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A day of transition………

Tomorrow is a monumental day. Tomorrow the people of one of our Missions, St. Patrick’s, will gather for the last time at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. And at the moment we leave the building tomorrow we will no longer be St. Patrick’s Noblesville, but rather St. Patrick’s Westfield! Yes, after well over a year in the Fairgrounds, St. Patrick’s will move to a new permanent facility!

I wish to publicly thank the staff of the Hamilton County Fairgrounds for all their hard work and support of us as we launched there. We were not the first Church they provided a home for and we certainly will not be the last. They are great people and a friendly lot, and though we are excited about moving, we will miss them.

So it is off to bed for me at just shy of 11pm tonight. I will be excited to see morning come. Tomorrow is going to be a great day!

Good night and God Bless.

Fr. Tom+

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Of birthdays, fatherhood, and ultimate doom……

Today is my daughter Stephanie’s 17th birthday! It is an exciting day…..especially for her.

But for me, though I am happy for her, personally this birthday seems to terrify me. All her other birthdays seemed tolerable, but this one only marks how little time I have left with her here. Sure, she is only half way through her Junior year, but college is coming in no time, and with it her empty room. Times have already changed. Tonight she is out with her boyfriend and friends, and our birthday celebration for her accommodated that….as it should.

I have thought about all this since the day she was born, and am willing to just enjoy all the time I have with her here. I am proud of her, she is an incredible young woman and just a year from adulthood (though she would tell me she is already there). I could not ask for a better daughter. God has blessed me more than I ever expected.

But it is killing me! Steph and I watched a movie a year or two ago together that came out when she was born…..Father of the Bride. I have always considered it a horror movie, while most prefer to think it is a comedy, but they are clearly not a father to my daughter. At the end of it, while I was in tears, Steph just shook her head in disbelief and told me “Dad, that is EXACTLY you and it is EXACTLY me,” and sadly she was right.

I am sure I will get by. Fortunately for me Amanda is EXACTLY Diane Keaton. Yep, I will need help (as I always have) to get me through the future. But I know Steph will be alright. She is a pretty great kid (okay, young woman) and will do great. I am so very proud of her!

Happy Birthday Stephy, I love you………and I will be waiting up until you get home!

Good night my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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The Birth/Restoration of a Church…………..

Well I am back! And I have God to thank for the day I have had! I not only was able to be a part of a historic celebration as Orthodox Anglicanism gathered together to form a new Church, but I was able to do so and travel safely both ways all in one day, despite a snow storm during the day. It was remarkable in many ways!

What basically has happened in all of this is that a groups of Orthodox Anglican Churches, all part of what we have known as Common Cause, have come together to form ONE CHURCH. It was done at the request of the GAFCON Primates, who have worked hard to rescue biblical Anglicanism in North America, and who wanted to see all these pieces unify to form a new Province. It was a miracle, in that many different jurisdictions set aside differences in order to move toward the COMMON CAUSE……serving Christ through the formation on ONE Orthodox Church in North America. We now are a part of something even bigger, and have gathered as one under Christ and the direction of our now Primate/Archbishop-elect, Bishop Bob Duncan of Pittsburgh!

As a priest of many years, what makes this so amazing is that this reformation is something that will be written about in Church History textbooks in years to come. It is a joyous thing, and an important things, but more of just a starting line rather than a destination. The Lord has restored the Church through this rebirth, and now sets before us the task of ministry!

That’s right, a Church has been born and now it is time for action. Jesus calls us to fulfill our ministry, and in many ways it has just begun! But praise God! We are much more than we were the day before. Keep praying! The Lord is doing miraculous things! Look around! Can you see them?

God bless you my friends.

Fr. Tom+

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Remembering and missing my sister……..

This time of year is always difficult for me. Seven years ago we buried my sister Stephanie who finally lost a valiant 15 year battle with cancer. Steph (who my daughter is named for) was an amazing young woman, who I miss very much.

One of the other things that makes it hard is that Steph was truly the Queen of Christmas. No one I have ever known was more about other people than Steph. She never missed sending a card, and I have to say I kind of expected a Christmas gift to arrive even after she died, because if anyone could figure out how to do it from beyond the grave it was Steph.

Every time I get a bit down about missing her, or even my other sister Sarah who also died from cancer in 2004, I just remember who she was. Steph wouldn’t want anyone down….particularly at this time of year. She lived her life, and I mean lived it. And she would want me, okay she would expect me, to do the same.

I just miss my sister Steph, but I am certain she knows that. And on this day, and every day I am thankful that one day I will see her and Sarah again! God is good!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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A stay of a merciful kind……

Though we wanted to take possession of our new facility for St. Patrick’s today, the amount of work that needed to be done before that could happen exceeded the amount of time we had. Our first service in the new St. Patrick’s therefore will be moved from December 7 to December 14. It’s not a large amount of time, but it does allow us to not have to rush as much to get things done.

Even though we are not responsible for the renovations, we still have to acquire all the things that go inside that we do not yet have. We have been at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds for a year and a half and they have things like chairs, tables, and podiums, all of which we must get within the next two weeks. There’s still a lot of work for us, so I suppose we can thank God for the extra time. The big thing was to be in there by Christmas…..and we will!

Keep praying for us! We are still hoping to receive donations for the new equipment (the tables and chairs). We need about 40-50 chairs and about 5 tables. We anticipate needing between $1000 – $1500 for that. We are confident that the Lord will provide, not just because that’s what we believe, but also because He always has!

Anyway, this delay will make my Tuesday a little less frantic, as I hope yours will be as well. I was able Jane Barrett in the hospital tonight and she and I had a nice talk! Praise God! God’s blessings are all around us…..can you see them? I hope so! They make life a lot more exciting!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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Neither rain nor snow, nor even fog……….

I woke up this morning to the joy of an unexpected snow! Being a product of the snow-belt, there is nothing better than for me to look out upon a blanket of snow, particularly when I had no idea it was coming. AND, it was a lot of snow for here….probably about 2-3 inches when we left, and it was still snowing hard. We even turned back around and took our bigger car because none of the roads we were on had been plowed and it was pretty treacherous.

This put us behind in terms of our arrival time in Nashville, so I called ahead to Deacon Conley and let him know what was happening. Oddly enough Dan said it was nice there….35 degrees and just raining, no snow at all. And in time we found that to be true. As we got into Indy and made our way around, little by little the snow disappeared, and son it was not there at all. When we left for Greenfield after the service in Nashville, we found it much the same all the way there….no snow, just rain and grass!

We stopped at Deacon Morgan’s on the way home in Anderson, and there was snow there. PT said it took him an hour to get from his house to Noblesville this morning, so that affirmed that all the weather adventures we had today were not a dream. And, there is still snow here at our home, though not as much as when we left. All the yards are covered but the streets and drives melted as the snow became rain later in the day. We had made the full weather gamut.

As difficult as it was in the morning, it turned out to be a pretty interesting experience. November 30th was experienced by people just a few miles apart as a very different day. There are kids here in the field behind my house building snowmen. In Nashville you could have mowed your yard. We got to experience it all.

Anyway, nothing theological there, other than the Lord making me head to work so that I didn’t have to shovel my driveway. I suppose that is a blessing, but then again I love doing it. It has just been a fun day, a good day, and the weather made it like going through Winter, Fall, and Winter again all the same day…..and there’s nothing boring about that!

Well I hope and pray wherever you are reading this that you have had a great day and many blessings. There’s no telling what tomorrow might bring. And after today, I honestly wouldn’t even want to speculate.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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Looking for meaning and purpose in the midst of chaos…..

Tomorrow we begin the Season of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation, preparation for the coming of Christ, and a season also to prepare for the celebration of Christmas on December 25th. It is short, but meaningful, in that I think it really helps to center Christians as to what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.

But sadly, society seems to be upside down in terms of the real meaning of Christmas. Thanksgiving has become the starter’s pistol of what people are now calling the Christmas Season, but we know deep down that is far from true. It seems all about shopping these days and great deals. It is commercial, commercial, commercial. Dear Lord, the news is full of videos of people fighting (physically) while shopping for deals, and some poor soul lost his life (he was trampled by shoppers yesterday) just opening a door at a Wal-Mart. Truly we need what the Church has to offer. Truly the world needs to rediscover meaning and purpose in Christ.

Engaging in a Holy Advent is one way to get there, and I encourage you to try it. Life is far bigger than deals, Christmas parties, and presents….it is full of purpose and meaning if we look for it. And, finding that purpose and meaning really is what makes life worth living.

My friends, I hope you look for the real present that God has prepared for you. I hope you find meaning and purpose through the celebration of a Holy Advent!

God Bless you and good night!

Tom+

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Toddler Turkey Day Recovery Takes Time……

Though it’s only 6:30, Mr. Ben has had enough. Apparently all that Thanksgiving was just too much. He not only slept for close to 15 hours since they returned from my dad’s last night, but he has been fighting to stay awake even now. We have decided to give in, and since I am an early riser there is very little risk. I will be up with him at whatever time. He is just a little guy after all and he needs his rest.

As for me, I may not be long for the night either. It has been a busy day. Scotty and I went down to Nashville to finish up some projects there. Father Chuck went up to see Jane Barrett this morning and the report is good. She is stable and looking good despite all that has happened. I will see her tomorrow. We hope for improvement each day.

When I look at the life I am living it doesn’t fit the stereotype I had of a priest’s life growing up. I guess I just expected them to live these mystical/spiritual lives that were much more contemplative and lofty than the one I live now. I just remember getting older and starting to pay attention. So many clergy seemed egocentric to me, and tended to neglect their families (particularly their kids) instead of holding them close. The term “PK” (preacher’s kid) was synonymous with troublemaker and accepted as such, and that was offensive to me. I didn’t want my kids to live like that and they don’t! My life is busy……busy with family, busy with work, and always on the move. It is not too mystical, but I think it is pretty spiritual. Serving the Lord as a priest, and a husband, AND a father is what it is all about. I am happy my stereotype was wrong and I am happy I truly get it!

Anyway, there are no kids around (or awake) tonight and it is now just 7 pm and we are ALONE! I will pour a little wine and get around to being a great husband! That’s right……Amanda wants me to carry in Christmas totes from the garage. Oh if only some stereotypes were true!

Good night my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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A Thanksgiving to remember…….

This morning, very early, I received a call from the family of Jane Barrett. Jane is a parishioner at St. Anne’s in Anderson. The call was to let me know she had an aneurysm that was bleeding and that she was being life-lined down to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis.

Both Deacon Morgan and I went to St. Vincent’s. PT has known Jane his entire life, and as for me, Jane is one of my all-time favorites. A few weeks ago she came up and introduced herself to me, since I had not been at St. Anne’s for a few weeks. She is always a hoot, and gives you the business anytime, okay every time she can.

This was a scary call. Not too many people in her condition survive, and I think we all knew what she was up against. BUT, getting into surgery was a big victory, and we were thankful for that. After a wait, the chaplain was out to tell us the surgery was over, and a short time later the surgeon was out to tell us the operation to remove the aneurysm was a success. Jane was still very critical, but she had beat a lot to get to even this point.

The good news is that after many prayers and lots of good care at St. V’s, Jane has stabilized. I saw her again this evening and though she is still unconscious, and will be for days, it was a real blessing to be able to put my hand on her as I said a prayer for her. She is a good friend, and though her Thanksgiving may not have been what she wanted, of all the people I know, today she has the most to be thankful for. She has made this Thanksgiving a day to remember for a lot of us. And for Jane, her life, her family, and for those who are providing her care, I am very thankful.

Please keep her in your prayers…..she has a long way to go, but thanks be to God, she will be on that journey with us!

Good night my friends and God Bless. And, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Fr. Tom+