(he/him) • Ministering in Word & Spirit • lifting pastoral prayers of beloved community in faith before the throne of grace with joyful hope for the common good
“we must..move on..through the storms of injustice..jostling winds of daily handicaps, toward the beginning lights of fulfillment. Our dilemma is serious..our handicaps are real. But [so] is the power of a creative will..to give us..courage to go on.”
—MLK
bit.ly/3PIcf3u
"The humble..feels no jealousy or envy..can praise God when others..preferred..blessed hear others praised..himself forgotten.. say with Paul, 'I am nothing.'
..received..Jesus,who pleased not Himself..sought not His own honor.."
—Andrew Murray, Humility
lnkd.in/p/ggahQxsb
"YOU NEVER KNOW how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood
becomes a matter of life and death to you."
— C.S. Lewis
A GRIEF OBSERVED
linkedin.com/posts/share-748…
“Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.” —Isaiah 30:20 (NIV)
bible.com/bible/111/isa.30.2…@youversion
I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the LORD,
give yourselves no rest,
and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise of the earth.
—Isaiah 62:6-7 (NIV)
bible.com/bible/3523/ISA.62.…
On semiquincentennial Sunday, 5 July 2026, let us sing from among national songs in the Presbyterian Hymnal (1990) to Lift Every Voice and Sing (No. 563) along with the tune of O Beautiful for Spacious Skies (No. 564) to the praise of God’s glorious grace. open.substack.com/pub/rexesp…
pastor-theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer reflects on the notion of the Trinity
THE HIDDEN WISDOM OF GOD
God’s thoughts are not obvious, not common sense… the church speaks of the secret, hidden wisdom of God. God lives in mystery.
a.co/01AG3ubjsubstack.com/@rexespiritu/no…
[1] But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden …” (1 Cor. 2:7–10).
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. I Want to Live These Days with You: A Year of Daily Devotions (p. 148). Kindle Edition.
substack.com/@rexespiritu/no…
As one in the reformed tradition (from the reformation led in part by an Augustinian monk), Augustine's biblical theology as applied here in light of recent current events is appropriate for religious, pastoral, and ethical consideration in apt reflection. ncronline.org/opinion/st-aug…
“Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
happy are those who hold her tightly.”
—Proverbs 3:15,18 (NLT)
bible.com/bible/116/pro.3.15…
“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify.” Luke 21:12-13 NRSV
bible.com/bible/2016/luk.21.…
By the rivers of Babylon—
we sat down and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the willows
we hung up our harps.
For there our captors
asked us for songs,
..our tormentors asked for mirth,saying,
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
How could we sing the LORD’s song
in a foreign land?
• Palm/Passion Sunday, April 13 @ 9:30 AM
• Maundy Thursday, April 17 @ 7:30 PM Tenebrae|Communion
COMMUNITY GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE
• Good Friday, April 18 @ 12 noon,
Pastor Joe Boggs of Asbury United Methodist Church preaching
• Resurrection Sunday, April 20 @ 9:30 AM Easter
Come join us and others this next Holy Week from the Palm/Passion of the Christ — Sunday the 13th to the 20th of April at 9:30 a.m. — Let us All Together Celebrate the Resurrection and the Life in Jesus Christ at Portland—First @Presbyterian Church • FirstPCPortland.org | IN
“prayer is hidden. It is, in every sense, the opposite of what is public. When we pray, we no longer know ourselves, but only God, to whom we call.”—I Want to Live These Days with You:A Year of Daily Devotions by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
a.co/cWDN49Ba.co/fh72H6g
"Almighty God,unto whom all hearts are open,desires known,and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,that we may perfectly love you,worthily magnify your Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen."
— The @ChurchOfEngland
"Almighty God,unto whom all hearts are open,desires known,and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,that we may perfectly love you,worthily magnify your Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen." goodreads.com/quotes/8419346…
During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from 18-25 January, we invite churches and communities worldwide to pray and reflect on the common faith of Christians - resources are available in 7 languages and include the @YouVersion Bible app: oikoumene.org/news/week-of-p…#WPCU2025
Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new: transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory…
— The @ChurchOfEnglandchurchofengland.org/prayer-a…
Pastoral Perspectives through Generations of Justice and Peace
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Speaking to the salient moment of today’s generation..renewing fervency in fields of feeling
“They are blessed who work for peace, for they will be called God’s children.”
—Matthew 5:9 (NCV) rexespiritu.wordpress.com/20…