The Black Episcopalian

I'm Published

2012-01-27T16:02:00.000-08:00

I had thought about putting this into my last blog, but figured that it would be better if I did this separate. As I have mentioned in the past, my favorite "service" is "The Stations Of The Cross"... Over a bit of time I actually created 9 that can be used which consist of different themes and have published them in a book. The themes range from Racism, Forgiveness, Alzheimers, Immigration

Wish Upon A Star

2012-01-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

I was sitting at a table not long ago before a meeting and a discussion was going on with a few of us, when somehow one of the people said something that I found interesting and it made me wonder how well people really understand and think about the words that they use and what we are taught in the Bible. The person had what they said was a bad upbringing by there mother and that their mother

The True Meaning Of Christmas?

2011-12-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

Now I am sure that I will get comments on this post, but I want for you to think about it for a bit. I could be right, or I could be wrong. I find Christmas not to be a time of joy, but a time of sadness. We go out and spend so much money buying presents and other stuff over an event that in reality is a very sad event. Billions of dollars are spent every year over this season, but in reality

Prayer Life

2011-10-14T00:36:00.000-07:00

So tell me abut your pray life? One the questions that comes up with the Commission on Ministry has to do with ones Prayer Life. This is a question that is put to most all of the people who desire to become ordained into one of the orders, and I figures that since I ask the question of those that I am Shepard to

It's That Time Of The Year

2011-10-14T00:34:00.000-07:00

Well it is coming up that time of year for most churches, that being doing the annual Pledge Drive/Stewardship Campaign, in other words, it's that time of year for the churches to start asking its members to let it know how much money that it plans to give so that the churches can pan for the next year. But there will be some congregations were this won't happen, which is sad. Oh excuses will

It's Time To Celebrate

2011-10-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Been trying to figure out why people are going to the Evangelic and other churches over some other denominations? What is it that they are doing that we aren't doing. I mean mainly, for the most part we are all spreading the Good News about Jesus, but why are some growing while others aren't? This past Sunday I didn't go to my congregation, but headed out to another one to see a friend installed

An Idea For Church Growth

2011-09-16T00:31:00.001-07:00

The diocese that I live had a webinar last night and something came up that peeked my mind. It was something that was so simple for congregations to do that I am surprised that many of them don't do it. Now I don't know how well it would work, but it is something that we need to do. The webinar dealt with a number of different topics, but the topic that interest me the most had to do with

"A Man Shows His Love ..."

2011-08-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

"A man shows his love for a cause by the amount of sacrifice he will make for it; and as consistency, honor and truth are the most precious elements in character, who could sacrifice more than he!" ~ Horace Mann A few weeks ago I was on a website that lead me to a site called "Makes Me Think" where people post a paragraph about something that has either witnessed or has happened to them. It's a

Serving More Than 1 God

2011-08-08T19:54:00.001-07:00

I got to thinking about this after seeing a tweet by Father Alberto Cutie and some things that have gone on over the last few months. The more that I think about it, the more that I realize that all of us in some way try and serve more than one God. Now I am sure that some people will say that we really aren't serving more than one God in the things that we do, but in a way we do. Being that I

Where Is A Church Service At?

2011-07-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

Over the last week I have been in places and online when a conversation about church and service times were talked about. Things like what time a congregation has a service, what type of service that a congregation has, the things that go on during a service and many other things church and service related. But a little earlier I really began to rethink about the topic. Yesterday I attended a

Let Ye Without Sin...

2011-07-19T00:39:00.000-07:00

Over the last few months there has been we have been bombarded with news about Casey Anthony and the trail. As we all know, she was found Not Guilty of most of the charges against her but a jury. What I find interesting is how much this is much like the O.J. Simpson trail in that what the press is showing us is how people are upset about the verdict. The jury has been blamed over and over again

Gay Scientists Isolate Christian Gene

2011-07-10T23:01:00.000-07:00

My Pastor's daughter came across this. It's 4 years old, has over a million views, and is simply funny...

A Cool "Flash Mob"

2011-07-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

I think that this would be fun to do....

Redefining Success with You in Mind

2011-07-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is a video of a seminar that a woman named Bryn Drescher did. I watched it and it had me rethinking things when it comes to Success and other things. I will post a blog about my thoughts soon on my other blog, but I think that it is worth watching. It’s about an hour long, and open you mind as you watch, as it could make you a better person. You can find out more about Bryn at her website

15 Signs That A Church Is In Trouble

2011-07-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

I found this on another website and just had to share it here.... 15 Signs That A Church Is In Trouble November 4, 2009#1 – When excuses are made about the way things are instead of embracing a willingness to roll up the sleeves and fix the problem.#2 – When the church becomes content with merely receiving people that come rather than actually going out and finding them…in other words, they

Nominations Wanted by The Diocese of California

2011-06-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Please consider downloading a PDF version of this letter to distribute to your congregation. Click here to download. June 16, 2011 To: Congregations in the Diocese of California, The Episcopal Church Re: Nominations to Convention The diocesan Committee on Nominations is doing a new thing.

But What If?

2011-06-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

In an earlier blog I talked about Howard Camping and the fact that I have learned from him and that I feel that I have actually grown stronger in my spirituality. I also said that I don't believe in his thing about the world coming to an end on October 21, 2011, which is something that he was saying long before much of the world even heard his Rapture words. For some reason the story of Noah

False Beliefs

2011-06-25T00:53:00.000-07:00

This blog isn't about really about false beliefs in any religion, but more about false beliefs in ones self. In my previous blog I talked a little about how people ask me how they can get involved in things in the church like I am. I mentioned the ezine Diobytes which is put out by the diocese that I live in. I am sure that there are other Episcopal and denominations that have there own ezine,

Get Involved

2011-06-19T22:56:00.000-07:00

From time to time someone will ask me about my activities in the diocese and how I find out about the events that I attend. The things that I go to I find out through different ways. For some things, someone will call me, with some an email is sent to me, in others I get invites from people on Facebook, while some come from my congregation's bulletin and others come from The Pacific Church News.

Voices From The Pews

2011-06-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

The Christian church is interesting in that we go every week and hear clergy give sermons every week. We sit back and listen to the words that are said, and try to gain some insight in what the clergy person is saying. Some clergy spend prat of there time telling you about things that they have done, or some other story where you sit back and wonder what it has to do with the lessons that had

The Renewal Of Our Baptismal Vows

2011-06-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is very into the Baptismal Covenant that we use in the Episcopal Church. She has talked about it at different things that we have both been at. She brought forth a new way of doing it which I I find far more fulfilling to me than what is in the Book Of Common Prayer. For many people in the different Christian denominations, we are Baptized (also known as Christening) as babies.

But Where's Christ?

2011-06-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

Now this doesn't apply to all clergy, but I am finding it applying to more and more in at least my denomination, and I am sure that it could be applied to just about every denomination. But I am really beginning to wonder more and more where Christ is in the hearts of the the clergy? Do the Religious Order have it right in that many of them basically surround there life in Christ? Should the

A Sustainable Community

2011-05-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

I was just watching a very interesting interview with The Very Rev. Tracey Lind, dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, and Richard Horton, chair of Trinity’s Green Team at Vital Practices and found it really interesting. The talk was about about churches and creating a Eco-Sustainable Community. As the talk went on, I because to think about my travels around this diocese to different churches and

The Rapture Was Cancelled

2011-05-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

Over the last month there has been a lot of talk about a Rapture that Howard Camping of Family Radio said was suppose to happen on May 21, 2011. Over the last few days I have been in a number of conversations about this subject, and figured that I would blog about it like so many others. I find the whole thing interesting, as I started listening to Howard Camping and Family Radio a few years

Render Unto Caesar What is Caesars

2011-05-04T23:47:00.000-07:00

I was talking with an Aunt a little earlier, and she was asking about how to get people back into her church who had left. She said to email her if I had any ideas. Below is the email that I just finished to her... Hi Aunt Joan, Church growth and getting people back is a hard thing, but a doable thing. Here are some things to suggest. I don't know if they will work back there.1) All Member

Yes I Am An Extremist

2011-04-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

The Media Says That Muslims Are Extremist I As A Christian Am An Extremist Also I Am Extremely Thankful For My Parents And The Love They Gave Me I Am Extremely Thankful For Having A Wonderful Sister I Am Extremely Thankful For Having Wonderful Nephews I Am Extremely Thankful For The love God Has For Me Yes I Am An Extremist

The Man Was A Real Saint

2011-04-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I wrote about him before, but I really do find him to be the person that I think represents humankind the most. I'm talking about Judas. I finished reading the book The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot, and even though it is fiction, it really made me think about him much more, and I realize that one of the reasons that we dislike Judas so much is a reason that we won't admit

How To Stop Church Gossip

2011-04-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

I came upon the below at one of my favorite websites The Experience Project How To Stop Church Gossip Mildred, the church gossip, and self-appointed monitor of the church's morals, kept sticking her nose into other people's business. Several members did not approve of her extra- curricular activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence. She made a mistake, however, when she

Happy Easter

2011-04-22T00:30:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to wish you all a Joyous Easter and hope that your growth in the Holy Trinity continues to grow... I will try to get better in posting more often...

The Stations Of The Cross

2011-03-26T03:43:00.000-07:00

I should of posted this weeks ago.... The people of St. James Oakland invite you and your friends and family to join us each Friday during this Lenten Season for "The Stations Of The Cross" starting at 7pm and last about 40 minutes Except for Good Friday, each week will focus on a different topic to hopefully have you think and pray upon. 3/11/11 - "Stations Of The Cross - Debt and Jubilee" 3/

Fishes and Loaves

2011-01-25T23:38:00.001-08:00

In my travels, I will see people with signs that say “Will Work For Food”. I often wonder if these people are really serious, or just out to get money? Do people actually stop and pick these people's offer? How hard will these people work? Then there are the Day Labors that I see, who do get some work, but how much are they paid, and how often are they ripped off? In the Bible story about Jesus

What's Your Sign?

2011-01-17T22:47:00.003-08:00

I find this question funny, as I first started hearing this question being asked back when I was a teenager. Oh I am sure it was being asked by someone long before I was even born, but it was then that I remember hearing it for the first time. When asked, I would tell them that I was an Aries, and I can now remember people treating and thinking of me in the ways that the books would talk about

The Hidden Story Of Jesus

2010-12-31T22:56:00.000-08:00

One of the things that i really enjoy doing is watching documentaries. I was on a site and looked at the titles of the religious documentaries, and happen to come up on this one. even after reading the description, I figured it would still be about something else. this is a documentary that I thin that ALL Christians and people of other faiths and beliefs should watch. "As Christians

Merry ChristMass

2010-12-23T23:32:00.000-08:00

I hope and pray that you and yours have the Merriest of ChristMass and a very Joyous Kwanzaa

Love Thy Neighbor

2010-11-12T16:51:00.001-08:00

Yeah, I know that it has been a few months since I last blogged about anything, I've just been going through some stuff and haven't thought about it, but I'm back. A week ago I was sitting at my laptop doing some stuff on the Internet and watching television, when I had this suddenly noise of the gate slamming between the building that I live in and the one behind it. At first I thought that it

The Dollar Menu

2010-09-06T13:27:00.005-07:00

There was a story out here about a local McDonald's that stopped selling the $1 menu. People are upset because it means that the homeless people can't go in and buy something for a dollar. For a split second I got that “so what?” thoughts, then I began to think about it.Now the owner of the place had sent a note explaining why, and they had a very good reason. The more that I thought about it,

The Lord’s Prayer

2010-09-05T16:13:00.002-07:00

The Lord's PrayerI cannot say "Our" if my religion has no room for others and their needs.I cannot say "Father" if I do not demonstrate this relationship in my daily life.I cannot say "Who Art In Heaven" if all my interests and pursuits are in earthly things.I cannot say "Hallowed Be Thy Name" if I, who am called by his name, am not holy.I cannot say "Thy Kingdom Come" if I am unwilling to give

Faith and Action

2010-08-28T00:45:00.002-07:00

“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17; NIV)I came upon the above Bible quote on Twitter, and it got me thinking about the church and an activity that I have been involved in with over the last few months. I am in a congregation that is really dead, and the diocese needs to force to convert into a mission. Week after week Faith is talked about, but when it

Who Is Jesus To Me?

2010-08-02T18:28:00.002-07:00

I find this question to be really interesting, and one that I feel most people really don't seriously think about. We have people who attend seminaries and other religious schools who will give you and academic answer to this question, but this isn't a question that any school can teach and give and answer to, as who Jesus is to each person is different. You see, the real answer to the

Why do you believe?

2010-07-23T23:04:00.002-07:00

I still don't get it. I'm talking about people wanting me to become ordained as a Deacon or a Priest. In case you are really wondering, if God were to say to me I had no choice but to be one or the other, I would become a Deacon. But still, very few people will say what they see in me to even bring it up. I was at the Ordinations in this diocese at the beginning of last month. Before

Yes, you will get tears at the minimum

2010-05-16T09:07:00.002-07:00

I went to a friends YouTube page this morning and found this video. If it doesn't bring tears to your eyes at a minimum, then you must not have a soul. You have been warned. Cat gives a cardiac massage to his injured girlfriend

What do they see in me?

2010-03-11T23:42:00.002-08:00

Ever since I was about 10 or 11, people have said to me that I should think about becoming either a priest or a deacon, and to this day I have never been able to figure out why. Now what is strange with this is that not many Black youth are told this. Just recently I was told by Deacons in this diocese that I should go to the School for Deacons and become a deacon. I just don't get what

The Struggles of the Church - Part I

2009-12-27T21:12:00.002-08:00

I am hoping that there is something that will happen to change things, but I fear that it will not happen. Yeah it is the congregation that I am in. I have tried over and over again to get things going there, but I have given up for the most part. My pastor has begun to try, but I think that he will give up by the summer. I still think that there is hope for the place, but not much hope

Just a LITTLE Respect is all that I ask for...

2009-12-06T22:55:00.002-08:00

I find it amazing how little respect I get from my own pastor. I think that if it wasn't for others in this diocese, like my Bishop, I would no longer be in the Episcopal Church, or I would at least be at another congregation. Every Sunday I sit in a congregation that is dead, and nobody seems to want to do anything able bringing life back to it. The place is full of excuses on why it

EMERGING FROM THE BLACK HOLE…..

2009-10-12T12:03:00.002-07:00

A friend of mine named Gina wrote this, and I found this to be a very beautifully written peice. I just had to share this with you.EMERGING FROM THE BLACK HOLE.....By Gina AKA Dream WizardC ompletely wrapped in the blanket of misery and pain, finding yourself in the destruction of utter despair and disdain. Fallen again, into the virtual reality of the bottomless pit, the devil's turf,

The Fish Tank, Part III

2009-10-10T23:14:00.002-07:00

Ok, it has been a bit since I last updated about the fish, so hear is what is going on. one of the black ones died, which means that I am down to three, one of each color. Yellow and Orange seem to stick together most of the time, which the Black one joining in from time to time. I think that I am going to have to go down to the pet store where I bought these and take a look at what is

SWB – Shopping While Black

2009-09-16T07:43:00.002-07:00

At times I find it funny when Whites have a problem believing that something like this really goes on when they are told that it is. Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Racism in A Fish Tank? Part II

2009-08-09T21:00:00.002-07:00

Things have been interesting over the last few days. One of the yellows and one of the oranges died. The Orange died first, and the lone orange tried hanging with both groups. He mainly ended up with the yellow ones. But it was still interesting, as the guppies still stuck together color wise. I lost the yellow one yesterday. I couldn't find the body, then suddenly it popped up today.

Racism In A Fish Tank?

2009-08-05T21:55:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago I decided that I wanted to get some pet fish. Now I have had pet fish for the last 7 years, but not to long ago I gave my two angel fish to a sweet lady that I had met as I had wanted to get rid of my fish and tanks. I had a couple of tanks here that each contained 1 fish. Finally I emptied one of the tanks and moved it lone occupant on tje larger tank with the other one

Who is a minority?

2009-07-24T20:37:00.002-07:00

I was watching a short film today at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival website. The name of the film is "Four Short Films about Love". It's a really interesting film dealing mainly about coming of age. It's a really good film that I think people should watch. But as I watched it, something was said during it that has me wondering, "Who is a minority?" Being Black, I have heard all

Our MultiCultural and Ethnicity is showing

2009-05-14T18:49:00.002-07:00

First I must wish Bishop Marc and his family my prayers, as they lost their beloved dog after 14 years. When Bishop Marc and Sheila made their first visit to my congregation a few years ago, they couldn't stay as long as they might have wanted to stay, for their dog wasn't doing well. Since that time, I have asked about the dog, which I think that they liked. Sadly today when I went

Rethinking the Pyramid

2009-04-05T23:21:00.002-07:00

I often here the term "Top of the pyramid" when it comes to levels of where people in job positions are. The people at the top are the CEOs, Presidents, Owners, etc. in a company. These are the people with power. In the church it's the same way. We have placed the Presiding Bishop at the top of the pyramid and the laity at the bottom. After some things over the last few months, I am

The Spirit is working in DioCal

2009-03-29T18:52:00.002-07:00

It's been a bit since I wrote anything here, but let me catch you up on a couple of things. Several years ago, Bishop Marc asked me to be a guest blogger on his blog. I had asked him what he would like for me to write on, and he said anything that I desired, and he mentioned some ideas. I took one of his suggestions and wrote a blog on Being Black in the Episcopal Church. It was

Negro?

2009-02-15T20:43:00.002-08:00

Well it has been a while since I wrote anything here, but I figured it was time after what happened today. The day before now President Obama was sworn into office, one of the neighbors in my building died. He was a great guy, and it was to bad that he didn't live another 36 hours. After his funeral, I went to the wake which was held at a building where a theater is that I used to go to

Giving up on the Youth Group

2009-01-14T22:27:00.002-08:00

It is sad, the my diocese is holding and event this weekend for the youth of the diocese, and none of the youth from my congregation are coming. The thing is that it is something that they want to do, but because the pastor of the congregation isn't happy that things aren't going to be done his way when it comes to youth and Young Adults in the diocese, he is not going to try and get

Going to fight a little longer

2009-01-07T10:12:00.002-08:00

After writing my last views here on the congregation that I am in, I think that I'm going to try to stick it out a little longer, but I am seriously thinking about leaving. The congregation does have some good in it, which are hard to think of at the moment, but I am going to do my best to get people into it that will get it to live. But what I am not going to do is to be worn out by the

The Death of a Congregation

2009-01-04T20:05:00.002-08:00

When I first moved to Oakland in 1980, I had no plans on attending church services at an Episcopal Church anymore. I had been raised in the Episcopal Church and felt it was time to try something new. I had seriously thought about joining the Quakers, as I had attended a Quaker school as a child, and I think that they are part of the reason that I have turned out the way that I am. After

Jesus Phreak! (the trailer)

2008-11-16T16:07:00.002-08:00

I wish that we could get this show to come to my diocese, as I think that it could go over very well... Jesus Phreak! (the trailer) Read and post comments | Send to a

BEST POEM IN THE WORLD!

2008-11-02T08:22:00.002-08:00

I was shocked, confused, bewilderedAs I entered Heaven’s door,Not by the beauty of it all,Nor the lights or its decor.But it was the folks in HeavenWho made me sputter and gasp–The thieves, the liars, the sinners,The alcoholics and the trash.There stood the kid from seventh gradeWho swiped my lunch money twice.Next to him was my old neighborWho never said anything nice.Herb, who I always

Transitional President

2008-10-31T20:01:00.002-07:00

People have been asking me who I will vote for as President this Tuesday. Most people think that I will be voting for Obama because he is Black, like myself. Yes I am going to vote for him, but that isn't the reason. At the moment what I think that this country needs is a Transitional President. Personally, I don't see him being elected again. I do have a small fear that someone will

Where I have been

2008-10-27T18:40:00.002-07:00

You may have been wondering why I haven't posted anything even though some interesting stuff has been going on in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. I was going to post about the recent diocesan convention in this diocese, and my experience with our Asst. Bishop Steven Charleston, along with some other stuff, but I've been a little busy. What I think that I may end up doing

ASL Episcopal Congregations?

2008-10-14T23:02:00.002-07:00

I connected with a cousin of mine on Facebook. even though I don't think about it, he happens to be deaf. He wasn't born that way, it happened with a illness that he had as a child. While looking through his profile, I noticed that he is a member of the Oakland Deaf Church. I know very little about his church, but after looking at there website a question came to mind about the

Why should I Support Prop 8?

2008-10-10T15:07:00.002-07:00

Here in California we have a proposition on our ballet that states that we will only recognize marriage as being between a male and a female. Now I have no problem against marriage between two people of the same sex, and actually think that we "straight" folks could learn from them as I think that their divorce rate will be lower. I have dealt with people online who talk about how

A Ministry to Support

2008-09-19T09:41:00.002-07:00

In the congregation that I am in, one of the ministry programs that some of the people are involved in is Kairos. Of what I have been told, Kairos is a wonderful program that is done in prisons throughout the world. We in the congregation are asked to write letters of support to the prisoners whenever our members are going to be part of a team. We have heard some wonderful stories about

A Prayer for a Friend

2008-09-15T13:46:00.002-07:00

A few years ago, I went to another congregation on Fridays during Lent because they were doing the Stations of the Cross. The only time that the Stations was done at my congregation was on Good Friday. Now I was and am in the habit of doing the Stations throughout the year. After going to the other congregation one Friday, I figured that it would be a great thing to do at my congregation

A GREAT place to go to for a Hot Dog

2008-09-02T15:15:00.002-07:00

Normally I would write this in what I refer to as my Online Journal, but I just had to put this here. If you ever wanted to have the Perfect Hot Dog, and you are in the Jack London Area of Oakland, go to "O My Dawg" down at 2nd and Broadway. The service is great, and the food is..... WOW!!!... This isn't a place that you bring your kids to, and the prices of the food is a higher than

I may not vote for Obama

2008-08-28T09:42:00.002-07:00

After watching Joe Biden give his speech at the DNC last night, I think that Obama may lose my vote. He's now has a ton of work to do in order to get my vote now. Oh I'm sure that some are wondering what Biden said that has gotten me to change my mind on Obama, but he didn't say a thing to make me think that Obama has done anything wrong, but he talked about someone who this country

Who do you relate to in the Bible? - Part II

2008-08-22T08:30:00.002-07:00

Someone left a comment about my last posing, and it got me thinking. The one person in the Bible that I think that we all can relate to is Peter. How can we all relate to Peter? Think about it. How many times have you denied something that was true? We deny things many times to get out of something. Think back to your childhood, when you would blame someone else for something that you

Who do you relate to in the Bible?

2008-08-15T00:16:00.002-07:00

I'm not sure where the question or even how the question ever came into my mind, but it is a question that I have often asked myself, and it is a question that I ask others. I think that the question came from a sermon that a priest gave in a church that my family was in when I was a small child, but I'm not sure. I now pose the question to you. Other than Jesus and the Holy Triune,

Just a simple Thank You -Part II

2008-08-08T10:28:00.002-07:00

I was going through some stuff on my computer at work, and came across a reply to an email that I had written in a word processor. As I read it, a previous post that I had written here came to mind, and I thought that I should email some folks and thank them for the work and things that they have done. These are all great people in the Episcopal Church and are trying to make a

The Stations of the Cross

2008-08-01T19:00:00.002-07:00

Those who know me, know that I enjoy doing The Stations of the Cross all year round. I have found many different versions on the internet that are really great. These just don't deal with the traditional readings, but have themes. I figured that it would be fun to create a Stations website that deals strictly with them, so others can come to a site that contains a large group of them. I

Third World?

2008-07-22T14:49:00.002-07:00

It amazes me that we talk about wanting to live in a world where we all are treated as equals regardless of race, color, sex, age, sexuality and many other thing, but we keep using terms that do nothing but remind us of our difference and divide us. Over the past 20 years or so, I have heard this term “Third World” being used. I have found this term to be very racist, classist and not

Just a simple "Thank You"

2008-06-16T15:50:00.002-07:00

Since I last wrote anything here, I was really hoping that I would write something at least once a week, but I have just been busy. So as I do my wash here at Woody's, I figured that this would be a good time to write. I had a great experience this past Friday, when one of the people that I am an advocate for on the COM was ordained a Transitional Deacon. Michael is a great guy, and

Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North

2008-06-12T12:21:00.002-07:00

I received the following notice in an email and figured that I would pass this on. I hope that you plan on watching this, as it should be real interesting. We are thrilled to share with you that Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North will have a national television broadcast premiere on the PBS award-winning independent documentary film series P.O.V. on Tuesday, June 24

Was it Copyrighted?

2008-05-05T11:49:00.002-07:00

A question came to mind about the whole speech thing? Was it on a dvd/tape that the pastor had copyrighted? If it was copyrighted, has the press asked for permission to play it over the air? How much is the church making money wise fro the right for it to be played on all of the news shows and elsewhere. Now I am sure that the press will come up with all kinds of excuses as to why they

More on the Obama thing

2008-05-05T11:43:00.002-07:00

It's amazing how this stuff with Senator Barak Obama's Pastor continues on. Now Senator Obama has been forced to denounce his former Pastor. With the things the polls now saying that it is hurting Sen. Obama in this election, it makes me wonder who int his country really deserves to be elected to any political office in the country? How can someone run for any office if someone that

Freedom of Speech

2008-04-26T21:29:00.002-07:00

Not to long ago, clips from a sermon that Barack Obama's pastor gave a number of years ago, and it has been used to try and divide the nation racially. It's sad that the press and the people who are putting the pastor and Obama down haven't listened to the entire sermon, and are clueless about Black Liberation Theology. If you listen what the pastor was saying prior to what has been

A Hoax?

2008-04-21T17:36:00.002-07:00

I was watching the news this morning, and it was being reported that apparently the call that go the police to go to the ranch in Texas was a hoax. Now things are getting interesting. The reports are saying that it was actually a black female in another state that had made the call, and that she had a record of making hoax calls. True or not, The fact that they removed all of the

The True Order of the Church

2008-04-17T21:33:00.002-07:00

The more that I have gotten involved in things in this diocese, the more that I realize that we in the Lay Order really don't realize that in the pyramid of the church, we are really the top of it. From what I have seen, it seems as though most of us think that we are at the bottom of the pyramid, and it seems that the clergy realizes it. Let me tell you why this topic is on my mind.

Is Texas Acting Like The Nazi Party?

2008-04-16T09:11:00.002-07:00

I use to be heavily involved in an Episcopal group over on MySpace, but I really became tired of the conservatives their only wanting to post and saying how the Episcopal Church is such a bad place, speaking ill about the Presiding Bishop, and other stuff. Now I have never understood why these folks would remain in a place where they are so unhappy when there are a number of other

1963 March on Washington

2008-01-13T18:55:00.002-08:00

This is a slide-show that I made a while ago, and thought that I would share it with you. It's on the 1963 March on Washington. If you have troulbe trying to get it to play, try clicking on the lower left area below the video.

The Gospel According to Jesus

2008-01-11T08:47:00.002-08:00

“Love the Lord with all of your heart, all of your mind, and with all of your soul. And the second great commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. On these to commandments hang all of the laws of the prophets.” - Jesus Christ Growing up I really had no interest in the politics of the church, for I was young and things like that never really interested me. Yeah I went to

See Ya!!!

2007-12-21T10:43:00.002-08:00

See Ya!!! Well, it’s been nice having you folks in the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin with us, but most of you have voted to leave the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion to start your own denomination. “But we only voted to leave the Episcopal Church and align ourselves with someone else,” you all are yelling. By leaving the Episcopal Church, you have left the Anglican

Would you leave this country?

2007-10-26T13:53:00.002-07:00

I find things interesting in Christianity today, as it seems to be that people just love to fight over the issue of Homosexuality. I think that it is time for the world to just simply realize that it exist and will continue to exist for the rest for the rest of the time that creatures exist on this planet. Their used to be a time in my life where I was very much against homosexuality

Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you

2007-08-23T13:00:00.002-07:00

“Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. We know love by this, that he laid down for life for us – and we ought to lay down our

A Rant of a friend

2007-06-22T11:12:00.002-07:00

Below is a rant of a friend of mine. As much as I love her, I kind of wish that she had a sibling who was the total opposite of her, for I have heard enough sermons by her father about the wonderful things that she has done. Now I know that she isn't as good as her parents think that she is, but she is a wonderful person that I think greatly of. Check out her Blog - Rant, rant, rant!!

Are We Like Sheep?

2007-06-15T19:18:00.002-07:00

“All of us are like sheep: We have wandered away from God. All of us have turned to our own way. And the Lord has placed on his servant the sins of all of us.” - Isaiah 53:6 June 2, 2007 was a good day for me, in that I went to Grace Cathedral for the Ordination Service, and came out thinking about something. I will have to give credit my Bishop Marc Andrus for making me think about

Hip-Hop Violin

2007-06-11T11:59:00.002-07:00

No I have not changed my plan on using this place only for my Christian Episcopal/Anglican writings, but I just needed to share this with all. Hip-Hop Violin Read and post

Is a split natural?

2007-06-01T20:08:00.002-07:00

Below is something that I wrote in August of 2006. Yes it would be nice if the Episcopal Church would stay in the Anglican Communion, but I think that it is more important that the Episcopal Church follows what the Holy Trinity has in store for it. People talk about the traditions of the church, and after thinking about it, the Episcopal Church is not breaking tradition, for it has

In the Begining....

2007-05-31T21:42:00.002-07:00

Even though I have a personal journal on my website (www.earlwilliams.net ,) I had been thinking about creating a place where I could express my opinions about the things going on not only in the Episcopal Diocese that I live in, but in the Anglican Communion as a whole. Now I could just as easily started doing this on my own site, and had even thought about doing it there, but I figured