Author: Sweet Tea and Front Porch Storyteller
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Books That Challenge Us: Spiritual Friendship and the Gift of a Friend
Some books entertain us. Some teach us. A few change the way we see the world. For me, that book was Spiritual Friendship by St. Aelred of Rievaulx. I was introduced to St. Aelred during the Summer of Saints study at St. James Episcopal Church in the summer of 2025. At first, I thought I…
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What Is God Saying to Us?
One of the questions I hear most often is, “How do you know what God is saying?” Followers of Jesus have wrestled with that question for two thousand years. In the Wesleyan tradition, and now as an Episcopalian, I have come to appreciate four sources that help us discern God’s voice: Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and…
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Standing on the Shoulders of Those Who Believed in Us
There is an old saying that we stand on the shoulders of giants. I have discovered another truth along life’s journey: we all stand on the shoulders of someone who believed in us. As I look back over seventy-six years, I realize that many of the people who shaped my life never became famous. They…
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Places That Shape Us: Where History Became Personal
Today our nation marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, the birth of what became the United States of America. Over the years, I have traveled through 46 of the continental United States. Only Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota, and South Dakota remain unseen. Every state has offered something worth…
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Experience Is the Best Teacher
The famous Roman general Julius Caesar once wrote, Ut est rerum omnium magister usus—”Experience is the best teacher.” Isn’t that the truth? Have you ever done something you immediately wished you hadn’t? One of those moments that seemed like a good idea at the time but ended up teaching you a lesson you never forgot?…
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Moon Pies, RC Cola, and the Grace of Change
Remember Moon Pies? Two graham crackers with a marshmallow filling in the middle, dipped in chocolate—or, if you were lucky, covered with that wonderful banana-flavored coating. And what about RC Cola? Growing up, it was a special treat whenever Daddy stopped at the little country store to fill the truck with gas and pick up…
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My Help Comes from the Lord
Daily Office Readings: Psalm 121, 1 Samuel 11:1–15, Acts 8:1–13, Luke 22:63–71 “The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore.” — Psalm 121:8 One of the most familiar affirmations in Scripture is found in Psalm 121: “My help comes from the Lord.” Those words sound comforting…
The Curious Pilgrim 