frdavid11

Daily Prayer, 26 January

It didn’t take the crew long to catch on that I’m a baseball fan. I do have more stories from Major League Baseball than other sports, but to be fair most of our deployments were during baseball season, so the “on this day in history” website I often used for prompts had more baseball itemsContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 26 January”

Daily Prayer, 25 January

A Sailor’s time at sea is spent largely on two efforts, repair and maintenance of the ship and practicing how to fight the ship. To the latter end drills are conducted almost daily, both combat drills to exercise the weapons systems and the Sailors who operate them, and damage control drills to exercise the crew’sContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 25 January”

Daily Prayer, 24 January

From time to time I would read to the crew from some of my favorite poems. They would have to be either relatively short or I would omit portions to fit the time allotted time (which the XO on my second ship reminded me once or twice was longer than he’d expected.) If there wasContinue reading “Daily Prayer, 24 January”

Sunday Sermon, 22 January 2023

It has been said that it only takes one “Ah, NUTS!” moment to erase a thousand “Atta boys,” and it’s true that our more embarrassing moments tend to stick with us more than our triumphs. Just ask Bill Buckner. This tendency is observable from early in our lives when you think about high school. TheContinue reading “Sunday Sermon, 22 January 2023”

Whom We Defend

I chose to leave this evening prayer mostly as it was shared shipboard. I think it’s a good reflection for everyone and could have been edited to be more widely applicable, but I want to share through this project some of what a shipboard chaplain’s concern is for his crew. So, for those who mayContinue reading “Whom We Defend”

Take the Hoe.

In the mid-third century, in the Thebais region deep in the southern part of Egypt along the Red Sea, lived a monk by the name of Makarius. Even though he was a young man, his devotion to study and prayer gave Makarius a level of wisdom and piety that eventually began to draw people fromContinue reading “Take the Hoe.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

In 1863, the greatest conflict visited upon the North American continent was in its second year with no obvious end in sight. So, President Abraham Lincoln issued the following proclamation as an offering of hope. These are the words of the 16th Commander-in-Chief: The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled withContinue reading “Happy Thanksgiving!”

Sunday Sermon 9/18/22, The Sunday After the Elevation of the Holy Cross

Looking for indicators of what they call a “climate crisis,” advocates for governmental action on climate change often claim that in recent decades natural storms and disasters have increased frequency and severity. Such talk always gets me thinking about the hurricanes and storms I have lived through. It occurred to me that natural disasters ofContinue reading “Sunday Sermon 9/18/22, The Sunday After the Elevation of the Holy Cross”

Sunday Sermon 9/11/22, Sunday before the Elevation of the Holy Cross

One of the saints commemorated today is a rather popular saint, St. Euphrosynos the Cook. You’ll find his icon in lots of Greek kitchens, and for good reason. He is a wonderful saint. If you have prepared meals for large groups of people, or even for just your own family, then you know how difficultContinue reading “Sunday Sermon 9/11/22, Sunday before the Elevation of the Holy Cross”

Off we go.

For nearly all of my 11 years as a priest, I’ve also been a US Navy chaplain. This gives me a rather unique perspective on priesthood, since I’ve nearly always celebrated the Divine Services of the Church in places not designed for the purpose. The best of these circumstances is a base chapel facility retrofittedContinue reading “Off we go.”