“I will always hold you in my heart. But it is of utmost importance that I establish clear boundaries which allow my successor to create healthy and loving pastoral relationships with you. As I said during my address at the annual meeting, just as I need to let go of you, so you need to let go of me.”

“Living in the middle understandably raises anxiety. It is so easy to focus on what we don’t know instead of what we do know. Which makes this a good time to remember that God is with us always, including in the middle. ‘Even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand hold me fast.’”

“The final countdown to retirement has begun. Four more Sundays. Three more weeks in the church office. Two more sermons to preach. One more Evensong to officiate. With a heart full of gratitude, I intend to cherish every moment.”

“…acts of compassion and mercy, Jesus says, are how God’s power is made known. And since this is Jesus’ calling and purpose, it also ours as his disciples.

Who do you worship? Whose light will you shine?”

“…we strive for justice but do so with open and welcoming hearts. As the prophet Micah reminds us, kindness and humility are necessarily linked to the work of justice. ‘What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?’ (Micah 6:8)”

“One way you can be a sign of God’s mercy and presence is by making a donation to the Wildfire Response Fund at Episcopal Relief and Development. Your donation will support not only the immediate needs in the region but also the ongoing work that will continue long after the fires are extinguished.”

“You and I can choose to live our faith each day in whatever opportunities God gives us to shine the light of Christ for those who most need it.”