Transforming Lives Together Podcast

Today we remember Thomas the Apostle.The short bio on Thomas was taken from the 2001 edition of the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.The scripture reading is John 20:24-29 (NASB).The Collect comes from the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.

How should Christians view tragedy? What can we learn from films like A West Side Story? Fr. Bryan shares with us some thoughts on how we can engage tragic stories in a way that is healthy, and how the Gospel provides sweet succor for the tragedy in our lives.

Today we remember Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.The short bio on Ambrose was taken from the 2001 edition of the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.The scripture reading is Luke 12:35-37, 42-44 (NASB).The Collect comes from the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.

Today we remember Clement, Bishop of Rome.The short bio on Clement was taken from the 2001 edition of the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.The scripture reading is Luke 6:35-47 (NASB).The Collect comes from the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.

Today we remember Scotland's beloved saint, Margaret. The short bio on Margaret was taken from the 2001 edition of the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.The scripture reading is Matthew 13:44-52 (NASB).The Collect comes from the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.

Blessed All Souls Day!Today we remember All the Faithful Departed, not just those known, but also those unknown who are members of this great living body that transcends time and space which we affectionately call the Church.The short bio on the Commemoration of All Faithful Departed was taken from the 2001 edition of the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.The scripture reading is John 5:24-27 (NASB).The Collect comes from the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.

It is difficult to have joy in our relationships when we ourselves or the other person boast of our position and status.  As we will discover in our study for this week, Paul admonished the Church not to boast in themselves, but to focus on knowing Christ Jesus the Lord.

We remember St. Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons, who sought to repair the damage that the Viking invasions had inflicted on culture and learning, especially among the parish clergy.The short bio on St. Alfred was taken from the 2001 edition of the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.The scripture reading is Luke 6:43-49 (NASB).The Collect comes from the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.

In our first episode, we remember St. Luke the Evangelist whose researched accounts of Christ's life and the Acts of the Apostles have provided for the Church a faithful witness and have inspired many to put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.The short bio on St. Luke was taken from the 2001 edition of the Lesser Feasts and Fasts.The scripture reading is Luke 1:1-4 (NASB).The Collect comes from the 2019 Book of Common Prayer.

We’d all like to bear fruit in our lives and live with joy.  But doing so requires us to be in relationship with other people.  As we will discover in our study for this week, Paul’s attitude toward the Philippians was such that he longed to be able to encourage them, and because of his encouragement to them, he would be encouraged as well and would experience an increase in joy.

We all want to be successful in life.  As the saying goes, “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.” As we will discover in our study for this week, ultimately, success does not mean a lack of failure, but rather a life full of determination and perseverance in Christ.

We are getting this out a little late, but it is still Easter! Hooray! We hope that this will draw you deeper into what’s going on in the readings and together draw from the Living Well all that we need to be more like our Blessed Lord each day.The Gospel passages we will be focusing on for this episode are Mark 16:1-8, John 20:19-31.

Who we are around affects who we become as people.  If we are around positivity, we are more likely to be positive people, and view things from the hopeful and joyful perspective.  As we will discover in our study for this week we can misinterpret circumstances in our lives if we have had bad experiences in the past.  And that can hinder our joy.

Oftentimes we feel that we have no control over where our life is headed, as though somehow we are like a train that can only move along a given track.  However, the way we react to different circumstances has a profound impact on the trajectory of our life.  As we will discover in our study for this week starting and living with good habits is important if we are to live with a can-do and joyous attitude.

Normally the “Conversations” wing of the podcast is dedicated to interviews with people ministering throughout the WNY area, and while we are looking forward to getting back to that, we also wanted to do something different. Every other week, Dn. Jacob and I will be reflecting on the Gospel passages for the previous two Sundays (this past Sunday and the Sunday before) and how it relates to the current Church season. Now for those of you listening who may not be familiar with liturgical traditions like Anglicanism, our readings for each service are assigned by what is called a “lectionary,” and the readings assigned correspond with the Church year as well as the season.The Gospel passages we will be focusing on for this episode are Mark 11:1-11, John 12:20-33, and the Passion narrative found in Mark's Gospel starting with chapter 14 verse 32 and ending with chapter 15 verse 39.So, how we will proceed is we will first read the passage (and for those wondering, we will be using the NIV translation), then we

Normally the “Conversations” wing of the podcast is dedicated to interviews with people ministering throughout the WNY area, and while we are looking forward to getting back to that, we also wanted to do something different. Every other week, Dn. Jacob and I will be reflecting on the Gospel passages for the previous two Sundays (this past Sunday and the Sunday before) and how it relates to the current Church season. Now for those of you listening who may not be familiar with liturgical traditions like Anglicanism, our readings for each service are assigned by what is called a “lectionary,” and the readings assigned correspond with the Church year as well as the season.The Gospel passages we will be focusing on for this episode both come from John’s Gospel. The first is Chapter 2 verses 13-22, and the second will be Chapter 6 verses 1-15.So, how we will proceed is we will first read the passage (and for those wondering, we will be using the NIV translation), then we’ll discuss it. Simple enough. We hope that t

Discipline is not a pleasant word for most people.  Oftentimes the word brings to mind instances of scolding or punishment.  Yet when we are disciplined in our daily lives we discover the blessings that God wants us to have.  As we will discover in our study for this week, discipline and discernment are essential if we are to grow into mature individuals who can endure hardship, remain relational, and in life’s difficult situations return to joy.

“If it feels good do it” might be a familiar saying to you. Maybe you’ve heard someone use it to justify a particular action or actions. This type of maxim may sound appealing, even wise because our senses do help us discern between what is pleasant and what is harmful. For example, sometimes we learn not to sit too close to the fire by feeling the intense heat, or we learn the milk has gone sour by the pungent aroma emanating from the carton. While God gave us our senses to help investigate and understand the world around us, we were never meant to solely rely on them, especially when it came to moral decisions. Being able to discern what’s right and having the discipline to pursue it, even when it’s uncomfortable, can help us maintain our joy and lead to greater joy in the end.

The way we see the world shapes the way we interact with it and with others. Having the wrong narrative will not only complicate our relationships, it will prevent us from experiencing true joy. If God created us to be in loving relationships, the greatest being our relationship with Him, and to experience joy through those relationships, then we need to adopt His narrative and see things, including ourselves, as they really are. This will not only enable us to experience His joy, but we will also experience His peace. And don’t we need some peace in these trying times.

As we look out at the Church across the world we can notice many differences like ethnicity, style of worship, denomination, and language. But despite our differences, the Bible teaches us that we are all One Body because we all belong to One Lord, Jesus Christ. While we may identify with other groups and the loving relationships we have in those groups may bring us some joy, it’s our identity in Christ that ultimately leads to experiencing the fullness of joy, especially during difficult situations and seasons.