Author: Sweet Tea and Front Porch Storyteller
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Rejoice, Wake Up, Hope, and Go
A Curious Pilgrim Reflection on Psalm 97, Ezekiel 7, Hebrews 6:13–20, and Luke 10:1–17 Daily Office Readings:Psalm 97 • Ezekiel 7:10–15, 23–27 • Hebrews 6:13–20 • Luke 10:1–17 Some days the Daily Office readings seem to move in different directions. One passage is filled with joy, another with warning, another with hope, and another with…
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The God Who Remains Faithful
A Curious Pilgrim Reflection on Psalm 89, Ezekiel 4, Hebrews 6, and Luke 9:51–62 Today’s Daily Office readings seem, at first glance, to pull us in different directions. We encounter a Psalm celebrating God’s eternal love, a prophet acting out judgment, a warning passage in Hebrews that has troubled Christians for centuries, and Jesus challenging…
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Why My Pilgrimage Led Me Home
A Curious Pilgrim Reflection On Sunday, June 7, 2026, I will kneel before the bishop and be confirmed as a member of St. James Episcopal Church in Springfield, Missouri. At seventy-six years old, some might wonder why anyone would make such a change. Others will understand immediately. Life is a journey. More importantly, life is…
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Fear Is Not the Final Word
A Curious Pilgrim Reflection for Sunday, May 31, 2026 Daily Office Readings: Psalm 66, Ezekiel 3:16-27, Ephesians 2:1-10, Matthew 10:24-33, 40-42 The Bible is a collection of books written over hundreds of years by people who lived in different lands, spoke different languages, and experienced very different cultures. Yet beneath all those differences runs a…
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Hope That Keeps Us Walking
A Curious Pilgrim Reflection on Psalm 72, Wisdom 19:1-8, and Hebrews 3:1-6 Daily Office Readings Psalm 72Wisdom 19:1-8Hebrews 3:1-6 One of the questions I often bring to my Daily Office readings is simple: What thread connects these passages? At first glance, today’s readings seem quite different. Psalm 72 offers a vision of a righteous king.…
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Boldly Approaching the Throne of Grace
Learning the Courage to Come Near A Curious Pilgrim Reflection Daily Office Readings One word from today’s readings captured my attention and refused to let go: Boldness. It is not a word many of us naturally associate with our relationship with God. Many of us were taught reverence, respect, obedience, and humility. Those are important…
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When Power Forgets Love
Politics, Religion, Economics, and the Courage to Remain Human A Curious Pilgrim Reflection on Romans 13:1–7 Daily Reflection Scripture: Romans 13:1–7 Few passages in Scripture have created more confusion, fear, debate, and misuse than Romans 13:1–7. For centuries these verses have been quoted to demand unquestioning obedience to rulers, governments, political systems, and even religious…
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The Lamp Along the Road
Scripture, Experience, Reason, and the Living Voice of God A Curious Pilgrim Reflection Daily Office Readings:Psalm 119:97–120 • Book of Baruch 3:24–37 • Epistle of James 5:13–18 • Gospel of Luke 16:19–31 There are moments in life when the Scriptures begin to open in ways we never imagined possible. Not because we suddenly discovered new…
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Overcoming Evil With Good
Living Romans 12 in a Fractured World A Curious Pilgrim Reflection There are passages in Paul’s letter to the Romans that feel almost impossible when we place them beside the realities of modern life. Division. Anger. Political hostility. Religious conflict. Social media outrage. Family wounds. Violence. Loneliness. Fear. And yet Paul writes: “Live in harmony…