Welcome back to the latest In Case You Missed It, a.k.a. ICYMI, our weekly blog roundup of the latest stories around the @fwd_mvt and #Episcopal world.

Lent Madness got going in earnest this week—how’s your bracket looking? In their weekly video, Scott and Tim shared snapshots from some brackets around the globe. We enjoyed this picture from Marin Catholic in Kentfield, CA.

And here’s a post on how we play in the Forward Movement office.

Last Wednesday was #InternationalWomensDay, and we saw some excellent posts from across the Episcoplan/Anglican social media community (and across the world). A particular favorite was this photo of Trinity Wall Street staff with the new ‘Fearless Girl’ statue across from the famous Wall St bull.

Daily meditation and prayer are for many a solo practice, but it can be immensely rewarding when we realize we’re part of a larger prayer community. We saw two examples of that this week. Our Question of the Week asked:

A few of the many answers we received:

• “First thing with my coffee. Sets up the day for a better chance at being, well, better…”
• “Early before anyone is up around 4:45 am, then again later in the evening.”
• “Around 6:00 AM. Peace on porch.”
• “I try to do before work and before bed, but the times vary because my schedule varies.”
• “Lunch time. If the morning was bad, it helps me turn the day around.”

 
It’s pretty cool to think that when you’re reading the daily Forward Day by Day meditation, or whatever you use in your practice, there’s a community of many others reflecting on those same words at the same time.

Speaking of community, we also read a great blog post on ECF’s Vital Practices from Linda Buskirk, a regular contributor to Forward Day by Day’s daily comments forum. Linda writes:

Nearly every morning, I enjoy morning prayer time with a group of friends. I think most of us are Episcopalians, but I don’t know for sure. We come from all over the United States, the Caribbean, and beyond … We’ve done this so long now, we call each other family. Sometimes people share their worries, ask for prayer, or admit struggles and questions. In response, many prayers and words of encouragement offered. New people easily come into the mix and are welcomed. Anyone can participate.

We’re so glad this forum has become such an important place for so many Day by Day readers. If you haven’t checked it out, it’s here. And of course, you can also connect with Day by Day readers on Facebook and Twitter.

Have a great week!

Welcome back to the latest In Case You Missed It, a.k.a. ICYMI, our weekly blog roundup of the latest stories around the @fwd_mvt and #Episcopal world.

We began our Lenten journey this week—but before we did, we asked:

We saw some tasty responses to this one. A few favorite answers:

• “Definitely pancakes, and ham, and lemon curd, and real maple syrup at Epiphany’s annual Pancake Supper….I’ve been working at it for the past 35 years!”
• “I gorge on whatever my fast will be in any given year. Tomorrow I will be feasting on “appetizers”–mozzarella sticks, onion rings, potato skins.”
• “Paczki! Detroit is all about paczki.”
• “Homemade potato salad and fried chicken on the parade route.”
• “A truly decadent desert: Charlotte Malakoff a la Russe, for instance.”
• And this photo response from Trinity Episcopal Church’s dinner in West Pittston, PA:

We hope you had a fun feast on Tuesday.

What’s your family’s Ash Wednesday tradition? Do you receive ashes to go? We saw some cool pictures—from around the world—on the #ashestogo hashtag.

A favorite, from our friend Fr. Albert Cutie:

Do you take your kids to church on Ash Wednesday? What sorts of questions have they asked about the service, or the ashes? Nurya Love Parish wrote a terrific post on the subject for Grow Christians this week. We heard from a lot of readers on our Twitter feed who said they absolutely take their kids. Some responses:

• “I took mine! The little one had to go outside for parts, but my oldest (6) asked questions like why we cover the cross. Good conversations!”
• “Why on earth would you cheat children out of Ash Wednesday??”
• “Pro-tip: When kids are little, make sure they know the ashes are from palms. Not bodies! (True story.)”

 
On “Ash Thursday” this week, Lent Madness started. You can listen to Scott and Tim discuss this season on the excellent Priest Pulse podcast, and cast your votes at lentmadness.org.

And at Forward Movement, we began A Season of Prayer: 40 Days in the Desert. We’ll be sharing daily prayers and readings as images on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and you can download weekly bulletin inserts (and browse many other resources, including videos) at forwardmovement.org/seasonofprayer. The project focuses particularly on themes of exile, hospitality and migration. We’ll close with today’s image:

Have a great week.

Welcome back to the latest In Case You Missed It, a.k.a. ICYMI, our weekly blog roundup of the latest stories around the @fwd_mvt and #Episcopal world.

If you’re a regular Forward Day by Day reader, you may have noticed that this new month of meditations is particularly exciting. First off, do you like this cover as much as we do? Here’s the official one, next to Twitter user @ElizaYoda’s version:

How cool is that? Be sure to check out Roger Speer’s adult coloring book Pathways of Faith, if you haven’t already.

And that cover is just the beginning. This month’s meditations also feature Moving Forward—a daily action or question sparked by the reflection. You can share yours using the hashtag #ForwardDaybyDay. And if you haven’t watched this video with February author Minda Cox, she is truly inspiring:

For many around the church, this is the week to place that big order of Lenten resources. We liked this guide that the Episcopal Church in Minnesota put together (OK, we may be biased because we were excited to see our new Ashes and the Phoenix on the cover, but all these resources sound terrific!)

Much of the conversation on #Episcopal social media lately has been around the role ‘political’ issues can or should play in the pulpit. We’ve heard a lot of wise words on this complex issue, but Tim Schenck’s reflections on Thursday were particularly worth reading. Here’s Tim’s blog post, titled ‘In Good Faith: Seeking a Moral Compass.’

Have a peaceful week, and may the countdown to Lent Madness begin! Have you picked up your Saintly Scorecard yet?

Welcome to the latest In Case You Missed It, a.k.a. ICYMI, our weekly blog roundup of the latest stories around the @fwd_mvt and #Episcopal world.

We saw several excellent articles on nonpartisan offerings from churches this week. Writing in ECF Vital Practices, Richelle Thompson described churches opening their doors for simple prayer on Friday. Key quote:

“What if the doors were simply open and all were invited to spend time in prayer? Isn’t our God bigger than all of this Sturm und Drang?”

This Episcopal News Service article made a similar point:

“We Episcopalians call ourselves people of common prayer, and that usually means worshiping together using the words of the Book of Common Prayer. But, shared silence can also be a form of common prayer.”

If you or your parish is looking for a resource for reconciliation in divisive times, we recommend Living Reconciliation, which offers tools for finding common ground. It’s an excellent book, with a foreword by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

Of course, daily prayer and reflection is always an excellent resource. Our Question of the Week on social media this week focused on Forward Day by Day. Here’s what we asked:

We heard some great responses to this one, with start dates ranging from “over 50 years ago” to “last month”! A few favorites:

“St. Francis Episcopal Church in Moab Utah provides these booklets. First time I took one, been hooked ever since. I find forward day by day very inspirational.”

“A lady in my bible study group. I now read it everyday.”

“In 1995 we were living in Stuttgart Germany, my Husband was in the US Army I attended The Episcopal Church St Catherine’s the Church’s Atrium was a little table that had the little Booklets Foward Day by Day I took one and I have been reading them ever since!”

“Been a part of my life for so long I cant recall.”

“It was only a month ago that I became hooked, reading 📖 all the scriptures daily. It was at Trinity Episcopal Church, Easton, Pa. THANKS 🙏 to you & God. You make my day!😊”

You can read more responses on the Forward Day by Day and Forward Movement Facebook pages. Are you a faithful (or occasional) Forward Day by Day reader? Who first introduced you?

On a related note, Forward Day by Day will soon be launching a new feature called Moving Forward. Starting in February, meditations will end with an extra action readers can take—and we hope you’ll join in these and connect with fellow readers using the hashtag #ForwardDaybyDay.  Stay tuned!

Welcome back to In Case You Missed It, a.k.a. ICYMI, our weekly blog roundup of the latest stories around the @fwd_mvt and #Episcopal world.

Last week, we dedicated our post to sharing resources around Standing Rock. Over the weekend, the federal government announced that they would look for an alternative route for the Dakota Access Oil Pipeline. 

Here’s the New York Times article on the announcement, and powerful video from Standing Rock:

And here’s an excellent post from Episcopal News Service on the scene in North Dakota, and the key role of Episcopal chaplains on the ground.

As we lit the second candle for Advent, at Forward Movement we continued to share ‘Advent Actions’—ways to engage in your home, on your block, and in society at large. Did you talk to a neighbor this week? Learn more about a nonprofit? Gather with family and friends around the table? We’d love to hear your stories!

As a Christian, how do you greet people this time of year? Do you focus on Advent, wish a merry Christmas, or offer a secular greeting? In this week’s Forward Today, Scott wrote about this issue—a subject of seemingly annual debate that also speaks to some key questions about how we practice faith in the public sphere.

Speaking of shared faith: A reminder that when using our Journey through Advent app, you can color in daily digital calendar illustrations from Jay Sidebotham, then share them on social media. (The app also offers daily scripture readings and a journal feature; you can get it here.) Here were some favorites so far:

From @auntiesdollous on Twitter, for St. Nicholas day: 

Scott’s two-candle work: 

The simple-but-striking all-red, from @StFrancisCEC: 

We’ve also launched a Facebook group for sharing drawings in the Spanish version of the calendar. “Viajemos juntos en este Adviento” es un grupo de Facebook en el que nos preparamos, con caricaturas y preguntas breves, para la llegada de Jesús. ¡Únete al grupo y viaja con nosotros!

We hope you’re enjoying a reflective Advent season. Have a great weekend–and join us here for the next week of Advent actions after the third candle is lit!