September 7, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. This has been a tough week for those in southwestern Louisiana as they are still digging out of the destruction brought on by Hurricane Laura. Most people in Shelby County finally got their power back on within the week. But many in those hard- hit parishes are still waiting for lights and some air conditioning.
August 30, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. What a wild weather week we have had! Hurricane Laura hit the coast of Texas and Louisiana and moved up the Sabine River, impacting our part of East Texas. We got about three and a half inches as Laura blew through our area. But the heaviest rains came the next day. We got four inches of heavy rain Friday morning. The devastation around Lake Charles is unbelievable. There is quite a bit of damage here in Shelby County and many people still without power.
August 24, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time. What pretty weather we have had! For August the temperatures have been reasonable and the humidity lower than normal. We don’t know what next week will be, as they are now predicting two hurricanes in the gulf. We certainly could use the rain here, but we worry about our neighbors along the coast.
August 17, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time. You can tell it is August, and you can tell you live in Texas. Even my puppies are avoiding too much time outside. But those people who track our weather for us say there is a cool front coming in. Of course, everything is relative—a cool front means lower nineties and lower humidity. But we will gladly take what we can get.
August 10, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. We have had more rain, slightly cooler temperatures, and lower humidity the last week or so—but that is changing. The temperatures are reaching the high nineties, and the air is really thick. A relatively mild August was too good to last.
August 3, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time. It was also the first Sunday in August—hard to believe it is already August. We have been lucky so far in that we have gotten adequate rainfall and have had no triple digit temperatures. I got up early this morning so I could water my gardens. It was 67 outside, and I actually felt chilly! I know it is not going to last, but the rainfall and slightly cooler temperatures have made summer more bearable.
July 26, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time. But these sure don’t seem like ordinary times right now! Our world is engulfed by a pandemic that is crippling economies, sickening millions, and killing tens of thousands. With many of us staying at home more, we need to carve out some time in our daily routines to look for the divine in the ordinary events of our lives. This is what the ancient Christian mystics called on people to do.
July 20, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 7th Sunday after Pentecost. For us, ordinary time is the pattern we are in right now weather wise. It is hot and humid with very little rainfall coming our way. I have been watering my trees and plants every day just to keep them alive. I can’t imagine living like our great American farmers, knowing how cruel the weather can be. Both Sue and I had grandparents whose livelihoods depended on the whims of Mother Nature.
July 13, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Sunday was the 6th Sunday after Pentecost. This past Friday I got up early to walk my dogs and myself at the city park. We are in those “dog days” of summer when I have to get things done early in the morning or after the sun begins to fall in the evening. I am putting the final touches on my sermon, which has Jesus explaining the first of seven Kingdom parables. This one should be called the parable of the sower. Rev.
July 6, 2020 - Grace and peace from our brother Jesus, Amen. Hope everyone had a great but safe July 4th. Sunday was the 5th Sunday after Pentecost, but the two main ideas of my sermon were citizenship and Jesus’ call to us to come and rest with him. Both of these are important themes, especially right now.