Father David Epps's blog

An unreasonable venture

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:48:01 -0400

Next Monday, I fly to Illinois for the 24th time in two years. I will arrive at Hartsfield Jackson Airport in Atlanta around 7 a.m., deposit my car in the Park & Ride, catch a shuttle to the terminal, and do all the things one must do to get on an aircraft in a post 9/11 world.

Edie Rose

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:05:19 -0400

Sometimes, in the course of serving as a pastor and priest, one receives something precious that should be shared with others. A member of our church family, Carolyn Fjeran, expressed her thoughts about moments shared with a special family. I share them now with you:

Jesus was a community organizer?

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:25:58 -0400

While all political campaigns tend to trend toward the negative, several of the supporters of one of the presidential candidates has struck a new and offensive low. The Massachusetts Liberal, an on-line communication, ran a recent article titled, “Jesus was a Community Organizer; Pontius Pilate was a Governor.”

We’re being gouged

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:47:04 -0400

I am no economist. I freely admit that I don’t understand the nuances of capitalism and the ebbs and flows of international commerce. But, in my opinion (and this is, after all, an opinion column), we are being gouged.

History is being made

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:29:06 -0400

Whatever happens in November, history will be made. If John McCain is elected president of the United States, he will be the oldest man ever elected president in his first term. If Barack Obama is elected, he will be the first African-American ever elected to the world’s most powerful office.

Behind closed doors

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:04:18 -0400

Last week I wrote an article about divorce, “The Gift that Keeps on Taking.” I received two letters from women who took issue with me when I wrote, regarding marriage vows, “That’s one promise that must be kept.” I felt they had something to say. I have changed their names to protect their identities.

The gift that keeps on taking

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:11:28 -0400

I was speaking with a pastor friend recently and he expressed concern that a couple in his congregation may be getting a divorce. I understand his consternation. I’m told that about half of all marriages, inside the church and out, end in divorce. My response to my friend was something like, “A bad divorce is infinitely worse than a troubled marriage.”

Mental health days

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:01:02 -0400

Some professions are filled with stress. Every job has stress, of course, and some amounts of stress are considered good for performance. But there are those careers where stress can lead to burn-out and can become debilitating: air traffic controllers, firefighters, police officers, soldiers, emergency room workers, paramedics, for example ... and the list goes on and on.

Kenneth Turner

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:08:27 -0400

Every so often, someone enters our lives that changes us for the good and leaves a lasting, positive impression. From the moment I met Kenneth Turner, I liked him. You had to like him — he didn’t really give you a choice. His warm smile, his generous hugs, his obvious love for God and those whom God had created, drove away frowns and self-pity.

It’s not just the chicken

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:08:58 -0400

In our fast-paced, fast-food society we are used to getting what we want, conveniently, quickly, and at a reasonable price. The trade-off for this convenience has often been a loss of customer service. We have become accustomed to encountering people at the drive-thru windows who are surly, barely intelligible, and frequently unknowledgeable.

Lost luggage and missing arms

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:13:19 -0400

The lady was upset, anybody could see that. I was standing behind her at the airport in Bloomington, Ill., as she complained and gesticulated angrily. The airline, Airtran Airways, she loudly exclaimed for all to hear, had lost her luggage and she was irate. The young lady behind the counter tried to say how sorry she was. “There’s no excuse!” the luggage-less lady shouted.

The Bishop of Peachtree City

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:36:14 -0400

The Reverend John Weber will preach his last sermon as the senior pastor of Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church this coming Sunday morning. After 34 years of serving as the only senior pastor the church has known, John is retiring.

Full circle

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:57:02 -0400

I am conducting my first ordination service Sunday evening. In our faith community, the privilege of laying hands on men and ordaining them to the ministry is reserved for the bishops.

Embracing suffering

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:04:23 -0400

I have just finished a book on the topic of suffering. The book, “Suffering: the Catholic Answer,” was written in 1961 by Dom Hubert van Zeller (1905-1984), a Benedictine monk and featured 14 chapters based upon the 14 Stations of the Cross.

When a newspaper dies

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:35:13 -0400

Just this past week, my wife informed me that newspapers all over the country are shutting their doors. “People are getting their news off the Internet and from cable news shows,” she opined. I argued that, especially in small towns, local newspapers were vital for the distribution of local and regional news. There will, I proclaimed, always be a need for the local newspaper.