The blog of the Rev’d David O. Browder, Rector of St. Thomas’. Law and gospel, grace, pop culture, links to interesting articles and videos.
To Parents of Our Children: Relax! We are so happy that you and your children are here at St. Thomas’! Children’s wiggling and restlessness are essential parts of who they are as they grow up. Please do not feel that you have to suppress them! If you sit closer to the front, your children will…
Guest column by Rob Scholl Dear Camper, It’s been a little over a week since we last saw one another, and in case you’ve forgotten I was one of the adult volunteers with David Browder, Kari Browder, Bob Fisher, and Jennifer Underwood. I hope you have recovered from camp life–the scrapes and bruises from Jungle…
This year, the Christian Community Service Center (CCSC) is the focus of our mission work at St. Thomas’. Representing over 40 local churches, CCSC is in the midst of a campaign to fund new buildings to replace their current facilities which were destroyed in the floods. Over the coming weeks and months, the Orders of…
Guest column by Bethany Getz Almost exactly nine years ago on a sweltering day in early summer, Evan and I drove for miles along Westheimer in a rental car. One-year-old Clara sweated and squirmed in the back seat. Evan was in the midst of finishing up his dissertation and looking forward to his first year…
Now that school is out, summer has begun for many of our families, and so our church summer schedule has begun as well. As people leave for much-anticipated vacations, our Fall, Winter, and Spring programs pull back a bit in order to rest. This does not mean Word and Sacrament cease, however! Far from it!…
A Guest Post from Jennifer Underwood You know those moments in your life where all the different pieces that seemingly have no relevance to each other start to line up and fit together like some sort of cosmic Tetris game? (You know the ones I’m talking about, right? When you’ve been working on one thing…
I am absolutely delighted to announce that The Rev. Geoff Simpson has accepted a call to St. Thomas’. Mr. Simpson will serve as Associate Rector-Chaplain of the School. During the week, he will be working exclusively with the preschool and school, helping us further our mission while providing pastoral care and support to that mission…
CHRIST our Passover is sacrificed for us: * therefore let us keep the feast, Not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; * but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 1 Cor. v. 7. CHRIST being raised from the dead dieth no more; * death hath no more dominion…
My identity is no longer defined as being “In Crimson Tide” but “in Christ”. It seems at first like ascetic self-denial but it is really the case that I enjoy other things more. I can now enjoy watching Alabama and not be cast down for two months if we lose to Auburn or Tennessee. Jesus Christ as the proper marker for my identity gives me a healthy relationship to good but lesser things like football, money, relationships, politics, and even family. Being “In Christ” is that from which human flourishing emanates.
…my brain thought: “I’ve got no clue how to teach Song of Solomon to a group of kids who are either (a) full of raging hormones or (b) completely repulsed at the concept of love and romance.” And I wasn’t necessarily reassured with the information I found on the internet. And, yes, I checked, and Tim Keller hasn’t written anything about Song of Solomon that I could find. If you’ve never read this book before (as I had not), Song of Solomon or Song of Songs is a short song or poem about “a dude and girl getting together” (to quote one of our kids). While certainly true, the book is about much more, for at its core the writer talks about true love in which the bride and the bridegroom become one and are willing to sacrifice for one another.