Greetings from Chicago. I arrived here on Monday for a week of continuing education with other clergy from all over. We have students here from South Carolina, Alaska, Montana, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, and Minnesota. Each brings a unique perspective, born from their various experiences. We have been studying community development and church and civic initiatives built to meet the needs of the communities they serve. In some cases, I have been inspired. In other cases, I have been moved, and today I laughed hysterically as a goat in a church's community garden jumped up on a picnic table and proceeded to take a nap, belly up, like it was getting a sun tan.

I read something this week that has stuck with me. It was a comment on the Christian calling. We, you and I, are called to work in the world as it is, representing and working towards the world as it should be. In other words, we proudly and dutifully work with our feeding ministries such as our Sharing Garden, Harvest Hope, St. Luke's, and the Backpack Program, while also trying to make a dent in the root causes of food insecurity. Work in the world as it is, while working towards a world where food insecurity is no longer a thing. This in itself is a daunting task, but it always has been. The prophet Isaiah wrote about a dream of peace during a time of violence. 

I hope and pray that you are well. I am sure I join many of you in praying for a bit of relief from these temperatures soon. I also ask you to join me this week in both prayer and acts of service for all the people who have to work in this heat, and for the elderly among us, who, when the weather gets like this, essentially become trapped in their homes. In the gospel on Adam Steele's last Sunday with us, Jesus said, "Even one who gives a glass of cool water to one of these little ones in my name will certainly not lose their reward." In heat like this, a cooler full of cold water on a porch for delivery drivers, or even a simple gesture of offering something cold to workers or police officers whose labor places them in the heat, can go a long way. It's easy and simple.

I hope and pray that you are well. I also hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July. Denise and I are excited to celebrate with family on Saturday and then worship here with all of you on Sunday.

I have been doing my best this week to process the past month's pilgrimages to Greece. In this processing, I have felt a mix of emotions. There is a part of me that is proud of our youth and our youth leadership, who took 20 high schoolers and chaperones overseas to walk in Paul's footsteps. From prayers said at the Baptistery of Lydia to marveling at the size of the ancient Library in Ephesus, they had a life-shaping experience. As a priest here, I am in awe at the good work of our youth ministry team. As a parent of one of the high schoolers, I am grateful.

I'm not usually a big sports fan, despite my husband always trying to "disciple me" into it. But this year, I've been won over by the World Cup here in North America. And sure, as I've been watching more games, they are slowly making more sense and becoming more fun to watch. What has really won me over, though, are the videos and interviews with fans from all over the world, and seeing the ways our cities and people have embraced them. It's in the love between the Scottish fans and the Bostonians (although that's perhaps to be expected with such a large Irish-heritage population and a shared disdain for English tea). It's in the unexpected way Lawrence, Kansas, overwhelmingly embraced the Algerian team arriving to train in their stadium, even learning their anthem to play and sing with them. It's people from all countries joining Norway's rowing chant in the streets and the ways a rainbow of the world's jerseys in the stands jumped up elated when the smallest country to ever qualify, Curaçao, scored their first-ever World Cup goal against "heavyweight" Germany. We've known each other only by our political headlines for centuries, often only in our worst moments as countries, but it feels like we've now all been getting to know each other as people, people ignited with the same divine spark, that imago Dei, that lives in every human being regardless of race, creed, and nationality.

I hope and pray that you are well. This week's e-Messenger is a bit different, as it is more of an update than a reflection. Yesterday I got to speak to Lydia and saw a few pictures from Alex. Our youth are doing well in Greece. Yesterday, they visited an Orthodox monastery. Today, they are making their way to Athens. I want to thank everyone who has helped make this trip happen. To send this many youth on such a big journey is no small feat. Your help has been a blessing.

I have been reading, albeit slowly, and mainly on airplanes, Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast." I have come to admire his descriptions, rhythm, and plain writing style that conveys so much so simply. Perhaps I am turning into a grumpy old man (my taste in literature suggests as much) because, as I read, I have found myself lamenting the loss of language skills, which seem to have been replaced by instant pictures and weak AI writing. Who needs to describe anything when you can now take a picture, post it, and have an AI writing tool write the caption? Why do we need to use words to describe taste, smell, and appearance when we can take a picture of a dish at our table and simply post, "yum”? In truth, it makes me grumpy because I believe words and language matter.

In modern society with current school schedules, testing, graduations, and Memorial Day weekend activities, one of the most important church holidays, a "high holy day" (to use descriptions from yesteryear), seems to have faded into the background. That day is Pentecost, the day when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost was originally an ancient Jewish harvest festival, celebrated on the 50th day after God gave Moses the tablets of the law, the Ten Commandments. This harvest festival was known as the Feast of Weeks or in Hebrew, Shavuot. During this time, late spring/early summer, farmers would bring their first fruits to the temple and offer them to God. The temple leaders would then distribute that food to the community. Shavout was a celebration of Jewish spirituality and God's covenant with God's people — “I will be your God, and you will be my people.”

Greetings from Chicago! Caitlyn and I were invited to participate in the Rev. Mark Lee’s installation as Dean of Bexley Seabury Episcopal Seminary. It is a service I have never been part of. After all, there are not that many seminaries, and they do not change deans very often. I am looking forward to being a part of the ceremony. I believe Mark will be a great teacher and mentor to future church leaders, and I am glad that he can do some of his work remotely, which means he will be popping into St. Martin's from time to time.

I hope this email finds you well. In the announcements, you will see that several of our children's programs are shifting as we move into our summer programming. This transition offers us a good moment to say thank you. I particularly want to thank Angela Adams and Mary Virginia Tynan. For the last few years, they have faithfully taught our third, fourth, and fifth graders on Sunday mornings. Their dedication to this ministry has been truly inspiring. I am, as I am sure every parent is, deeply grateful to them. Thank you both!

I don't know about you, but I am thankful for this rain. We sure have needed it. As a young person in Hawaii, tomorrow, May 1, May Day, was one of my favorite days of the year. It was a celebration of island culture, beauty, and most importantly, Aloha. On May Day, students and teachers would wear homemade leis to school, and there would be dances, concerts, paddle-outs, and many other celebrations centered on love and hospitality. Then, on May 2, people would take their leis from May Day and place them on the graves of loved ones. I wonder if we might need more traditions like this.

What the flock is going on in Columbia, SC? If you haven't noticed, a flock of flamingos seems to be migrating from yard to yard...but before I go too far, let me backtrack.

Columbia is a city where, if you ask, "Where did you go to school?" The question is not about college, it's about high school. It's a place where deep bonds are made at Dreher and Flora, Spring Valley and Richland Northeast, Hammond and Heathwood, and all the others. It's a place where those relationships are deeply valued, to the point that I know many parents who have purchased homes with the intention of having their children attend the same school they did. It's a valued tradition. Columbia is also a small enough city that, through sports, music, theater, and youth groups, children end up with friends from all over. This creates a dynamic where it feels like everyone from here is only one or two degrees of separation from everyone else. I have heard it described as a city that feels like a small town. St. Martin's youth group is one such special place, where between 20 and 40 kids from all over the city gather each week to play, to pray, and, in an over-programmed world, relax and just be. I am grateful for this.

I hope and pray that you are well and that you continue to have a Happy Easter. A funny thing happened at our Finance Committee meeting yesterday. As a greeting, I said "Happy Easter" and got a polite chuckle from the room. The sentiment was clearly that Easter is over. That said, it is a very catholic tradition to celebrate the 50 days between Easter and the day of Pentecost. I sometimes wonder why we, the church, are so good at honoring the season of Lent but not so good at honoring the entire season of Easter. I suspect there are multiple reasons. Sadly, one reason is that for many of us, it is easier to focus on the negative things in our lives than to focus on our blessings. This thought, however, opens a theological wormhole that might be better served by a podcast than by this messenger.

Yesterday, I listened to a news report from Artemis II. Pilot Victor J. Glover spoke about the feelings he experienced upon seeing the Earth from space. Artemis II had just finished the slingshot around the moon. During this maneuver, the crew flew to the farthest point from Earth any crewed ship had ever gone before. The feeling must have been surreal. I imagine it must have been a mix of adrenaline, excitement, fear, and adventure, but that is just me; they are trained professionals. After the maneuver, Mr. Glover was asked about his feelings and what he would like to share with the world.

Welcome to Holy Week, the week in which we are confronted with the sinfulness of yesterday and today, our brokenness, and our need for God's redemptive grace through Jesus Christ. It is a week in which we confront the hate and violence of the world, a hate that caused Jesus to be nailed to the cross. In the Gospel reading this past Sunday, Jesus said to us, "Put away your swords, for the one who lives by the sword will fall by the sword." Instead of fighting, Jesus submits through humble obedience. This week, as an expression of our own humble obedience to God, we are called to walk the way of the cross. We do so knowing love will win.

It's hard to believe that our Lenten journey is nearly halfway complete. In just a couple of weeks, Holy Week will begin, and together we will journey to the cross. This week, one of our readings is from Ephesians chapter five. It's a short reading tucked between a longer Old Testament reading and a very long Gospel. As a result, it is often overlooked. It reads, "Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord."

It's hard to believe that our Lenten journey is nearly halfway complete. In just a couple of weeks, Holy Week will begin, and together we will journey to the cross. This week, one of our readings is from Ephesians chapter five. It's a short reading tucked between a longer Old Testament reading and a very long Gospel. As a result, it is often overlooked. It reads, "Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord."

I hope and pray that you are well. I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow at our next Lenten fish fry. It's going to be fun, and I promise the food will be good. A group of us, Caitlyn, Clayton, and Jim from the office, and Pete Stewart from St. Martin’s Vestry, have been in Charlotte this week for a conference called EPN. Episcopal Parish Network (EPN) has grown over the last five years into the largest gathering of Episcopal leaders outside of the General Convention. It has been a fruitful event. Yesterday, the rectors and deans of churches spent three hours with our Presiding Bishop, Sean Rowe. It was a good and honest conversation about the state of the church, our future, and our hopes for tomorrow. After that gathering, I was lucky to spend some private time with folks from the national church as we dreamed about ways diocesan structures could better serve local communities.

I hope and pray life is treating you well on this rainy Thursday. A friend of mine recently joked that Lent was a great time to restart failed New Year's resolutions. I have to admit, I have laughed and recognized my own guilt at doing just that many, many times over the years. It occurred to me that one of the biggest things holding me back from accomplishing my Lenten disciplines is not the willingness to do what I say I am going to do, but rather the unwillingness or inability to shed the things that zap my time, energy, and attention — the wasted minutes on my phone that accumulate, my procrastination, and/or my avoidance of things that are hard or uncomfortable. These are habits that we all have, intentionally or unintentionally, trained into ourselves. See the lawsuit currently against Instagram!

I hope and pray that you are well. Welcome to Lent. For me, Lent is a time that I look forward to every year. Believe me, I get it, in terms of the humor of saying that. I am a priest, and so I am supposed to enjoy times of prayer and the reading of scripture. I am a priest, and so I am supposed to like mindfulness. I am a priest, of course, I love worship...it's my job. And if you say these things, you would be right! As all of these things are a part of who I am today. With that said, I was a Christian, a follower of Jesus, long before I ever took my ordination vows. Lent and my Lenten devotions were a large part of shaping my identity in Christ.