texasepiscopalian-blog

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The Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act

The Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act

I know there are a great number of people up in arms over the law that was recently passed in Indiana. I understand that and feel the pain of those who find the law to be abhorrent. But I am more ashamed and wounded by how those in the LGBT community, my brothers and sisters, are behaving online and offline as well in response to this law.

The first business in Indiana that publicly came out in…

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NRSV Popular Text Edition with Apocrypha

NRSV Popular Text Edition with Apocrypha

NRSV Popular Text Edition with Apocrypha by Cambridge University Press

When you hear Cambridge University Press, you think of quality, tradition and prestige. And as you should. Founded in 1534, it is the oldest printing house in the world. In those 481 years, they have garnered quite a reputation for their top of the line printings. And they are not one to disappoint. We previously did a review…

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Resolutions: Don't count them out!

Resolutions: Don’t count them out!

I have been a bit on the busy side here the first part of 2015. I have started a local chapter of Integrity here in the Shreveport area in addition to starting back to College. So between meetings and setting things up for Integrity Shreveport, and running myself ragged for College in my 5 classes, I have had barely a moment to breathe. But I am thankful for it. It was just a year ago, that I was…

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We can no longer abide....

We can no longer abide….

I have struggled a great deal with a particular topic this week. I have gone through several stages. Rage, Sorrow, memories of my own crippling depression and suicidal thoughts, and then a sense of emptiness.

If you haven’t heard, the topic I write about today is the senseless death of 17 year old Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teen who committed suicide earlier this week.

Leelah was a young woman…

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NIV College Devotional Bible

NIV College Devotional Bible

I am bringing to you another NIV translation bible that is perfect for someone who is going off to college or is already in the fray of college. The college years are trying, and there are plenty of fresh new ideas that lead a lot of people away from their faith. The NIV College Devotional Bible has the tools to help your college bound loved one girded against a crisis of faith.

One of the best…

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Early Morning Musings

I sit here in my office, the dog asleep under the desk near my feet, and the cold wrapped around me like a blanket. It is mornings like this I tend to think a great deal more than usual. Pondering deep things.

This morning in particular I am most entrenched in the CIA Torture Report. I know a lot of people are talking about it this week, and that all is fine and well, but as of this moment I have…

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A New Era

As you can see, we have been silent here for a couple months. A mixture of the deepest depression I think I have faced since the passing of my Step-Father, and a need to revitalize the site and focus on whats important to me.

This has led to the rebranding of TexasEpiscopalian.com to coincide with my fiances and my move back to the pelican state. As you can no doubt see by the header and the…

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NIV Ministry Essentials Bible

NIV Ministry Essentials Bible

It was early May when I first heard about the NIV Ministry Essentials Bible that was to be released by Hendrickson Publishing. So since then I have been anxiously awaiting its arrival. I had the privilege of reviewing a similar yet different bible from B&H Publishing the HCSB Ministers Bible which is still among my favorites, but it was the NIV Ministry Essentials Bible from Hendrickson that…

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Stevie Nicks, more than just a singer

Not many people understand my love of Stevie Nicks. I remember when I was first introduced fully to her music and I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the year after my Dad passed away and we had moved to Texas. For many years I had seen the green Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits in his C.D rack but never gave it a listen. Well that changed in 2004. I took the C.D on my hour bus ride to school and immediately was taken with this mystical songstress belting out Rhiannon and then Gypsy, and Dreams, then yielding subtle backing vocals on Little Lies, then the beautifully woven Sara..... I was hooked immediately.

That is when I began to listen to anything and everything I could get my hands on that she had put out and I was never disappointed. The things that were going on in my life, the pains the heartaches, they all disappeared when this mystical chanteuse would open her mouth.

Through my listening to Stevie Nick's solo works, I also had to listen to Fleetwood Mac and developed an equally strong love and adoration for their works as well. But it was always Stevie's songs that reached out and touched my soul the most.

It was around 2005 that I was able. thanks to the magic of Youtube,  to see videos of Stevie Nicks live in concert, and interviews and rare footage shot throughout her career and not seen here in the states. The way she carried herself and the beauty she radiated was inspiring. Stevie was always dignified and carried herself as the star we know her to be but was never condescending. She was to me what she was to many of her fans, our Fairy God Mother. Her music would whisk us away from the muck and mire of our lives, painful losses, rapes, abuse, loneliness, to a place where these pains didn't exist. I can not count the number of nights it was her voice that eased me and allowed me even the briefest respite. 

I know Stevie is not one for the internet and technology, but I hope that someone who is close to her can see this and convey our adoration and eternal gratitude for being such an amazing role model for so many and providing us with such wonderful art to enjoy for all of our lives. 

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The Old Scofield Study Bible, KJV, Classic Edition

The Old Scofield Study Bible, KJV, Classic Edition

I have a love and admiration for Oxford University Press. My most prized possession is my New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version (4th Edition) from OUP. So when I had the opportunity to review another gem by OUP I was all for it.

The Gem in question is the gorgeous Old Scofield Study Bible, KJV, Classic Edition. There is a local Bible Store ran by the most…

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NIV Pink Bible An Invitation to Hope

NIV Pink Bible An Invitation to Hope

I love Zondervan. I make no attempt to hide that. I do not think they have released a bible as of this moment that I have not loved. They have definitely not disappointed with the release of the NIV Pink Bible: An Invitation to Hope. This gorgeous slimline  bible is bound in duo tone pink leather.

The inside of the bible is where things become really unique. It is the full text of the NIV bible…

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Pray the Gay Away: The Extraordinary Lives of Bible Belt Gays

Pray the Gay Away: The Extraordinary Lives of Bible Belt Gays

Pray the Gay Away: The Extraordinary Lives of Bible Belt Gays 

Pray the Gay Away by Dr. Bernadette Barton,Professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies at Morehead State University, is an amazing book that I am honored to have the chance to review. The book takes us into a place I have lived before and loved. Kentucky. The book takes interviews from LGBT Kentuckians and gives great insight into what…

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Daily Roman Missal

The moment the Daily Roman Missal came out of its box, I was impressed. It may be Bonded Leather but it definitely doesn’t appear it. I have it in burgundy and it just screams beauty. The Chi-Rho that is center on the front cover is modest yet draws the eye immediately to it.The Daily Roman Missal is not overly large, coming in at 7 inches long and 5 inches wide. It is definitely something you…

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Holman Christian Standard Minister's Bible

Holman Christian Standard Minister’s Bible

I get so excited to do reviews of quality bibles. It was certainly the case when I did the review for the Cambridge University Heritage edition Prayer Book and Authorized King James Version combo. And it still is the case with the Holman Christian Standard Minister’s Bible (HCSB Minister’s Bible).

The HCSB Minister’s Bible comes in Genuine Leather and in Imitation Leather. I have in my hands the…

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Unexpected Surprise!

Today when the post ran, I was greeted with the most unexpected surprise. A fairly large box from Oxford University Pres. I immediately was excited as I was not expecting it in the least, and tore into the box to find housed within two lovely tomes. The first The Old Scofield Study Bible and The Revised Standard Version Catholic Bible Compact Edition.

These will help round off the Bible Review…

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Flare up of Depression

Flare up of Depression

All has been quiet on the home front for a couple of weeks now. I apologize for this, there are things that have come up and my depression has returned and I have been battling Low to No Energy and just general Lethargy.

Seems everything is moving in a more upward trend so back to work we go. I am in the process of finishing the reviews for Strangers at My Door: A True Story of Finding Jesus in…