Car insurance is a growing burden for Kalisa Hobbs.

Hobbs, who lives near the northern shore of Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain, said the cost of her auto coverage jumped almost 30 percent this year when State Farm added hundreds of dollars to her annual premium, raising it to $1,806. “I’m not going to go hungry or homeless, but like everybody else I live on a budget, and when that budget gets interrupted, it’s difficult,” said Hobbs, 56, who works as a communications manager at a paper mill. “It’s just on my credit card, and I’ll pay it off when I can.”

Hobbs has been swept up in a larger trend affecting hundreds of thousands of American drivers: soaring car insurance rates, with some states seeing increases above 50 percent in the past year.

Premiums have kept climbing even as other types of inflation have cooled. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, car insurance for U.S. drivers in July was 16 percent more expensive than in July 2022, and 70 percent more expensive than in 2013.

Read it all.

The value of claims submitted has risen because repairs and replacements have become more expensive, companies say.

And natural disasters make things worse. https://t.co/8QJ6slriE6

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 6, 2023

Two years of high inflation has many Americans shopping in places they wouldn’t normally, scouring for coupons and discounts and learning to do without.

The hit to the average budget is huge: The typical household spent $202 more in July than they did a year ago to buy the same goods and services, tweeted Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi. “And they spent $709 more (in July) than they did two years ago.”

People, especially those with annual earnings less than $100,000, are trying multiple strategies to stretch their dollars, according to the Dallas Fed – from delaying major purchases and medical treatment to decreasing the use of utilities and tapping charities.

Read it all.

Two years of high inflation have ravaged most American households. Here's what resilient Americans have to do to get by, https://t.co/15QLDLp0Rd

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) September 6, 2023

Blessed God, whose Son Jesus knelt to serve his disciples: We honor thee for the witness of thy servant Elie Naud; and pray that we, with him, may proclaim Christ in service to those deemed by the world to be littlest and least, following Jesus, who came not to be ministered to but to minister; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, to whom be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Died #OTD in 1722: Elias Neau, commemorated as a Huguenot Witness to the Faith by the Episcopal Church

A French Protestant who went to sea at a young age, he became an English denizen while a Boston merchant, before moving to New York

Élie Neau icon in https://t.co/GcBGDy033A pic.twitter.com/yac8PwwIFz

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) September 7, 2022

O Almighty God, who hast revealed thyself in him who veiled his Godhead that he might unveil thy glory, and hast made him the eternal sacrifice and only priest of men: Grant that by the power of thy Holy Spirit the veil on our hearts may be taken away, and we may look on him who loved us and gave himself for us, and so be changed into the same image from glory to glory, until at last we shall see him with unveiled face, for evermore.

Morning everyone hope you are well. The bracken is starting to change to a rustic colour with the first hints of autumn here in Borrowdale towards Castle Crag. Have a great day. #LakeDistrict @keswickbootco pic.twitter.com/A9tUIYS94V

— Rod Hutchinson (@lakesrhino) September 7, 2023

Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over him who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

–Psalm 37:7-8

Who doesn’t love a misty sunrise? @theroyalparks #BushyPark #sunrisephotography #sunrise #mistymorning #mist #thursdaythrowback pic.twitter.com/cjylxzXL97

— Ruth Wadey (@ruths_gallery) September 7, 2023

It’s been half mockingly but half seriously remarked that the last surviving U.S. Episcopalian is likely now among us. In the 1960s The Episcopal Church’s membership peaked at 3.6 million. It’s now down to a mostly ageing 1.6 million, declining fast. Like the Unitarian Church, it’ll likely endure as an institution almost indefinitely thanks to considerable financial assets, even without many people. But its demise, with other Mainline Protestant denominations, has been dramatic. Although never huge in numbers, the Episcopal Church across centuries served as America’s religious finishing school, educating our leaders, and providing liturgies for our national life.

The Episcopal Church is part of the global Anglican Communion, a spiritual fraternity of many national churches that descend from the Church of England, which itself is fast shrinking. A recent poll of Church of England clergy found most saying Britain is no longer a Christian nation. While their church remains the official state church, fewer than half of the British now identify as Christian. The Church of England’s average worship number on a typical Sunday is only about half a million. Its pageantry shines during British public rites, such as funerals, weddings, and coronations. But its direct impact on most British people is sadly minimal.

Anglicanism is vibrant in Africa, where most of Anglicanism’s 70-80 million adherents now live, especially in Nigeria. But everywhere in the white majority Anglosphere, Anglicanism is in steep decline, from North America and Britain to Australia and New Zealand. This decline, absent direct divine intervention, is likely irreversible in majority European societies.

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Protestantism is a constant churn & we needn't grieve for the demise of some denominations as other movements rise. God presides over all His churches. https://t.co/slnp1RPCgN via @theird

— @markdtooley (@markdtooley) September 6, 2023

The unexpected deficit surge, which comes amid signs of strong growth in the economy overall, is likely to shape a fierce debate on Capitol Hill about the nation’s fiscal policies as lawmakers face a potential government shutdown this fall and choices over trillions of dollars in expiring tax cuts. The Senate will return this week from August recess, and the House will be back the following week. Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) approved a deal in June to raise the nation’s borrowing limit, but it did little to alter the long-term debt trajectory.

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🇺🇸 U.S. deficit explodes even as economy grows – Washington Posthttps://t.co/IAXBFZ66WK pic.twitter.com/AEnOvk8hVP

— Christophe Barraud🛢🐳 (@C_Barraud) September 4, 2023

The ability of the Church in Wales to bring people together in good conversation and partnership should never be underestimated, the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Andrew John, told the Church’s Governing Body on Tuesday.

In a presidential address that drew parallels with the story of Nehemiah, and focused on challenge and opportunity, he announced the Church’s hosting of a two-day all-Wales climate summit in the second part of next year. It will draw together academics, activists, pressure groups, and stakeholders to discuss the health of the country’s waterways, and the impact of industry, agriculture, and residential domestic use on its landscape.

Wales had the opportunity to redesign its approach to energy, water, land use, and the sustainability of food supply at every level, Archbishop John said. “We are not the experts, save we know what good signposting looks like, and what human flourishing involves. We have a role as people of neutrality that invites confidence.

“Our capacity and commitment to show what human society could look like is well understood and appreciated. We have seen that church must mean much more than gathering and breaking bread on Sunday; that our commitment to justice, to the creation, to the poor might take us into uncomfortable places. That is what the Kingdom of God invites and involves.”

Read it all (registration or subscription).

The ability of the Church in Wales to bring people together in good conversation and partnership should never be underestimated, the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Andrew John, told the Church’s Governing Body on Tuesday https://t.co/bJUxYcLzBw

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) September 6, 2023

Imagine yourself seated at a fashionable London dinner party in 1789.

The women are wearing hoops several feet wide, their hair dressed nearly as high and adorned with fruit or feathers. In between hips and hair, bosoms overspill. The men sport powdered hair, ruffled shirts, embroidered waistcoats, wool stockings, and buckled shoes. Politeness and manners reign around a table laden with delicate, savory dishes.

As guests wait for the after-dinner wine to arrive, a handsome but demure woman pulls a pamphlet from the folds of her dress. “Have you ever seen the inside of a slave ship?” she asks the natty gentleman seated next to her. She proceeds to spread open a print depicting the cargo hold of the Brookes slave ship. With meticulous detail, the print shows African slaves laid like sardines on the ship’s decks, each in a space so narrow, they can’t lay their arms at their sides. The print will become the most haunting image of the transatlantic slave trade””as well as a key rhetorical device used to stop it.

The woman sharing it is Hannah More.

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Writer & anti-slavery campaigner Hannah More (1745-1833) of Bristol was one of the original Bluestockings: 18th century women championing the inclusion of women in intellectual discussions. Hannah established schools in Somerset so less fortunate children could be taught to read. pic.twitter.com/zKwibdlvYW

— Women of Wessex (@WomenOfWessex) July 29, 2023

Almighty God, whose only-begotten Son led captivity captive: Multiply among us faithful witnesses like thy servant Hannah More, who will fight for all who are oppressed or held in bondage; and bring us all, we pray, into the glorious liberty that thou hast promised to all thy children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Episcopal Church today also commemorates Hannah More, Religious Writer and Philanthropist, 1833

After success as a fashionable playwright, More became a religious writer, penning popular 'improving tale' tracts

Portrait by HW Pickersgill (1822), © National Portrait Gallery pic.twitter.com/0IyQ88lzOx

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) September 6, 2023

O God, who hast brought life and immortality to light by the gospel, and hast begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead: Make us steadfast and immovable in the faith, always abounding in the work of the Lord, who died for our sins and rose again, and now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, world without end.

–The Rev. James Mountain (1844-1933)

Do not forsake me, O Lord!
O my God, be not far from me!
Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!

–Psalm 38:21-22

The most incredible sky this morning. Taken from Glastonbury Tor about 20 minutes after sunrise. Glastonbury is a very special place and today was a reminder of that. pic.twitter.com/4Akfo1nnTx

— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) September 6, 2023

Watch it all.

Anglican Leadership Institute Convenes September 6

The Anglican Leadership Institute (ALI), which was born of a vision cast by Bishop Mark Lawrence, will begin its 11^th session on September 6. Since the initial session in 2016, 151 Fellows have graduated from the Institute which brings emerging Anglican leaders together for a unique learning experience in principles of leadership built upon the foundation of Anglican Formularies and the Jerusalem Declaration. This session, which will meet at the FOCUS Study Center in Massachusetts, will bring together 15 participants (pictured below) from 12 different countries. Read more.

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The Latest Edition of the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Enewsletter–'The Anglican Leadership Institute (ALI), which was born of a vision cast by Bishop Mark Lawrence, will begin its 11th session on September 6. Since the initial session in 2016, 151 Fellows have… pic.twitter.com/mL4eqphGEk

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) September 5, 2023

If you’re a child — or a former child — you know how hard it can be to summon the energy to leave the house each day for school. It’s early in the morning, and you are tired. Maybe you have a test or a social situation that’s making you anxious. Staying in bed often seems easier.

For as long as schools have existed, so have these morning struggles. Nonetheless, children overcame them almost every day, sometimes with a strong nudge from parents. Going to school was the normal thing to do.

Then, suddenly, it wasn’t.

The long school closures during the Covid pandemic were the biggest disruption in the history of modern American education. And those closures changed the way many students and parents think about school. Attendance, in short, has come to feel more optional than it once did, and absenteeism has soared, remaining high even as Covid has stopped dominating everyday life.

On an average day last year — the 2022-23 school year — close to 10 percent of K-12 students were not there, preliminary state data suggests. About one quarter of U.S. students qualified as chronically absent, meaning that they missed at least 10 percent of school days (or about three and a half weeks). That’s a vastly higher share than before Covid.

Read it all.

"Attendance at school has come to feel more optional than it did before the pandemic."

Where Are the Students? – The New York Times https://t.co/4CrHydaKqS

— Alexander Russo (@alexanderrusso) September 5, 2023

You may listen directly here

or you can download it also there and there is more if you are interested there.

The Sacrament of Ordination (Christ Presenting the Keys to Saint Peter),
Painting by Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665),
Painted between 1636-1640 pic.twitter.com/xFXHIAbC0s

— Christian (@edenelixirs) February 17, 2023

Give us some time to get fully up to speed-KSH.

#labourday morning @summervillesc #chswx #scwx #southcarolina #lowcountrylife #beauty #sunlight #thegiftoflife ⁦@EdPiotrowski⁩ #laborday2023 pic.twitter.com/TRzo6y06Yv

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) September 4, 2023

O Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow after us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Here comes the sun 😍#sunrise #goodmorning #tuesdaymotivations #Weather @ThePhotoHour pic.twitter.com/NtloxMdlQ7

— The Wild Massy 🌳 (@TheWildMassy) September 5, 2023

And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the maids of the high priest came; and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway.[a] And the maid saw him, and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. And after a little while again the bystanders said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.” But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the cock crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

–Mark 14:66-72

Who's been enjoying the sunshine in the #YorkshireDales? ✋ It looks like it's going to be another scorcher today! 😎

This photograph was taken previously on a similar morning – #Buttertubs Pass looking towards #Swaledale.

Enjoy your day!

📸 Alex William Helin pic.twitter.com/SkZXO5FImi

— Yorkshire Dales National Park (@yorkshire_dales) September 5, 2023

On this three day weekend, when we rest from our usual labors, loving Father, we pray for all who shoulder the tasks of human laboring the marketplace, in factories and offices, in the professions, and in family living.

We thank you, Lord, for the gift and opportunity of work; may our efforts always be pure of heart, for the good of others and the glory of your name.

We lift up to you all who long for just employment and those who work to defend the rights and needs of workers everywhere.

May those of us who are now retired always remember that we still make a valuable contribution to our Church and our world by our prayers and deeds of charity.

May our working and our resting all give praise to you until the day we share together in eternal rest with all our departed in your Kingdom as you live and reign Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

–-The Archdiocese of Detroit

Happy #LaborDay! We’re honoring the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity and well-being. https://t.co/Ub7b8FOSMh pic.twitter.com/NLWdJmpBTg

— U.S. Department of Labor (@USDOL) September 4, 2023

When all the children of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the earth on the pavement, and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,
“For he is good,⁰ for his steadfast love endures for ever.” 2… pic.twitter.com/B2jWJ7E51a

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) September 4, 2023

Eternal God, Who hast been the hope and joy of generations, and in all ages hast given men the power to seek Thee and in seeking to find Thee: grant me I pray Thee, a clearer vision of Thy truth, a greater faith in Thy power, and a more confident assurance of Thy love. If I cannot find Thee, let me search my heart and know whether it is not rather I that am blind – than Thou Who art obscure, and I who am fleeing from Thee rather than Thou from me; and let me confess these my sins before Thee, and seek Thy pardon in Jesus Christ my Lord.

Schönen guten Morgen
Ich wünsche allen einen fantastischen Sonntag mit viel Genuss und liebe Grüsse☀️🚶‍♀️🥾 pic.twitter.com/AJZ88xOMW9

— Jeannette Zust🇨🇭🇺🇦 (@jeannette_zust) September 3, 2023

Herewith the NBC blurb–‘Walking has helped Vietnam veteran Ric Ryan and he’s known around his California town for waving to everyone he passes by. Ric decided to donate a quarter for everyone who waves back to him on his walks to Operation Mend, which helps post-9/11 veterans injured in service. NBC News’ Harry Smith spoke with Ric about going the extra mile.’

Watch it all.

O Lord our God, who hast committed to us the glorious gospel of our risen Saviour and Master: Grant that as we joyfully receive the good news for ourselves, so we may gratefully share it with others, and ever give glory to thee, by whose grace alone we are what we are: through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Morning everyone hope you are well. Lovely light across Wray Castle Jetty. Have a great day. #lakedistrict @keswickbootco pic.twitter.com/acvPQbuxl8

— Rod Hutchinson (@lakesrhino) August 31, 2023

O God, who art faithful to thy people and dost not permit them to be tempted above that they are able, but with the temptation also makest a way of escape that they may be able to bear it: We humbly entreat thee to strengthen us thy servants with thy heavenly aid and keep us with thy continual protection; that we may evermore wait on thee, and never by any temptation be drawn away from thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Soirée magique dans un merveilleux décor, Sion 💖💙🤩🇨🇭#valais #suisse #switzerland #schweiz #ineedswitzerland #landscapephotography #landscape #photooftheday #photography #paysage #mountains #nature #lake #sunset #reflets @MySwitzerland_e @Veronique_Kanel @valaiswallis pic.twitter.com/34ddDPEkRo

— Délèze Dominique (@DelezeD) August 29, 2023

Take, Lord, all my liberty. Receive my memory, my understanding, and my whole will. Whatever I have and possess Thou hast given to me; to Thee I restore it wholly, and to Thy will I utterly surrender it for Thy direction. Give me the love of Thee only, with Thy grace, and I am rich enough; nor ask I anything beside.

–Frederick B. Macnutt, The prayer manual for private devotions or public use on divers occasions: Compiled from all sources ancient, medieval, and modern (A.R. Mowbray, 1951)

A bit of power in the sky this morning. Taken at sunrise on Glastonbury Tor. pic.twitter.com/sGzAprYBdX

— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) August 28, 2023

O Almighty and merciful Lord, who givest unto thy faithful people the Holy Spirit as a sure pledge of thy heavenly kingdom: Grant unto us this same Spirit, that he may bear witness with our spirit that we be thy children and heirs of thy kingdom; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

–‘Certaine Godly Prayers To Be Used For Sundry Purposes’ which may be found in its traditional form there.

This morning on Glastonbury Tor at sunrise. Such lovely colour in the sky but as you can tell from the pathway, it was raining (a lot!). pic.twitter.com/y6O28ZFXAW

— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) August 26, 2023

We thank Thee, O Lord, for the revelation of Thy will which Thou hast given us in the blessings which Thou Thyself hast pronounced upon those who love Thee. Send to us Thy Holy Spirit to guide and teach us, that we may be made worthy of Thy heavenly kingdom, and live now as fellow-citizens of the saints. O Lord, hear us: O Lord, have mercy upon us: O Lord, make us like unto Thee.

Walking above Langcliffe, nr Settle, yesterday after the morning clag had gone. pic.twitter.com/elQGeWfMQa

— YorkshireLass (@MaureenPlatts) August 25, 2023

O God, Who never forsakest those that hope in Thee: grant that we may ever keep that hope which Thou hast given us by Thy Word as an anchor of our souls, to preserve us sure and steadfast, unshaken and secure in all the storms of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

–Frederick B. Macnutt, The prayer manual for private devotions or public use on divers occasions: Compiled from all sources ancient, medieval, and modern (A.R. Mowbray, 1951)

A Morning Bicycle Ride. 20°C. Highland Cattle in the valley. pic.twitter.com/7fH90073oa

— Yorkshire Wolds Weather (@WeatherWolds) August 23, 2023