Category Archives: Christian Life

Before Worrying, Consider….

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

Recently I finished re-reading Mary Oliver’s Owls and Other Fantasies, a book of poetry and essays about birds—hawks, hummingbirds, herons, and a dozen others. It reminded me of a day in the middle of May twenty years ago when swallows … Continue reading →

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All Saints Day – A Team Photo

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

There are particular days in the Church calendar set aside to honor the heroes of the faith,   such as Peter, Andrew, and the Virgin Mary. All Saints’ Day, November 1st, however, comes as the Church year ends—the last of the … Continue reading →

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What Makes a Day Count? A Summer Journal Entry

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

Journal Entry August 13, 2020, (Farmhouse near Wytheville, VA) I had a good four-mile jog this morning over these rolling hills and country roads near this farmhouse where we are staying for a few days. I stopped occasionally to take … Continue reading →

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Faithfulness in an Age of Pandemic

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

A Pastoral Letter from The Rt. Rev. Mark J. Lawrence March 17, 2020 Greetings in the strong name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit in whose fellowship we, by the grace of God, are … Continue reading →

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Springtime: The Seedtimes of Your Life

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

What are you sowing? Today is an Ember Day in the Church’s Calendar. So is this Friday and Saturday. Mostly they go unnoticed—you may have never heard of them.  Ember Days in the Western Church trace back as far as … 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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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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Life’s Fallow Seasons

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Bishop Mark Lawrence

For most of us Ember Days go unnoticed.  With the exception of seminarians writing letters to bishops telling them of their progress, Ember Days have all but disappeared in the life of the Church.  Even in farming communities living closer … Continue reading →

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