Joel Eisiminger was racing to save homes in Northern California from a fast-spreading wildfire when a crewmate noticed that one side of his face was suddenly drooping so much that his mouth hung open.

In his six years fighting fires, Joel had tumbled down burning hills, endured full-body rashes from poison oak and inhaled plumes of smoke that left him gasping for weeks. But he had never felt as bad as he did on this morning in July 2024. He didn’t want to let down his crew, so he kept working deep in the forest until a medic told him to get to a hospital. He might have had a stroke.

As the doctors ran tests, Joel grew sicker. Within days, he was too exhausted to walk. On the eve of his 25th birthday, he received a diagnosis: acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive, often fatal blood cancer that usually strikes people more than twice his age. Joel told the doctors he was not a regular smoker and had no family history of blood cancers. But he did have one risk factor: his job.

Read it all.

‘If I Live to 25, I’ve Lived a Good Life’ Risks to wildland firefighters are real. https://t.co/GW3VXtnOXM via @NYTimes

— TJ Kennedy (@TJPublicSafety) September 7, 2025

We give thee thanks and praise, O God of compassion, for the heroic witness of the Martyrs of Memphis, who, in a time of plague and pestilence, were steadfast in their care for the sick and dying, and loved not their own lives, even unto death; Inspire in us a like love and commitment to those in need, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ; who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Today we commemorate St. Constance and her five companions — the Martyrs of Memphis.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) pic.twitter.com/GGIj9a7vdw

— Fr. Brandon ⚓️ (@barukalas) September 9, 2023

O Thou Lover of mankind, send down into our hearts that peace which the world cannot give, and give us peace in this world.  O King of Peace, keep us in love and charity; be our God, for we have none other beside Thee; grant unto our souls the life of righteousness, that the death of sin may not prevail against us, or against any of Thy people.     

–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)

Good morning 🌅 pic.twitter.com/IPKMFftB4n

— Sharon Welby📷 (@sharonwelby1) September 9, 2025

I want you to know, brethren, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brethren have been made confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment, and are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear.

–Philippians 1:12-14

Quick phone pic of the moon at the moment here in Glastonbury. pic.twitter.com/TfsAubZFfd

— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) September 9, 2025

To think of “thickness” rather than “thinness” might just help us to emphasise that the divine is here, in the ordinary mess of life, just as much as out in the wild. Wherever thick bonds of love bind people and places together, God is present. Wild places are great, but the nappy-changing table, the hospital ward, and the care home are thick places, too.

Kerri ní Dochartaigh agrees: “Places that anchor and nurture us do not have to be beautiful, cut off, or even what might be described as wild. I’m not just talking about forests, mountains, and wild coves. I am also thinking about supermarket car parks with even just one tree; the back of housing estates where life has been left to exist; dump-piles in burnt-out factories where insects glisten; dirty streams at the edges of things, full of waste but still brimming with something like renewal.”

I KNOW of no thicker place than the altar rail. People kneel side by side, the threads of so many lives, different pains and joys, brought together and thickly woven with the grand story of God’s love. In the bread and wine, all this love and longing thickens until it can be touched, tasted, and shared.

In Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved, the character Seth is accused of having a love that is “too thick”. She responds: “Love is or it ain’t. Thin love ain’t love at all.”

Read it all.

"I have begun to wonder whether this language of 'thinness' is helpful. It might seem to imply that the 'thick' materiality of this world is an impediment to our encountering the divine," writes Rob Hawkins#Creationtidehttps://t.co/VbCjqudEN9

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) September 6, 2025

Anglicanism was never meant to be robes and chants for their own sake. It was meant to be a way of being the Church: rooted in common prayer, shaped by shared doctrine, and carried forward in mission.

Living with tension has never been easy, but it has often been fruitful. Time has a way of clarifying what is central and what is secondary, and tension has a way of forcing us to depend on grace rather than power. Together, they have preserved us before, and they may preserve us again.

Compromise. Balance. Tension. These aren’t bugs. They’re features.

So perhaps the lesson of history is this: we do not need to settle everything today. We need only hold fast to Christ, to one another, and to the mission set before us.

If we do, time and tension may yet prove to be our strength—the means by which God steadies His Church and carries the gospel to the world.

Read it all.

Each day’s work at The College of Bishops '25 was concluded with Evening Prayer during which personal testimonies were shared. Bishop Eric Menees of the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin share his testimony here https://t.co/PZt9eo08Lc or listen here https://t.co/lfcBMvmp7y. pic.twitter.com/uCVceyP6Tg

— ACNA (@The_ACNA) February 3, 2025

Americans are more positive toward capitalism than socialism, but the 54% viewing capitalism favorably is down from 60% in 2021 and near that level in most prior years. Americans remain more negative (57%) than positive (39%) toward socialism, with little movement in these attitudes over time.

Gallup first measured Americans’ opinions of various economic systems or aspects of the U.S. economy in 2010 and has repeated the question six times since then, including in an Aug 1-20 survey.

Democrats and independents view capitalism less positively this year, each showing eight-percentage-point declines since 2021. For the first time, less than half of Democrats (42%) view capitalism positively, while a slight majority of independents (51%) still do. Republicans’ views are essentially unchanged, with three-quarters holding a positive opinion.

Read it all.

Americans are more positive toward capitalism than socialism, but the 54% viewing capitalism favorably is down from 60% in 2021 and near that level in most prior years. pic.twitter.com/ZAZuJlbdCI

— Gallup (@Gallup) September 8, 2025

Father in heaven, by whose grace the virgin mother of thine incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping thy word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to thy will; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

8 September is the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The beginning and end of Mary's earthly life are both traditionally remembered during the harvest season: today was sometimes called 'Latter Lady Day in harvest', to distinguish it from the feast of her Assumption. pic.twitter.com/cLgGtUD3Fp

— Eleanor Parker (@ClerkofOxford) September 8, 2025

O Lord God, grant your people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow you, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Staithes Sunrise 🌞 pic.twitter.com/Cg3aUN5U1O

— North Yorkshire (@visitnorthyork) September 8, 2025

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, thankful for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel thus about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

–Philippians 1:1-11

Morning everyone I hope you are well. As usual a bit of brightness to start the week. Descending from Loughrigg towards Grasmere. Have a great day.#LakeDistrict pic.twitter.com/j2VAnZcmlu

— Rod Hutchinson (@lakesrhino) September 8, 2025

God of constant mercy,
who sent your Son to save us:
By your Spirit remind us of your goodness,
increase your grace within us,
that our thankfulness may grow,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen (slightly edited-KSH).

Dappled Morning Sky. 18°C. Sparrows in the hedgerow. pic.twitter.com/MdtYSIpN0A

— Yorkshire Wolds Weather (@WeatherWolds) September 7, 2025

My soul is feasted as with marrow and fat,
    and my mouth praises thee with joyful lips,
when I think of thee upon my bed,
    and meditate on thee in the watches of the night;
for thou hast been my help,
    and in the shadow of thy wings I sing for joy.
My soul clings to thee;
    thy right hand upholds me.

–Psalm 63:5-8

In uns selbst ist Ruhe und ein Heilungszentrum, in das wir uns zurückziehen können, wenn es draußen zu laut und hektisch wird.
☀️🌳🌸☀️🌳🌸☀️🌳🌸☀️🌳🌸☀️
Guten Morgen und einen schönen, entspannten Sonntag wünsche ich euch allen. pic.twitter.com/9d1WCR6cPu

— Brigitta Neurauter (@BrigittaNeurau2) September 7, 2025

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.

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

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

O Holy Spirit, Who abhorrest all uncleanness and rejoicest and delightest to dwell in pure and innocent hearts: I beseech Thee by Thy mercies that, as I owe to Thy loving-kindness this glorious treasure which I carry in an earthen vessel, so I may keep it safe by Thy goodness, and daily pleasing Thee more and more with undefiled soul and body, may come to that life which knows no corruption, in which Thou livest and reignest with the Father and the Son.     

–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)

Today's view near the border with Austria #Dolimites ⛰️ pic.twitter.com/Rc8ve0Cn1p

— Sarah Lister (@ABTheAdventure) September 5, 2025

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
    and give thanks to his holy name.

 For his anger is but for a moment,
    and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.

–Psalm 30:4-5

Viele Wege führen zum Ziel.
Einer davon führt über die Berge.
💙🌞Schönes Wochenende🌞💙
💛 🍀Happy weekend🍀💛 pic.twitter.com/hCZnSqxJMu

— Brigitta Neurauter (@BrigittaNeurau2) September 6, 2025

One of the most quoted metaphors in the early days of the ACNA was that we were “flying the plane while building it.” Apt—and dangerous. Circumstances in those first months demanded urgency. We “ready–fired–aimed” the Province into existence, united in our goal: the restoration and renewal of biblical Anglicanism in North America.

Another favorite image came from the maritime world. In those tense days, TEC was likened to the Titanic, already struck by the iceberg of modern secular liberalism. The ship of the church was taking on water and would soon sink. Those who could launch lifeboats or lashed together the flotsam and jetsam into makeshift rafts. Out in open water, people could jump from lifeboat to lifeboat while waiting for rescue from our Global South friends—our ecclesial Carpathian.

It was all very compelling.

And then there was Shakespeare’s line from The Tempest: “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.” Anglo-Catholics, charismatics, and evangelicals agreed to be strange bedfellows—if only for the sake of getting off the runway—to mix our metaphors.

Since “bedfellows” isn’t the most appealing picture—who really wants to sleep together anyway?—we borrowed a gentler idea from Psalm 46:4: There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. One river, three streams. Many clergy and bishops even claimed to be “all three.”

But the reality was more fragile than the slogans. Compromises were stamped with a large “TBD.” Let’s get along for now so we can get going.

Read it all.

I fully agree with @DHRoseberry’s conclusion in today’s article. https://t.co/8EkxYBMktE pic.twitter.com/SQH9G3VAfQ

— Fr. Ron Offringa (@RonOffringa) August 12, 2025

During our two-hour lunch, we cover a lot of ground: from nuclear threats (“A normal person assisted by AI will soon be able to build bioweapons and that is terrible. Imagine if an average person in the street could make a nuclear bomb”) to his own AI habits (it is “extremely useful”) and how the chatbot became an unlikely third wheel in his most recent break-up.

But first, Hinton launches into an enthusiastic mini-seminar on why artificial intelligence is an appropriate term: “By any definition of intelligence, AI is intelligent.” Registering the humanities graduate before him, he uses half a dozen different analogies to convince me that AI’s experience of reality is not so distinct from that of humans.

“It seems very obvious to me. If you talk to these things and ask them questions, it understands,” Hinton continues. “There’s very little doubt in the technical community that these things will get smarter.”

Read it all.

Computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton: ‘AI will make a few people much richer and most people poorer’ https://t.co/RZu9DMxw7p

— Financial Times (@FT) September 5, 2025

Back in the 20th century, bored scholars had to make do with flicking rubber bands at their classmates, doodling in their textbooks or staring out of the window. Modern technology has revolutionised slacking. Most teenagers in the rich world own smartphones. Many are allowed to bring them into classrooms, where each provides a bottomless source of apps designed to be as compelling—and distracting—as possible.

A backlash is under way, as parents and teachers worry about the effects on classroom performance. On August 27th South Korea passed a ban on smartphones in classrooms. Governments from China to Finland, as well as dozens of American states, have introduced bans and restrictions of varying severity. The Economist is queasy about micromanaging the job of head teachers to such a degree—but schools that still welcome smartphones would be wise to think again.

This may seem fusty and technophobic. It is not. Even diehard libertarians agree that children do not always know what is in their own interests. Nor does banishing phones from maths lessons mean depriving children of experience with modern technology. They get plenty of that outside school; gaps can be patched up in dedicated lessons.

Read it all.

Smartphones are far from the only problem schools face. But they are one that is easy to solve https://t.co/4ivUs7mZgn

Photo: Shutterstock pic.twitter.com/KlelrkBzHB

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) September 4, 2025

China is undertaking a large-scale build-out of infrastructure along its eastern coast, including air and naval sites that show its growing readiness for a potential conflict over Taiwan.

Satellite images and other open-source material examined by The Wall Street Journal illustrate how these facilities would strengthen China’s hand if it launched an invasion of the island democracy. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and has pledged to take it, by force if necessary.

The sites range from a large new base for amphibious warships to a multibillion-dollar airport that sits around 3 miles from front-line Taiwanese islands. “All of it goes to supporting China’s one military planning scenario, which is a Taiwan scenario,” said Michael Dahm, a retired U.S. Navy intelligence officer and senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies who closely tracks these projects.

Read it all.

How China’s New Naval and Air Sites Would Aid an Attack on Taiwan—Satellite images show major infrastructure expansion, including on the Taiwan Strait@NiharikaSM https://t.co/YKNu0YP3KThttps://t.co/YKNu0YP3KT

— Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) September 5, 2025

Almighty God, whose servant Katharina Zell toiled for the reform of thy church both in word and in deed: Fill us with the wisdom to speak out in defense of thy truth, with love for thee and for our neighbor, that we may serve thee and welcome all thy people with a mother’s heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

500 yrs ago today, 3 December 1523, Matthäus Zell, a Protestant Reformer based at Strasbourg, married Katharina Schütz (-Zell). The idea of clerical marriage, which we now consider commonplace, was unfamiliar & scandalous to most people in the early 1520s.#ILoveTheReformation pic.twitter.com/yIXGCYfDI2

— Stephen Eccher (@Stephen_Eccher) December 4, 2023

Almighty God, only giver of all mercies, whose Son, Jesus Christ, has taught us how to pray aright: Save us, we beseech thee, from all presumption in our prayer, and grant unto us the grace of humility and contrition; that we may, sharing the vision of thine apostle Saint Paul, know that it is by the grace of God alone that we are what we are, and that we can do nothing but through the strengthening of thy Son, Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

September mornings 🧡 pic.twitter.com/GhF2wZhWST

— Alison O’Neill ~ Shepherdess (@woolismybread) September 5, 2025

‘But I trust in thee, O Lord,
I say, “Thou art my God.”
My times are in thy hand’

–Psalm 31:14-15a

The Mont Saint Michel rising above a sea low fog, captured on a beautiful morning last spring…
Sometimes the coolest shots happens just few km from home 😉. pic.twitter.com/8CvRE5kKhA

— Armand Sarlangue (@ArmandSarlangue) September 4, 2025

The Suffragan Bishop of Warrington, the Rt Revd Beverley Mason, has announced her resignation, after being away from the diocese for nearly two years.

Announcing the decision on Wednesday in a letter to the diocese, Bishop Mason said that she did not know what her future held, but she thanked supporters for their friendship and prayers.

The Interim Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd Ruth Worsley, said on Wednesday: “It is with heavy hearts we receive this news today. We are thankful for all that Bishop Bev has given in her ministry among us here in the Liverpool diocese. She goes with our love and prayers for the future.”

Bishop Mason has been on a leave of absence from Liverpool diocese since autumn 2023, and revealed in January that this was connected to a complaint that she had made about the then Bishop of Liverpool, Dr John Perumbalath. Dr Perumbalath resigned after Bishop Mason and another woman made allegations of misconduct against him, which he denied (News, 31 January).

Read it all.

The Suffragan Bishop of Warrington, the Rt Revd Beverley Mason, has announced her resignation, after being away from the diocese for nearly two yearshttps://t.co/VB4gIbsrgb

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) September 4, 2025

Scientists have used artificial intelligence to choreograph teams of robots to work together without colliding, an advance that promises to boost the efficiency of carmaking and other complex production lines.

The system, known as RoboBallet, potentially allows machine troupes to plan their work faster and complete more tasks, according to research from UCL and Alphabet’s subsidiaries Google DeepMind and Intrinsic. The project shows how AI is driving efforts for industrial process optimisation, as developers seek to solve long-standing problems of robot team members getting in each other’s way.

“RoboBallet transforms industrial robotics into a choreographed dance, where each arm moves with precision, purpose, and awareness of its teammates,” said Matthew Lai, a researcher at UCL Computer Science and Google DeepMind. “It’s not just about avoiding crashes; it’s about achieving harmony at scale.

Read it all.

AI ‘robot ballet’ promises to choreograph production line gains https://t.co/NNZ3ymsZtg

— FT Technology News (@fttechnews) September 3, 2025

At its military parade on Wednesday, China showcased hypersonic missiles to sink ships, drones that serve as wingmen and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that can strike the continental United States.

The jets that screamed across the sky and the columns of missiles and armored vehicles that rolled past Tiananmen Square in Beijing provided a rare look at China’s new weapons.

The massive military parade, presided over by China’s leader Xi Jinping, was a warning to his country’s prospective foes.

The anti-ship missiles seemed tailor-made to menace American forces in the Asia-Pacific region. Long-range rocket launchers magnified Beijing’s threat to Taiwan, the self-governed island democracy. The armored vehicles that can be dropped from planes appeared to extend China’s ability to defend its growing global interests.

If one theme stood out, analysts said, it was that the People’s Liberation Army is betting on unmanned systems to gain a potential edge in battle.

Read it all.

China’s Latest Missiles, Drones and Submarines, Up Closehttps://t.co/PYguT31WQg

— FJ (@Natsecjeff) September 3, 2025

While a tech future in AI, democracy, and environmental solutions might sound exciting to some and uncompelling to others, Christians have always had a nuanced and hopeful response to the world’s greatest difficulties. First, Christians can encourage a holistic perspective, and that applies to AI and the preservation of democracy. Tech leaders or engineers often see the world through the lens of their hammers and software programs, and it is easy to condemn them for their reductionist view of the world and its problems.

But an overspiritual view of the challenges of this world has the same problem; seeing our world only through the lens of morality (“Poor families are broken because of divorce” or “We should just consume less, and the food shortage problem would be solved”) is reductionistic as well.

A Christian worldview could help us understand the problems of our times by seeing any challenge more holistically. Dutch philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd argues there are 15 or more different aspects of being in any phenomenon. We should look at a thing not only technically and physically (how many there are, how it moves, where it is located, how it reacts in its environment) but also psychologically, legally, morally, religiously, and so on through other perspectives.

Read it all.

Neuralink, Mars colonization, transhumanism, an autocratic technocracy.

Can the tech bros save the world?https://t.co/WuaC9hDJbZ

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) September 4, 2025

Churchgoers  in the United States are increasingly mixing online and in-person worship, a new study suggests. Since the pandemic, many now attend several different churches.

The study, Exploring Pandemic Impact on Congregations, published by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, is based on a survey of 24,000 churchgoers in the US, carried out last autumn.

One quarter of respondents said that they regularly participated in both virtual services and in person. Newer churchgoers were more likely to attend both in person and online.

“By far, the most common reason [to attend online worship] is convenience,” the study said: it was given as a reason by nearly half (46 per cent) of respondents. Other reasons included illness, caring duties, and being homebound.

The study, Exploring Pandemic Impact on Congregations, published by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, is based on a survey of 24,000 churchgoers in the US, carried out last autumn.

One quarter of respondents said that they regularly participated in both virtual services and in person. Newer churchgoers were more likely to attend both in person and online.

Read it all.

Churchgoers in the #UnitedStates are increasingly mixing online and in-person worship, a new study suggests. Since the pandemic, many now attend several different churches https://t.co/H4HiOXRQGS

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) September 4, 2025

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.

I know I get a lot of stick for my gate obsession, which I really don't mind at all, but they're more than just a few planks of wood and an elegant cross-brace, aren't they?! They tell stories, they're the opening chapters of adventures, they symbolise new beginnings, different… pic.twitter.com/ky2FNSlJCc

— peaklass (@peaklass1) September 4, 2025

What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is in vain that the scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace; therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. He that speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you that you judge your neighbor?

–James 4:1-12

Ich wünsche euch allen einen wunderschönen guten Morgen 😊 pic.twitter.com/HVlaaC2xwt

— Renate Umundum (@RUmundum) September 4, 2025