This is part 2 of two; read part one here Sometime after he got his new gig, in another storm, Stuart saw a young woman stuck on the side of the road with a smoking engine and a frightful face. He pulled over. “I… I can’t pay you,” she whispered. Stuart smiled. “You don’t have to,” he said. “Just pass the kindness forward.” Because you never know whom you’re stopping for, and you never know whom you become the moment you decide to stop. That, to me, was such a powerful expres

This past Saturday, we hosted a retreat for the confirmation class. Part of our conversation covered our covenantal relationship with God, identifying our unique gifts and the best possible ways that we could channel those gifts in service to God and neighbor. Before the retreat concluded, I shared my closing thoughts with the group. Those closing thoughts were the four things that I believe helps drive a meaningful and thriving life and faithful person. It isn’t about being

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. And the spirit and tradition surrounding the Thanksgiving celebration is already in full flight. Schools are closed so children can travel to be with families far and near. Many people are also traveling to join friends and families to celebrate the ‘Feast of Thanksgiving.’ From my first Thanksgiving experience to today, Thanksgiving is for me a feast about families and friends coming together, irrespective of what is going on in our individual and c

A few days ago, I visited with a parishioner who had a very complicated surgery. It was a heart transplant. It takes my breath away just to hear the extent of the surgery and what went into it. Human ingenuity has come a long way. Medicine has come a long way. Technology has come a long way. And many, many Americans and people around the world are benefitting from these scientific leaps because people of goodwill believed that if we are to make progress, to live long and heal

For those of us who have had the benefit of taking Confirmation or Inquirer’s class offered periodically in different Episcopal Churches, you would have learned that Sacraments are an integral part of our Christian vocation. The classic definition of Sacrament by St. Augustine is ‘An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.’  The act, right, or sign must be outward. It must be visible. You and I need to see it and testify to it. But the inward isn’t visible

This past Saturday, we gathered in the Great Hall of New Brick for the Christ Church Annual Auction. This year, we were transported to Italy - that is why our theme is Grazie (Thank you). It was a great evening of good company and fun, with bidding and out-bidding each other, and raising over $ 20,000.00 to support our common life. The auction is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and I couldn’t be prouder of all the volunteers, donors, and attendees who spent so much to ma

A few days ago, one of our parishioners inquired if I would be interested in being interviewed for an immigration project for high school students in the area. Without any hesitation, I readily accepted the invitation and was interviewed this past Tuesday in Old Brick. The gentleman who interviewed me thought we would be using my office for the interview, but I took him to Old Brick, the little sanctuary on top of the hill, which has seen so much, heard so much, and been a pa

A few months ago, the Men of Christ Church organized a bowling event at Bowlero on Snowden River. I'm not the bowling kind of person, but I’d say that every time I have had the opportunity to go bowling, it's been a fun event. The beauty that I have experienced with bowling is that one throws the ball and doesn’t know how the ball is going to go. There’s this salient and humbling feeling that one doesn’t have any control over the ball once it is thrown down the lane.  Because

I love Annual Meetings. These gatherings more than bring the congregation together to deliberate on the church’s business and elect new leadership; they provide the opportunity for those who have been entrusted with leadership to give an account of their stewardship. Accountability during Annual Meetings reminds me of a parable Jesus told in Matthew 25, about a master who gave talents to three servants based on their individual ability. To one, he gave five, to another, he ga

I have been doing a lot of walking these past several months. It just so happened that during a conversation with a friend who expressed...

I always reflect on my sermons after worship. And in my reflection on last Sunday’s sermon on the invisible man, it occurred to me that I...

This past week, I was blessed to join some of my siblings and their families to honor the 40th anniversary of our father’s passing. We...

We have all been reeling from the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. He was a hero to some, and a villain to others. I didn’t know about him...

A few days ago, members of the Spiritual Life Commission - a group of parishioners who work on the Advent Retreat, Lenten Quiet Day, the...

Welcome to Christ Church! Welcome to the beginning of another year! Welcome to the beauty that shapes our lives, our world, and the path...

Over the past several years, I have been in conversation with Virginia Theological Seminary about the possibility of assigning a...

A few days ago, I had the unique honor of officiating the wedding of a young couple. The wedding was beautiful, as beautiful as the...

This is the mop-up stage. The drama is concluded. Those who have been on the drama from the beginning - Creation, Fall, Israel, and...

A man who was derided by his people. Condemned to death. Crucified. Raised from the dead. A man who was not understood by those who came...

God called Abram from the Ur of the Chaldeans and asked him to travel west to a place and land that God would show him. Abram gathered...