I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved, he who keeps you will not slumber.
–Psalm 121:1-3
Good morning Cape Cod National Seashore! Today’s exciting sunrise & moon from Coast Guard beach, Eastham, Massachusetts. #capecod #sunrise #StormHour pic.twitter.com/ZZOUCTRLqK
— Darius Aniunas (@dariusaniunas) November 22, 2022
As GK Chesterton once put it: “If my children wake up on Christmas morning and have someone to thank for putting candy in their stockings, have I no one to thank for putting two feet in mine?”
A gift we receive is never ultimately about the gift — it’s about the relationship established between us and the one who gave it. We often say it’s the thought that counts. If that’s true, then if there is no thought behind the thing we receive, somehow, however good it is, it means less. Gratitude is better than greed, but if there is no one behind the things we enjoy, then what we have is not really a gift, because a gift needs a giver. If, however, behind the gift there is someone who gave us what we needed, or even more than we needed, whether or not we deserved it, that gift becomes something much more significant.
It becomes a token of love — a sign that, despite everything, there is a God who made us, thinks of us and cares for us, and even beyond that, gives Himself for us, an even deeper reality than the gift itself.
Read it all (subscription).
Solar panels could be installed on the roof of York Minster for the first time in a bid to tackle rising energy bills.
The cathedral’s gas and electricity costs are expected to triple next year, a Minster spokesperson said.
Plans to install 199 solar panels on the roof of the South Quire Aisle have been submitted to York Council.
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said the Minster was “committed to taking a lead on addressing the climate emergency.”
York Minster plan for solar panels as energy bills triple https://t.co/aZYphcKpO7
— BBC Science News (@BBCScienceNews) November 18, 2022
Listen to it all and there is more there.
Today is The Sunday next before Advent, which is celebrated as the Feast of Christ the King and marks the end of the annual cycle of the Church's year: https://t.co/vRyBVupzpU
Image: Christ the King window by Christopher Webb in St Lawrence Jewry. Photo: Lawrence OP, via Flickr pic.twitter.com/JFwy80WPrF
— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) November 20, 2022
Lyrics:
Sing joyfully to God our strength; sing loud unto the God of Jacob!
Take the song, bring forth the timbrel, the pleasant harp, and the viol.
Blow the trumpet in the new moon, even in the time appointed, and at our feast day.
For this is a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
Lyrics:
I have never founded by hope on any other than Thee,
O God of Israel, Who shalt be angry, and yet be gracious,
and Who absolvest all the sins of mankind in tribulation.
Lord God, Creator of heaven and earth, be mindful of our lowliness.
O God most glorious, whose praises art sung night and day by thy saints and angels in heaven: We offer thanks for William Byrd, John Merbecke and Thomas Tallis, whose music hath enriched the praise that thy Church offers thee here on earth. Grant, we pray thee, to all who are touched by the power of music such glimpses of eternity that we may be made ready to join thy saints in heaven and behold thy glory unveiled for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Episcopal Church also commemorates William Byrd, John Merbecke & Thomas Tallis, Musicians, 1623, 1585, 1585 https://t.co/2UOIHMaUpM
Images of Tallis & Byrd from https://t.co/ui5PVwJti5; both were Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court pic.twitter.com/IhwhRPyZ1f
— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) November 21, 2020
Eternal Father,
whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven
that he might rule over all things as Lord and King:
keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit
and in the bond of peace,
and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Happy new week everyone! Have a marvellous Monday 🙌💐 pic.twitter.com/EvB5UG210K
— Theresa (@Sasta24) November 21, 2022
Praise the LORD! O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever! Who can utter the mighty doings of the LORD, or show forth all his praise? Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!
–Psalm 106:1-3
Sometimes I really feel the limits of photography. I always try to get an image to convey a mood as much as a view, but I wish you could have also smelt the damp, rich earth on this lane, heard the gentle patter of the leaves drifting down, and felt the soft mist on your face. pic.twitter.com/F1RV4SCyF5
— peaklass (@peaklass1) November 21, 2022
O Eternal God, our heavenly Father, who hast given to us thy children an abiding citizenship in heaven, and, in the days of our pilgrimage, a citizenship also upon earth: Give us thine aid, as we journey to that heavenly city, so faithfully to perform the duties which befall us on our way, that at the last we may be found worthy to enter into thy rest; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
–Daily Prayer, Eric Milner-White and G. W. Briggs, eds. (London: Penguin Books 1959 edition of the 1941 original)
Heading higher .. pic.twitter.com/F9yqMQSJax
— Alison O’Neill ~ theoriginalshepherdess1 (@woolismybread) November 20, 2022
On that day the Lord their God will save them
for they are the flock of his people;
for like the jewels of a crown
they shall shine on his land.
–Zechariah 9:16
Good morning all and a happy sunday! pic.twitter.com/sJPOQm0UjR
— David Oxtaby ARPS (@Disc_light) November 20, 2022
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who knowest the Father, even as Thou art known of Him, lead us onward evermore in the knowledge of Thee Who art the truth, till at last we see Thy face, and know Thee as we are known of Thee; Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest, one God for ever and ever.
–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)
Early morning colours #sunrise #SaturdayVibes #November @ThePhotoHour pic.twitter.com/J3aOGZmMgJ
— The Wild Massy 🌳 (@TheWildMassy) November 19, 2022
Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. Eli”²jah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.
–James 5:13-18
There are still places you can go on Skye & barely meet a soul and still get spectacular views and conditions. Black Cuillin in the very far distance on the left #skye #visitscotland #landscapephotography #ThePhotoHour pic.twitter.com/0r7XlQ9MVt
— Neil Macdougall (@neil_macd_v3) November 19, 2022
The Bishop of St Albans, Dr Alan Smith, has condemned the “wide range of human-rights abuses” committed in China against Christians and other religious groups.
He was speaking in a debate that he initiated in the Grand Committee of the House of Lords on Thursday.
Dr Smith said that he had been almost reluctant to call the debate because of his long-held admiration for China and its people. “Yet I feel I cannot remain silent in the face of such a wide range of human-rights abuses,” he said.
There was “a vast cultural gulf” between the UK and China, he continued, which was laid bare in President Xi’s speech last month to the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, in which the President had said: “We will . . . continue to take the correct and distinctively Chinese approach to handling ethnic affairs. . . We will remain committed to the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation and provide active guidance to religions so that they can adapt to socialist society.”
It’s hard to believe — mostly because it’s currently November and not June 1 — but the 2022 World Cup kicks off at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, on Nov. 20. The host nation will square off against Ecuador in the first World Cup match ever played in the Arab world. And the start of the tournament comes with plenty of questions about who might lift soccer’s most prestigious trophy.
Will it be Brazil, the betting favorite? Or could France become the first nation to repeat since 1962? Is Spain’s new golden generation — piloted by teenagers like Barcelona midfielders Gavi and Pedri — as good as its previous golden generation? 2 Does Lionel Messi have enough left in the tank to lead Argentina to glory and further cement himself as the G.O.A.T.? Is football finally coming home?3 Which squads could shock the world? Is there any shine left on Belgium’s underachieving golden generation?
Last week, we used Elo ratings to measure historical Groups of Death at the World Cup, and also to see where this year’s groups rank — or if a Group of Death even exists this time around. (TL;DR: We’re not sure/it’s complicated.) Today, we’re back with our full-fledged World Cup forecast model to take a broader look at the field and try to answer who’ll be the last team standing on Dec. 18.
The start of the tournament comes with plenty of questions about who might lift soccer’s most prestigious trophy. https://t.co/W5vE3GLiH3
— FiveThirtyEight (@FiveThirtyEight) November 18, 2022
A European-style winter energy crunch is looming over New England in the north-east US, even as American natural gas producers export record volumes and a wave of fuel heads across the Atlantic.
Utility bosses in the region have called for emergency assistance from Washington to pre-empt a crisis, while lashing out at a century-old law that has cut New England off from some of America’s prolific shale output and left it more dependent on expensive imports.
On Friday, a vessel laden with liquefied natural gas will land in Massachusetts — but the federal law preventing foreign vessels sailing between US ports means the gas will come from Trinidad, not the US export plants along the Gulf of Mexico that are shipping record amounts of fuel abroad.
“You would think that charity would begin at home . . . that American fuel would go to American ports,” Joe Nolan, chief executive of Eversource Energy, one of New England’s biggest utilities, said in an interview. “We’re going to have to compete just like everybody else — in the global market.”
Read it all (registration or subscription).
"On Friday, a vessel laden with liquefied natural gas will land in Massachusetts — but the federal law preventing foreign vessels sailing between US ports means the gas will come from Trinidad, not the US export plants along the Gulf of Mexico" https://t.co/iXi4h25wrY
— Jim Russell (@ProducerCities) November 18, 2022
The UK faces its biggest drop in living standards on record as the surging cost of living eats into people’s wages.
The government’s forecaster said that household incomes – once rising prices were taken into account – would dive by 7% in the next few years.
It also expects the number of people who are unemployed to rise by more than 500,000.
It came as the chancellor said the UK was already in recession and set to shrink further next year.
But Jeremy Hunt said his Autumn Statement – which unveiled £55bn of tax rises and spending cuts – would lead to a “shallower downturn” with fewer jobs lost.
UK faces biggest fall in living standards on record
The government's forecaster says people's incomes – once rising prices were taken into account – would dive by 7% in next few yearshttps://t.co/VkFNvFW7su
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) November 17, 2022
Just as the holiday shopping season gets into full swing, families are finding less slack in their budgets than before.
As of October, 60% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent LendingClub report. A year ago, the number of adults who felt stretched too thin was closer to 56%.
“More consumers who have historically managed their budgets comfortably are feeling the financial strain, which will impact their spending behavior as we head into the holiday shopping season,” said Anuj Nayar, LendingClub’s financial health officer.
60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck heading into the peak shopping season https://t.co/Eg42Tf3pvd
— CNBC (@CNBC) November 18, 2022
O God of peace, by whose grace the abbess Hilda was endowed with gifts of justice, prudence, and strength to rule as a wise mother over the nuns and monks of her household: Raise up these gifts in us, that we, following her example and prayers, might build up one another in love to the benefit of thy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
St Hilda of Whitby was abbess of a double monastery, with both men and women. Bede tells her story. In 664 the Synod of Whitby set the course for the Church of the future, in full union with Rome. pic.twitter.com/1dGXLdu9wX
— What Good News (@WhatGoodNews) November 17, 2022
Almighty God, Who hast made our bodies to be temples of Thy Spirit: reveal, we beseech Thee, in Thy servants Thy manifold gifts of grace; that living in Thy love and fear, they may be purified from the corruption that is in the world, and attain to dwell in the blessed fellowship of Thine eternal Kingdom.
–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)
The sun is rising!
Salt Pond, Cape Cod National Seashore – Eastham. #capecod #sunrise #nationalpark pic.twitter.com/4hfsh9QCuK— Darius Aniunas (@dariusaniunas) November 18, 2022
Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD: that he looked down from his holy height, from heaven the LORD looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die; that men may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise, when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD. He has broken my strength in mid-course; he has shortened my days. “O my God,” I say, “take me not hence in the midst of my days, thou whose years endure throughout all generations!” Of old thou didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They will perish, but thou dost endure; they will all wear out like a garment. Thou changest them like raiment, and they pass away; but thou art the same, and thy years have no end.
–Psalm 102:18-27
Early Morning Muddy Trek. 8°C after heavy rain. Canada Geese abundant. pic.twitter.com/I4PKndEls7
— Yorkshire Wolds Weather (@WeatherWolds) November 18, 2022
“Ahead of today’s statement one of our key concerns was to see benefits keep pace with inflation. So we welcome the Chancellor’s commitment in this regard but continue to call for the end to the two-child limit on Universal Credit, which hits some of the poorest families hardest.
“This is going to be a very hard winter for many. Our churches, in communities across the country, are already reporting alarming rises in demand for foodbanks and other services which have become a lifeline.
“It is heartbreaking to hear of people who just a year ago were donating to foodbanks but are now using them themselves.
“It is heart-breaking to hear of people who just a year ago were donating to foodbanks but are now using them themselves."
Read a response on the #autumnstatement2022 from @BishopPaulB and Bishop of St Albans, at https://t.co/Y7woEJn6EL.
— The Church of England (@churchofengland) November 17, 2022
In the remaining days of the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, nearly 200 nations are rushing to seek deals that keep climate goals alive.
If they fall short, it will likely disappoint but not surprise much of the world’s population that is already unhappy with efforts to safeguard the environment.
In 66 out of 123 countries that Gallup surveyed in 2021 and 2022, less than half of people report being satisfied with their country’s efforts to preserve the environment.
This list includes many, but not all, of the world’s cumulative top emitters of carbon dioxide, which is linked to global warming. For example, while less than half of adults in one of the biggest emitters — the U.S. — are satisfied with their country’s efforts to preserve the environment, strong majorities in other big emitters such as China (89%) and India (78%) are satisfied.
48% of Americans who are satisfied with the country's efforts to preserve the environment in 2022 is more characteristic of the relatively lower satisfaction levels since the U.S. first agreed to join the Paris Agreement in 2015. https://t.co/C1Rapv1Ke6 pic.twitter.com/OrbT7IgPYL
— GallupNews (@GallupNews) November 17, 2022
Michael Gerson, a speechwriter for President George W. Bush who helped craft messages of grief and resolve after 9/11, then explored conservative politics and faith as a Washington Post columnist writing on issues as diverse as President Donald Trump’s disruptive grip on the GOP and his own struggles with depression, died Nov. 17 at a hospital in Washington. He was 58.
The cause of death was complications of cancer, said Peter Wehner, a longtime friend and former colleague.
After years of working as a writer for conservative and evangelical leaders, including Prison Fellowship Ministries founder and Watergate felon Charles Colson, Mr. Gerson joined the Bush campaign in 1999. Mr. Gerson, an evangelical Christian, wrote with an eye toward religious and moral imagery, and that approach melded well with Bush’s personality as a leader open about his own Christian faith.
Grieving the death of my friend @MJGerson. When I hear the words “integrity”and “conscience” and “compassion,” I think of him. He was a faithful Christian and he was faithfully Christlike. We cannot wait to see him again, on the other side of the Jordan.https://t.co/oEHyzlTjMw
— Russell Moore (@drmoore) November 17, 2022
“Meanwhile, as a result of the partnership between the vicars of the four churches mentioned above, the PCC’s of those churches have met a handful of times for fellowship and discussion about how we might maintain gospel integrity, and continue to hold out the good news of Jesus as Anglican churches into our diocese. As a result, those churches have begun planning to set up The Oxford Good Stewards Trust (OGST), modelled on similar diocesan Trusts around the UK. A main purpose of such a trust would be to divert our ‘Parish Share’ (ongoing annual payments to “the diocese to finance the ministry in the local church – including the clergy’s stipend) to the Trust, in order to avoid supporting revisionist churches financially and indeed directly support churches that maintain Anglican doctrine. At the very least, in order to demonstrate our dismay, and how seriously we view the situation, a simple course of action could be to simply pay our Parish Share via the OGST. The actual setting up of the OGST was a pragmatic move to get the wheels turning, whilst we discussed how we might utilise it going forward. Whilst we have not yet made any payment to the OGST, the PCC officially aligned itself with it in November 2021 but are yet to contribute financially or to use it as a vehicle for payment (though we have received a generous gift from it). However, next Monday the PCC will be discussing ways we might utilise the fund more, going forward (with a view to making a firm decision in January 2023).
“As mentioned, in his essay “Together in Love and Faith”, which he launched on Friday, Bishop Steven argues for a change in the Church’s practice, saying the Church of England should now marry same-sex couples. This will also, de facto, involve a change in its doctrine. This goes significantly further than the Ad Clerum of 2018 as it firmly presses down the accelerator of change. Also, Bishop Steven is now the most senior cleric in the Church of England (so far) to speak out in favour of same-sex marriage, and will mean him becoming the leading public advocate for change among the House of Bishops (who meet next week to discuss this with a view to debating it at General Synod early next year). It also feels like a pre-empting of the results of the ‘Living in Love and Faith’ initiative (a countrywide ‘discussion’ regarding human sexuality based around teaching materials that were biased towards a more liberal approach. I had planned to lead something at St Paul’s to contribute to this debate, but the coronavirus pandemic and my own health meant this did not happen).
At this stage, it is important to reiterate is that, as Christians, we object to sex outside marriage in any form, not because we don’t like the idea of it, but because the Bible (which is our authority/rule) is clear in its rejection of it. This means that all our deliberations need to be conducted in an atmosphere of love and respect, acknowledging that we all struggle in different ways with different sins.”
The story continues to rapidly develop.
Hit them where it hurts. Conservative Parishes Join to Fund Orthodox Ministryhttps://t.co/wP06Ycogja @calvinrobinson @GBNEWS @GabriellaSwerl @SaveTheParish @spectator @synod @Steven_Croft @DesmondSwayne @ClarkeMicah
— English Churchman (@1761Ec) November 17, 2022
Holy God, who didst endow thy servant Hugh of Lincoln with wise and cheerful boldness, and taught him to commend the discipline of holy life to kings and princes: Grant that we also, rejoicing in the Good News of thy mercy, and fearing nothing but the loss of thee, may be bold to speak the truth in love, in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Today is the Feast of St Hugh of Lincoln. Hugh was made Bishop of Lincoln after the Cathedral collapsed in an earthquake in 1185. He rejoiced in the company of a pet swan, which has since become his symbol. He is patron saint of sick children, sick people, swans and shoemakers. pic.twitter.com/Iknbed3YFu
— Lincoln Cathedral (@LincsCathedral) November 17, 2022
Heavenly Lord,
you long for the world’s salvation:
stir us from apathy,
restrain us from excess
and revive in us new hope
that all creation will one day be healed
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
"Waters of Refreshing"
… in America's newest national park, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve#UpperMarrBranch #NewRiverGorgeNationalPark #AlmostHeaven #WestVirginia #ThePhotoHour pic.twitter.com/LOgDHSa3F7— Thomas R Fletcher (@ThomasRFletcher) November 17, 2022
O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his presence continually!
–Psalm 105:1-4
In Salisbury, before sunrise, I set out to seek John Constable's vantage point for his painting of the cathedral from the meadows. Before I got there, I was stopped in my tracks by the silhouette of the cathedral above the mist at Harnham Water Meadows. #throwbackthursday pic.twitter.com/07jtqTEoYQ
— Andy Marshall 📸 (@fotofacade) November 17, 2022