You might ask how the hell do I know where I was on that exact day. Well today, I was rummaging through my library, and I came across this extract of a book entitled The Imitation Christ by Thomas à Kempis. Still stuck inside the book was the receipt that showed I had paid $.50 for the book. It had been marked down from $2.95. I don’t recall exactly why I bought the book except that it was being advertised as a spiritual classic. At that point in my life, I felt a spiritual classic might help ease my pain. I read in the preface that the “renowned medieval manual of devotion was “to exhort and instruct the Christian how to seek spiritual perfection by constantly following Christ Crucified as his example.” The author of the preface stated that the book was “among the best loved devotional treatises of Western Christendom.” So, I took it home to read. Since I knew nothing about Kempis, I did some quick research about his book of which I only had an extract. I found that Sir Thomas More said it was one of the three books everybody ought to own. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, read a chapter a day and regularly gave away copies as gifts. John Wesley, founder of Methodism, said it was the best summary of the Christian life he had ever read.
His booklets were prepared as sermons or reflections for the novices of the monastery. In his first booklet he laid out the primary requirement for the spiritually serious: “We must imitate Christ’s life and his ways if we are to be truly enlightened and set free from the darkness of our own hearts. Let it be the most important thing we do, then, to reflect on the life of Jesus Christ.” For Kempis the highest virtue is humility. He argued that we must let go of the illusion of superiority. “If you want to learn something that will really help you, learn to see yourself as God sees you and not as you see yourself in the distorted mirror of our own self-importance.” He also wrote that “This is the greatest and most useful lesson we can learn: to know ourselves for what we truly are, to admit freely our weaknesses and failings, and to hold a humble opinion of ourselves because of them.” For Kempis, humility requires us to embrace the fact that we will face some suffering whether you want to or not. He argued that “God wants us to learn to endure troubles without comfort.” Kempis maintained that we must submit ourselves totally to God and to expect to become more humble through adversity. His fourth treatise was “The Book on the Sacrament” in which he maintained that the Eucharist can help the faithful draw nearer to Christ. Throughout all treatises he advised the novices not to indulge oneself and not to put oneself forward. What he meant was that one should put our full trust in God. Kempis’s works and his life are venerated in Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism. His feast day is August 30. In closing, I would like to share some of Thomas à Kempis’s thoughts taken directly from the abstract of his four treatises: Whosoever thou reposest in men, out of Jesus, is all no better than lost. Thou shalt quickly be deceived, if thou look only to the outward appearance of men. If Jesus be with thee, no enemy can hurt thee. Dispose and order all things according to thy will and judgment; yet thou shalt ever find that of necessity thou must suffer somewhat, either willingly or against thy will, and so thou shalt ever find the Cross. Where is thy faith? Stand firmly and with perseverance; be patient and a man of courage; consolation will come to thee in due time. I shall end this blog with my favorite line from Thomas à Kempis: If I send thee affliction or any cross whatever, chafe not, nor let thy heart fail thee; I can quickly lift thee up again and turn every burden into joy. Twenty-five years ago, this passage warmed my heart and still does today.
The Imitation of Christ is available on Amazon.
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What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loves us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creation, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” I promise this will be the last Jelly Roll cut I will offer for a while: “God Didn’t Let Me Break”. Reassuring and uplifting, the lyrics are another reminder of the closeness of God even when we don’t feel his presence. Maybe we should be listening closer to His message, however subtle and however unexpected the vehicle. The lyrics are not displayed here as they are shown on the YouTube screen. Cut: “God Didn’t Let Me Break” Artist: Jelly Roll CD/Album: Redemption
When I first heard that our adult education class at Grace was going to read Theo of Golden, I admit I was not pleased at all. My immediate thought was how a novel could teach us anything about religion. Boy, was I wrong, for the first time in ages!! The book taught me and the class a lot about religion and human kindness. I no longer think that a book about theology must be 500 pages, with copious footnotes, and an exhaustive bibliography.
Had I taken Greek at Southeastern Louisiana University and not Spanish for two years, I would have known that Theo meant “gift of God.” However, I soon discovered that Theo of the town of Golden (actually Columbus, Georgia) was going to be a “gift of God” and a gift from God. I don’t think it was a coincidence that the author chose Theo to arrive in Golden just before Easter because Theo would prove himself to be a “Divine Gift” from God. We found out that at the end of the book Theo was in Golden to turn his heart and mind to his long lost son. I have even given thought to re-titling the book: “Theo of Golden—The Return of the Prodigal Father.” I may be wrong, but Theo is about unconditional love, repentance, and forgiveness. After a second reading, I now think Theo is actually the sinner, who has strayed, made mistakes, and became lost in his highly successful life as an internationally famous artist. Theo is on a human journey of finding his true purpose, healing, and redemption. In a sense he has hit rock bottom and yearns to connect with his talented son. Oh, by the way, there is one more feature that is similar to the “Prodigal Son” parable. There is Pierce, Asher’s brother, who is self-righteous and irritated at the end of the book that Asher, who is extremely wealthy, chooses his days drawing pictures of people’s faces. We should have known that Theo was not an ordinary dude. He arrived by a private jet to Atlanta and then by a chauffeur-driven Lincoln Town Car. Shouldn’t this be the way a “gift of God” should arrive? This is his only ostentatious display, but the residents of Golden never saw it. He planned it that way because he wanted to fly away from his former life. Theo of Golden does not attempt to preach to us; it inspires us to be like Theo who is fully human with faults and sins in his past. To me Theo reminded me of Christ. Like Christ, who was with us for only a short while, Theo was only in Golden for about a year as he showed the residents how to live and treat each other with kindness and love. His treatment of Ellen, the homeless woman, was definitely Christ-like. He cared for the poor and the lame like Lamisha. The purchasing of the pencil portraits of the people of Golden and putting them in the hands of the rightful owners fostered friendship and altered the lives of the recipients and Theo. The gifts were acts of kindness. These acts of kindness were countered by Ellen’s recounting of one of the most hurtful events of her life—the loss of her child to the bureaucracy of society. Theo’s response was Christian-like, gut wrenching, and appropriate for our lives today: “The older I get, the more convinced I am that every hurt the world has ever known is somehow the fault of every person who ever lived. Maybe not directly and never entirely, but somehow, I fear, we own all of the world’s hurts together.” A recent review of Theo Golden thrashed it for being a “display of Christian-less Christianity.” Apparently, he never read the aforementioned quote of Theo. Theo later states the following: “There is another teaching about kindness. Do not let your left hand know what your right is doing. In other words, do good but try to do it without notice or hope of reward.” This Christian-like response to the journalist wanting to write about his activities in Golden was a paraphrase of Matthew 6:3-4. Theo of Golden reeked with Christian like sayings: “Bad mercy doesn’t hurt nearly like bad justice.” Then there is this one which I loved: “God gave us faces so we can see each other better.” The recounting of taking Communion in a foxhole in Vietnam was heartbreaking. For Theo the death of Tony’s friend Bobbo “was an end. A terrible end. But maybe not the end. Maybe an end with a future.” This is Theo proclaiming the hereafter. Remember it was the Easter season in Golden at this time. Oh, by the way. Allen Levi is Episcopalian. I don’t know if Allen Levi had any knowledge about the teaching of Brother Lawrence. However, I found many of the traits of Brother Lawrence in the character of Theo. The monk’s road to spirituality had been sparked by the Godliness that he found in nature. Theo saw a twisted old trunk as “a permanent scream, a memorial to some horror it might have witnessed long ago. . . in the soul of such a tree.” Theo’s year in Golden allowed him to witness “trees go through a full cycle of seasons: tiny springtime buds becoming oblong, hand sized leaves” and “cups becoming thumb-sized acorns.” After a second reading Theo 0f Golden I sensed that his ongoing relationships with the residents of Golden was a sincere dialogue with God. His letters were uncomplicated gestures of his genuine affection. His engagement with God was through his continuous conversations and letters with his new friends of Golden. Unfortunately, Asher has only the letters of Theo to cherish when finds out Theo was his father. Had there been a physical meeting between the two, I am positive Asher would have met Theo with open arms and love. In the end I ask myself did God send Theo to Golden to fulfill the mission he had set for himself in beginning a relationship he long desired with his son Asher? Theo arrived in Golden as a sincere, spiritual, and humble man. It was only after his tragic death did Golden recognize his greatness. Does this sound familiar?
It was created by the Toronto United Church Council’s Innovative Ministry Center and the TryTank Research Institute at Virginia Theological Seminary.
Before going any further, I must define what a “chatbot” is. In my layman’s terms it is a website to direct queries during research. For example, “Who won the World Series in 1965.” If you see the following on your webpage “Ask anything” followed by a microphone, you can click it and type in your inquiry or verbally make an inquiry. However, there is always the following warning: “AI can make mistakes, so-double-check responses.” I have been using AI and other research tools to prepare these blogs, including this one. AI can be used to increase administrative efficiency by drafting documents, managing schedules, and for analyzing data for strategic planning. Some dioceses are forbidding the use of AI-generated content in publications while others endorse its use for administrative tasks. Some Episcopal Churches see AI as a valuable tool for supporting overworked, smaller, or lay-led congregations. On the other hand, some churches express concern about the ethical implications, environmental impact, and the potential for AI to diminish the role of human empathy in pastoral care. There is evidence that some Christians prefer to use AI because they like hearing God speak to them!! Before I go further into AI and its use by the Episcopal Church, let me say I am extremely cautious over the uses of AI in general society. I have seen some marvelous uses for the military, especially in logistics, and the medical field. However, I became very cautious when I saw on “60 Minutes” an AI generated robot attack its operator who had run away to escape from its anger. On that same program it was reported that five AI-generated war exercises all chose the nuclear option to solve a world-wide conflict. The final shocker was that the “grandfather” of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, warned that AI could outsmart humans, potentially taking control, causing mass unemployment, and posing a 10%-20% risk of humanity’s extinction. Let’s let EpiscoBot serve as a positive tool for us. Suppose you want the upcoming scripture readings for The Seventh Sunday of Easter in Year A on May 17, 2026 immediately. This is what EpiscoBot will tell you:
Ok, let’s get back to AI and the Episcopal Church locally. Mother Liz uses AI for administrative purposes in the Church. She has used it to create job descriptions and interview questions. However, she has always ended up editing it heavily. You might remember that I have been using AI to do research on all the blogs I have written. However, there is a way you can use it daily in your Bible readings. After my Bible reading for each morning, I send the Gospel citation to AI and ask for an interpretation. I get not only an AI generated interpretation, but, more importantly, there are usually several copies of homilies from real ministers. This gives me the perspective of other ministers on the same gospel reading which is helpful. As I discover other beneficial ways in bolstering, communicating and increasing our love for God through AI, I will forward them through my blogs. In the meantime, let’s hope and pray God will protect us from creating an AI society that will destroy us.
For the life of me, I cannot remember who or what caused me to read this book. However, I have read it more than once. It is a profoundly spiritual book. I read as part of my Lenten devotion The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here For? by Rick Warren. I read this book many years ago during Lent, and I was impressed. Warren is the pastor of a mega-church in Lake Forest, California. I am normally not a fan of pastors of mega-churches, but he is different. He and his church were expelled by the Southern Baptist Convention for having female pastors on the church staff. Now, that is my kind of mega-pastor!! OK, let me go back to Brother Lawrence. Warren cites Brother Lawrence when he maintains that whatever we do in life, no matter how mundane, we do it for God. Rick praises Brother Lawrence when he maintains we should worship God through the common tasks of life. Warren urged his readers to follow Brother Lawrence’s advice to have shorter conversational prayers throughout the day. He also praised the Benedictine monks who used hourly chimes of a clock to pause and pray “the hour prayer.” Of course. Anglicans and Episcopalians have Morning Prayer, Noon Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Compline, which is based on monastic practices. I’ll get back to the current followers of Brother Lawrence shortly. Brother Lawrence at the age of 18 deeply committed himself to the Christian faith because he saw the power of God in the changing of the seasons, which was a mystic journey for him. I experienced this feeling briefly on a fall trip to New England. I was warned that at one particular spot on the highway through the mountains I would be mesmerized by the “Bubble Gum Valley.” There it was. A valley packed with so many trees of various colors that I thought we were looking inside a gum machine. I pulled over to the parking area designated for this scene, and I could not take my eyes off of it. Brother Lawrence was right. You could feel the power of God. Let’s get back to the good monk. Taking the religious name of “Lawrence of the Resurrection,” he spent his whole life as a friar cultivating a keen sensitivity to the presence of God in everyday life. He made the love of God the end of all his actions. Lawrence wrote that all that we do is as valuable to God as the priest. He referred to his simple way of praying as “practicing the presence of God.” Lawrence learned to commune with God continuously, not just in church or during personal devotions. The monk made constant pleas that were being in the company of God as he worked as a cook in the monastery kitchen, doing daily chores, or while he conversed with others. The following is a gentle reminder from Brother Lawrence on how to practice the presence of God: “Lift up your heart to Him, the least little thought of Him will be acceptable. You need not cry very loud; There have been many translations of Lawrence’s book. The Vatican Publishing House just published a new edition The Practice of the Presence of God, and Pope Leo XIV wrote in the introduction that “the writings of Saint Augustine and other books, this is one of the texts that have most shaped my spiritual life and have formed me in what the path can be for knowing and loving the Lord.” Having a tremendous sense of humor, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that Brother Lawrence, like Teresa of Avila, urges us to speak to the “God of the pots and pans.”
I sent a copy of Brother Lawrence’s little book to Mother Liz, and she has shared it with a parishioner. In conversing with one of my spiritual partners, I told her about Brother Lawrence. She said she was quite familiar with him, and she in the past sent copies of his little book to 4 or 5 parishioners as graduate gifts upon confirmation. Since there are at least maybe 8 or more of us with Brother Lawrence’s book, is anyone interested in shaking those pots and pans?
If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray to the Father and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you. After a number of positive responses on my Jelly Roll offering a couple of weeks ago, I present another: “Jesus Is Coming Soon”. As is the common theme in JR’s works, this music and lyrics seem to give one a sense of belonging and the promise of glory. Jelly Roll’s history seems inconsequential when considering where he is today with his faith and gratitude for the wonderful gift we have received (in many cases without deserving Him!)…a loving, forgiving, Savior. The lyrics are not displayed here as they are shown on the YouTube screen. Cut: “Jesus Is Coming Soon” Artist: Jelly Roll
In like manner, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject to one another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. The Blessing Box…who knew? It has been heartwarming to see the outpouring of love and generosity displayed by many anonymous donors through their contributions to the The Blessing Box. Grace Memorial’s willingness to help those who are not as fortunate as us has become a beacon to the community of the many who have contributed…without recognition or pomp…just because of their awareness of the need they hope to fill. The Blessing Box inspired me to repeat the following offering of “Less Like Me” written and recorded by Zach Williams. The music depicts the battle many of us have to be “…more like Jesus”. Cut: “Less Like Me” Artist: Zach Williams Album: Rescue Story [Lyrics included on the video]
I was going to return with a blog on the use of Artificial Intelligence by the Episcopal Church, but then I realized this morning that I could not finish the blog for inclusion in the upcoming Grace Newsletter. AI will be covered in the next newsletter.
So, this morning I was struck by the meaning of what I found in line 64 of Psalm 119, which reads as follows: “The earth O, Lord is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes,” This line makes an important claim that the reality of our Lord is manifest in the world all around us, but do we notice it. Sometimes I do, but not always. Unfortunately, in this modern world I live in with the internet and social media, I find myself failing to notice and appreciate God’s love. I have to admit that checking my email and text messages does not allow me to slow down and notice the presence of God all around us in the blue sky, budding trees and flowers, the chirping of birds, and yes, you my fellow parishioners. You might remember my blog where I experienced the presence of God when I lived in California. I can’t go back to the Sierra Nevada Mountains again, even though I am dying to go. The point of Psalm 119:64, is that the ever presence of God is in all things and people. For me that Bridal Wreath waterfall was God’s love pouring out on earth. A mini-version of the Sierra Nevada Mountains is all around my house, but my yards are in shamble from two years of neglect because of my illnesses. My birdhouse, which is built as a replica of a church, is laying on the ground hidden by weeds, My bird feeder is empty, and my water fountain is dry and full of dirt and leaves. My flower beds are bare and filled with leaves. I still see God’s presence in my yard, but barely, and He is telling me, or yelling at me, to go out to Lowes Garden Center this weekend and replenish my discipleship so He can teach me His statutes. As I close, I now realize lines 173-176 are also appropriate: “Let your hand be ready to help me [Lord] for . . . I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek out your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.” |
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