Author Archives: Bishop Mark Lawrence

The Bishop’s Bookshelf

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

Thinking Strategically About Book Choices; An Interview with Bishop Mark Lawrence I’m an avid reader, always having at least one and sometimes several books on my nightstand. But I choose books based on friends’ recommendations. Perhaps in reading this you’ll … Continue reading →

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Open the Door – It’s Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

A Christmas message from Bishop Mark Lawrence; December 24, 2018 “Close the door!” shouted my mother as I dashed down the back steps—wild runnin’ with my dog. “Close the door” she shouted again, raising her volume sharply. But I had … Continue reading →

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Thanksgiving—the Normal Christian Life

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

Perhaps the faces were not as colorful, the voices so resonant or the rooms as bright as they remain in my memory. For the past is not merely what actually happened or what really was—it is also what we remember … Continue reading →

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Summer—When Living is for Now

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

Samuel Barber begins his great oratorio, Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with James Agee’s suggestive words—“It has become that time of evening when people sit on their porches, rocking gently—talking gently, undulating in astral motion….” Front porches with rocking chairs or … Continue reading →

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A Christmas Message from Bishop Lawrence

Posted on December 21, 2017 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

The Promise of Christmas: “Every Lock Must Answer to a Key” “O come, thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home; make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path of misery.” In many … Continue reading →

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Homes for Christmas

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

  Homes for Christmas There are many words associated with Christmas.  A word association would yield various responses such as Christmas—presents, candles, tree, shopping, carols, Jesus.  But I’d be surprised if in a group of twenty people at least one … Continue reading →

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You Matter to God—Mind, Body and Heart

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

In condensing three 45-minute teachings given to some 400 plus men of the Diocese of South Carolina I have found it necessary not only to leave out many precepts but even more reluctantly the illustrations that gave it whatever flame … Continue reading →

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In the Wake of Hurricane Matthew

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

Last week I was in Cairo, Egypt for the Global South Conference—but I hasten to add my heart and mind was in prayer for those in the path of Hurricane Matthew—especially those of us in South Carolina and the diocese. … Continue reading →

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Sabbatical Part 1: Finding Elevation in the Sierra Nevadas

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

          Note: This article first appeared in the Charleston Mercury. It is reprinted with permission. The canyon of the Middle Fork of the Kings River in the Sierra Nevada is—to put it simply—magnificent. A world to … Continue reading →

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“The Fire, Lord, Not the Junk Heap.” A Lenten Reflection from Bishop Mark Lawrence

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

The famous radio personality and early pioneer of television, Arthur Godfrey, grew up in an era very different from today. It was a time when a boy could wander down to the blacksmith shop on a lazy afternoon and watch … Continue reading →

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