“Jesus said in Matthew, ‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today (6:34).’ I wish I could say it’s an easy thing to do, but when the checking account doesn’t cover next week’s groceries, or the heating element in the oven burns up, or some other situation arises where I have little or no control, it’s hard not to worry.”
“Paul informs us we are ambassadors of Christ… As ambassadors of Christ, we are charged to convey the message of love and forgiveness, peace and equality, care for the earth and its people in all its diversity. It’s a message the world sorely needs to hear now, just as it has been for millennia, and we are the ones charged with spreading it.”
“The great thing about online is that we meet people from all over, only a few of us have ever met others in the group face-to-face. Our viewpoints are different, beliefs may be a little different, our practices are probably different, but we all joined together to explore the many ways there are to learn to think theologically and to use what we have learned about the Bible, church history, and theology, in our ministries both in and out of the church.”
“For me, it’s a joy when I run across a piece of Scripture that starts my mind playing and sometimes singing along with a piece of music with which I’m familiar. Somehow it makes the text more accessible, especially those done in the old style and language.”
“When we read the parables of Jesus, we look to see what he is using to make his teaching applicable. We remember the good Samaritan, which is probably one of his best-known parables.”
![Martin Lewison [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]](https://episcopal.cafe/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/1024px-Snacks_in_Japanese_Convenience_Store_13539944764-300x169.jpg)
“I guess I sometimes see God as a kind of convenience store, open when I need something and find that I can get it at the one place in town that’s open at that time of day or night.”
“God must have had a good time creating birds and their different songs, and, come to think of it, dolphins and whales with their own songs, so different from those of the birds. Each animal and bird has its particular sound or song. It is kind of amusing to think of God, especially the stern, judging God that many of us were taught about, having fun creating things and then picking out songs and sounds for each of them.”
“On Mother’s Day, I will be thinking of the Virgin Mary, and her cousin Elizabeth… I also give thanks for Eve, for Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, Rachel, Tamar, and all the other mothers who, without a lot of fanfare, gave birth to children and became important figures in the history of their people.”
“So if we are to use the Marie Kondo criteria, we would have to throw out probably most of the Old Testament or a good chunk of the Old Testament and a good bit of the epistles to get it down to 30 books.”
“Of course, there’s always the family, but then there are events with friends, coworkers, people from church, or the people we feel we owe an invitation to because they have been gracious enough to invite us. Each category is its own brand of intimacy or congeniality. So who we invite seems to be a matter of with whom we feel comfortable.”