Author: Sweet Tea and Front Porch Storyteller
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The Curious Pilgrim
What Am I Spreading? Daily Office Reflection — Friday, September 18, 2026Psalm 88, 91, 92; Esther 8:1–8, 15–17; Acts 19:21–41; Luke 4:31–37Source: The Book of Common Prayer, Proper 20, Year 2 I have been thinking about how quickly our reactions can spread. Not simply news. Not simply facts. Our reactions. And I have lived long…
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Before Unceasing Prayer, There Is Unceasing Grace
I have been sitting for quite a while with the Sixth Meeting in The Pilgrim Continues His Way. The Skhimnik is teaching the Professor and the Pilgrim about the mystery of salvation as revealed through unceasing prayer. There is much here that speaks deeply to me. I believe prayer is essential. I believe Paul when…
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Saints — September 18, 2026
Robert Lewis Dabney (1820–1898) Lord Jesus Christ, Teach Me to See Come sit with me on the front porch for a while. This may not be the most comfortable conversation we have had. Robert Lewis Dabney was a remarkable man in many ways. Born in Virginia in 1820, he became a Presbyterian minister, theologian, professor,…
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God Calls. Grace Woos. We Choose Whether to Answer.
Daily Office Readings — Psalms 83, 116, 117, 85, 86; Esther 7:1–10; Acts 19:11–20; Luke 4:14–30 As I read today’s Psalms, I keep coming back to relationship. Psalm 83 cries out to God during adversity. Psalm 85 remembers God’s restoration and warns God’s people not to return to their foolish ways. Psalm 86 prays, “Teach…
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Daniel Coker: Faithful to the Call
A Year with American Saints — Thursday, September 17, 2026Daniel Coker, African Methodist, 1780–1846Source: A Year with American Saints, G. Scott Cady and Christopher L. Webber, Church Publishing, 2006 Daniel Coker did not look like an obvious candidate for ministry. Born around 1780 in Maryland, he was the son of Susan Coker, a white woman,…
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The Way of the Grain of Wheat
Daily Office Lesson — Proper 19, Year TwoWednesday, September 16, 2026 Readings: Psalm 72; Psalm 119:73–96; Job 42:1–17; Acts 16:16–24; John 12:20–26Source: The Book of Common Prayer Psalm 72 is attributed to Solomon. It can certainly be read as a prayer for Solomon and the kings who would follow him, but its vision seems to…
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Who Has the Final Say?
Terence Vincent Powderly, January 22, 1849–June 24, 1924 Labor Leader Source: A Year with American Saints, G. Scott Cady and Christopher L. Webber, Church Publishing, 2006. When I began reading about Terence Vincent Powderly, the opening sentence caught my attention. The authors wrote about European churches whose members came to America bringing Old World traditions…
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Union with God
When the Professor Faces Despair The Pilgrim Continues His Way — The Sixth Meeting: The Skhimnik InstructsScriptures: Genesis 2:24; John 15:1–11; 1 Corinthians 6:17; Ephesians 5:31–32Source: The Pilgrim Continues His Way, translated by Olga Savin, Shambhala, 2001 We left the Professor standing between despair and hope. He knows the New Testament. He finds comfort in…
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Willing Myself to Love
Godfrey Dickmann — April 7, 1908–February 22, 2002Saint for September 15, 2026Source: A Year With the American Saints, G. Scott Cady and Christopher L. Webber, Church Publishing, 2006 Godfrey Dickmann was born into a family of eight children, the son of German emigrés from Westphalia. He was baptized Leo. At eighteen, he entered the Benedictine…
