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A Prayer for 9/11 by yours truly

Almighty God and Father who wills that all people may flourish and have abundance of life, be with us especially on this day when we remember such destruction, darkness, devastation, death and terror; help us to honor the memory of those whose lives were utterly cut short, and to believe that you can make all things new, even the most horrible things. Redeem and heal, O Holy Spirit, grant us perspective, humility, light, trust and grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Posted in America/U.S.A., Death / Burial / Funerals, History, Spirituality/Prayer, Terrorism, Urban/City Life and Issues, Violence

Time Magazine’s Cover

Posted in Uncategorized

A Prayer for the Feast Day of Harry Thacker Burleigh

God, our strong deliverer: We bless thy Name for the grace given to Harry Thacker Burleigh, who didst lift up in song the struggles of thy people. Let that Spirit of love which spurred him draw us and thy whole Church to raise our distinct voices into one great harmony of praise; through the same Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Posted in Church History, Liturgy, Music, Worship, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

A prayer for the day from W. M. Clow

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

Posted in Spirituality/Prayer

From the Morning Scripture Readings

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. I have no one like him, who will be genuinely anxious for your welfare. They all look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But Timothy’s worth you know, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me; and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself shall come also.

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphrodi′tus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all, and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy; and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete your service to me.

–Philippians 2:12-30

Posted in Theology: Scripture

(Church Times) Food insecurity in the UK continues to rise, Trussell reports

Severe hardship in Britain is being “normalised”, the foodbank charity Trussell warns.

Its second Hunger in the UK report, published on Wednesday, suggests that 14.1 million people experienced food insecurity last year through a lack of money — a rise from 11.6 million in 2022, when the last survey was carried out.

The survey also found that 61 per cent of households that reported going without food did not obtain any form of charitable food support. Trussell defines food insecurity as “going without or cutting back on quality or quantity of food due to a lack of money”.

When asked why they had not sought such support, more than half (55 per cent) said that they did not feel that they should because they were not facing financial hardship. One third (32 per cent) did not think that they were in enough need, and one quarter (23 per cent) thought that others were in greater need.

Read it all.

Posted in Dieting/Food/Nutrition, England / UK, Poverty

(Christian Today) ‘There is no such thing as the evangelical’ – researchers say movement’s centre has shifted to Global South

The question of who qualifies as an evangelical and how many evangelicals exist worldwide continues to puzzle scholars, church leaders and mission researchers alike. That was the central theme of a Sept. 2 webinar hosted by the World Evangelical Alliance and released publicly Sept. 5, featuring two leading voices in global religious demography.

Dr. Gina A. Zurlo, editor of the World Christian Database and a lecturer at Harvard Divinity School, and Jason Mandryk, longtime editor of Operation World, outlined both the difficulties and the necessity of measuring a movement that is increasingly diverse and shifting rapidly toward the Global South.

Both experts agreed that unlike Catholicism, Orthodoxy, or even Pentecostalism, evangelicalism has no universally agreed-upon definition. This makes the task of counting adherents unusually complex. Yet, they stressed, reliable figures are crucial for understanding how Christianity is changing worldwide.

Mandryk opened with a blunt assessment: “There is no such thing as the evangelical.”

Read it all.

Posted in Evangelicals, Global South Churches & Primates, Globalization, Religion & Culture

(CT) Derek King–Don’t Pay Attention. Give It.

n a digitally oversaturated society like ours, distraction is a daily sparring partner. What begins as a quick check of the weather to decide what to wear on a morning run turns into 20 minutes of scrolling political takes or cat videos. Most of us don’t wake up thinking, I’d like to spend two hours watching Seinfeld reruns today, but here we are.

Our devices and internet algorithms are remarkably effective at capturing our attention and redirecting it from whatever we intend. Yet for all the well-earned anxiety about our attention crisis, a troubling tendency in our discourse is to conflate the predicament with concerns about productivity.

We can, and should, care about productivity and attention’s role in it. But when output and efficiency become our primary concern, it distorts the nature of attention. Attention becomes only a means to an end, problematically viewed as merely a “resource.” And the root of this problem is glimpsed in the most basic way we talk about attention: We pay it.

When we pay for something, we expect something beneficial or useful in return. When we pay, we’re the consumer—and we want to know that what we’re paying for is worth the cost. But attention isn’t something we pay. It’s something we should give.

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Posted in Anthropology, Pastoral Theology, Psychology, Theology

(Gallup) U.S. Depression Rate Remains Historically High

The percentage of U.S. adults who report currently having or being treated for depression has exceeded 18% in both 2024 and 2025, up about eight percentage points since the initial measurement in 2015.

The current rate of 18.3% measured so far in 2025 projects to an estimated 47.8 million Americans suffering from depression. Most of the increase has occurred since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Gallup obtained the most recent results for 2025 Feb. 18-26 and May 27-June 4, 2025, with 11,288 U.S. adults surveyed by web as part of the probability-based Gallup Panel. Respondents were asked, “Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have depression?” and if yes, “Do you currently have or are you currently being treated for depression?”

Both metrics are part of the ongoing Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index. The percentage of adults who report having been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime stands at 28.5%, hovering near the record high of 29.0% measured in the first quarter of 2023.

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, America/U.S.A., Anthropology, Health & Medicine, Psychology

A Prayer for the Feast Day of Alexander Crummell (1819-1898)

Almighty and everlasting God, we thank thee for thy servant Alexander Crummell, whom thou didst call to preach the Gospel to those who were far off and to those who were near. Raise up, we beseech thee, in this and every land evangelists and heralds of thy kingdom, that thy Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Posted in Spirituality/Prayer

A prayer for the day from Frank Colquhoun

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose grace we have been admitted into the glory of the new covenant: Grant, we beseech thee, that being delivered from the death of sin and the bondage of the law, we may rejoice in the life and liberty of the Spirit, and evermore find our sufficiency in thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Posted in Uncategorized

From the Morning Bible Readings

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet:

‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will govern my people Israel.’”

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

–Matthew 2:1-12

Posted in Theology: Scripture

(WSJ) Why a Mammogram Isn’t Always Enough to Rule Out Cancer

“Many women think that if they have a mammogram and it’s negative, there’s no way they can have breast cancer,” said Dr. Kimberly Feigin, a breast-imaging radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. “That’s simply not true.” 

The Food and Drug Administration starting Sept. 10 will require that women nationwide be notified whether their mammograms reveal dense breast tissue. Mammography reports will also encourage women to speak with doctors about their breast density and personal risk.

Nearly 40 states already require that women be notified about dense breast tissue. But there isn’t consensus on what to do with such results. Many doctors encourage women with dense tissue to consider additional tests including an ultrasound or MRI. Others say further tests could lead to unnecessary procedures. Some aren’t caught up on the trade-offs.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government-backed group that sets guidance on screening and preventive care, says there isn’t enough evidence to recommend more testing. And insurance coverage for ultrasounds or MRIs varies by state and insurer. 

Read it all.

Posted in Health & Medicine, Science & Technology, Women

(Church Times) Terry Drummond and Joseph Forde–Is there still faith in the city?

During the past 20 years or so, however, less emphasis has been placed on urban mission and ministry in the Church of England, as new challenges have arisen in response to the decline in affiliation and religious observance. This has resulted in new “mission” attempts to reverse that trend, which have focused more on increasing the number of personal conversions to Anglican Christianity, and on novel approaches to church-planting.

Sadly, however, in 2025, high levels of economic and social inequality, deprivation, and sometimes even mental despair are still being experienced by many in towns and cities. This raises the question of how far we have come since 1985 in improving matters.


It was with this purpose in mind that we decided to commission a number of essays written by some of those who were involved in the publication and implementation of the report itself, and others who have been engaged in urban ministry and community-organising since then, which evaluate the importance of Faith in the City for the present day, and seek to open a debate on urban policy, theology, and practice.

This collection of essays examines the impact that the report had at the time of its publication; the changes that have taken place in the political landscape in the period since; the changes that have taken place in English society in the period since; and the changes that have taken place in the Church of England, including in its approach to urban mission, ministry, and welfare provision.

Read it all.

Posted in Books, Church of England (CoE), England / UK, Ethics / Moral Theology, Religion & Culture, Theology, Urban/City Life and Issues

(NI) The US Military’s Missile Gap Isn’t Going Away

This summer’s “12-Day War” between Israel and Iran exposed what Washington should have long known: the US military’s air and missile defense architecture is not ready for a long fight against a capable enemy. Israel severely degraded Iran’s ability to fire missiles by systematically eliminating many of their launchers. However, the United States still expended nearly 25 percent of the total number of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile interceptors during the short conflict. Not a quarter of all our THAAD interceptors bought last year, but a full one-fourth of all of these systems ever procured. The military is falling behind and must reverse course soon.

In the twelve days of fighting between Israel and Iran, over 150 THAAD interceptors were launched at Iran’s more advanced ballistic missiles. This is over three times the average annual procurement of around 40 interceptors since 2010. At $15.5 million per interceptor, this puts the armed forces on an unsustainable trajectory. Even if the Pentagon increases current orders beyond the meager 12 funded in the 2025 budget, it still takes 3 years between the date a contract is awarded and when the interceptors are delivered.

The shortage of THAAD interceptors is not unique. American ships in the region also launched over 80 Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors to help defeat Iranian missiles during the 12-day conflict. The only version of this missile in production is the SM-3 Block IIA, and the Defense Department is still waiting on the first delivery of these upgraded missiles from a contract awarded in 2019.

Read it all.

Posted in America/U.S.A., Military / Armed Forces

(WSJ) Twelfth-Grade Math and Reading Scores in U.S. Hit New Low

American high-school seniors’ scores on major math and reading tests fell to their lowest levels on record, according to results released Tuesday by the U.S. Education Department.

Twelfth-graders’ average math score was the worst since the current test began in 2005, and reading was below any point since that assessment started in 1992. The share of 12th-graders who were proficient slid by 2 percentage points between 2019 and 2024—to 35% in reading and 22% in math.

There also were drops in the proportion of students who were able to reach at least a basic level of performance, a tier below proficiency.

The results are from tests that are part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, administered to tens of thousands of students in early 2024.

The declines deepen slides that began before the pandemic, and are the latest in a procession of gloomy data showing that U.S. students are learning less than several years ago. 

Read it all.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, America/U.S.A., Children, Education

(Yesterday’s NY times front page) Joel Eisiminger–By Age 25, Fighting Cancer Instead of Wildfires

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.

Posted in Health & Medicine, Labor/Labor Unions/Labor Market, Police/Fire

A Prayer for the Feast Day of the the Martyrs of Memphis (also called Constance and her Companions)

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.

Posted in Church History, Spirituality/Prayer

A prayer for the day from W. F. Hook

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)

Posted in Spirituality/Prayer

From the Morning Bible Readings

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

Posted in Theology: Scripture

(Church Times) Rob Hawkins–God in the thick of things

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.

Posted in Theology

(The Anglican) The ACNA at CrossRoads, Part II: Holding All Things for Sake of the Everything

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.

Posted in * Anglican - Episcopal, - Anglican: Analysis, Anglican Church in North America (ACNA)

(Gallup) Image of Capitalism Slips to 54% in U.S.

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.

Posted in * Culture-Watch, * Economics, Politics, America/U.S.A., Economy, Politics in General

Prayers for the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina this week

Posted in * South Carolina, Parish Ministry, Spirituality/Prayer

A Prayer for the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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.

Posted in Church History, Spirituality/Prayer, Theology: Scripture

A prayer for the day from the ACNA Prayerbook

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.

Posted in Spirituality/Prayer

From the Morning Bible Readings

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

Posted in Theology: Scripture

A prayer for the day from the Church of England

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).

Posted in Spirituality/Prayer

From the Morning Bible Readings

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

Posted in Theology: Scripture

A Prayer for the Feast Day of Hannah More

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.

Posted in Church History, Spirituality/Prayer