This is a great lecture, packed with helpful insight for understanding the New Testament and the Gospel.

Praise the Lord!  I could not be more grateful.  I believe that Bishop Foley has the kind of heart that God is looking for in a leader, one whom He can trust with His gifts and blessing.

I am reminded of 2 Chron 16:9: For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show his might in behalf of those whose heart is blameless toward him. The context of this verse is King Asa’s failure to seek the Lord in a time of crisis, but rather to take things into his own hands with disastrous results. The Lord sends the prophet Hanani to rebuke Asa, saying, “Didn’t you know that God is looking for men with the kind of hearts He can empower.?” In this context, “blameless” simply means a humble heart that seeks the Lord rather than relying on his own gifts and capacities. I know we have all seen this kind of heart in Bishop Foley.

Let us intensify our prayer for Bishop Foley and for our beloved Church.  No doubt there were disappointments in this decision.  We must pray that there will be no root of bitterness anywhere.

Bishop Foley will continue to be our Bishop.  He will not move to Pittsburgh.  The provincial office will simply move to Loganville, GA.  That’s how it works.  Loganville is a perfect place, really.  Easily accessible through Atlanta (we sort of).  Their present facilities are more than adequate.  I expect he will need an assistant or two to help him run both the Diocese of the South and the Province.  We may not see as much of him as before, sadly, but he will still be our bishop.

I attended this conference last week in Ambridge, PA.  I highly recommend these videos if you want to dig deep into the treasures of our tradition of liturgical worship and see how these ways of worship are relevant and needed today.

I have them listed in the order in which they were given, and the are all great. But if you only have time to watch one, start with the last one by James K A Smith.  In it he helps us understand how we are being formed all the time by the “liturgies” of the market place.  He explains that the commercial world understands how human beings are moved and formed better than does the church.

As human beings we are moved by longings far more than ideas.  And our longings and desires are being shaped all the time, mostly in a godless direction.  It is easy to see that the world has a definite interest in forming our longings toward things that can never satisfy and leave us always hoping to find (and buy) the next thing that promises happiness but never delivers. The church tends to think we can counter the toxic liturgies of the world simply by providing good information.  But character is formed by what we do, and the communities in which we are immersed, far more than by what we hear (in a sermon or lecture). This applies to what we normally think of in worship, but also to other things like shared meals and activities in which we act out our faith together with others in service and obedience.

Edith Humphrey: “The Lord Is For The Body: Matter and Epiphany in Christian Worship”

Timothy George: “Christian Preaching in Liturgy and Life”

James K. A. Smith: “Liturgical Discipleship: Worship as the Center of Spiritual Formation” 

This letter is amazing.  It demonstrates what St Paul told us long ago: The final result of a mind that refuses to acknowledge God is a 180 degree shift in ethics.  Wrong becomes right (see Romans 1: 28-32).  As long as abortion is recognized as sin redemption is possible.  Declaring abortion to be right removes the only hope for healing those who carry the aching soul-wound of a sacrificed child, which can only be found in God’s loving forgiveness.  The same is true for any sin.  Refusing to call it what it is blocks any hope for redemption and leaves us with no escape from guilt.

I have just found out about a new book.  Hot off the press. We may want to think about this an adult ed or small group resource. It is available from Amazon in paperback or kindle and an audio version is coming soon.  You can also buy directly from the author, and with that get a free downloadable pdf version.  Or…. if you want to get the pdf for free or whatever you think is a fair price you can go to this link.  Amazing.

Dr. Lawson Stone gives some helpful perspective in this short video from Seedbed.

Here is another great “Seven-Minute Seminary” presentation by Dr. Oswalt.  I highly recommend it.  And while you are at it, have a look around the other Seedbed resources.

Margie just sent this in:

Hello St. Peter’s Family!!!!

We are having a blast! Here is a picture of last night’s opening ceremony. There are over 5,800 students participating from the US and from about 10+ countries. The kids are on the main floor and the lower deck of the bleachers. The rest are families and coaches.This is our view from the top.

Ellie and her team had the best team performance ever today! They have one more event to be scored tomorrow at 2:41.

Thanks for your love, prayers, and support!

We love you all so much!!!!

Margie, David, Ellie, and Brennen.

I hope we can take a group of St Peter’s saints for this very important gathering.  See email below from Rev Ty Bragg:

Dear Fr. Mark,

I am currently secretary of ADOTS Standing Committee and prayer coordinator for the diocese.

At present, the diocese has a small number of prayer warriors and intercessors committed to praying for special needs. We are small but the ministry is far reaching. It is my goal to increase our number and the ministry.

You received a note addressed to Rectors and Pastors from Bishop Beach recently concerning prayer and the upcoming Prayer Conference:

“You probably know of my heart to get people praying. August 27, 28, we are sponsoring a Prayer Conference for clergy and laity who have a desire to pray. Please help us out by sending Ty Bragg (Trinity Church, Douglasville) the names of your key prayer warriors and intercessors in your congregation. He would like to reach out to them and get them involved in the conference. His email is tybragg@msn.com.” Bishop Beach May 15, 2014

There is a tremendous opportunity to support the diocese and special needs of the parishes.

ADOTS is on the verge of something very special for the Kingdom. This is an opportunity for those called to the ministry of prayer to help build the diocese and increase the kingdom.

I ask two things:

1) Please, have your prayer team leader contact me.
2) Please, consider and make plans for yourself or representative to attend the ADOTS Intercessory Prayer Conference, August 27, 28, 2014. The cost will be $50.00 with a far greater value. More information will follow.

You may contact me through the following: tybragg@msn.com
404-862-7232 cell

In His service,

Ty Bragg