Lord, make me conscious of Thy holiness and majesty: teach me to know and do Thy will: pour into my heart such love towards Thee, that, loving Thee above all things, I may obtain Thy gracious promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
–Robert W. Rodenmayer, ed., The Pastor’s Prayerbook: Selected and arranged for various occasions (New York: Oxford University Press, 1960)
Bon week-end à tous 💐#chasseurdebeauté #sunrise pic.twitter.com/3bduX9BYwO
— Catherine Benoist (@benoistart) August 9, 2025
After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples and having exhorted them took leave of them and departed for Macedo′nia. When he had gone through these parts and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he determined to return through Macedo′nia. Sop′ater of Beroe′a, the son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalo′nians, Aristar′chus and Secun′dus; and Ga′ius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tych′icus and Troph′imus. These went on and were waiting for us at Tro′as, but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Tro′as, where we stayed for seven days.
On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lights in the upper chamber where we were gathered. And a young man named Eu′tychus was sitting in the window. He sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer; and being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and embracing him said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the lad away alive, and were not a little comforted.
But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there; for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mityle′ne. And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chi′os; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we came to Mile′tus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.
–Acts 20:1-16
All Saints, Mumbles #SteepleSaturday pic.twitter.com/L1V5Sjv7TV
— Dr Naomi (@BooksTeaFilms) August 9, 2025
To: The Clergy of the Diocese
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In recent days, the people of our Diocese and Province have witnessed unsettling developments related to the ecclesiastical trial of Bishop Stewart Ruch.
Given that two of our own diocesan leaders, Bishop David Bryan and Mr. Alan Runyan, have played major roles in this trial and have issued public and seemingly conflicting statements, this turmoil is being experienced particularly acutely within our Diocese. The discomfort we’re feeling is real and personal.
Before we address that discomfort, we offer this brief sketch of the key events that have led us to this place:
• In 2021, accusations were raised against Bishop Steward Ruch regarding his handling of credible reports of sexual abuse that took place in 2019 by a Lay Catechist of a church within his Diocese, the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. The abuser was convicted in 2022 of multiple counts of child sexual abuse, and he also pled guilty to raping another victim in 2018 and 2020.
• Two presentments were filed against Bp. Ruch, the first by three fellow bishops in December 2022 and the second by lay and clergy in June 2023. A presentment is a list of charges that are formally brought against a member of the clergy. Bp. Ruch was charged with habitual neglect of duties, causing scandal or offense, violating his ordination vows, and contravention of the canons of the church.
• A Board of Inquiry convened in accordance with ACNA canons reviewed the presentments in 2023, and in both cases found probable cause to go to trial.
• After a prolonged delay, the trial began on July 14th of this year with members of our Diocese in key positions: Mr. Alan Runyan serving as the Provincial Prosecutor and Bishop David Bryan serving as the President of the Court for the Trial of a Bishop.
• On July 18th, an incident occurred during the trial that led Mr. Runyan to conclude that the trial process had been irreparably tainted and that he must resign from his position as Prosecutor.
• The Court has ordered the trial to resume on August 11th after the appointment of a new Prosecutor, and on July 23rd it issued a Limited Response to the Public Release of the Former Provincial Prosecutor’s Resignation Letter which was signed on behalf of all seven members of the court by Bp. Bryan as the trial court’s President. This response directly contradicts statements made in Mr. Runyan’s resignation letter, as well as corroborating statements made later by Mr. Runyan’s Assistant Prosecutor.
• On July 25th, the Assistant Prosecutor released a statement bringing further context to Mr. Runyan’s mid-trial resignation and making further claims of inappropriate conduct by Archbishop Steve Wood and members of his staff in the ACNA’s Provincial Office. Her letter also indicates that Bp. Bryan is not the member of the court whose actions led to Mr. Runyan’s resignation.
• On July 29th, after reviewing some of the facts on the previous day, a Joint Statement from the College of Bishops and Executive Committee was released exonerating the Archbishop and Provincial Office staff. On that same day, Bishop Chip Edgar offered a response to the joint statement, clarifying that neither he nor any of the other bishops serving on the Trial Court or the Tribunal were party to it, and therefore it did not speak unanimously for the College of Bishops. The Joint Statement was later revised to include this fact.
• A new Prosecutor has been appointed after the initial replacement for Mr. Runyan stepped down due to a conflict of interest. The trial is currently set to resume on August 11th.
• Further details can be found on the ACNA website. Related material is also posted on Anglican Ink.
The Standing Committee of our Diocese has received numerous letters of concern, as well as requests for explanation and clarification of these events. We are grateful for all those who have reached out to us because it shows genuine care for others and a deep concern for the integrity of our Province. We thank you for sharing your questions, concerns, and feedback.
We recognize several distinct issues that have been raised by these events, including issues of justice, due process, and multiple allegations of misconduct. We note that some of these issues are of particular concern to the churches of our Diocese because of the individuals involved. As we consider these issues, we must also recognize that Bp. Edgar is currently limited in his ability to engage with these matters because he is a member of the Provincial Tribunal which serves as a court of final review for the proceedings against Bp. Ruch.
The issues raised by these events have caused serious alarm and forces each of us to prayerfully consider a proper response. Silence may signal complicity; haste may lead to harm. In this unprecedented moment, we risk either mistake with every decision we make. In our patient, prayerful discernment, we desire to bring clarity to misinformation and to direct what further action may be required by Bp. Edgar or us, if any.
As a council of advice to Bp. Edgar, it is our recommendation that we cautiously seek to navigate a path between these two devastating errors, and with earnest prayer we ask the Lord to guide us, correct us, limit any harm, and magnify any good that may result from our decisions. Lord, have mercy.
To that end, then, we submit to you the following:
In consultation with the Standing Committee, Bp. Edgar has agreed to temporarily suspend episcopal visits by Bp. David Bryan. We think this temporary action is necessary given the significant contradictions between the statement of the court under Bp. Bryan’s signature and the statements of Mr. Runyan and his Assistant Prosecutor. We hope for the day when he can resume visits to our parishes, but we must patiently wait for the trial to conclude and for the facts of the proceedings to be released.
With regards to the accusations made against Archbishop Steve Wood and members of his staff, we recognize that we are not the investigative or disciplinary arm of the ACNA. We are, though, the concerned representative body of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, and as such, we request an independent, third party investigation into the Provincial Office’s actions during the course of the trial, to begin no later than 60 days after the conclusion of the trial process. We invite other Dioceses of the ACNA to join us in this petition.
We refrain from making any comment on the trial while the proceedings are underway. We continue to pray God’s will be done, and trust his sovereignty in these and all matters.
To the victims of abuse in ACNA churches, especially those in the Diocese of the Upper Midwest who have endured a long and arduous ecclesial court process, we are pained by our Province’s failure in the swift administration of justice and the broken trust that has resulted. We grieve what you have endured, and pray that the love of Jesus made real to you will overcome the bitter failures of his church.
We remain fully committed to the future of the ACNA, yet we cannot ignore the obvious inadequacies in some of our processes or the questions of integrity regarding some of the people responsible for fairly administering them. We feel the outstretched arm of the Lord against our Province, and at the same time we see the mercy his pierced hands offer us in the repeated refrain of the prophet Isaiah: “For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.” (Isaiah 10:4)
In all of this, we call on the people of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina to lead in acts of mercy and charity, to persist in service to the least and the lost, to be humble in confession of our faults and unsparing in forgiveness for those who seek repentance, in all things striving to build up the body of Christ, the church. Let this be our witness, and may it lead to restoration.
In Christ’s service,
The Standing Committee of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina
The Rev. Jeremy Shelton
The Rev. Mary Ellen Doran
The Rev. Jamie Sosnowski
The Rev. Corey Prescott
The Rev. Bill Clarkson
Mrs. Lindsay Dew
Mrs. Shirley Wiggins
Mr. Robert Kunes
Mr. Ben Dixon
Mr. Terry Jenkins
Mr. Bobby Kilgo
A coalition of Christian leaders has issued a call to the UK government to urgently reform the nation’s struggling criminal justice system, asserting that years of punitive policies and deprivation have left communities at risk and vulnerable people unsupported.
In a new report titled Picking Up the Pieces: An Ecumenical Approach to Criminal Justice Reform, Rachel Treweek, Anglican Bishop to HM Prisons, Richard Moth, Catholic Liaison Bishop for Prisons, and other Christian leaders, urge policymakers to shift from a punitive approach to a restorative, community-led model — backed by faith-based groups that are already filling critical gaps left by the state.
The bishops write in the foreword: “This report calls for change and invites the government to work alongside the hundreds of churches, Christian organisations, and other faith communities that are already working to ‘pick up the pieces’ of our broken criminal justice system.
‘An alliance of Christian leaders is urging the government to work alongside churches, communities, and faith-based organisations to address failings in the UK’s criminal justice system.’
— Prison Fellowship E&W (@PFenglandwales) August 8, 2025
Read the article and the report here:https://t.co/mXHqcRrREC pic.twitter.com/w7qoDXyJ3f
espite all the drama about the weakening jobs numbers, the US labor market is actually doing OK. There is one major exception, however: if you happen to be a young man.
While the overall unemployment rate was still a respectable 4.2% in July, for young men aged 20 to 24, it was 8.3%, which is near recession levels — and for recent college graduates, the annual rate is 5.3%. Both of these numbers are about double the comparable figures for young women. During the pandemic, the economy was so bad for working women that it inspired the term “she-cession.” Could the US now be headed for a “he-cession”?
Men have dominated the labor market for most of the modern era, and still earn more than women, but the jobs market has not been kind to men for the last few decades. Many men, even in the prime of their lives, aren’t working. And going to college is no longer an automatic way to improve your job prospects.
The US jobs market is showing signs of a ‘he-cession’https://t.co/vpJRNkKuLv
— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) August 5, 2025
The people study nuclear war for a living are certain that artificial intelligence will soon power the deadly weapons. None of them are quite sure what, exactly, that means.
In the middle of July, Nobel laureates gathered at the University of Chicago to listen to nuclear war experts talk about the end of the world. In closed sessions over two days, scientists, former government officials, and retired military personnel enlightened the laureates about the most devastating weapons ever created. The goal was to educate some of the most respected people in the world about one of the most horrifying weapons ever made and, at the end of it, have the laureates make policy recommendations to world leaders about how to avoid nuclear war.
AI was on everyone’s mind. “We’re entering a new world of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies influencing our daily life, but also influencing the nuclear world we live in,” Scott Sagan, a Stanford professor known for his research into nuclear disarmament, said during a press conference at the end of the talks.
Human judgement remains central to the launch of nuclear weapons. But experts say it’s a matter of when, not if, artificial intelligence will get baked into the world’s most dangerous systems. https://t.co/NFspQ2qXzZ
— WIRED (@WIRED) August 6, 2025
Almighty God, whose servant Dominic grew in knowledge of thy truth and formed an order of preachers to proclaim the good news of Christ: Give to all thy people a hunger for your Word and an urgent longing to share the Gospel, that the whole world may come to know thee as thou art revealed in thy Son Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Today's the feast of St Dominic, 13th Century Spanish founder of the Dominican Order. He's in Suffolk on the Thornham Parva Retable, c1330. It was originally at the Blackfriars church in Thetford, Norfolk, part of a Dominican priory. 1/3
— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) August 8, 2025
Thornham Parva: https://t.co/ipeMy06ucP pic.twitter.com/se18fm7EpZ
O Holy Creator Spirit, on this day come down once more into our souls in Thine own thrilling fire of life and light and heat, kindling our senses with thy light, our hearts with thy love; wash away, stains, bedew our dryness, heal our wounds, bend our stubbornness, guide our wandering, that, thou being the Inmate of our hearts, the Instructor of our reason, the Strength of our will, we may see by Thy light Whom as yet we see not, and know Him Who passes knowledge, and through God may love God, now as way-farers, and, in the day of perfected Redemption, in the beatific vision of our God, to whom, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be ascribed all honor, power, might, majesty, thanksgiving, and praise, forever and ever. Amen.
—Give us Grace: An Anthology of Anglican Prayers, ed. Christopher L. Webber (Harrisburg: Morehouse, 2004), p. 254 (edited ever so slightly-KSH)
Guten Morgen aus dem Ländle ☕🌻#Morgengruß pic.twitter.com/D12D2WhwLg
— Maria🍃 (@Marygoeswest) August 8, 2025
Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedo′nia and Acha′ia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” And having sent into Macedo′nia two of his helpers, Timothy and Eras′tus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
About that time there arose no little stir concerning the Way. For a man named Deme′trius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Ar′temis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only at Ephesus but almost throughout all Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable company of people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Ar′temis may count for nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”
When they heard this they were enraged, and cried out, “Great is Ar′temis of the Ephesians!” So the city was filled with the confusion; and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Ga′ius and Aristar′chus, Macedo′nians who were Paul’s companions in travel. Paul wished to go in among the crowd, but the disciples would not let him; some of the A′si-archs also, who were friends of his, sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theater. Now some cried one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, wishing to make a defense to the people. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all with one voice cried out, “Great is Ar′temis of the Ephesians!” And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Ar′temis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky? Seeing then that these things cannot be contradicted, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Deme′trius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against any one, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another. But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, there being no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.” And when he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
–Acts 19:21-41
Row's of lavender leading to house after sunrise near the town of Bonnieux, Southern France on recent trip I took in June. @StormHour @ThePhotoHour @CanonUKandIE @LEEFilters 3 Legged Thing pic.twitter.com/potuBrBmhg
— steven paston (@StevenPaston) August 8, 2025
A shortlist of candidates for the next Archbishop of Canterbury has been agreed by the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), but the names of those being considered have not been made public.
In an interview last month, the chair of the CNC, Lord Evans, said that he preferred the term “confidentiality” to “secrecy” when talking about way in which the CNC operates, and said that it would help the commission “reach the right point” (News, 4 July).
Lord Evans, who is a former head of MI5 and a crossbench peer in the House of Lords, described the process as one of “discernment” rather than straightforward “selection”.
A shortlist of candidates for the next Archbishop of Canterbury has been agreed by the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) #archbishopofcanterbury #shortlist #nextarchbishop https://t.co/F3fnrXIelQ
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) August 6, 2025
International observers are reporting that ISIS-aligned soldiers are beheading Christians and burning churches and homes in central and southern Africa – with some of the most brutal attacks happening in the nation of Mozambique.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) – a counter-terrorism research nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. – is sounding that alarm about what it describes as a “silent genocide” taking place against Christians.
The Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP) recently released 20 photos boasting of four attacks on “Christian villages” in the Chiure district, in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province, according to MEMRI.
ISIS soldiers behead Christians in Mozambique, burning church and homes: 'Silent genocide' https://t.co/baKLyYMI65
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 7, 2025
More than two two years after it began in April 2023, the war in Sudan shows no sign of ending, with deadly consequences for the people of Africa’s third-largest country. On August 5th the World Food Programme (WFP), a UN agency, said that residents of el-Fasher, in the western region of Darfur, faced starvation. It was a grim sign of the humanitarian toll of the war at a time when the locus of the conflict is shifting westwards, raising the prospect of a permanently fractured state.
El-Fasher, the capital of north Darfur, is the last major city in the region under the control of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), one of the two main belligerents. The other, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has besieged the city since April 2024 to secure its Darfuri stronghold. Some residents have been able to flee the city and the Zamzam refugee camp on its outskirts, but a common destination, the nearby town of Tawila, is crammed and in the midst of a cholera outbreak. Since the RSF was ousted from Khartoum, the capital, in March, it has tightened the noose around el-Fasher.
That has made it harder for food to get in—and for people to get out. Aid agencies report that food prices are five times higher than in the rest of the country. Often food is unavailable, rendering redundant the mobile-money payments and community kitchens that have so far averted starvation. Local journalists report that many of the 300,000 remaining residents are turning to animal feed. The WFP says it has lorries ready to enter el-Fasher, but the RSF is blocking access.
Outsiders claim to want to stop the war in Sudan, which has displaced 13m people and caused the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Sadly, that notion seems as remote a possibility as ever https://t.co/c21lFgtUyl
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) August 7, 2025
The Chinese government is using companies with expertise in artificial intelligence to monitor and manipulate public opinion, giving it a new weapon in information warfare, according to current and former U.S. officials and documents unearthed by researchers.
One company’s internal documents show how it has undertaken influence campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and collected data on members of Congress and other influential Americans.
While the firm has not mounted a campaign in the United States, American spy agencies have monitored its activity for signs that it might try to influence American elections or political debates, former U.S. officials said.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly the new frontier of espionage and malign influence operations, allowing intelligence services to conduct campaigns far faster, more efficiently and on a larger scale than ever before.
The Chinese government is using A.I. to personalize its information warfare. Disinformation can be tailored victim by victim. https://t.co/8rIwsVurb1
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) August 7, 2025
Grant unto us, O God, that in all time of our testing we may know thy presence and obey thy will; that, following the example of thy servant John Mason Neale, we may with integrity and courage accomplish what thou givest us to do, and endure what thou givest us to bear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Today the Church commemorates John Mason Neale, Priest and Hymn Writer. He is perhaps best known for his translations of Latin hymns, which include 'O come, O come, Emmanuel', 'Creator of the Stars of Night', 'Of the Father's Love Begottten' and 'Good King Wenceslas'. H5199.N3L2 pic.twitter.com/sz2seeynTz
— LambethPalaceLibrary (@lampallib) August 7, 2019
Almighty God, who in thy Son Jesus Christ hast called us in from the bondage of sin to be servants of righteousness: Give us grace to yield our lives wholly to thine obedience; that, being made free from sin, we may have our fruit unto holiness, and hereafter may be made partakers of the life everlasting; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Wild daisies blooming on the beach.
— DaliMach (@frenchscotjeff) August 7, 2025
A reminder on how life always finds its way.
And so we will.
🙏🏻#thursdayvibes #summer #flowers #wildflowers #weather #faith #spirituality #GoodVibesOnly #StormHour #jefinuist #outerhebrides #Scotland pic.twitter.com/bwld5h4btS
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
Guten Morgen aus dem Ländle ☕🌸
— Maria🍃 (@Marygoeswest) August 7, 2025
Werdenberg 🇨🇭#Morgengruß pic.twitter.com/8iiMTXD3Wj
I think the single most important contribution that Vernon makes to the literature is his choice at the outset to take Blake’s visions, his encounters with angels, apostles, prophets, and even God himself, seriously: to take Blake at his word and to see where that word leads us. So many writers on Blake never leave the modern secular mind-set, and so they patronise Blake rather than learn from him. They psychologise or medicalise his visions and speculate about migraines or psychotic episodes, and, likewise, they treat his poetry as an aesthetic or literary artefact rather than, as Blake intended, a call to awaken from sleep and see the world anew.
Given Vernon’s expertise and experience as a psychotherapist, one might have feared that he would do the same. Not so. By taking Blake seriously as a visionary, a prophet, and a teacher, he has written an exciting and refreshing book, which offers us what he calls “a Blakean education” in how to live well, which he summarises under four headings: “first, savvy innocence, second, perceptual openness, third, confident imagination, fourth, fearless critique”.
These approaches to life are set out in a series of chapters that skilfully combine biography of the poet with close reading of the works that he was writing at the various stages of his life.
”…the Blakean insights that Vernon sets out so lucidly in this book are prophetic for our own age… he unveils the deeper powers at work and shows us a way out.” Thanks @malcolmguite for a great review @ChurchTimes https://t.co/OMPgQEDBcR
— Mark Vernon (@platospodcasts) August 1, 2025
“All right, now let’s look at this particular struggle. It’s an incredible story, this. It goes in four parts, and what’s so powerful about it is it goes in a circle.
So it’s a bit, in a sense, misleading if you read the psalm too quickly, because the beginning verse, look at your text, verse one. Truly God is good to Israel. That’s actually the end of the story.
And it doesn’t feel all that powerful because he’s beginning at the end. So what you need to realize is, if you go to the end of the psalm, verse 28, but for me, it is good to be near God. See, this is a song about the goodness of God.
He’s telling you at the beginning, that’s where he ends up. But what you need to realize is, the journey through which he gets there is absolutely crucial. And it’s a very, very hard one, and it’s a very, very important one for us to understand.
So I’m going to go through it under four headings just to give you a way to follow. So I want to talk about the ledge that he ends up on.
I want to talk about the lift that God gives him while he’s on the ledge so he doesn’t end up staying on the ledge.
I want to talk about the lesson that he learns. And then I want to talk about the liberation that God gives him as a result of this experience. So if you’re with me, ledge, lift, lesson, liberation.
All right, you all with me? Here we go. Verse two, it all starts.
This is very serious stuff, brothers and sisters. This is not some minor struggle. This is a member of the people of God.
He’s been at it for a while, and he’s going through a tough time. How do I know that? Well, look at your text.”
You may listen directly here:
Or you may download it there.
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26 ESV) pic.twitter.com/Y6zKL1d5Y2
— Joel (@GuitarmanJoel) July 23, 2025
Seven years of investigation by scientists at Harvard Medical School has revealed that the loss of the metal lithium plays a powerful role in Alzheimer’s disease, a finding that could lead to earlier detection, new treatments and a broader understanding of how the brain ages.
Researchers led by Bruce A. Yankner, a professor of genetics and neurology at Harvard Medical School, reported that they were able to reverse the disease in mice and restore brain function with small amounts of the compound lithium orotate, enough to mimic the metal’s natural level in the brain. Their study appeared Wednesday in the journal Nature.
“The obvious impact is that because lithium orotate is dirt cheap, hopefully we will get rigorous, randomized trials testing this very, very quickly,” said Matt Kaeberlein, former director of the Healthy Aging and Longevity Research Institute at the University of Washington, who did not participate in the study.“And I would say that it will be an embarrassment to the Alzheimer’s clinical community if that doesn’t happen right away.”
Scientists at Harvard Medical School found that the loss of the metal lithium plays a powerful role in Alzheimer’s disease, a finding that could lead to earlier detection, new treatments and a broader understanding of how the brain ages. https://t.co/54UjaiD70G
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 6, 2025
For the past three years, Church of the Holy Spirit’s Theology on Tap has been a staple in Daniel Island’s social and spiritual life. Hosted at New Realm Brewery, the monthly gathering blends panel discussions with community connection over drinks and shared curiosity.
The intention is to create a relaxed, welcoming space for people to engage in conversations about faith, life, and the questions we all wrestle with, no matter their background.
Open to all inquisitive minds, Theology on Tap brings together people of all ages and walks of life – a melting pot of diverse perspectives that cultivates genuine conversation and a strengthened sense of community.
Each month’s discussion is centered around a given topic, be it economics or the environment.
The laid-back panel structure is more like an open forum where attendees are able to submit their questions anonymously or share their own responses to the panel’s answers. This is no pulpit preaching or a sterilized sermon; it is a chance to come together and navigate different aspects of life as a community.
O God, who on the holy mount didst reveal to chosen witnesses thy well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end.
Today's the feast of the Transfiguration. Moses and Elijah appear with Christ on a mountain top while the disciples shield their eyes, in glass by Rosemary Rutherford, 1970 at Boxford, Suffolk. pic.twitter.com/UOGiBZ2SlR
— Simon Knott (@SimoninSuffolk) August 6, 2025
O Lord, who seest the multitudes, and art moved with compassion because they are an-hungered: Inspire thy Church with thy love and pity to gather unto thee the famished souls of men, that they may be satisfied with the living Bread; and as thou carest for the bodies as well as for the souls of men, move us and all thy servants with like mercy; that the needy may be fed and clothed, and that none may be homeless or destitute; for the glory of thy holy name.
calm restored#riverbank pic.twitter.com/JOqHQW5wQS
— Portmann Carrick (@PortmannCarrick) August 6, 2025
While Apol′los was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve of them in all.
And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, arguing and pleading about the kingdom of God; but when some were stubborn and disbelieved, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the hall of Tyran′nus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
–Acts 19:1-10
Good morning from the river Great Ouse in Ely, Cambridgeshire
— Veronica in the Fens 🧚🏼♀️ My Heart in Nature (@VeronicaJoPo) August 6, 2025
A bright start with a freshness in the air 9c.
Wishing you a lovely Wednesday 🤗#goodmorning #swans #lovenature #August #river #sunrise pic.twitter.com/03FbEu5Qoi
We do not judge people. We affirm God’s grace for all who turn to Him. But love does not mean ignoring sin. Unity cannot exist without truth.
This step by the Church in Wales makes it extremely difficult to find a faithful and lasting resolution to the divisions within the Anglican Communion. While many of us are diligently working to discern a way forward in this painful dilemma, continued actions of this nature hinder reconciliation, deepen the fractures, and risk rendering our efforts fruitless.
We continue to pray for the Church, and for strength to remain faithful to the Gospel of Christ.
Looking at the events of the past few years in the Church of Wales, beginning from the leadership of Bishop Rowan Williams who was also bishop of Monmouth, then Archbishop of Wales before becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury; the immediate past Archbishop of Wales, Archbishop Andrew John who ended in a most shameful circumstance, and the recent election of Bishop Vann, it may be said that biblical and godly leaders are now few in the leadership of the Church of Wales.
Thus, that an openly lesbian woman is the “right leader for the moment” in the Church of Wales shows how deep the church has sunk. Rather than advocating reconciliation as being championed by the new Archbishop of Wales, the important matter of the moment should be a call for genuine repentance. It is becoming clearer as echoed by Paul in Romans 1:28 in view of what had just happened in the Church of Wales that some in the global Anglican world have ultimately chosen not, “…to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.”
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemns, unequivocally rejects and will not recognize the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales. We will strive to uphold the authority of the Scriptures, our historic creeds, evangelism and holy Christian living. We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ will build His Church and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16 :18). We call upon faithful Christians of the Anglican fold to denounce, reject, condemn and expel the rebels in our midst, while we realign ourselves with Anglican remnants scattered in troubled dioceses all over the world, under the umbrella of faithful Anglican Christian bodies like GAFCON.
Therefore, as a matter of urgency, the Church of Nigeria believes that this moment calls for prayer for the Church of Wales, hoping that the Church of England will not follow in her steps.
Nigerian Primate Archbishop Henry Ndukuba accused the Church in Wales of abandoning “the truth of God’s word by sacrificing the authority of the Scripture for a postmodern agenda that has no divine backing".https://t.co/fmTgJhPkD8
— The Christian Institute (@christianorguk) August 5, 2025
We must confront serious error that compromises God’s glorious and authoritative word on human sexuality.
We must speak up and take a stand.
As we met to reform and renew the Anglican Communion in 2008, Gafcon delivered the Jerusalem Statement which outlined the true heart of Anglican orthodoxy.
We took a stand about the truth of God’s word, and we continue to stand in fellowship with the majority of the world’s Anglicans who grieve this rejection of God’s voice.
We must stand again against the relentless pressure of Anglican revisionists who blatantly impose their immorality upon Christ’s precious church.
Theologically orthodox groups within the Anglican Communion are lamenting the election of a bishop in a same-sex civil partnership as the new Archbishop of the Church in Wales. https://t.co/e039mqRoh2
— IRD (@TheIRD) July 31, 2025
Nearly 10 million American children are living in poverty, the most since 2018, according to the latest Census Bureau figures from 2023.
Tens of millions more—like the Meazler kids—are precariously close. Their families have been pushed to the edge by a storm of economic factors, including the expiration of Covid-era relief programs and the impacts of inflation on food and housing.
The strain is expected to be worsened by cuts to federal spending on aid programs, including food benefits and Medicaid. President Trump on July 4 signed legislation passed by Congress that reduces funding and tightens work requirements for government assistance, and will likely result in less food aid and millions losing health coverage.
Even before the new cuts, several markers show that households with children are falling behind, though statistics around poverty have been complicated by the upheaval the pandemic brought to jobs and living arrangements, and the unprecedented federal aid distributed in response.
The share of families with children living in poverty jumped to 12.9% in 2023, the most recent year available, after plummeting to a record low of 5.6% in 2021, driven down by temporary pandemic programs like the expanded Child Tax Credit and extra unemployment insurance, according to census data compiled by the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University.
Poverty for all ages has inched up, but no other age demographic has seen a sharper rise in poverty between 2021 and 2023 than children, data compiled by the center show.
Earning More but in Worse Shape: Hardship Overwhelms Many American Families
— Lindsay Wise (@lindsaywise) August 5, 2025
Nearly half of kids in the U.S. live in households below the middle class as inflation and the end of Covid relief hit working parentshttps://t.co/MmvB2XmIdG via @WSJ
We give thee thanks, O Lord, for the vision and skill of Albrecht Dürer, Matthias Grünewald and Lucas Cranach the Elder, whose artistic depictions helped the peoples of their age understand the full suffering and glory of thine incarnate Son; and we pray that their work may strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and the mystery of the Holy Trinity; who livest and reignest, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Albrecht Dürer made this print of a ‘fast, lively and cunning’ rhino without ever seeing one! The German Renaissance artist was born #onthisday in 1471. pic.twitter.com/YJUJZQSRiS
— British Museum (@britishmuseum) May 21, 2018
Fill us, O Christ, with thine own compassion for the hungry multitudes of the world of our day; and use us now, as thou didst use thy disciples of old, as thy willing instruments to minister to their needs, through all such means as thou shalt show us; for thy mercy’s sake.
Gateway to Avalon Orchard, Glastonbury. Taken shortly after sunrise. pic.twitter.com/VBL9KE8boj
— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) August 5, 2025
But when Gallio was proconsul of Acha′ia, the Jews made a united attack upon Paul and brought him before the tribunal, saying, “This man is persuading men to worship God contrary to the law.” But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, I should have reason to bear with you, O Jews; but since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I refuse to be a judge of these things.” And he drove them from the tribunal. And they all seized Sos′thenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to this.
After this Paul stayed many days longer, and then took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aq′uila. At Cen′chre-ae he cut his hair, for he had a vow. And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself went into the synagogue and argued with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined; but on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.
When he had landed at Caesare′a, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there he departed and went from place to place through the region of Galatia and Phryg′ia, strengthening all the disciples.
Now a Jew named Apol′los, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aq′uila heard him, they took him and expounded to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross to Acha′ia, the brethren encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully confuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
–Acts 18:12-28
Rainbow low on horizon. Have a nice day😊10C🌈🦋🌸 pic.twitter.com/FGZxnrPiM4
— Anne Grete Hagby (@AHagby) August 5, 2025