@secularfaith@mastodon.online Actually reading the Word and studying it.

Later this month, we celebrate our tenth anniversary. When we got married, my wife and I had a Unitarian service. Neither of us attended any services regularly, but she had a family friend who was ordained. I remember saying "the G word is okay, not the J word" when planning the service.

About five years later, my wife had a couple friends pass unexpectedly, and she started seeking a church for comfort. For about a year I would drop my wife at church and go do other things.

Then I started to go in with her, which was my first time back in regular service in a couple decades.

I asked for a Study #Bible for Christmas 3 years back, but didn't really dig into it.

My wife had a crisis of faith last summer. She felt unsupported at our church. She didn't want to stop attending church altogether, just OUR church.

This caused me for the first time in my life to not be on faith-autopilot. I had to study the other churches, talk with my wife about what she wanted, and find places to visit.

That kickstarted some #theology study that ultimately led to "Oh, we were in the right church all along. But if we want it to be supportive, we need to take a firmer hand in making it supportive." So I have been studying a lot since last fall. The #DailyOffice practice in the #Anglican church has given me the structure and community to really dig deep into daily Bible reading habits.

And I've found there's a real power in the Word of God. Reading the Bible has made a bigger impact on me than a great number of things. I pray that I'm not one of those seeds that sprouts up quickly and withers away. But I'm soaking up church history and the Word and it has made faith one of the most important things in my life.

Praise the Lord, all you nations.
Praise him, all you people of the earth.
For his unfailing love for us is powerful;
the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever.

Praise the Lord!
-- Psalm 117

Good morning! May your day give many reasons to praise the Lord.

#Psalms #Christian #DailyOffice

Good morning. Today's reading in the #DailyOffice reminds me that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13)

This saying can become trite, but it's truly evocative of Paul's experience, and our own: it is focusing on Him which helps us finish the fight, to motivate us to that good end.

May you be strengthened today, my friends.

#Christian #Anglican #BCP

@royal I do the #DailyOffice out of the BCP. Frequently I'll read out loud to my cat, who has a special feeding process at this stage of her life, so we get locked into the kitchen together and hear the Word. I find that praying out loud helps me to focus better, especially if there's background noise elsewhere in the house.

That double-whammy time on the #Psalter with the #DailyOffice of #Psalms 22 and 23. First the psalm that the Lord quotes on the cross, then the reminder that:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
-- Ps 23:4

As we go through life's troubles, even life's final troubles, the Lord is there with us. To lovingly guide and comfort. All we have to do is listen and trust.

#Christianity #Anglican

It's that special time in the #psalter when I read one of my favourites. #Psalm 104 is just a lovely poetic telling of the great beauty of the world.

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;
they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
-- Ps 104:10-13

#Bible #DailyOffice

O God, makes speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to deliver us.
#EpiscopalLiturgy
#EveningPrayer
#DailyOffice

Good morning world! As I soak up the #DailyOffice in the #Anglican tradition I'm reminded of how important it is to have a good #Bible reading habit. It's not a book just for Sundays and holidays, but the Word is something we should read, pray or speak aloud every day!

“The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.”
– A.W. Tozer

New #Bible Day! On observing what my most formative mentors in the faith were using, I picked up a Thompson Chain Reference Bible (ESV) this week. Looking forward to digging into this for my #DailyOffice readings, and following the chains across His Word to learn more about how the Scriptures tie together. An incredible resource for linking coherent narratives on a single topic.

#Christianity #Anglican

@WordyAnchorite The liturgy should surely include time for confession, but I'm sorry to hear you're not receiving the salvation part of it. The regular liturgy progression goes from confession to absolution to communion. Those last two are literally the Good News: Jesus Christ died for our sins, we are freed from damnation, given the hope and gift of eternal life, and now we're called to live an exemplary life in service to Him.

If you're not feeling that, please talk with your pastoral crew. Sometimes a chat helps both ways.

Also: I'm right there with you for the #BCP and the #DailyOffice

Praying through the #psalter and the #lectionary as part of the #DailyOffice with #coffee and Kletus this morning.

St Paul reminds us that "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone." (1 Cor 12:4-6)

I think on this concept a lot as I determine my path forward with the Lord. Am I called to lead in the laity? In the clergy? Is my work outside the church walls done in service to the Lord? We only have so many hours on this Earth, how am I called to spend them? How are you called?

#Christian #Anglican

Reading the Word with my cats in the kitchen as part of the #DailyOffice.

Reminded by St Paul in his first letter to Timothy, that "God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." (1 Tim 3:16)

I grew up in the faith, but strayed. When I met my wife I considered myself an agnostic and, according to my OkCupid profile, was pretty serious about it. I still think that it's vanity to believe we can truly know the nature of God. Millennia have been spent arguing about it after all. But over the last five years I've come to understand the truth of those few words of St Paul, the truth he spent the bulk of his life sharing.

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

#Christianity #Anglican #Bible

Participating in the #dailyoffice in the #garden. Taking a moment to connect.

"God looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
if anyone seeks God." (Ps 53:2)

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1. #focus #priorities #reality #dailymorningoffice #morningprayer #dailyoffice #bcp2019 #acna #anglican

The Third Sunday of Easter - Almighty God, you gave your only Son to be for us both a sacrifice for sin and an example of Godly living: Give us grace thankfully to receive his inestimable benefits, and daily to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who loves and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. #dailyoffice #morningprayer #acna #anglican #liturgy #2019bcp

#DailyOffice

We're delighted that Judy Burgess will be joining us on 9 March and providing British Sign Language interpretation of the whole service.
8pm on 9 March
St Olave's #Church, #Exeter

#Compline #DailyOffice #BSL #BritishSignLanguage #Deaf #Sign #Signing #Plainchant #Polyphony #Choral #ChoralMusic #Instrumental #InstrumentalMusic #Mountain #Tabor #Transfiguration

https://graceupongrace.org.uk/compline-st-olaves-2023/

One of my #Advent projects has been creating an English and #Latin bilingual version of the #DailyOffice (including the #Psalter) from the #Episcopal Church's 1979 #BookOfCommonPrayer. A Latin #BCP translation exists on the #Justus website, but it needed quite a bit of reformatting before it could be used side-by-side with the standard #TEC BCP. I also found and cleaned up a number of nits. Any other #Episcopalians or #Anglicans interested in such a devotional resource? 🤓

Happy First #Sunday or #Advent to yinz celebrating! If you'd like to following this year's #Lectionary readings from the #DailyOffice and the #BookOfCommonPrayer, I've made a web app to help. It has greatly enhanced my #Bible #reading experience. (And I learned a ton about #JavaScript dates.)

* 🌞🎶 Ps 146, 147
* 1️⃣ Isa 1:1–9
* 2️⃣ 2 Pet 3:1–10
* 🗞 Matt 25:1–13
* 🌛🎶 Ps 111, 112, 113

Dzisiaj mgliście, PKiN nie widać. #dailyoffice #wednesday