Armored car
I was barely 21 when I took a notion to buy an old Brinks armored car. It was a lark, nothing I needed, but I set about getting one. I wrote letters and ended up on a long distance, operator assisted telephone call to a man in Texas. He had dozens of old armored cars….
Poor
Evelyn Underhill (1875 -1941) was an Anglican intellectual, pacifist and writer on mysticism. She once received advice from Austrian religious writer and Christian apologist Friedrich von Hügel (1852-1925) who thought Evelyn too enthralled by ideas: “I believe you ought to get yourself, gently and gradually, interested in the poor; that you should visit them, very…
Homeless
Every Friday, I go to the men’s homeless shelter for a few hours. A block away, I always pull over by the railroad tracks to gather my thoughts. Recently, sitting there, a police car pulled up behind me. Two officers wanted to know what I was doing, parked like that. They were pleasant but curious….
Memory
How are we to talk to people about our church? In this age, how does the conversation begin? There is wisdom from 400 years ago: “When you counsel someone, remind them of something they had forgotten, not the light they were unable to see.”* Socrates, 2450 years ago, referred to this process as maieutic, a…
Chips
The usual rigamarole … empty pockets, 20 questions, show ID … then into the prisoner visiting area to see Mike. Prisoners cannot leave their chair so I went to the vending machine to peruse the wilting ham sandwiches, sawdust cookies and limp chips. The woman ahead of me tried for the chips but her card…
The house where I live
At a conference on racism, on the table before me, a small sign with these words: “… I am responsible for the house I did not build but in which I live.”* I learned much about racism at that conference. More learning lies ahead but that little sign gave me clarity and understanding. Whether it…
Apple
The grocery checkout line was long. Folks were impatient. The cashier did her best. The old man ahead of me had only a few items. When it was his turn, the cashier dropped his one and only apple. She picked it up and said, “Please, get another.” He went slowly. The line grumbled … “Apple…
Deacon
As a deacon, I end up in some strange places. When I was ordained, I made promises about what I would do. One promise calls me most clearly … that I am to “… interpret to the church the needs, concerns, and hopes the world.” I knew then that I would not remain in the…
Father Hutchins
A young man, I attended the Episcopal Church where Father Hutchins was priest. One Sunday, invited to the rectory for dinner, Mrs. Hutchins opened the door. We walked toward the kitchen and there was Father Hutchins, flat on his back on the living room floor, still wearing his collar, eyes closed, listening to Mozart on…
Fast Food
My parents ate once at McDonald’s. It was confusing … pay first … find table … carry food … bus table … but they allowed it wasn’t the worst meal they’d ever eaten. I ate my first fast food in California when I was 19. A day laborer, I spent a morning digging trenches for…
Did You Know? – Deacon Josh
The Rev. Josh Butler is a Vocational Deacon in the Diocese of Ohio.
It is the deacon who ends the service, dismissing the congregation to go out in the community to serve. In his Deacon’s Dismissal, Josh offers reflections to strengthen and inspire us in our call to service.
