The Parishioner

"The Lord says in my heart: seek my face
your face, O Lord will I seek"                                    Psalm 27


It is a true saying and worthy of all men to be believed that there are already enough “faith-based” blogs out there. By the way, I dislike the term “faith-based” and that is the last time you’ll see me use it. I do, however, feel mightily called to share some of my meager thoughts on God, scripture, prayer and doctrine with an audience. Here’s why.

About a year ago, I had a sudden and unmistakable infusion of grace in my life. My sister had died and I returned to my old home town, spending a few days with family, many of whom I hadn’t seen in years and some of whom I won’t ever see again. It was more than just a good visit with loved ones. I was somehow able to see into each person’s heart, to hear them as never before, to love them as never before. My past became visible to me; its meaning became clear. I understood that my abstract notion of God no longer sufficed. God was present and active in my life, had always been so. And now I was seeing it plainly.

Since then, I have toiled in the fields of belief and prayer, sorting through older, possibly mistaken notions of mine and finding new ways of seeing and knowing God. It is my hope that there are some who will enjoy my findings and perhaps more who will be opened to new findings of their own.

I am a member in good standing of a suburban church in Minnesota. Raised Roman Catholic, I have been an Episcopalian for nearly forty years. I have abandoned arguments about churchmanship. Political discussion is not my forte. Although I have a large garden, two charming cats, a love of “literary” fiction, I will not trouble you with these matters.

I am here to talk about the greatness of God as revealed in Scripture, creation and worship. So please come back and read more in the days or weeks to come. I welcome your comments. You can find me on Twitter @the_parisioner. God bless.