Anglican 1000

Over 300 folks interested or participating in planting churches were present for Anglican 1K at Christ Church, Plano, TX.  What a great event for the spread of the Kingdom of God!

 

 Bishop Todd Hunter

 Seminarian Joey Fitzgerald, Deacon Bill Arnold, and Canon Jim Blanton

 David Roseberry, Rector of Christ Church, Plano

Each Presenter was excellent, challenging, thought-provoking, and inspiring.  God is up to some exciting things around this nation and in parts of Canada.  Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City; Todd Hunter, Anglican Bishop (AMiA), pastor of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Cosa Mesa, CA; John Yates, II, rector of The Falls Church in Falls Church, VA (one of my spiritual heroes!), and John Yates III, rector of Holy Trinity, Raleigh, NC -- all spoke from the Lord and from their hearts.

 Dr. Tim Keller

Archbishop Bob Duncan

   I am grateful I was able to attend and become better equipped to serve our church, and as bishop, others as they plant churches.

Still have spaces for the HOLY LAND

Interested??  It's June 5-17.  Check out details at www.hcanglican.org.  This is an INCREDIBLE trip!!

Together for Life Prayer

Several folks have asked for a copy of the prayer I prayed at last Friday's Together for Life Gathering at the Georgia State Capital.  I prayed something similar to this...


Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.

O Lord, you are the One who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and shuts, who knows our deeds, and who calls us each by name.

Holy are you Lord.

Our Father, we come this day aware of our sins, and we confess to you our sin pleading for your mercy.

We confess to you our unwillingness to abide by Your Law.

We confess to you our taking the lives of unborn children in this state and across the nation.

We confess to you to our lack of care for pregnant women.

We confess to you our lack of compassion for those who have had abortions.

We confess to you our lack of concern for the elderly and those who are infirmed and sick.

We confess to you our lack of motivation for reaching the lost, the poor, and those who don’t know you.

Forgive us Lord and have mercy upon us.

Lord Jesus, I plead your blood over my sin, our sin, and the sins our nation. 

Lord, end abortion, and send revival and renewal to our Land.

Send your Holy Spirit throughout the homes and businesses of this land.

Send your Holy Spirit throughout the hall of Congress, the State legislatures, and courts of this land.

Send your Holy Spirit throughout the churches and places of worship of this land.

Our God, we ask that you send forth a spirit of repentance across our nation – that people would change their thinking and turn toward you; that our leaders and nation will repent regarding abortion – start with us.

Our God, we ask that you send for a spirit of revelation and knowledge of you across our nation – that people would by your Spirit know and understand your Word; that our leaders and nation would hear from you and live by your Word – start with us.

For we know that you are a Holy God, and we know that "blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" – You!

Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and is to come!

Holy are You Lord.

Holy Trinity, Flowery Branch

 Today I visited Holy Trinity, Flowery Branch, for the first time as the bishop. George Ivey is the rector, and two deacons serve at Holy Trinity: Lee Adams and John Hurd.  I preached on Matthew 4:12f on "The Early Days of Jesus' Ministry" focusing on what He preached: "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."  It was a good day, and I am excited about their vision of reaching out to the 40,000 unchurched people who live within a 7 mile radius of the church.

 Part of the Music Team

 Allison, me, George Ivey, Paulette Ivey

This afternoon I said good-bye to an old friend in ministry, the Rev. Edward Hanson. He grew up in Monroe, Ga, where my former parish is, and served several churches on the east side of Atlanta.  Rest in peace, brother Edward.

Together For Life

Today I was privileged and honored to lead the opening prayer for the annual Together For Life Gathering held on or close to the anniversary of Roe v. Wade every year on the steps of the Georgia State Capital Building.

Leading the Gathering in Prayer

The topic of abortion has been so politicized that no one wants to discuss it anymore.  How can we keep quiet on the greatest moral issue of our generation?  Yet, we do.  I always get somewhat emotional at these events when I meet kids who were "almost" aborted, or I meet people whose mother decided not to have an abortion.  The main speaker today was Rebecca Kiessling who shared how she was adopted and as a young adult met her birth mother.  She discovered that she was the product of a rape and that her birth mother decided against all conventional wisdom, and had her baby.  She immediately gave her up for adoption.  What a beautiful fine young woman is Rebecca Kiessling.  Her speech reinforced the fact that all human life is important!

Atlanta Roman Catholic Archbishop Wilton Gregory and the Anglican Bishop of the South

My prayer was followed by a brief talk by the Archbishop of Atlanta, Wilton Gregory.  Like all us, he called on the nation to end the legal practice of abortion.

After the prayers and speeches, we held an hour long SILENT walk through the streets of downtown Atlanta.  There were about 4,000 people walking silently, prayerfully, mournfully; some holding signs saying "I support Life," or "I aborted my child," "My mother was raped," or "Father, have mercy on us."  It was quite a strong witness to value of life.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hid from you when I was made in the secret place." (Psalm 139:13-15; NIV)

Southern Snow and John Wesley

 After the Fourth Day -- All the white is ice and what looks like clearing is clear ice.

We are on our fifth day of dealing with a winter storm. Northerners make fun of us southerners because we seem to make a big deal over nothing.  Well, this one has been tough on a lot of folks.  We received about 4 or 5 inches of snow which in itself will shut things down for a day or so.  But after it snowed, we received freezing rain which turned all that beautiful white stuff into ICE.  With temperatures never going above 34 degrees and returning to the low twenties and teens at night, anything which melted refroze into sheets of slick ice.  Every morning the roads have seen endless spin-outs and wrecks.  Finally, today, the fifth day, most major arteries are clear.  But even now, many of the side-roads and driveways are sheets of ice.  Since this only happens every fifteen years or so, most people have no clue how to deal with it.  Needless to say, it has been an adventure for many in the south!!!

I have been reading "The Best of John Wesley -- How to Pray."  Here are several quotes from the famous Anglican priest whose followers started the Methodist Church.

The chief of these means (works of piety) are prayer, whether in secret or with the great congregation; searching the Scriptures (which implies reading, hearing, and meditating thereon); and receiving the Lord's Supper, eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of Him:  And these we believe to be ordained of God, as the ordinary channels of conveying His grace to the souls of men.


O praise God for all you have and trust Him for all you want!


God grant that I may never live to be useless!


Lord, I am no longer my own, but Yours.  Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will.  Let me be employed by You or laid aside by You, exalted for You, or brought low by You.  Le me have all things, let me have nothing.  I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal.  And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are mine and I am Yours. So be it. Amen.


On every occasion of uneasiness, we should retire to prayer, that we may give place to the grace and light of God and then form our resolutions, without being in any pain about what success they may have.


God's  command to "pray without ceasing" is founded on the necessity we have of His grace to preserve the life of God in the soul, which can no more subsist one moment without it, than the body without air.


Bear up the hands that hang down, by faith and prayer; support the tottering knees.  Have you any days of fasting and prayer?  Storm the throne of grace and persevere therein, and mercy will come down.


Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth.

Snow and Ice

A beautiful and cold day in Georgia!!!  Snow, and now, ice.

Everyone is shut-in as the roads are now a sheet of ice.  This has been a gift to me.  Time to stop the busy schedule for a day or two.

 The Twelve Days of Christmas usually slow down for me after Christmas, but they did not this year --- so this has been a day to slow down, get reorganized, and prepare for a new year.  Thank you Lord!