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.
by David Browder I was speaking with one of our parishioners recently: she is plugged in to the goings-on at our church and school. We were discussing FEMA — and it all came back to me: the floods, the economic downturns, the pandemic, anxiety over budgets — and the waiting. Oh, the waiting. The waiting…
by David Browder By the time this article is published and delivered, Election Day 2020 will have come and gone. We may not know all of the results yet but the voting will be done (and, mercifully, the ads will stop). Many of us desire a period of healing — but I am not sure…
What is the difference between joy and happiness? Is there a difference? It is a good question and one worth asking, especially as we find ourselves in very difficult times as a society. Happiness is based primarily on our ability to attain a place in life that brings contentment, safety, and fulfillment. Thus, “the pursuit…
The Rev’d David Browder, Rector of Saint Thomas’, provides an update on on-going renovation work in our Church building, discussing the beginning of work on interior finishes, our new 3-tier pulpits, and additions to improve accessibility.
by David Browder Last week, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, leaving a vacancy on the Supreme Court. In all likelihood, President Trump will nominate a successor and the Senate will vote on the President’s nominee. Each of us has political convictions; each of us has opinions about how the Supreme Court should rule on any…
by David Browder Last week, I wrote about Postmodernism and its axis of power and contrasted it with Christianity and its axis of love. Why am I interested in what may seem like an obscure academic issue to many? Because the axis on which we choose to live our lives (either power or love/grace) determines…
by David Browder Ideas have consequences. In the twentieth century, the ideologies of Fascism, Marxism, and, in many countries (including our own), of racial superiority, showed, in often terrible ways, the truth of this saying. We can track many ascendant philosophies over the course of history and see the effects they had on people in…
Do you know any children, youth or family ministry rockstars who could take their knowledge and experience to build a program in a parish striving to live out their mission of offering a warm welcome, transcendent worship, deep learning and joyful service? We at Saint Thomas’ Episcopal Church in Houston are seeking a dynamic, experienced…
In my video update above, I am thrilled to report on a number of exciting initiatives, and on the work we have been doing this summer.
This team of parishioners, an outgrowth of the summit we held earlier this year, has been meeting with our consultants from Ministry Architects on a number of initiatives over the last several months. Based on your input, the team has been working on transforming (really restarting) our children’s, youth and family ministries.
We have started construction of our new academic building and renovation of our church! Monday, crews from Tellepsen, our construction partner, put up a sediment fence to keep dirt from going where it shouldn’t — and move dirt, we will!
It has been almost three years since Hurricane Harvey came through and changed all of our lives. So many volunteer and overtime hours have gone into working, planning, gathering feedback, and putting together a master plan for our campus. This past Monday saw these dreams and all of this work start to become reality for us. Thanks to all of those who have helped us plan and do the work necessary.
