Brother Fire

It's so hard to keep track of all the denominations and dioceses of the independent sacramental movement. It's good to see that Saint Columba Press is looking to update and publish a directory that's supposed to come out sometime early next year. You can get information about the directory or let them know about your denomination at: http://www.autoceph alous.net/ Peace.

I think that Rev. Lainie has become one of my favorite bloggers! This was originally posted on her blog . Top Ten Missional Bee-Attitudes 10. Be Grateful: The opportunity to participate in God’s story is an awesome privilege. Be grateful for all that he calls you to do for the sake of the Kingdom. 9. Be Useful: People who channel their skills and abilities into something productive are appreciated and welcomed by others. This is true in almost all contexts, no matter what personal foibles you have. Trust me on this. 8. Be Trustworthy: Keep confidences and commitments. Let your “yes mean yes” and “no mean no”. (James 5:12) 7. Be Observant: Look for opportunities to be of service. Look for opportunities for missional interactions. Look for needs to be met. Examine cultural contexts closely to discover ways in which the gospel can be presented. 6. Be Real: People can spot a poser from a mile away. You can and should be yourself even as you work to learn and und...

Rev. Lainie shared an experience in a recent post of a lonely man who randomly asked her for dinner outside a restaurant. Her empathy for this man and insight into the issue of male loneliness is admirable. I believe that she is on to something when she suggested that there may be an opportunity for a missional approach in assisting men who face loneliness. There's no doubt that men have a difficult time with social and emotional loneliness. Men tend to deal with many emotional issues in an unhealthy way -- either by ignoring or avoiding the problem, or acting out in an inappropriate manner. John Mark Ministries shares a story of a pastor who took a wrong turn in his journey of dealing with loneliness. His story is not uncommon. The real problem is not a new one. Men tend not to seek help. Men avoid sharing problems on an emotional level especially with other men. Men usually invest most, if not all of their emotional energy into one significant relationship and if that ...

This is a funny bit from "Mr. Show" that has a lead character with an interesting name. Let me apologize in advance for the obscene gesture in the first frame of the clip. The obscene gesture and a bit of strong language disappears after the first 15 seconds or so. Have You Been Mistreated At Your Job, Call Don Pratt! Add to My Profile | More Videos Enjoy! Don

10. Be very annoyed that some people belong to religions other than your own. Express this annoyance freely. 9. Don’t bother becoming a “regular” at local businesses. Just shop/dine/get- your-clothes-drycleaned at whatever place has the best sales that week. If, by some unfortunate coincidence, you do become a regular at a local business, don’t get to know the owner, employees, or other patrons. 8. Fixate on the quality of your missional targets: Focus on the local Unitarian Universalist minister, Mormon bishop, and Wiccan high priestess (who also owns your town’s only occult bookstore). Don’t give a second thought to that rather ordinary looking lady who you see every morning on the train. She doesn’t have a large enough sphere of influence. 7. If you see a problem in your community, don’t bother to check out what other organizations or individuals are doing about it. Just start your own project: You’ll get a lot more accomplished if you are in charge! 6. Don’t waste yo...

Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there. Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled him out. When the Head Nurse and Director became aware of Edna's heroic act, she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she is now considered her to be mentally stable. When she went to tell Edna the news she said, "Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you're being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the person you love. I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness." "The bad news is that Ralph hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead." Edna's response: "He didn't hang himse...

How It All Ends - Watch more free videos This is a great video by a science teacher that illustrates the debate regarding global warming. The bottom line is that we need to act. Peace.

A homily by Don Pratt Sunday, October 7, 2007 -- 27 th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle C) Readings : First Reading : Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 Psalm: Psalm 95 Second Reading : Second Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14 Gospel: Luke 17:5-10 Just preceding today’s Gospel Reading from Luke 17, Jesus had just warned his disciples about the dangers of sinning against others, or causing others to sin, and that they must forgive those who sin against them – unconditionally – no matter how many times they cause harm and ask for forgiveness. What a tall order! We know in our own experience how difficult that can be. The apostles responded with a request of Jesus, “Increase our faith.” I imagine that this is a common request. Many of us in our prayer lives ask that we be better Christians; we ask that our faith in God become stronger. And often we make the mistake in believing that in order for this to happen we must do dramatic things. That our lives must change s...

According to the Associated Press, the 83 year-old former President, Jimmy Carter (God bless him) got into a shouting match with a local Sudanese security chief because Carter wanted to meet with representatives of ethnic African refugees in Kabkabiya, a North Darfur town and the security chief blocked him. Carter originally wanted to visit a refugee camp, but the UN deemed it too dangerous. Instead, Carter agreed to meet refugees in a UN compound -- but no one showed-up, so he decided to walk into town. He made it to a school where he met one tribal representative and was going to move on when he was stopped. There were reports that the refugees seemed too frightened to speak with Carter's team, but some were able to slip them notes. The notes indicated that the refugees were being persecuted and girls were still being raped. More than 200,000 people have died in that region, while 2.4 million have been displaced. And the number of other atrocities that have been committed by the...

Today President Bush announced that he will veto a bill that would expand affordable health care insurance for children because it is just too expensive. The cost of the program? $7 billion a year. Question: What is the cost of President Bush's most recent budget request for the Iraq war for one year? Answer: $109 billion (again -- for just one year). I'm speechless. Feel free to blog amongst yourselves! Peace.

I often assume that most folks are not aware of the independent sacramental movement, so I was startled when I found out that a colleague of mine at Catholic Charities was very familiar with it. She is the wife of an Episcopal priest and it was very validating that in our conversation about church and clergy that we discovered that many of the 'pitfalls' that can be found in the ISM, are also found in the Episcopal church. For example, I mentioned that sometimes it is difficult to feel a sense of legitimacy when there are bishops & other clergy who 'play church' or behave badly. She commented that the ISM isn't the only institution with leaders who behave badly. On the other hand, we got to talk about some clergy who have touched our lives and who we admire. It was a nice conversation. It seems that everytime that I feel isolated in this ministry, I have an experience like this that helps to feel not-so-alone. Peace.

I am a 44 year old single guy from Long Island , New York and I am a Seminarian in the United American Catholic Church (an independent sacramental church). I currently am the Pastoral Minister (lay-leader) for the Emmaus Catholic Community on Long Island . My hope is that I will be ordained a Deacon by the end of the year. You can check out Emmaus by visiting www.emmauscatholic.org . I work for Catholic Charities here on Long Island as my secular job -- I coordinate the Special Needs Housing Program -- housing for people living with HIV & AIDS, mental illness and/or addiction. AND I sell electronics at a local retailer part-time. Yes, I'm a busy guy. What am I hoping to share/accomplish in this blog? Mostly opinion, observations and prayers surrounding my life as a catholic, the independent sacramental movement, today's American public policy, and generally the state of the human condition. Perhaps I'll share a homily or two...or maybe I'll journal a ...