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The Lord is watching over Barbara……..

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Today was a pretty good day. Although I did not have a firm grip on my sermon or my thoughts today (nor yesterday) the day was a victory to me…..and here’s why.

Yesterday I received a call in the early afternoon that one of our parishioners, and good friend, Barbara Lutton had been in a serious car accident in Anderson, and was being life-lined to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Barbara is such a wonderful person, and as we know, being life-lined is reserved for major traumas, so all I knew we could be thankful for was that she was still alive and heading to one of the best trauma centers in the world. Methodist is where they take the race car drivers from the Indy 500, and I just hoped and prayed that she could get there and do well there….and she did!

To see her yesterday was quite a contrast to today. Yesterday she was a mess. She was in bad shape and scared, and so were we. Today, post hours-long surgery, and in her bed in the ICU, she was smiling, talking, and though pretty broken, thankful to God. I told her she made my day, and that was a real understatement! Her smile made me happier than I have been in a longtime! The Lord has truly blessed her, and though her body may be on the mend, there is certainly nothing wrong with her heart…it is still 100% solid gold.

Please pray for Barbara as she begins this long road ahead of her. She will appreciate them more than you can know. I am just thankful that she is doing so much better. The Lord has blessed her, and with his help I am sure she will be up and around in no time!

Thanks for checking in my friends and God bless!

Fr. Tom+

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What a mess….

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Amanda and I are attempting to start a daily devotion on this blog site that we hope we can do together. Unfortunately, she is asleep, and I am confused, so I am really unclear as to how I got back to this blog, since I have been trying for quite some time!

Please check back tomorrow to see if we (I) have figured it out! I am pretty stressed by what I have messed up so far, so I am going to consider this short post a victory and just call it a night!

God bless you my friends! I hope we have two blogs to share with you by tomorrow night!!

Thanks for your patience!

Fr. Tom+

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Of the blessings of preschool done well……

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I received a letter today from the preschool of the first church I worked at after being ordained some 20 years ago, St. Andrew’s in Spring Hill, Florida. They (the preschool) are celebrating their 35 year anniversary on September 19th, and are asking for notes or letters to be displayed at their reception next week. It was heart-warming for me to receive such a letter, and I am more than happy to oblige!!

I remember those times in Spring Hill as some of the best in my life. The Preschool was on my agenda everyday, and I loved going over there…..primarily because it made me actually feel tall, but truthfully more than that…..I loved the kids. Everyday I would walk in and would see all these happy and excited faces that were so very pleased that I had come there to spend some time with them. I even had my own mat for story time there! And one of my fondest memories EVER is of the time the preschoolers all gathered at my ordination to the priesthood to give me a gift. I not only still have that gift, I have a picture of all of us that day too. My brother Mike is actually in the picture too, (he came to the ordination) and he is about Ben’s age in the picture. It’s hard to believe Mike is now a sophomore in college (and about 7’5″) and that all those kids are adults (yep, you are too Mike!) But time just has its way I guess. I am just thankful to God for the opportunity I had to be a part!

It has been a great day, and this letter has made it even better. There is nothing like ending the day being so pleased, but to also be flooded with such wonderful memories is an added blessing. Please join me in saying a prayer of thanksgiving for St. Andrew’s Preschool. They have blessed young little lives for 35 years now and have a lot yet to go. And for this now, much older middle-aged priest, I am thankful this day for the lasting blessings they have bestowed upon me! Thanks to Geri and all the kids!

God bless you all!

Fr. Tom+

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September 11th……..

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Today our great nation takes pause to remember the events of September 11, 2001. Though it was the worst attack ever to take place upon American soil, it also was a day upon which many brave men and women stepped forward in faith displaying bravery and character truly only found within the American Spirit. Many innocent souls went to meet their Maker on that very day, while many more were called by God and Country to step forth in service, and did. It was a day like no other in our history, and the genesis of an era like no other either.

On this day we pray for our country and for the freedom we enjoy. We pray for those who have lost their lives, for those still dealing with the effects of 9/11 and of war, and for those who on our behalf have gone into harm’s way…..may the Good Lord be with them all.

I am so very thankful and proud to be an American, and I hope you are too. Let us pray that we never have to endure another attack like 9-11, and let us also pray for the safety and security of all our troops both here and abroad.

May God bless the United States of America…..the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave!

Fr. Tom+

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Living those Guy Lafleur dreams……..

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Oh yes….the cooler the better! Though I love the warm weather, nights like these make it very clear that I am a Northerner at heart! I do not mind the cold, and there is no better feeling at all to me than to be out on an ice rink gliding around with the cool wind in my face. I am certain this blog is going to lead me to the rink either this Friday or Saturday too.

I suppose we all have things that bring us great joy. For me, among other things, it’s my faith, my family, our dogs, my wonderful gray and white domestic mountain lion (she is diluted…she’s really just a little cat) and of course my love of ice skating. It’s 55 right now on the back porch with a little wind, and as it hit me, skating was the first thing that came to my mind.

When I skate I feel free and very close to God. The aches and pains of my body and the stiffness that always plagues me all seem to disappear, and I just glide across the ice. Of course being a middle-aged man helps. I still skate better than I walk, but the fact that there are not five guys with sticks looking to knock me down anymore makes it a lot smoother, and more of a pleasurable skate! Don’t get me wrong, I miss the contact and competitiveness of my youth, but as I skate, I now seem to remember only the victories, and the good times! And as I glide across the ice, my mind goes to the things I am blessed with in this life! There is a real sense of peace and joy. It is something I wish everyone had, yet I must confess, it is something I do not take time for enough anymore. I do however, intend to change that by the weekend!

I may have lost a bit of my mind post-stroke, but as I am dealing with it what I have discovered is that God is deepening other parts of me. I seem to struggle with complex thought, and particularly numbers, and even short-term memory, but I now notice much more depth in the world around me. My patience is a lot shorter, yet things seem to have more meaning. And yes, I know you are worried, but my sense of humor took no hits at all, because I am truly convinced I am six inches taller and ten years younger than I was in March….yep, 6’3″ and 28!

Where I come from there is an expression, “you play the hand you are dealt.” Really you can do no more. I do not have a hand of two’s and three’s though……my hand is pretty good. And I need not bluff my way through life because I know I am truly blessed.

I have met a lot of clergy in my time who I have thought were totally delusional, and I suppose some may think that about me. But I can walk and talk, I have a great faith, a great family, and good friends (we cannot all be great). I get confused, but can still do more than most. And for a stroke patient, I am living the rock star life. I KNOW I am blessed, and I intend to make the most of it.

I will continue to make the most of each day, playing that hand the best that I can, and I hope you do the same. We are all given a lot of opportunities every day, and all of them are gifts from God. I encourage you to join me, and lets make the best of all of them! Life is to short to do anything less. And God’s hope for us all is that we would live each day to its fullest!

Goodnight my friends and God bless! Come join me this weekend at Church AND at the rink!

Fr. Tom+

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The perfect way to ponder what we are made for…….

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It’s 59 degrees tonight out here on the back porch, and Puddy and I enjoying the evening. For me it is perfect, for her the colder temperature has cut down significantly on her prey. But tonight neither of us is complaining. The moon is out, the sky is clear, and the end of this day has all the makings of a perfect night.

As I sit here tonight and reflect, I am struck at how very far we have come in such a short period of time. In just 20 short months, St. Michael the Archangel has grown from literally nothing to four operating missions, and three more in the planning stages. At the start we were just a handful of people, served by one deacon and one priest. We now have six clergy, three priests and three deacons. We were not intending to grow into all this, yet the Lord’s Vision was larger than ours. We have been blessed and are successful, not because we had some fancy business plan, but because we were faithful.

Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Muncie are next! (My peaceful night is turning exciting!) I am so very thankful for all that has been set before us (and yes, that means set before you as well). Our lives are all to have meaning and purpose. What better way to find yours than to faithfully serve the very One who gives you life?

Come join us for Church and for life!

God bless!

Tom+

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Of zombies and the apparent treatment I am on……..

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I know studies have shown that we sleep a pretty high proportion of our lives away. But after the past few days I am hoping no one ever studies me. My post-stroke body sometimes just shuts down and sleep is about all I can do. My percentage may be pretty high!!

Fr. Sean called me tonight and I spoke with him about it. It was late and I had been awake only a few hours. I know it is probably hard for a young guy to understand that, but I know even six months ago, it would be hard for me to understand as well. It really doesn’t matter, it doesn’t change a thing. When my body shuts down, it just shuts down. And to this point I am thankful that it has not ever happened on a day I have to work!

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. After all if all this sleep doesn’t make Tuesday easier, than I do not know what will. I do apologize for the lack of anything other than a report though. I really cannot do much more……one of the side-effects of these sleep days is that any and all time I am awake I am nothing more than a zombie……and as we all know, zombies don’t write good, I mean well.

Look for a well rested and amazingly inspirational me tomorrow…..or at least the well rested me.

God bless!

Tom+

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More revealing than what most may want to Bear……..

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What a glorious day! Despite just four hours sleep, I started the day in Nashville, and then met up with 58 other excited people to launch the first worship service of St. Paul’s in Greenfield! It was such a blessing to be a part of such a powerful and moving event!!

By the time we left Greenfield however, I was in real need of sleep. Ben slept in the car, so of course that meant that he was wide awake when we got home. We tried to put him down, and even tried sleeping with him, but he sees me quite often as a jungle gym, and today it was a jungle gym he hadn’t played on in days since I had been out of town! So I am totally exhausted, especially since I had to stay awake to watch the game.

And for those of you checking in to see if I will gloat, think again. Though I have been teased mercilessly about the Indianapolis Colts beating my (and God’s) favorite team, the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, I will not take any revenge. No, I am not afraid of the three other Colts fans I live with (Ben likes the Bears), I just enjoyed watching the game. It reminded me of watching the Bears with my grandfather every week growing up. They played like the used to (which makes me yell at the TV a lot less) but the whole thing brought back some very special memories.

Of course now, nothing is in the way of my sleep but finishing up this, but I did want to share. Today has been a day of tremendous blessing, like a great big ice cream Sunday. And now to finally get to sleep at its end, is like the cherry right on the top!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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A great excuse to be short……..

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It’s midnight on Saturday and I am just getting home from a long day of meetings and travel. Since I am getting up in just four hours to polish up my sermon and then head to Nashville for a 9am service, I thought I would just pop in and ask for your prayers for me tomorrow. Today, and even the last few days, though productive, were extremely challenging. And though I apparently have survived them since I do think at least that I am home, tomorrow with the 9am in Nashville and the launch of St. Paul’s Greenfield at 1:00pm will take a lot out of me. It concerns me in that I feel way beyond my limit now. Hopefully, with God’s help, all will work out the way He wants it too.

Anyway, all this is to say I am going to just post this cheap excuse tonight and head to bed. God Bless you my friends. It is so great to be back home again in Indiana! Come join us tomorrow in Greenfield if you can. I will be the one sleeping through my own sermon!

Fr. Tom+

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Of the blessings of conflict and change…….

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I have spent the entire day in a meeting, and Lord knows I am tired. It has been well worth it to me though. I have been around some very strong and committed Christians whom I admire very much for both their courage and their witness in faith. It is a remarkable contrast to the majority of my ordained ministry where many of the people (even clergy) seemed more universalist than Christian, and where every move seemed calculated rather than courageous. I used to share how we as Americans really didn’t have to risk much to live our faith, but now, in this new paradigm, that is no longer true. I have spent the day among some very real saints of God, and for it, and for their witness, I am thankful.

I do miss home though. I miss my family, my back porch, my bed, and even the cat. I will be there tomorrow, but with a lot yet to go here, somehow that seems so far away. God willing however, tomorrow’s blog will be written in Indiana, and my life will return to normal. You have no idea how hard it is for me to be in a place without my wife……..I have no idea anymore when I am wrong!

I have been struck here by how the Lord brings people in and out of our lives at different times and for different purposes. Some of the people here I have worked with before. Others I have heard of and know their work. (Being as important as I am, I am sure that few had any clue to who I was!) But my point is that Lord is, as always, in control. His purposes are revealed to us as we come to Him in faith. As Anglicanism has exploded over these past few years, He has raised many a good Christian up to meet these new challenges, showing us that the direction we are heading now is far better than had it not exploded at all. Through conflict and change, the Lord is doing a new thing! And though it has been a challenge, I believe we are all blessed through it…..at least I believe I have been. I feel blessed and more alive each day!

As the Scripture says, “Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever.” Amen.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Fr. Tom+