Tag Archives: friends

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Reflections on friendships and call………

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WOW, this is about the earliest I have been ready for bed without being sick in years! It is just about 9pm, and though Puddy and I have sat down to write, everything else is done, and we are well on our way to calling it a day.

Before we go however I wanted to share a little about my day. We had two services today, one at St. Patrick’s Noblesville,and the other at St. Anne’s in Anderson. Deacon Tony Bender delivered the sermon in both places, and he did a fantastic job (you can listen to it online at http://www.indianaanglican.com/) But what made it even more special was my longtime friendship with Tony. Back in the early 1980’s we were both active lay people in our Church, St. John’s Episcopal Church in Speedway, Indiana. And though I have heard Tony talk on a variety of occasions, as he spoke today I thought about that time many years ago. I believe that both Tony and I would tell you that even though we knew I was going to seminary, neither of us would have ever imagined being in the place we are now, let alone together in it. God’s Vision for our lives and ministries is often different from our own, and for Tony and I that has certainly been the case.

But as is the responsibility of every person, we are called by the Lord to follow His Vision and not our own, and I am thankful we did. We have lots to do and it is always a blessing to be able to do it with your friends. Tony, Chuck, Sean, PT, and even Dan, are all pretty good guys (most of the time) and loyal and dedicated friends. But more importantly, they all have good hearts and those hearts are dedicated to following the Lord. We, as a Church, are all blessed to have them, but I truly feel the most blessed of all, because I also can call them my friends!

Okay……..here is a delay update! Amanda needed to use my computer and accidentally erased this once, so in truth, though is may be the earliest I have been READY for bed, it certainly will not be the earliest I have gone! But tonight I am not upset by that, I just have a thankful heart. The Lord has blessed me by allowing me to do something I love….but even more than that, He has allowed me to do it with my friends!

Goodnight and God bless!

Fr. Tom+

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Taking him back out of the saddle…….but just as a favor

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It is late and Tom is still en route to home from a meeting for the launching of St. Paul’s in Greenfield. I thought I would help him out.

My friend, Ashley, recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl names Lucy Jane. I had the honor of seeing her when she was only 2 days old. Such a precious tiny miracle to see! I am just so amazed by the miracle of life. We have prayed for her during the pregnancy, and the Lord blessed us all with her as she came into our world.

Babies are keenly aware of their need for care from their parents. It seems like they know right where to find comfort and security…snuggling up in the arms of Mommy or Daddy. They are loved, fed, changed, bathed, soothed, and nurtured constantly. All this is so obvious! But where I am truly amazed is at their willingness to receive from their caregivers.

We are all children of God, and are cared for by Him as a parent does for a child. He loves us, feeds our spirit, provides for our needs, and guides us constantly. But the major difference between us and Lucy Jane is that we do not have an unhindered ability to receive from our caregiver. If only we were able to automatically receive all He has to give us without thought, what a difference we would see in our lives! We know where to find our comfort and security, yet we often look in the wrong places to find it. I suppose if we start by acknowledging that we need what God has to offer us, then we might be in a better place to receive it.

When Lucy Jane is hungry, she knows where to turn, and her needs are met. So when your heart and soul are hungry, learn from Lucy! Know where to turn; open yourself up to receive it and your needs will be met! God bless.

Amanda

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Not for a lack of trying……

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I know I know……it is the 14th, and though it is my first post in a couple of days, it has not been for the lack of trying. I remember the evening of the 12th, with this site up in front of me, attempting to type while nothing was coming through my mind. How could it? I had an excruciating headache! The headache took a couple of days to recede, but I think in its later stages, it was probably just stress. I never had a headache with the stroke, yet every time I get one now (or any other thing) I worry about it being the big one!!! (Remember??? “I’m coming Elizabeth, I’m coming?”….let me know the show that’s from and I will send you an imaginary prize!) Yet in retrospect, I really have had no pain all the way through…stroke till now. In fact, of all the things in my life I have had to endure, having a stroke (though a serious thing) really has been not all that bad. I’ve never been in any pain, only frustration and confusion. So why I equate pain with stroke and worry about it is beyond me!

One of the things I have learned however, is to set things aside when they frustrate, confuse, or worry me. At first they would really bother me, but pushing through them without a chance of resolution only made me worse. Now when I see I am confused, I don’t, or at least I try not to, take it to frustration…I instead just let it go. Everything always seems to wait for me to come back anyway, so why worry myself to death??

I will say however, I am learning A LOT. Tomorrow I will meet with our clergy for breakfast and we will catch up. Bishop Ames has asked a few priests from Ohio to cover the next three weekends, so Father Kelly Irish will be here Saturday and Sunday to begin the process of doing just that. Kelly is a great friend and a remarkable priest, so I know everyone will love him. Of course they already do! Kelly has been with us once before last May. He will be staying with us here at our house, and I cannot wait! It will be great to see him. It means a great deal to me to see our Bishop and the clergy outside our parish stepping up to help us out. Thank God for them all!

I also got a call this morning from another friend, Father Rich Roos. Rich, as some of you may remember, had emergency surgery a little over a year ago for a torn aorta, and has fought tooth and nail, at first to survive, and now to recover. He let me know however that he is doing great. He is still in a wheelchair but continues to work at his recovery…..and he wanted me to know he is still praying for me! God bless him! Rich is one of the finest priests I have ever known, and I encourage you to keep him in your prayers as well! He is one of the good guys for sure!

To close this rambling today, as for me, I want you to know I am making progress every day, but I occasionally have a bad one (or two). Keep praying, and know that I’ll be fine. I have every intention of returning on June 1st and living an extremely long life with the hopes of being burden to my children till they are old and gray themselves…..and yep, that includes Ben!

God bless you all my friends….I look forward to seeing you soon!

Tom+