Tag Archives: Bishop Kenneth Kinner

Christmas Challenge: Romans, Day 12 – Spiritual Gold Mine. Dig In!

20 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by in 16 Chapters to Christmas, Christianity

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Thanks Deacon Alfred, for this challenge. What a blessing to read Romans! Wow! Gold mine! There’s so much rich wisdom in this chapter! Read, enjoy, and come away spiritually richer!  And at the end of this post, enjoy an inspirational true story from Bishop Kenneth Kinner. 

Romans 12

New International Version (NIV)

A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

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Humble Service in the Body of Christ

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

spiritual gifts

Love in Action

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

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Amazing! If I could say one verse was my favorite, hmmm….maybe: Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

If everyone lived only by this verse, imagine how beautiful this world would be.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  

It’s sad that evil and hate exists and not everyone wants to live in peace with one another. The key words are, “as far as it depends upon you.”

On a personal note, this is something I’ve struggled with. I can’t control others or force them to live in peace with me, though God knows I’ve tried, even doing the heaping coals thing. Blood isn’t always thicker than water. The blood of Christ is what binds us to each other. If people don’t love God and if they hate and wish harm upon me or upon my dearest loved ones, I will not repay evil with evil. But I will keep my distance, pray for them, and do my best to live joyfully in Christ, maintaining my spiritual fervor, and continuing to use the gifts the Lord has given to me, as this chapter teaches. Father, we are all your children, please handle us all according to your perfect will.  Amen.

And remember: 

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kinnerRegarding Romans 12:2, please enjoy this inspirational true story, written by Bishop Kenneth Kinner, Episcopal Vicar of Church of the Holy Family, Casper, Wyoming, (Holy Catholic Church, Anglican Rite):

TRANSFORMED!

Phil came to Casper seeking a new start in life. He had been in a California prison for seventeen years. He still faced a form of imprisonment; Phil was addicted to alcohol. As a felon and as an addict it was very difficult to find employment.

Finally he landed a job cleaning up a local bar every night after closing time. The overwhelming temptation always in front of him.

Phil was ashamed, hurting , feeling worthless. Then in his most basic of needs he learned to pray to the Lord for help. This world, as he knew it, was a path to self destruction. On a certain morning he was walking back to his ‘home’ in a seedy hotel about a mile away. Dawn was about to signal a new day; Phil was asking the Lord to help him.

What happened next changed Phil’s life forever. The Lord Jesus appeared to him on Center Street in Casper, Wyoming. I’m not sure what the conversation was but clearly the loving power of God was released. Phil never had another drink as long as he lived.

Then what do you do about employment now? The postmaster in another town, learning of Phil’s experience, gave him a job as caretaker of the post office property. A convicted felon in a post office ! Against all the rules. But, for over ten years Phil cared for the property; he never once failed his charge.

In the fullness of years God called Phil, a sober Christian man, to his eternal home.
I was asked to offer the Burial Office for him. Yes, they called it a ‘memorial’. A friend of Phil’s handed me Phil’s Bible. My attention was on a marker in Paul’s letter to the Romans. The following was underlined: “Do not be conformed to his world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” Romans 12:2 

Bishop Kenneth Kinner is the Episcopal Vicar of Church of the Holy Family in Casper, Wyoming and Bishop of the American Indian People. 

Church Synod, Cowboy Style

10 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by in Christianity, Photography

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I’ve been away from writing and blogging, attending our church synod. Sound boring? Not! Here’s how we do it up, Wyoming style, in the Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite: “soul whisperers” become “horse whisperers”…

…at a session led by our very own cowboy, Mike Buchanan (below). Mike and his wife Karen took the concept of “horse whispering” in a new direction during their demonstration at the corral in front of our Church of the Holy Family in Casper. The couple developed a program through which the relationship between a person’s action and a horse’s reaction can reveal aspects of the person’s personality. The interaction and what it reveals has a strong influence in helping people develop skills in human relationships that they may lack.

Even Pastor Phil Waugh, “Marriage Whisperer” got into the corral. (He and his wife, Cindy, taught an excellent session on the Covenant Marriage Movement.

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Great time! Our synods are the coming together of our larger church family across the United States and we always have a blast. Below: Gail and Helen, our faithful from the Fellowship of St. Andrews in Helena, Montana. Helen, to the right, told me about her “God box.” She says she writes out her worries and puts them in her “God box,” then she lets go. Occasionally, she says she visits the “God box” to put in and take out and finds that no “worry” ever remains in there very long. I really loved this idea. I think we all need God boxes.

Mass at Holy Family

And a healing service as well.

We also had our church business, which was all good! We got some really cool gifts, too. Coffee mugs and awesome cowboy boot “folders”, hand-made by our Casper family.

And great presentations and updates on our churches across the country. These two (below) look like they are having fun, don’t they? Nicole and Natalia are the children of our Father Julio Jimenez and his wife, Mareus of St. Joseph of Glastonbury in Wichita, Kansas.

Photography: The Cure for Writer’s Block

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in Best Web Sites for Writers, Crooked Lines, Diabetes, Football, India, Jake Byrne, Monday's Connections, Photography

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Writer’s block? Quit staring at a blank page. Let go of rearranging words that refuse to coalesce into art. Come away from your aphotic state and sneak a peek at photos that enlighten and inspire a thousand words. Today, I visited photography web sites and found several thought-provoking photos, beginning with this one from Brian Gaynor Photography. I want to know who stole the flowers. And why is this shop closing?

Michael Fiveson, at Mike’s Look at Life, says on his blog about this post: “A group of small town fellows who enjoyed beer to excess would gather here and discuss prospective conquests. Unfortunately, none ever occurred, but it was great fun to imagine themselves as playboys and lovers extraordinaire.” Yeah, I imagine a great novel about the guys who built this club, or the women in the red house behind it sharing a glass of wine and talking about their husbands/boyfriends who are boozing it up in their “Playboy Mansion” out back. Lol! Great site, Mike! One of my favs.

For inspiration with scenes, especially in the western genre, check out Kimberly Beer’s photography. Here’s a few of her photos. This man looks like a real hero with a story to tell.

These two also have something to say (to each other). Beautiful!

Finding Subjects Magazine: one man, one camera, one journey to motivate and inspire others by sharing photographs, stories, and humor with the world is awesome. Tony’s site is chock full of photos that make you laugh and ponder, including the one below. I’m curious about the guy who owns this puppet.

Kevin George Travel Photography Blog also has some great photos if you’re a writer looking for inspirational settings. Thanks for the permission to use this one Kevin:

And last, but most prolific, Charlie and Tom over at Photobots.com have put together PhotoBotos to create an open forum in which a HUGE community of friends can discuss photography and travel openly. Visit this site every day for a new photo awe-inspiring experience. Here’s a couple of photos from their site:

So, if you have writer’s block, peruse photography sites, like the ones above. Your muse will thank you.

Fortunately, I don’t have time for writer’s block. My first novel, “Crooked Lines,” is about ready to hit publisher’s doorsteps. Now working on my second novel, “I’ll Be Seeing You.”

This setting (my own amateur photography) in Tamil Nadu, India is seen through the eyes of my character, Sagai, in Crooked Lines.

Below, Bishop Kenneth Kinner of the Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite and the scenes in Central Wyoming inspire me in my current WIP, “I’ll Be Seeing You.”

I also have the bones of another novel coming together for an inspiring book about connections between people, from the beginning of time. By the time I get the next two books published, my son, Jake (newly signed on with the New Orleans Saints and a type 1 diabetic) will be have a platform to write his book about kids, sports, and diabetes. (Read about his journey here) As a ghostwriter, it’s a future project I look forward to working on with my son. He’s a great kid and destined to be a fantastic NFL football player. I’m a proud mom of a saint!

The A to Z Challenge is over. The NFL Draft is over. I survived both! I’m back to my regular schedule. This is my Monday Connections, connecting writers to photography sites. NOW LET’S GET INSPIRED!!! Kill Writers block with photography!