The 6th Street Bridge in Los Angeles is wired to glow with colorful lights celebrating the city’s spirit. But the bridge, known as the “Ribbon of Light,” goes dark at night now. So do stretches of the busy 405 freeway and dozens of street blocks across the city.

In St. Paul, Minn., a man was recently hit by a car and killed while crossing a street near his home where streetlights had gone out.

And in Las Vegas and surrounding communities, more than 970,000 feet of electrical wiring, the equivalent of 184 miles, have gone missing from streetlights over the past two years.

The lights are going out across American cities, as a result of a brazen and opportunistic type of crime. 

Read it all.

Metal Thieves Are Stripping America’s Cities
Across the country, copper and other valuable materials have been stolen from streetlights, statues and even gravesites, costing millions to repair. https://t.co/vJh8sUvbzp

— Stuart Falk (@stufalk) July 10, 2024

O Lord Christ, by whose single death upon the cross the members of thy body also die to servitude and sin: Grant us so to crucify the old man, that the new may daily rise with thee in the immortal power of thy free Spirit, who liveth and reigneth with the Father and thee, one God, world without end.

It's #WaterfallWednesday 💙 Scale Haw Force is a pretty little waterfall a short walk from the village of Hebden in Wharfedale. What's not to love about this photograph!

📸 With thanks to Alex William Helin#YorkshireDales #Yorkshire #Dales #Wharfedale pic.twitter.com/t9PjxRuuSW

— Yorkshire Dales National Park (@yorkshire_dales) July 10, 2024

I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen by race. They are Israelites, and to them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ. God who is over all be blessed for ever. Amen.

–Romans 9:1-5

Morning everyone hope you are well. There are many paths ascending Wetherlam in the Coniston Fells but this route along Red Dell Beck is quite stunning. Have a great day. #LakeDistrict @keswickbootco pic.twitter.com/pBXl0sWK8q

— Rod Hutchinson (@lakesrhino) July 10, 2024

Recap of the ACNA 2024 Provincial Assembly

More than 20 clergy and laity from our Diocese attended the ACNA Provincial Assembly held at the end of June, where we worshipped, conducted the business of the province, and witnessed the passing of authority to the new Archbishop, Steve Wood.

 “I loved being here,” said Janice Breazeale, a delegate from St. Matthew’s, Fort Motte. “It was a wonderful experience. The thing that amazed me more than anything is how much Archbishop Foley had accomplished in 10 years.”

Delegate Justin Johnson, who is the Director of Camp Jubilee, said, “The best part, for me, was the ability to reconnect with old friends from around the province,  to make new friendships, to hear what the Lord is doing in other places outside of our diocese, and to be reminded of how diverse the Kingdom of the Lord is.” Look for additional news and reflections in an upcoming Jubilate Deo. View a photo album. 

Read it all.

The Latest Edition of the Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina Enewsletter https://t.co/Bd6NO34gSx [Photo: Joy Hunter] #anglican #news #parishministry #lowcountrylife #religion #faith #ACNA pic.twitter.com/cWhSp94lPH

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) July 9, 2024

 I’ve said she is theological without being dogmatic, but I think the key to her project involves making space for theology more than defending specific claims. It’s the realm of metaphysics she cares about, the idea that our experience suggests something grander about us and about our apprehensions than our scientific models can account for. For her, the Christian narrative gives that transcendent realm its coordinates, but it’s our experience as human beings—Christians or non-Christians—that tells us that we matter and that the universe has beauty. She wants to recover a place for that mattering.

The gift of Marilynne Robinson’s long shelf of late work, then, is its refusal of cynicism, its declaration of wonder and awe, and its affirmation that our little minds haven’t exhausted the meaning of the universe—and won’t. Long before Robinson picked up her pen, Simone Weil told us that we’d already “lost the whole poetry of the cosmos.” Robinson hasn’t given up on that poetry.

One of my favorite notes of gratitude and hope comes in her novel Gilead (2004). “In eternity this world will be Troy, I believe,” her minister-hero declares, “and all that has passed here will be the epic of the universe, the ballad they sing in the streets.” It’s a startling image. It reverses the sense that our lives are trivial details in an unimaginable vastness. In Robinson’s vision, the universe—and the God who wills the universe into existence at the beginning of the book of Genesis—has a deep interest in us, such that even our follies are part of some epic song. It’s elevating. Maybe it’s fanciful, or maybe it’s true and sublime. “It depends upon the universe,” as Saul Bellow’s Herzog decides, “what it is.”

Read it all.

There are a handful of writers that, when I read them, I marvel at both their writing and wisdom.

I just completed Marilynne Robinson’s *Reading Genesis*, and I can assure you of her place on that short list.

She has clearly walked closely with the Lord these many years. pic.twitter.com/UCJQdSG7mJ

— Steve Bezner (@Bezner) May 4, 2024

An artificial intelligence (AI) model that speaks the language of proteins — one of the largest yet developed for biology — has been used to create new fluorescent molecules.

The proof-of-principle demonstration was announced this month by EvolutionaryScale in New York City, alongside US$142 million in new funding to apply its model to drug development, sustainability and other pursuits. The company, launched by scientists who previously worked at tech giant Meta, is the latest entrant in an increasingly crowded field that is applying cutting-edge machine-learning models trained on language and images to biological data.

“We want to build tools that can make biology programmable,” says Alex Rives, the company’s chief scientist, who was part of Meta’s efforts to apply AI to biological data.

Read it all.

“We want to build tools that can make biology programmable”
Ex-Meta scientists debut gigantic AI protein design model https://t.co/RJnpoLmVGJ

— Magdalena Skipper (@Magda_Skipper) July 8, 2024

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been hosted by President Biden at a state dinner and lavished with praise by White House officials, who describe ties with India as “one ofthe most consequential relationships” for the United States.

But this week, Modi reminded the world that he has another close relationship — with “my dear friend Vladimir Putin.”

As Modi makes his first visit to Russia since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the images emerging from Moscow of Modi wrapping the Russian president in a hug send a clear signal that the South Asian giant will maintain deep ties with Russia despite the Biden administration’s efforts to woo its prime minister. It also shows that Putin is not as isolated as the White House has hoped.

Read it all.

Modi bear hugs Putin in Moscow, marking deep ties between Russia and India. The engagement, which overlaps with three days of NATO meetings in Washington, was met with consternation in Washington and Kyiv. @gerryshih @catherineBelton @maryilyushina https://t.co/jz4mAMsrTs

— Ellen Nakashima (@nakashimae) July 9, 2024

Bishop of Bath and Wells – Against the motion

“For many, it is the absence of such clarity that is causing such rage and distrust around our process. Now I know there is colossal pressure to get the Prayers of Love and Faith done. With all of us here, I would love us to be able to to move on to something else, but we know, from our national life, where a desire quickly to cut to the end of a process gets us. Until the doctrinal work is undertaken this motion is not oven-ready.”

Rev Aneal Appadoo (UKME co-opted) – Against the motion

“We have rigorous processes for Synod, which are right and build trust and enable trust to thrive among us, even when things look dishonest. What was revealed on Saturday night was that the House of Bishops have, at best, been playing fast and loose with our processes, and, at worst, and I pray not, been intentionally deceiving this Synod. For the sake of trust and the unity of this chamber and the Communion, which I love, I urge the Synod to vote against this motion. As has devestatingly been reported the processes have not been followed and I for one feel like I’ve been tricked.”

Bishop of London – For the motion

“We talk a lot about the need to do more theology, and that is not a bad thing, however let us be honest that at times it can be a displacement activity – and the truth is we will not all agree once the theology is done. Maybe, we would be wiser to put our theology to work, regardless of our theology of marriage or sexuality. We should put it to work sothat we can create a household of faith which is not homophobic, which is not misogynistic, which is not racist, or misuses power. Because, of course, theology is not just about words it is about our deeds.”

Rev Brenda Wallace (Chelmsford) – For the motion

“Let’s not get so tied up in law and doctrine that we lose sight of the people who are at the heart of our discussions. And let’s have the generosity to reach out with Christ’s loving arms and embrace them with love and faith. We ‘ve talked a lot about trust, so let’s move forward with trust that our God of Love loves all God’s children and wants them to live in relationships which are lifegiving, life enhancing and blessed by God and by the church.”

Read it all.

The fully updated summary of yesterday's LLF debate with analysis to follow https://t.co/oi8hmrRlGn

— Anglican Futures (@AnglicanFutures) July 9, 2024

O God, who hast called us out of the bondage of sin into the perfect freedom of thy children: Grant us grace that we may yield ourselves unto thee as alive from the dead, and our bodily members as servants of righteousness; that we may have our fruit unto holiness, and in the end everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Good things take time #thicktrunktuesday pic.twitter.com/7Hvyr4kGON

— Hayley Twigs in Hair Figgis (@HayleyhHoward) July 9, 2024

‘But let all who take refuge in thee rejoice,
let them ever sing for joy; and do thou defend them,
that those who love thy name may exult in thee.
For thou dost bless the righteous, O Lord;
thou dost cover him with favor as with a shield.’

–Psalm 5:11-12

Starting the day with wonder and amazement!!!

Good Tuesday lovely people in my phone !!#TuesdayVibes #summer #grandrising #sunrise #weather #GoodVibesOnly #StormHour #jefinuist #outerhebrides #scotland pic.twitter.com/TCoyaihnWV

— DaliMach (@frenchscotjeff) July 9, 2024

Proposals to remove impediments on the use of new blessings for same-sex couples in stand-alone services, along with the provision of delegated episcopal ministry for those who oppose the changes, were shown a pale green light from the General Synod on Monday afternoon….

A notable opponent of the motion was the Bishop of Bath & Wells, Dr Michael Beasley, who has previously voted for LLF motions and supported an amendment in November last year calling for stand-alone services to be trialled (News, 17 November 2023).

He was voting against the motion this time, he said, because he felt that it was necessary to do more work on questions about whether doctrine was being changed by the introduction of services that some feared would resemble weddings.

Read it all.

Here in the Diocese of York, we call our response to the Church of England’s Vision and Strategy and its invitation to be a Christ-centred and a Jesus Christ shaped Church, Living Christ’s story. We imagine and envisage our life of missionary discipleship to be as if, led by the Spirit, we are writing the next chapter in the Acts of the Apostles, the chapter for this bit of Yorkshire in this day and for the people and communities we serve. And when Jesus says at the end of St John’s Gospel, ‘As the Father sent me, I am sending you’ (John 20: 21); and when at the end of Matthew’s gospel, he says ‘Go into all the world and make disciples’ (Matthew 28: 19); and when St Paul says to the church in Corinth that they are a ‘letter from Christ… written by the Spirit of the living God’ (2 Cor. 3: 3), it is as if God is handing us the pen, entrusting to us his mission of love to the world and asking us, imploring us, to be his presence in the world. And of course, the foundation and the inspiration for this is the living word of God that bursts forth from the pages of scripture and lodges in our hearts and minds, changing them and shaping them so that we, indeed, become that love letter from God. But for this address, knowing that it is scripture, but also the way that scripture shapes and is shaping the lives of so many others who then become these love letters from God, there are two other books I want to mention as well.

When I first went to see my parish priest, Fr Ernie Stroud, one time member of this Synod, and spoke with him, aged about 20, about a possible vocation to the priesthood, he gave me two books to read. First Iremonger’s Life of William Temple; and second Kenneth Ingram’s biography of the slum priest, Basil Jellicoe.

I read these books when I was about 20 years old and they have made a mark on my life and groove in my ministry that has never gone away, that has laid down tracks upon which I believe I am still seeking to live and minister today.

William Temple gave me – and I believe still gives to the Church – a profound vision of how Christian Faith shapes and orders society; and since we are gathering the day after a General Election, it is especially relevant for us not only to pray for our new Prime Minister and government, but also to think afresh how Christian Faith and Christian values can shape and order the world.

Read it all.

The living word of God bursts forth from the pages of scripture and lodges in our hearts and minds, changing them and shaping them.

I begin my presidential address for the opening of Church of England @synod. pic.twitter.com/PJ8BNWn1nK

— Archbishop of York (@CottrellStephen) July 5, 2024

You may listen directly here:

You may also download it there and there is a video version here.

“And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.”
Mark 6:5-6 ESVhttps://t.co/QgHoI84y7M pic.twitter.com/HGiiaRyWHe

— Will Worsham (@wworsham) November 11, 2021

Ukrainian attacks on Russian supply lines have left Russian units scrambling for food, water and ammunition, blunting Moscow’s renewed invasion into Ukraine’s northeast Kharkiv region, according to Ukrainian field commanders who shared radio and phone intercepts and results of their interrogations of Russian prisoners of war.

The intercepts and extensive interviews with 10 Ukrainian commanders and troops operating across the front line in Kharkiv — including several who monitor Russian communications and who question POWs immediately after they are captured — paint a picture of increasingly desperate Russian ground troops who are losing personnel and momentum after reinvading across the border in May.

In the transcript of one radio conversation, intercepted in June and shared with The Washington Post, a Russian soldier orders another to ensure incoming troops responsible for carrying supplies understand that there is a dire shortage of food and water.

“Tell each of them … not to listen to the [expletive] guide who says that ‘Water is not needed, food is not needed, everything is here,’” the soldier says. “There is nothing here.”

Read it all.

Ukrainian attacks on supply lines slowed Russians in Kharkiv, intercepts show https://t.co/zgf2n0iZE6

— David Vickrey🇺🇦🇺🇸🇩🇪 (@DavidVickrey1) July 8, 2024

God of grace and might, we praise thee for thy servants Priscilla and Aquila, whom thou didst plenteously endow with gifts of zeal and eloquence to make known the truth of the Gospel. Raise up, we pray thee, in every country, heralds and evangelists of thy kingdom, that the world may know the immeasurable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Today is the feast of Saints Aquila and Priscilla, early Christians who are mentioned in the New Testament. They lived, worked, and traveled with the Apostle Paul, who described them as his "fellow workers in Christ Jesus”. They are considered patrons of love and marriage. pic.twitter.com/wDqyTFFD4f

— stpeterinchains (@stpeterinchain1) July 8, 2024

Grant us, O Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who can do no good thing apart from you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Beautiful morning view of the Ravenel Bridge from Downtown Charleston! pic.twitter.com/xljmFmrKfV

— Joey Sovine Live 5 (@JoeySovine) July 8, 2024

Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

–Matthew 23:1-12

Beautiful morning view of the Ravenel Bridge from Downtown Charleston! pic.twitter.com/xljmFmrKfV

— Joey Sovine Live 5 (@JoeySovine) July 8, 2024

Merciful God,
you have prepared for those who love you
such good things as pass our understanding:
pour into our hearts such love toward you
that we, loving you in all things and above all things,
may obtain your promises,
which exceed all that we can desire;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Het #oranje zonnetje had het moeilijk, hield knap stand en gaat voor de volgende ronde. Fijne zondag😀 #natuur #landschap #zomer #Rhenen #ElstUt #Elsterbuitenwaard #zonsondergang #mooieluchten pic.twitter.com/w23l2NeWdj

— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) July 7, 2024

And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, mastered all of them, and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all; and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Many also of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all; and they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew and prevailed mightily.

–Acts 19:11-20

Het #oranje zonnetje had het moeilijk, hield knap stand en gaat voor de volgende ronde. Fijne zondag😀 #natuur #landschap #zomer #Rhenen #ElstUt #Elsterbuitenwaard #zonsondergang #mooieluchten pic.twitter.com/w23l2NeWdj

— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) July 7, 2024

He protested against the ecclesiastical system, he preached in favour of reform in the Church and advocated a return to the poverty recommended by the Scriptures. Indeed, the Scriptures were the only rule and every man had the right to study them. In Questio de indulgentis (1412) he denounced the indulgences.

He admired Wyclif’s writings and defended him when he was condemned as a heretic. He was excommunicated. An interdict was pronounced over Prague and he had to leave it and go to southern Bohemia, where he preached and wrote theological treatises, notably the Tractatus de ecclesia (1413), known as «The Church».

Read it all.

Jan Hus, Czech priest and reformer, was condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake on July 6 1415 at the Council of Constance, where he had been promised safe conduct to defend his theology. My reflection in @GiveUsThisDayLP pic.twitter.com/nTsjiy4Cqu

— @RobertEllsberg (@RobertEllsberg) July 5, 2024

Faithful God, who didst give Jan Hus the courage to confess thy truth and recall thy Church to the image of Christ: Enable us, inspired by his example, to bear witness against corruption and never cease to pray for our enemies, that we may prove faithful followers of our Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Statue of Master Jan Hus in centre of Praha, capital of Czech Republic. We commemorate his death on 6th July 1415 – state holiday in our republic pic.twitter.com/Np4xuAstRQ

— Marketa H (@MarketaHalova1) July 6, 2024

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst humble Thyself to become man, and to be born into the world for our salvation: teach us the grace of humility, root out of our hearts all pride and haughtiness, and so fashion us after Thy holy likeness in this world, that in the world to come we may be made like unto Thee; for Thine own Name’s and mercies’ sake.     

Vandaag weer wat zonlicht aan de horizon. Fijne zaterdag😀 #natuur #landschap #zomer #Rhenen #ElstUt #Elsterbuitenwaard #Nederrijn #zonsondergang #mooieluchten pic.twitter.com/K8h6Mfmk0o

— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) July 6, 2024

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

–Romans 8:18-25

Isle of Mull.
Have a lovely weekend. pic.twitter.com/SEyn6I7UqK

— Veritatis Cupitor (@English1Maiden) July 6, 2024

The Heiliggeistkirche, in the Baroque German city of Heidelberg, is a 15th-century Gothic jewel of a church. Beneath its vaulted roof, worship has been offered for centuries, with music ranging from Gregorian chant to Lutheran hymns. Even at the church’s time of greatest turmoil, when it was consecrated and reconsecrated by different factions during the wars of religion, nothing, perhaps, will have been quite so surprising as the music that resounded through its nave in May.

“The buttons of my coat were tangled in my hair. In doctor’s-office-lighting, I didn’t tell you I was scared. That was the first time we were there. Holy orange bottles, each night I pray to you. Desperate people find faith, so now I pray to Jesus, too” — these are the words of Taylor Swift’s quietly tragic song “Soon You’ll Get Better”, dedicated to her mother after a cancer diagnosis. It was one of the chief musical items in an entire service inspired by the American pop star.

Under the title “Anti-Hero” (a track from Swift’s 2022 album Midnights), the service at the Heiliggeistkirche featured a local singer and professor of popular church music at HfK Heidelberg, Tiene Wiechmann, who sang six of Swift’s songs. These were interspersed with reflections on Swift’s lyrics, life, and philosophy from the (now Protestant) parish’s Pastor, Vincenzo Petracca.

Read it all.

The £5.2m Demonstrator Churches project from the Church of England’s Net Zero Programme aims to help 114 churches in 2024 and 2025 pay for items such as solar panels, heat pumps, insulation, secondary glazing, LED lighting and infrared heating systems.

As work progresses, the network of Demonstrator Churches – representing many different types of community and situations – will share what they have learned more widely with dioceses and parishes so that all Church of England churches can learn from their experiences.

Abi Hiscock, Project and Grants Manager for the Church of England’s Net Zero Demonstrator Churches Project, said: “Ultimately, we want to demonstrate that with the right support and infrastructure, churches from diverse settings and facing a variety of challenges can reach net zero by 2030.

“By the end of this project, we will have over 100 case studies on what to do and when, and what not to do. Along the way, the supported churches are all required to act as champions to other churches in their dioceses or geographically near to them, or simply to other churches working from similar baselines to them, so that the learnings from these projects engage, influence and support this vision.”

Read it all.

@StPeterMancroft is 1st of over 100 churches 2 receive part of the £5.2M Demonstrator Churches project from the Church of England’s Net Zero Programme.

Watch our journey towards net zero in the full video on the Diocese website. Here's a snippet…https://t.co/dsrNh10sAr

— VergerStPeterMancroft (@verger_st) July 4, 2024

‘It was an unusual thing for a ruler of the synagogue to be at the feet of Jesus, yet that is the best place for us all. If God has placed any of you in an eminent position, it will well become you to fall at the feet of Jesus as Jairus did. There is no place more suitable, no place more honourable, no place more profitable, than at the feet of Jesus. What brought Jairus there? It was his great necessity; and that is what will bring us there, a sense of our great need.’

–C H Spurgeon, also quoted by yours truly in last Sunday’s sermon

Jesus heals Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5.21–43)

21 Jesus went back across to the other side of the lake. There at the lakeside a large crowd gathered round him.

22 Jairus, an official of the local synagogue, arrived, and when he saw Jesus, he threw himself down at his feet pic.twitter.com/1DY4oWgGqV

— Stained Glass Zealot (@glass_zealot) March 2, 2021

Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths.1 It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult—once we truly understand and accept it—then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.

Most do not fully see this truth that life is difficult. Instead they moan more or less incessantly, noisily or subtly, about the enormity of their problems, their burdens, and their difficulties as if life were generally easy, as if life should be easy. They voice their belief, noisily or subtly, that their difficulties represent a unique kind of affliction that should not be and that has somehow been especially visited upon them, or else upon their families, their tribe, their class, their nation, their race or even their species, and not upon others. I know about this moaning because I have done my share. Life is a series of problems..What makes life difficult is that the process of confronting and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending upon their nature, evoke in us frustration or grief or sadness or loneliness or guilt or regret or anger or fear or anxiety or anguish or despair. These are uncomfortable feelings, often very uncomfortable, often as painful as any kind of physical pain, sometimes equaling the very worst kind of physical pain. Indeed, it is because of the pain that events or conflicts engender in us all that we call them problems. And since life poses an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.”

–M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Travelled, quoted by yours truly in last Sunday’s sermon

Scott Peck’s best seller “The Road Less Travelled” (https://t.co/wggkqnfgkU ) has a trememdous impact on the 20th century, because he dared to reveal the great truth that most people are stuggling, whether they are the homeless or rich and famours.
Yes, fife is difficulties and… pic.twitter.com/hDp87ex3FV

— Dr. Paul T. P. Wong (@PaulTPWong) June 19, 2023

• Labour wins control of Parliament with at least 412 seats as Tories suffer losses
• Keir Starmer becomes prime minister, will appoint cabinet
• Liberal Democrats, Greens make gains
• Former PM Liz Truss loses seat, Reform UK’s Nigel Farage wins his

Read it all.

#UPDATE | Rishi Sunak has stood down as leader of the Conservatives after Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour party swept to power, all but wiping out the ruling Tories. https://t.co/3qXPqIAmVU

— The Age (@theage) July 5, 2024

Grant, O blessed Lord, that thy Church in this our day may hear anew thy call to launch out into the deep in the service of thy glorious gospel; that souls for whom thou hast died may be won for thee, to the increase of thy kingdom and the glory of thy holy name.

In other news today … walk down a lane in the #peakdistrict and fall right into the pages of a Beatrix Potter book. These ducks are a regular feature of their little village, and drivers have to slow to allow them and their chicken friends to cross. May some things never change. pic.twitter.com/gm7QuZqIQO

— peaklass (@peaklass1) July 5, 2024