Free Audiobook from Br. Curtis Almquist of SSJE - Check it out!

I ran across this notice on the SSJE (Society of St. John the Evangelist) Facebook group, check it out! Br. Curtis is wonderful!

~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

The Society of Saint John the Evangelist is re-launching Br. Curtis' free audio book,
The Twelve Days of Christmas: Unwrapping the Gifts.

This meditation on the spiritual gifts of Christmas is a wonderful
accompaniment to the upcoming holiday season.

Tell your friends and family about this audio book,
and help to spread the word about SSJE!

The audio book will be announced this Sunday, the 30th, but you can get a sneak peak at the re-launched site here or at: www.ssje.org/12days

Peace & Blessings!
The Friends of SSJE

Online Advent Calendar from the Diocese of Washington

The Diocese of Washington has created their yearly online Advent Calendar for your use this Advent. Check it out HERE

My Video on Advent from last year

Here's a video I shot last year on the First Sunday of Advent. Blessings on you and yours and prayers for a holy Advent!

"Discussion of the liturgical season of Advent with the Rev. Peter M. Carey, Chaplain at St. Catherine's School, Richmond, Virginia in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia"

~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

Come, thou long expected Jesus, by Charles Wesley

First Sunday of Advent

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth thou art:
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a king,
Born to reign in us for ever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne.

~Charles Wesley (1707-1788), 1744

Compiling the canonical gospels

Getting ready to teach a course on "Jesus" and I thought this was just excellent (from the MadPriest)

Join the Advent Conspiracy!

Join the Advent Conspiracy!

First Sunday of Advent - Blessings on a holy Advent!

First Sunday of Advent

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of

darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of

this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit

us in great humility, that in the last day, when he shall come

again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the

dead, we may rise to the life immortal; trough him who lives

and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and

for ever. Amen.

What I've done ...

I ran across this list at the blog, "Caminante, no hay camino," and I went through and bolded the things that I had done...this is not really "my" life list of things I necessarily want to do, but I thought it was a good list...what about you? (you can copy and paste it to your blog and then bold the items that you have done..., if you so choose)...

Peace, and Advent Blessings,

~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

What I've done... (in bold)

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (climbed it)
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted (drawing, that is)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (my spouse)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Ridden an elephant

from "Episcope" and the New York Times - Seven Years Later a Cathedral Cleansed

Seven Years Later, a Cathedral Cleansed

From "Episcope" blog...

Almost seven years to the day after a devastating fire (let's just say that 2001 was a really bad year!), the Cathedral Church of St. John The Divine in NYC has been cleansed and will be rededicated on Advent I. A great day for the Cathedral, the Diocese, the Church and the City.

NY Times: After Smoke, Soot and Water, a Great Church Is Cleansed

The Very Rev. James A. Kowalski has been dean of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine for nearly seven years. In all that time, he has never heard its great organ played during a worship service. On Sunday, he will finally have his chance.

So will countless congregants and visitors as the Episcopal cathedral is formally rededicated. Everyone is invited to the 11 a.m. service, though the cathedral advises the public to arrive at least an hour early to claim passes for unreserved seats. At least 3,000 people are expected to attend.

Read the article

more information on the Cathedral of St. John the Divine here: http://www.stjohndivine.org/

What you should be reading? #5 - Stanley Hauerwas's "The State of the University"

Dr. Stanley Hauerwas always has challenging and interesting things to say about theology, the church, politics, and many other subjects. In this book, "The State of the University," Hauerwas examines the place of theology in our universities. He also takes on the challenge of examining pluralism and Christianity as they are manifested in our institutions of higher education. There is a lot to digest here: read, mark and inwardly digest it!

~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams reflects on Advent on Youtube

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, gives his reflections on Advent: "It is a time of expectation and a time of hope. A time, therefore, also of quiet".

What you should be reading? #5 - Praying for England, edited by Samuel Wells and Sarah Coakley

Praying for England: Priestly Presence in Contemporary Culture


As a somewhat new priest, I am finding that to be a priest in the changing landscape of religion and culture to be a fascinating thing to be. There are some wonderful ways that embodying the priesthood in a time of both rapid change and longing for continuity to be a particular gift and challenge. In this wonderful book of essays, edited by Samuel Wells (dean of Duke University and Anglican Priest) and Sarah Coakley (wonderful theologian and Anglican Priest), the reader will find a spectrum of ways that priests are living out their calling, and working to be present with and reflective about their people. The picture on the cover is compelling, a man praying deeply, it appears, for his football team (soccer, for us Yankees) - how ready we are to pray and hope and be devoted to such things as sports, while our dedication to church may not be as strong. Have a look at this book if you are a priest, or if you have ideas and questions about the role and the place of the church in our contemporary world.

~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey

"Learn to be detatched from the results of our own activity", beautiful wisdom from Thomas Merton

So true, so true....!

It is useless to try to make peace with ourselves by being pleased with everything we have done. In order to settle down in the quiet of our own being we must learn to be detached from the results of our own activity. We must withdraw ourselves, to some extent, from the effects that are beyond our control and be content with the good will and the work that are the quiet expression of our inner life. We must be content to live without watching ourselves live, to work without expecting any immediate reward, to love without an instantaneous satisfaction, and to exist without any special recognition.

Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island

Church members sue Episcopal Diocese over reservation land on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

The history of the Episcopal Church on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is a fascinating one, and I spent time in seminary doing some research on the mission work of the Episcopal Church there. My aunt and uncle spent time in Oglala teaching during the 1970s and I have some second-hand knowledge of the people and the land there. I was very interested when I saw the following article come across my news feed today and will be looking with keen eyes to learn more about this situation. Take a look at the article, and let me know if you hear more!

~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

from the Rapid City Journal, South Dakota

Church members sue Episcopal Diocese over reservation land

By Mary Garrigan, Rapid City Journal staff

Members of 11 Episcopal churches on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation have filed lawsuits in Oglala Sioux tribal court asking that the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota be prevented from closing their churches and from deconsecrating buildings and cemeteries in the process.

On Monday, the executive committee of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council also unanimously approved a resolution stating that the diocese should return those properties to the tribe in compliance with federal laws that govern the use of reservation lands for missionary or educational works.

The rite of deconsecrating a church allows that building to be used for secular purposes, but it would not necessarily prevent it from being used as a church again at some point.

The legal papers were served Monday at the diocesan offices in Sioux Falls but had not been signed by a tribal judge as of Tuesday. The plaintiffs seek an immediate hearing to stop the closures.

Diocesan lawyer Steven Sanford of Sioux Falls had not seen the five-page tribal resolution Tuesday, but he said the diocese agrees with that principle and doesn't intend to sell the properties. "It has always been our intention that if these properties aren't used as missions of the Episcopal Church, that they would be, in one way or another, turned over to the tribe or to some other group locally," Sanford said. "It's not the diocese's intention whatsoever to sell them to a McDonald's or to some other denomination."

Sanford said he expected the situation to be resolved soon.

"The people who are responsible for the suit, to the extent that they want the land kept local, they didn't need to sue us to have that happen," he said.

The diocese cited low attendance and financial issues as reasons for closing the following churches Nov. 30: Christ Church at Red Shirt Table; St. John's at Oglala, Epiphany at Wolf Creek; St. Andrew's at Wakpamni Lake; St. Thomas at Manderson; St. Barnabas at Kyle; St. Timothy's at Potato Creek; St. Alban's at Porcupine; and Inestimable Gift at Allen. The lawsuits also involve two churches that will move to "station" status, or part-time use: St. Julia's at Porcupine and Advent at Calico.

Those impending closures would leave five Episcopal churches open on the reservation in Pine Ridge, Kyle, Batesland, Wanblee and Martin.

The Rev. Robert Two Bulls, pastor of Christ Church, said Tuesday that historically, one-third of the Pine Ridge reservation's residents were baptized Episcopalians.

He said his congregation would continue to meet for church services, regardless of legal issues.

"We don't want to just let our churches go. We want to go down fighting," Two Bulls said.

Read it all HERE

Ending the liturgical year with moments of Thanksgiving

It has been customary that at the end of the Calendar year, at the end of December, to take a look back at the year - we see the Time Magazine "Person of the Year," and special editions of newspapers, news shows, and other media outlets that reflect on the year for us. It can also be a rich time at the end of the calendar year for us to reflect upon the year, though I imagine that most of us take more time to look ahead, to make those "New Years Resolutions" that often fail, but we still strive to keep them.

This week is the final week of the liturgical year, we are finishing up the last week after Pentecost, which began back in those warm days of May, and has continued through the summer and through most of the fall. Some churches recognize the last Sunday of the liturgical year as "Christ the King" Sunday, and while this is a relatively common practice in the Episcopal Church, my friend Scott Gunn over at "Seven Whole Days" reminded me this week that this "holiday" is not actually prescribed in our Book of Common Prayer. Whether or not your church celebrates this week as Christ the King Sunday, you probably are celebrating Thanksgiving in some form or another - and many people love this holiday; there is a unifying aspect of this holiday, as we all can give thanks, no matter what our creed or world view may be.

For Christians, this week is a kind of a "getting ready to get ready" week, as we prepare to begin the season of Advent - a season of expectation. It is a strange season, because we know that Christ has already come, so it is difficult to just set that aside and pretend that we are somehow in the time period before the baby was born to Mary and Joseph. So, we spend some time trying to live in this time of expectation, knowing that Jesus Christ has come, but also knowing that the fullness of God has not yet fully broken into our lives in the deepest way possible. We know that Christ has come, and yet we also pray that Christ may come again.

In this week of expectation for the season of expectation, a season of advent before Advent, it is wholly appropriate and wonderful to take time to take stock, to give thanks for the year - for the blessings, and also the times of struggle, for the ways that we have learned and grown, and even for those challenges that have come our way. It may be a great time to "clear the decks," to set aside some of the past hurt and toxicity that we have allowed to fester. Perhaps it is a time to recognize the good even in those folks who get under our skin, and those interactions that rub us the wrong way.

I hope we all can give thanks for all that we are and all that we have during this week of Thanksgiving, even in uneasy and uncertain times, and that we will all pray that we can enter the Season of Advent with new vision, new energy, and an openness to whatever may be born in us in this new liturgical year.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

Cross Christmas Cards Off Your List this Year!? says Archbishop of Canterbury!

No, not the Grinch, not Scrooge, but the Bishop of Reading and the Archbishop of Canterbury!


From England's The Daily Mail....
"They gather on the doormat, multiply in the hall and end up taking over mantelpieces, shelves and even walls.

Then, after Christmas is over, their empty promises of ‘we must catch up soon’ end up in the rubbish or at best the recycling bin.

So this year, why not give Christmas cards a miss?

That’s the suggestion from the
Bishop of Reading, the Right Reverend
Dr Stephen Cottrell, who believes the hustle and bustle, stress and strain of Christmas is clouding the real meaning of the festive season.

‘There must be another way of
celebrating Christmas,’ he said.

Dr Cottrell wants those struggling to write scores of cards to stop sending them to those they don’t really like and put their feet up and relax.

And instead of expensive presents, why not hand out a jar of home-made marmalade or pickled onions?

His advice came as the Church of England unveiled a campaign for people to cut up their credit cards this Christmas in order to ‘put the waiting back into wanting’.

Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams is among leading clerics who are concerned at the commercialism and high spending that goes with Christmas."

read the rest HERE

What you should be reading? #4 - Ian Markham's "Understanding Christian Doctrine"

This is a wonderful introduction (or review) of Christian Doctrine by the Very Rev. Dr. Ian Markham, Dean and President of VTS. It is highly readable, could be used for an adult education class or even for students in college or the upper secondary school years. I found it to be helpful to outline the various streams of theology, and helped me link some areas where I felt very strong in my own education with those areas where I still have work to do. I plan to use it (I think) for a class I will teach next year to High School seniors - an honors class in Theology.

A wonderful book, do check it out!

~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

What you should be reading? #3 - Kathleen Norris's "Amazing Grace, A Vocabulary of Faith"

This book came out some time ago, so I'm sure that many folks have read it (or at least purchased it, as it was a NyTimes Best Selling Book). But, just in case you haven't purchased it, or haven't read it, do get a copy and check it out. Norris is a fantastically grounded writer, and reflects deeply about a whole range of theological concepts. I am currently using excerpts from the book to have my students reflect upon in their own writing. There are some wonderful essays in this book and could be a great book to spend some time with as we move into Advent. Check it out!

~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

What you should be reading? #2 - Diana Butler Bass's "Christianity for the Rest of Us"

I heard my former professor and friend, Diana Butler Bass, speak today at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia. She gave a summary of a bit of her work on Practicing Congregations, with some emphasis on the final parts of her study which lead her to find that the Christian Practices that "popped to the top" were Hospitality and Theological Reflection. She is a wonderful speaker, and loves and understands churches in a deep way. She challenged the hearers to practice some Discernment (another Christian Practice) to see what the Spirit might be calling us to spend our time and energy on at this point in our lives. I appreciated her reminder that what is so important is to develop depth and focus in our practices, rather than spreading us thin. She gave me a lot to think about both for my spiritual life, and also for my work as a priest and chaplain. I am spending some time re-reading her wonderful book, "Christianity for the Rest of Us," and I hope you will also check it out!

~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

What you should be reading? #1 - Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers

Ok, I do believe in the Holy Spirit, and I believe that she (he?) works kinda like the secular-ists call synchronicity. In the last three days, I've had 4 people discuss or tell me about Malcolm Gladwell's (author of Tipping Point) new book, "Outliers." Stephen Colbert interviewed Gladwell on Comedy Central, Diana Butler Bass referred to him in her lecture today at St. Stephen's Church, Richmond, and I heard two different conversations that referred to it. So, there it is, go read the book (I just ordered it).

~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

You can check out an extract from the book on the Guardian's (UK) website, HERE. And, I've posted a bit below.

"The University of Michigan opened its new computer centre in 1971, in a low-slung building on Beal Avenue in Ann Arbor. The university's enormous mainframe computers stood in the middle of a vast, white-tiled room, looking, as one faculty member remembers, "like one of the last scenes in 2001: A Space Odyssey". Off to the side were dozens of key-punch machines - what passed in those days for computer terminals. Over the years, thousands of students would pass through that white-tiled room - the most famous of whom was a gawky teenager named Bill Joy.

Joy came to the University of Michigan the year the computer centre opened, at the age of 16. He had been voted "most studious student" by his graduating class at North Framingham high school, outside Detroit, which, as he puts it, meant he was a "no-date nerd". He had thought he might end up as a biologist or a mathematician, but late in his freshman year he stumbled across the computing centre - and he was hooked.

From then on, the computer centre was his life. He programmed whenever he could. He got a job with a computer science professor, so he could program over the summer. In 1975, Joy enrolled in graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley. There, he buried himself even deeper in the world of computer software. During the oral exams for his PhD, he made up a particularly complicated algorithm on the fly that - as one of his many admirers has written - "so stunned his examiners [that] one of them later compared the experience to 'Jesus confounding his elders' ".

Working in collaboration with a small group of programmers, Joy took on the task of rewriting Unix, a software system developed by AT&T for mainframe computers. Joy's version was so good that it became - and remains - the operating system on which millions of computers around the world run. "If you put your Mac in that funny mode where you can see the code," Joy says, "I see things that I remember typing in 25 years ago." And when you go online, do you know who wrote the software that allows you to access the internet? Bill Joy.

After Berkeley, Joy co-founded the Silicon Valley firm Sun Microsystems. There, he rewrote another computer language, Java, and his legend grew still further. Among Silicon Valley insiders, Joy is spoken of with as much awe as Bill Gates. He is sometimes called the Edison of the internet.

The story of Joy's genius has been told many times, and the lesson is always the same. Here was a world that was the purest of meritocracies. Computer programming didn't operate as an old-boy network, where you got ahead because of money or connections. It was a wide-open field, in which all participants were judged solely by their talent and accomplishments. It was a world where the best men won, and Joy was clearly one of those best men."

From the Alban Institute, "How Internet Innovations are Changing the Way We Do Church"

The New Connectivity: How Internet Innovations Are Changing the Way We Do Church

by Andrea Useem, published online by the Alban Institute

It’s no longer news that the Internet has ushered in a digital revolution, reshaping everything from the business landscape to social relationships to personal habits. Our world today is profoundly new. And in these transformations, nothing is sacred. Just as newspapers find themselves spiraling downward and corporations scramble to find an authentic online presence, so religious congregations are seriously impacted by the expansion of digital life. Yes, congregations have a unique purpose and mission, existing for divine purposes that can’t be quantified or confined, but in the human realm, in the material world where the congregation plants its feet on the ground, change is sprouting up through the floorboards. These developments are challenging congregations to consider what it means to be a geographically rooted, brick-and-mortar congregation in a world of virtual cathedrals and online prayer groups, where intimate spiritual connection is possible at any time of day or night.

To make sense of how technology and church intersect, it’s important to understand how the newest iterations of the Internet—collectively known as “Web 2.0”—dramatically expand our ability to connect with one another online. This new generation of Internet tools—including blogs, wikis, social networks, and video- and photo-sharing sites—has accelerated and enriched the online interaction first seen on e-mail listservs, discussion boards, and in chat rooms.

Read it all HERE

Pluralism and Christianity - Post Number 1 - from "Get Religion"

The topic of pluralism has been on my mind of late, especially as it relates to Christianity. I was recently at a meeting where a discussion had time to begin (but not finish) where pluralism and Christianity were somehow blurred. Are pluralism and Christianity at odds? What would it mean to truly be pluralistic? Is anyone REALLY pluralistic? What IS pluralism, and where did it "come from"? Do people of faith REALLY advocate pluralism? What are we worshipping when we have a pluralistic service?

I plan to post a few of my thoughts on these topics, one of which will be excerpts from a wonderful Hauerwas essay on the topic.

Today, read this excerpt from a post on the GetReligion blog that discusses Sally Quinn's recommendation for where the Obamas should worship.

~Rev. Peter M. Carey

from GetReligion

Sally Quinn can be a charming and entertaining writer, especially on the topic of throwing a great party. With her Saturday op-ed for The Washington Post, however, Quinn calls more attention to her poorly informed and utilitarian understanding of why a church exists.

Quinn’s column is a sales pitch for why President-elect Barack Obama and his family ought to attend Washington National Cathedral.

Quinn’s lede bears an uncanny resemblance to what Amy Sullivan wrote a week ago for Time, but there the similarities end. Quinn shows no understanding that churches strive to draw people closer to God. She doesn’t refer to the content or quality of sermons (other than mentioning that Congressman John Lewis preached one), or to a sense of community or even to social service. Instead, her appeal is to a hackneyed form of inclusivity:

Washington National Cathedral also transcends politics and even the separation of religions. Though nominally an Episcopal church, it welcomes everyone. It is at once deeply Christian and deeply interfaith. The Episcopal Church has a long history of inclusiveness.

. . . “We are a place that welcomes people of all faiths and no faith,” says [cathedral dean Sam] Lloyd, echoing Barack Obama’s words of two years ago. “Whatever we once were,” Obama said then, “we’re no longer just a Christian nation. At least not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation and a Buddhist nation and a Hindu nation and a nation of nonbelievers.”

. . . I am drawn to the cathedral over all of the other sacred spaces in Washington because it is the most pluralistic of the places of worship I’ve been to.

Read it all HERE

Remembering John F. Kennedy and C.S. Lewis - November 22, 1963

C.S. Lewis

John F. Kennedy

45 years ago today, John F. Kennedy and C.S. Lewis died. Two of my heroes and inspirations died on the same day. My own interest in politics, and faith, and writing, and justice were all impacted by these two individuals, and I am quite surprised that I hadn't noticed until this evening that they died on the same day. Though I was born a few years after their deaths, I remember them fondly, and am thankful for their presence among us and their legacies.

~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Congratulations to the Rev. J. Scott Mayer, next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas!

My friend Jared Cramer has a wonderful posting today offering congratulations to one of his mentors, the Rev. J. Scott Mayer who was just elected as the next bishop of Northwest Texas. Do check out Jared's posting, I rejoice for the church!

~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey

-----------------------------------------------------------

from Jared's blog, Scribere Orare Est today...

...after I was confirmed, he gave me the bread and though I had always known that Eucharist connected us regardless of my denomination, at that moment I gratefully felt an even closer connection to him. I know for a fact I would not be anywhere near the minister, preacher, or person that I am if I had not known him.

That’s why I smiled very very big when I got the news today…

From the Diocese of Northwest Texas’ press release:

NORTHWEST TEXAS: The Rev. J. Scott Mayer elected bishop

The Rev. J. Scott Mayer, rector of The Church of the Heavenly Rest, Abilene, Texas, has been elected as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Northwest. Mayer was elected on the second ballot, with 90 of 141 registered laity and 38 of 47 registered clergy. The Electing Convention was held on Saturday, November 22, 2008, at place at St. Paul’s on the Plain Church in Lubbock, Texas.

Mayer was elected from a slate of four nominees, including the Rev. Ronald D. Pogue, Rector, Trinity Episcopal Church, Galveston, Texas; the Rev. J. Christopher Roberts, Rector, St. Martha’s Episcopal Church, Papillion, Nebraska; and, the Rev. Stephen F. Zimmerman, Rector, The Chapel of St. Andrew, Boca Raton, Florida. A fifth nominee, the Rev. C. Christopher Thompson, Rector, Eastern Shore Chapel Episcopal Church, Virginia Beach, Virginia, withdrew his name from consideration earlier in the week.
Mayer, a 1992 graduate of The Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, Austin, TX, was ordained in the Diocese of Dallas, where he served as Curate of St. James Episcopal Church in Texarkana. He has served at Heavenly Rest in Abilene, TX, first as Associate Rector then Rector, since 1994. Mayer, 53, and his wife, Kathy, have two grown children, Diane Stearns and Daniel Mayer, and one grandchild, James. The bishop-elect will succeed The Rt. Rev. C. Wallis Ohl, Jr., who will retire effective January 1, 2009. Consecration of the new Bishop is scheduled for Saturday, March 21, 2009, in Lubbock, Texas.

The Diocese of Northwest Texas, having emerged out of the Missionary District of North Texas in 1958, is celebrating its 50 year of ministry. Comprised of 80 out of Texas’ 254 counties, the diocese encompasses the entire panhandle plus a broad swath of North and West Texas, from Vernon in the Red River Valley to the Pecos River in far West Texas. There are 18 parishes, 16 missions, 5 preaching stations, four college chaplaincies, a Conference Center and Camp and the Hulsey Center in Lubbock which houses the Diocesan offices.

Read it all HERE at Jared Cramer's Blog, Scribere Orare Est

Join the Advent Conspiracy!

Check it out here: http://www.adventconspiracy.org

Advent Conspiracy is an international movement restoring the scandal of Christmas by substituting compassion for consumption.

For three years now, Christmas isn't about credit cards. It's been about:
- Worshiping Christ more meaningfully.
- Refusing our culture's hunger for consumerism.
- Giving relationally to our friends and family.
- Loving all by giving to those most in need.

[AC 2008] -- The past two years of Advent Conspiracy has changed the way tens of thousands of Christians celebrate Christmas, and resulted in millions of dollars being redistributed to needy neighborhoods and solving the global water crisis.

Expect Jesus to be worshiped and lives saved as thousands of churches to join in the blessed mischief this year.

Check out the Advent Conspiracy promotional video:

Just for Fun...Rowan Williams - Spock

Consecration of the Bishop of Texas, C. Andrew Doyle

The Consecration of The Rev. Canon C. Andrew Doyle as the new Bishop of Texas is today and the Diocese of Texas has a wide array of materials posted, and you can even watch the Ordination online through a webcast. The Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori will be the chief consecrator. Some great friends of mine are from the Diocese of Texas and I feel a great connection to that great diocese. It should be quite a wonderful occasion.

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Check it out below:

The consecration will be webcast -- streamed live on the Internet. The webcast will begin at 10:00 a.m. with prelude music. The entire service will be available to download for two weeks following the consecration and a DVD of highlights will be available. As of November 19, Good Shepherd, Tomball and the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin will host gatherings to watch the consecration. Please use this link to stream live on the web Saturday Morning: http://mfile3.akamai.com/54659/live/reflector:37426.mov QuickTime will be needed to watch it. If it is not already installed on your computer, you can download for Mac or Windows free here.

Click here for Quicktime Windows full screen instructions. (.pdf)

Click here for Quicktime Windows full screen instructions. (.pdf)

Click here to download a copy of the worship booklet. (.pdf)

For Consecration Information click here.

My first baptism

And it happened to be my daughter; it was great!

Thirteen Books that Changed America - by Jay Parini - What are YOUR 13?

Middlebury College professor of English and author, Jay Parini has a new book out in which he discusses the "Thirteen Books that Changed America." Take a look at this article from Vermont Public Radio (and you can listen to the interview). What would be YOUR 13?

~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

Thursday November 20, 2008

Thirteen Books that Changed America

By Jane Lindholm

From the millions of published books throughout America's history, how do you even begin to choose the ones that have mattered most?

Middlebury professor and author Jay Parini has set out to do just that. His new book, Promised Land: Thirteen Books that Changed America outlines the texts he believes have had the most influence on our country's culture. He joins us to talk over his choices and his selection process.

Also, one of the surprise upsets on Election Day came in the race for county treasurer in Grafton County, New Hampshire. Vanessa Sievers, a 20 year old Dartmouth College junior, defeated the long-time incumbent, Carol Elliott, by 500 votes. But the incumbent claims she lost because of "brainwashed college kids." Valley News reporter John Gregg fills us in on the details.

And, we visit Mama and Pappa Z's, a Brattleboro restaurant with a tiny church behind it, where an Orthodox priest and his wife serve up spiritual sustenance with their pizzas and calzones.

Jay Parini's List:

Of Plymouth Plantation

The Federalist Papers

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

The Journals of Lewis and Clark

Walden

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Souls of Black Folk

The Promised Land

How to Win Friends and Influence People

The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care

On the Road

The Feminine Mystique

Hear, read, mark, learn and indwardly digest the Holy Scriptures!

from Sunday's collect

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

O God, go with me

O God, go with me as I go out into the confusion of the world. It is often hard to know the right; and even when I know it, still it may be hard to do it. I want to be faithful to the best I believe in; but the best is high, and the common ways are easy. I need to be reminded of the way I want to go. Help me to keep a clean mind, a generous heart, and a courageous purpose. Let me never willingly bring harm to any man; and if in the complexities of things I cannot help, I do bring harm to any, keep me troubled and unsatisfied until I learn to make my good and his agree. When there seems to be no straight road forward, and I am caught in compromise, teach me to turn where there is least of evil and most promise of a future good. Let me not only pray "Thy kingdom come," but do whatever one man can to let thy kingdom come through me. Amen

(By Reverend Walter Russell Bowie from Give Us Grace: An Anthology of Anglican Prayers, by Christopher L. Webber; published by Morehouse in 2004.)

Uncover Your Eyes - from Wisdom of the Desert

Uncover Your Eyes

A hermit said, "When the donkey's eyes are covered it walks round the mill-wheel. If you uncover its eyes, it will not go on walking in the circle. So if the devil succeeds in covering a man's eyes, he leads him into every kind of sin. But if the man's eyes are uncovered, he can more easily escape.





from wisdom of the desert blog

"Chaplaincy in a Web 2.0 World" Presentation at NAES

I presented a workshop at the National Association of Episcopal Schools' Biennial Conference today. I've posted the PowerPoint, as well as some of the other material from the presentation below. They will also be on the NAES website www.naes.org this week. Do stay in touch, and I'd love to hear about what y'all are doing!

Peace and Blessings,

~Rev. Peter M. Carey


"Chaplaincy in a Web. 2.0 World"
Click HERE to download the PowerPoint Presentation from Today
Click HERE to download the interview with Albert Borgmann, Philosopher of Technology
Click HERE to download the article "A School That's Too High on Gizmos"
Click HERE to download the article "101 Web 2.0 Teaching Tools"
Click HERE to download "Web 2.0, New Revolution in Church Growth"

William Temple, November 6th

Former Archbishop of Canterbury and theologian William Temple was remembered yesterday in our Lesser Feasts and Fasts:

One of his most famous sayings is:
"The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members. "

Whether we live up to these wonderful and challenging words is a question for us to reflect upon, an then get to work!

Collect for William Temple:

O God of light and love, you illumined your Church through the witness of your servant William Temple: Inspire us, we pray, by his teaching and example, that we may rejoice with courage, confidence, and faith in the Word made flesh, and may be led to establish that city which has justice for its foundation and love for its law; through Jeus Christ, the light of the world, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

image credit goes to Wikipedia

Just some fun - Star Wars - Tribute to John Williams on Youtube

Rosa sat, so Martin could walk, so Obama could run, so our children can fly

a good friend shared this with me today, I know it's making the rounds, but it is just so good!
~Peter+

Rosa sat
so Martin could walk
so Obama could run
so our children can fly

National Association of Episcopal Schools Biennial Conference

I am in beautiful Tampa, Florida for the National Association of Episcopal Schools Conference (NAES). As a relatively new chaplain (just my second year), I am really excited to meet some folks, go to some sessions, and perhaps have my thinking broadened about how I can do my work as a chaplain at an Episcopal School. It is an interesting role, to be an ordained priest, but to have the bulk of my work being done not in a church, but in a thriving, active, and busy school.

We have chapel 7-8 times a week in total (3 for upper, 2 for middle 3 for lower), and these are great occasions to worship, to teach young people about God, about our tradition, and hopefully also give them some ways to relate their lives to the lively tradition that is our church. Beyond chapel, my work ranges from teaching in the upper school to serving on committees, to offering pastoral care to students, staff and faculty, and to be a resource to our administration. It is a specific type of ministry that is not always clearly translatable to what people understand about doing ordained ministry at a church. However, I do conceive of myself as the "parish priest" of the school, and I work to fulfill this role. It is a great ministry to do, albeit with challenges and stresses (of course), but I am excited to spend some time with other good people who are dedicating their time and gifts to Episcopal Schools over the next few days.

Peace to you, have a great day!!

~ The Rev. Peter Carey

Just an awesome front page: "Obama Makes History" - Yes We can!!

Click HERE for the pdf version

Rowan Williams on the US Election: Stirring our imagination

Archbishop of Canterbury on US election

'It's been an amazing demonstration of the vitality of the democratic process. A record turnout. And the sense therefore that the issues in the election, the issues about the outgoing American administration, have actually stirred the moral imagination of the United States in ways that people didn't expect. Given the sort of turnout that we have in British elections it would be quite nice to have an election one of these days that stirred our imagination to that extent.'

From Ruth Gledhill's London Times Blog

A dream deferred, Langston Hughes

This poem came to mind today:

A Dream Deferred

by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Go VOTE!!

The lines were long at 6:40 in the morning this rainy morning in Richmond!