collect for Trinity 22
O almighty, eternal God: We confess that we are poor sinners and cannot answer one of a thousand, when Thou contendest with us; but with all our hearts we thank Thee, that Thou hast taken all our guilt from us and laid it upon Thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and made Him to atone for it: We pray Thee graciously to sustain us in faith, and so . . .
collect for Trinity 21
Almighty and everlasting God, who by Thy Son hast promised us the forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and everlasting life: We beseech Thee, do Thou by Thy Holy Spirit so quicken our hearts that we in daily prayer may seek our help in Christ against all temptations, and, constantly believing His promise, obtain that for which we pray, . . .
RAD children and cats
they have a whole lot more in common than you think
Relationships with cats are peculiar things. They tend to want affection but only on their own terms. Sometimes they come close enough for you to pet—but you can’t force them into closeness. Sometimes they want to snuggle with you—but invariably a touch or a movement will trigger something in them, and they’ll freak out, scratch you, and run . . .
Posted in: adoption
collect for Trinity 20
Lord God, heavenly Father: We thank Thee, that of Thy great mercy Thou hast called us by Thy holy word to the blessed marriage-feast of Thy Son, and through Him dost forgive us all our sins; but, being daily beset by temptation, offense, and danger, and being weak in ourselves and given to sin, we beseech Thee graciously to protect us by . . .
"your sins are forgiven"
on the blessing of absolution
The most comforting words of the entire Gospel come on the lips of Jesus to the paralytic man in the beginning of Matthew 9:
Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.
When we hear these words, we must hear them as though Christ himself has spoken them individually to us. As Bishop Laache reminds us, it is because . . .
Posted in: theology
collect for Trinity 19
O mighty and everlasting God, who by Thy Son Jesus Christ didst mercifully help the palsied man both in body and soul: We beseech Thee, for the sake of Thy great mercy: Be gracious also unto us; forgive us all our sins, and so govern us by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not ourselves be the cause of sickness and other afflictions; keep us . . .
RADical adoption: talking through the past
loving children who don't love back
"Maybe I feel like I do because I have brain damage!
"Maybe you feel like you do because you're a teenage girl who won't ever talk about how she's feeling.
"Talking doesn't help!"
"For people who have suffered a lot of horrible things in their past talking is usually one of . . .
Posted in: adoption
