God Gives Us The Best
Seekin' Deacon
Rev. Deacon Pam and I discuss different perspectives on respect and love, and how the traditions, virtues, and values hold true even when different generations question them. She shows that God and Jesus gave us the best, even when we wanted to resist and take negative steps towards it. Deacon Pam shares the realization that all need to face consequences and "own" those in order to grow spiritually. Deacon Pam also shares her gifts in both writing and giving sermons, and now she can look at scripture and bring a dynamic shift and approach to both the reading and how we can look at them in...
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YOU BE YOU
Seekin' Deacon
What does Rev. Deacon Pam Haynes spiritual practices look like? It has evolved, and she has a rule of life. She started with the Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer and now continues to have daily conversations with God. Her prayer life has expanded into a list around people as well as projects tied to the chuch. Her favorite time is late at night, looking at the moon. Walking in the door to St. Andrew's gives Rev. Pam joy and takes her mind off knee pain and other challenges. She reflects on her first visit to the church, where she listened to a fantastic solo. She responded at the...
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Sit in the "Uncomfortable"
Seekin' Deacon
A gift to start this Deacon series with the Rev. Pam Haynes serving at St. Andrews in Greensboro, NC. Pam grew up in Washington, D.C., and had a community of family and friends who looked after one another. As an only child and quiet, her parents instilled in her the value of education, and she was not always the outspoken individual she is today, but a more introverted soul. She shares a rich story about how death in an individual was a place where a mother who had passed cared for the child in the form of nature. Touching one person is the work of God. Growing up in a church of fire and...
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Holy Choices
Seekin' Deacon
Working with Bishop Shaw and Bishop Allen Gates, it showed him how to give them options and holy choices and invite them to decide navigating. Theological decisions that may not always come to light in the present but come to fruition, such as the Gospel stories from Easter. We don't always know the impact we are having until we are long gone. The story of one person who inspired Billy Graham's revival and how that changed his direction to become a great evangelist. Bp. Sam now considers himself a North Carolinian, his New England self has given way to his experiences here in NC. He trends...
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Weaving together God's Stories
Seekin' Deacon
Exploring the "self" and silence, going back to God's biblical stories, and the call of Samuel and how he learns to listen He drives a lot around the diocese, and the time to turn off the radio and step away from phone calls to take in the scenery of North Carolina and the solitude of God. The impact of COVID was very disruptive. Amid this reality, God did provide some forms of redemptive energy from something awful. Communication and online worship built a bridge, and folks were introduced and joined the community, highlighting the ability to adapt even in such dismal times. ...
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Baptism
Seekin' Deacon
I am honored and priveledged to have spent some time with North Carolina Diocese Bishop Sam Rodman. We discuss his memory of being baptized as a child at four years old with his two sisters, being the middle child. This serves not only as vivid memory of the church but the community that was present in Blanford. He shares a recent baptism story and how the child began to cry, but then grabbed the cross, which calmed her down. It is the small things that move us during such a celebration. When Bp. Sam was eight years old he visited his grandparents and they took the Sunday of from Church,...
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Away from Tension
Seekin' Deacon
The Rev. Liam Barr shares his practices of trying to step away from tension and how it has taken over our world. He makes us ponder how we can step away and empty our mind and soul and center. This will result in a release. He asks: How do we limit our access to social media? We lose ourselves when we fall into a space of reaction—the art of slowing down and processing the evocative things that show up through God. We would like to extend our gratitude to the Rev. Liam Barr for this episode and wish him continued success at the New Hope Project, as well as in his service at Holy...
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Pura Vida
Seekin' Deacon
Growing up in a programmatic church, Rev. Liam Barr gained a different view of church in Costa Rica. The church has depth and meaning related to "who" as a human he is, and possibly trying to dissolve the limitations we have placed on God. The term Pura Vida was adopted by a famous Costa Rican character in a film, which ultimately means pure living/pure life, and was embraced by the culture. The deep relationships built in Costa Rica translate to the deep spirituality in how to live fully and "in the moment". We must ask ourselves: Are we happy and living a full life with God? How do we live...
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Costa Rica
Seekin' Deacon
We join the Rev. Liam Barr, Curate serving at Holy Innocents in Henderson, North Carolina. Liam shares that the world is a disorienting place as he questions who he is and how he can do the work and serve. He is five months into being an ordained Priest and is loving the job he is doing in both the Latino community and the "Project Hope" initiative through the NC Episcopal Diocese, at the campus of St. Mark's in Raleigh. He explained his journey has been one more of Peter than Paul, and not so direct in growing up in Greenville, South Carolina. He caught the church "bug" at Christ Church...
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Common Ground
Seekin' Deacon
Ekklesia Church in Raleigh holds a common ground and welcomes the LGBTQ community, and a love of teaching. A person who was LGBTQ shared with Curtis early on in a moment of humility that they did not want to be a burden to the church. At that moment, he decided the church was "all in" on whatever support they could and did give. Curtis speaks to the rhythm and cadence of spiritual practices and how they change with the season. He points out to his parishioners not to feel obligated to practice them all because we are all wired different. He loves reading liturgies and fishing in nature...
info_outlineThe Rev. Liam Barr shares his practices of trying to step away from tension and how it has taken over our world. He makes us ponder how we can step away and empty our mind and soul and center. This will result in a release. He asks: How do we limit our access to social media? We lose ourselves when we fall into a space of reaction—the art of slowing down and processing the evocative things that show up through God.
We would like to extend our gratitude to the Rev. Liam Barr for this episode and wish him continued success at the New Hope Project, as well as in his service at Holy Innocents in Henderson, NC.