday I explored briefly how do we respond to the question of Jesus, “Do you love me?” Do we mean what sing, “You are my everything, and I will adore you.” In Luke 14.33 Jesus says, "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." NIV.