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This Mother’s Day, please pause to honor these women:

Maria Castillo
Natalie Henry-Howell
Hannah Kaye

Maria’s son Riley was shot three times and killed while stopping a mass shooting at UNC Charlotte. She buried him last Monday.

The day after his funeral, a senior walked into Ms. Harper’s English class at STEM School Highlands Ranch. The class was watching the movie “The Princess Bride”. My family was going to watch that movie together two weeks ago.

“Don’t you move,” said their classmate was he brandished a handgun. Maria’s son Kendrick, due to graduate high school this month, lunged at the gunman and was shot dead. His actions allowed some of his classmates to help attack the gunman. One of them, Joshua Jones, was shot twice. Although Joshua and eight other people were shot in this attack, Kendrick was the only person who died.

Maria will be likely be sitting up front at Cherry Hill Community Church on Wednesday at a Celebration of Kendrick’s life. But first she has to get through Mother’s Day without her 18-year-old son.

UCLA student Hannah Kaye will undoubtedly reflect on her recently deceased mother, Lori. Hannah eulogized her mother only twelve days ago in Poway, California, at the synagogue where Lori jumped between a gunman and the temple’s rabbi.

Lori knew that plenty of children were nearby on the last day of Passover because she had checked on them before the gunman began shooting.

The world doesn’t stop because Maria, Natalie, and Hannah are grieving. This is Mother’s Day. We’ll honor the mothers who are here and the mothers who have passed away, the mothers who gave birth to children and the mothers-at-heart who never had the opportunity.

This seems like a perfect to suggest that all mothers love their children and would be honored by your commitment to make it more difficult for people to commit mass shootings. My friend Shaun authored a guide to 30 different actions you can take. Do one that you’re most comfortable with. Do three one each for Maria, Natalie, Hannah.

Do something.

Here is the link to read the guide

AdventWord2018, Day 22 – “persist”

I can’t imagine God.

For me God is without gender, without age, even without form. God is everywhere and is everything.

But I also believe that God took human form as Jesus. And God’s human form was pretty specific about what his disciples should do.

Following Jesus is hard work. There are sometimes easier paths to take, less stress and anxiety in your immediate future if you take those paths. And it doesn’t get easier to follow Jesus’ path, but I’ve learned that it’s MUCH better in the long run. And that makes me persist through any short-term difficulty in doing the right thing in the way that we are told to behave.

O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

#AdventWord2018 #AdventWord #stannesreston #persist

AdventWord2018, Day 21 – “expect”

I’ve always detested lists of Christmas gift requests and long fought the feeling that they should be met with a check to cover a couple of the lesser items because there always seems to be a jackpot gift on those lists.

I learned the concept of enough from my wife, and it’s been a godsend since. Enough to pay the bills, to buy food, put gas in the car, some recreational item we enjoy. If everything is God’s anyway, may we just have enough to keep body and spirit going? No one in my family is selling all their worldly goods and moving to a poor monastery, but we can always do more. And we’re trying.

“The kids have no idea what to get you,” my wife told me days ago. “And neither do I. I know you don’t like lists but can you give us some ideas?”

Her question came from a good place, and I wanted to faithfully respond to her, but I really couldn’t. I have enough.

I thought I could use some more white socks, which made me chuckle because as a young family man I used to howl at getting clothes as gifts, especially socks and underwear. “Noooo, presents are supposed to be fun,” I would mock-whine.

But, sure, socks. And there was a book I hadn’t bought yet. And uh, I’m pretty good. I really don’t want for anything.

God has exceeded my expectations in this life. Enough is plenty, and when I think about it, I find that it’s an embarrassment of riches.

Almighty God our heavenly Father, you declare your glory and show forth your handiwork in the heavens and in the earth: Deliver us in our various occupations from the service of self alone, that we may do the work you give us to do in truth and beauty and for the common good; for the sake of him who came among us as one who serves, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

#AdventWord2018 #AdventWord #stannesreston #expect

AdventWord 2018, Day 20 – “sign”

Posting a sign means that you are serious about the topic. You’ve talked with people, maybe posted a less formal notice. But when you purchase a sign and make it part of your world, you’re screaming your intentions at people.

This is especially true of the sign that was posted outside my church that said “Hate Has No Home Here” in 6 languages.

My spiritual home is a place where people follow the teachings of Jesus. We celebrate his birth in human form soon. And we tell everyone how we do that in loud voices outside our spiritual home. We proclaim that hate is never okay and not something that we allow. We also say that are welcome at the Lord’s table for communion, which is a big reason why I sought out The Episcopal Church after spending most of my life in a less tolerant faith that did not allow non-members to share in the body and blood of the Lord.

Your experiences are different. Thanks for reading mine, which are well captured by the declaration that hate has not home in my church home and in my world.

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the people of this land], that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

#AdventWord2018#AdventWord#stannesreston#sign