My Blog

Author: Fr. Ron Pogue

  • Judy Collins

    Portrait

    For forty years I have been blessed by the voice of Judy Collins.  Saturday evening, Gay and I finally attended a live performance at Galveston ’s 1894 Grand Opera House.  I had hoped to hear some familiar songs and was not disappointed.  However, the most memorable song of the evening was one I’d never heard before.  It is a composition of Judy Collins' that is a prayer to the One who gave her a voice and to whom she offers a petition to teach her to sing. 

    Before the performance, at Rudy and Paco’s Restaurant down the street from the Opera House, Maureen Patton, Executive Director, invited us to meet Ms. Collins at intermission.  What a delight!  I had an opportunity to tell her that God had indeed blessed her with a wonderful voice, taught her to sing, and that she in turn had blessed all of us with her music.  She humbly bowed her head, folded her hands, and said, “Thank you.” 

    Here are the lyrics of that wonderful prayer of Judy Collins:

    Singing Lessons
    Words and Music by Judy Collins
    Universal Music Corp. (ASCAP)/ The Wildflowers Company (ASCAP)

    (Administered by Universal Music Corp.)

    God of the rivers and the waterfalls
    God of thunder and lightening          
    God of plains and the mountains
    Of rainbows and prairies
    God of birth and death
    Of love and hope

    God of sun and moon
    God of ocean tides
    You who drive the stars
    You of perfect light
    Teach me how to sing

    And it came to pass on a cloudy night
    That I found myself lost in the dark
    And the wind blew cold and I was afraid
    And if love were lost how would I live

    You were like some mist in the fading light
    And my broken dreams wept in the night
    Where was all the love we had known before
    In this sea of tears would I reach the shore

    God of sun and moon
    God of oceans tides
    You who drive the stars
    You of perfect light
    Teach me how to sing

    I was on my knees, I was at the end
    There was nothing left, I would never mend
    When I heard a song in the waves that tossed
    Death is not the end, there is nothing lost

    God of sun and moon
    God of ocean tides
    You who drive the stars
    You of perfect light
    Teach me how to sing

    Music of the spheres through eternity
    Saying that through your tears you will always see
    Saying the more you lose that the more you own
    And the more you love the more you own
    Saying the pain you feel opens up your heart

    Where the swallows flew there was once a cloud
    Now the sun was bright and the river smiled
    And I heard you say death is just a dream
    Make your songs again you must always sing

    God of sun and moon
    God of ocean tides
    You who drive the sun
    You of perfect light
    Teach me how to sing

    God of everything
    Teach me how to sing
    God of everything
    Teach me how to sing

    WWW.JUDYCOLLINS.COM

  • Anglican Prayer Beads

    This summer, when we were in central Colorado, I learned of a jasper mine that had been in the area and had not been worked in several decades.  I was reminded of a set of Anglican prayer beads I had made from jasper, turquoise, and silver beads.  Minerals like these come from mountains like these.  Human beings have the gifts that are necessary to transform raw material into many things that serve humanity, including my prayer beads. 

    We are stewards of these treasures from the earth as well as the creative gifts that we have been given by our Creator God.  What we do with all the gifts is important to God and to the universe we are privileged to inhabit!

  • Younger Next Year

    Image002_2My friend, the Reverend Merrill Wade, rector of St. Matthew’s Church in Austin, recommended a book to me a year ago at the fall Clergy Conference.  He said, “Ron, it changed my life.”  He recommended it again at Diocesan Council in February and a third time at a gathering of clergy in Austin in May.  The third time was the charm for me.  I bought and read the book.  It changed my life, just as it changed my friend’s life.

    The book is entitled, “Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond.” The authors are Chris Crowley, a retired lawyer in his 70’s, and Henry S. Lodge, a doctor of internal medicine in his 40’s.  The book is a must read for men over 50 and men not over 50 who think someday that may happen to them.  There is a website and a women’s edition, which I might recommend if I were a woman and had read it.

    The book is filled with practical and useful information in plain English.  It tells us older guys about things that help us “turn back the clock,” such as lessons from evolutionary biology, the importance of exercise and diet, and the necessity of connecting with family and friends.  For example, it tells us how exercise tells the body to grow, while sitting too long tells the body to decay.

    I am eating better, exercising more, connecting more intentionally, and it is paying off.  I’ve lost 25 pounds and feel better than I have in years.

    If you are a man near or past the half century mark, please be a good steward of the body God gave you and read this book!  If you are the spouse or mom of such a person, use your persuasive powers to get him to read it.

    Ron+

  • Trinity Street Party

    Bill Macdonald produced this video at our recent Street Party at Galveston’s Trinity Episcopal Church. The Street Party was partly in celebration of the 150th year since the opening of our 1857 house of worship and mainly a “bridge event” for our downtown neighbors.

    Musician Scott Christopher played and sang for us, a couple from Mexico touring the church asked for a blessing on their wedding anniversary, new friendships were begun, and it made our hearts glad! Thanks, Bill, for sharing this video.

  • Galveston can set the example for environmental stewardship.

    Environmental_guild_logo

    By Ronald D. Pogue

    So much about the quality of our life on Galveston Island depends upon maintaining a harmonious balance with nature. In that special sense, Galveston is a microcosm of the planet. Through production and use of renewable energy and other practices that are good for our environment, we can set an example for the other human inhabitants of this fragile earth. It is inherent in Galveston’s heritage to do things that others find worthy of duplication elsewhere. Many things they said couldn’t be done were first done right here on this small island!

    Look at what we already have going for us. Development of the new biodiesel production facility and the potential consumers of that fuel here are positive signs that Galveston welcomes those who are helping to preserve the environment. We are proud to have non-profit organizations and for-profit businesses working to promote awareness and conservation of everything from sea turtles to rainforests, to estuaries, to butterflies, to migratory birds, to historic buildings. Ecotourism is emerging as an attraction for Galveston. The wind farm under development off our coastline in the territorial waters of Texas will provide a tremendous amount of clean energy and generate tens of millions of dollars in annual royalties for our state.

    Our mayor and city council are encouraging us to take a closer look at making Galveston a more pedestrian and bicycle friendly city, as well as to be more intentional about recycling. There are simple, positive ways each of us could contribute personally to such an obvious common cause. Hopefully, we can all get behind those initiatives. Many of our religious congregations, scouts, service clubs, businesses, and households are already exercising good stewardship of the environment. Let’s hear more about those efforts and recognize them.

    Perhaps T.A.M.G. and U.T.M.B. could even find new ways to creatively and usefully recycle some of our pungent annual seaweed crop. What if seaweed could be an additive to make ethanol a more efficient or less costly fuel? What if it became a cash crop for us?

    With a little extra effort, we can set a great example that will inspire visitors to properly dispose of recyclable materials such as aluminum cans, plastic containers, and empty bottles. Maybe they will return to their homes and tell others that spending a little time in Galveston helped them to realize how important it is for us to be good stewards of the environment that sustains our life. My personal awareness of the importance of recycling was influenced years ago when I spent a few days as a tourist in Durango, Colorado where signs proclaimed, "This community recycles."

    I write as an Episcopal Priest and resident of Galveston for the past seven years. My faith tradition teaches that in the very beginning our Creator placed the care of creation in the hands of human beings. No other creature bears that privilege or responsibility.

    However small or large the plot of ground each of us lives on, we cannot expect any other creature to exercise responsible stewardship for it. It is a privilege and a responsibility to be a contributor to the care of the island, the nation, and the planet we call “home.”

     

    This article was submitted for publication in the Galveston County Daily News on June 7, 2006.
    The Reverend Ronald D. Pogue is Rector of Galveston’s Trinity Church.

  • The Blessing of the Animals

    Each year near the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4) we have a service for The Blessing of the Animals at Galveston’s Trinity Church. People of all ages bring creatures of all kinds to be blessed. We do this out of our awareness of the unique role humans play as stewards of all creation, particularly in relation to other living creatures with whom we share this planet.

    Many of the stories surrounding the life of St. Francis have to do with his love for animals. He believed that the world was created good and beautiful by God but needs redemption because of original human sin. He preached to man and beast the universal ability and duty of all creatures to praise God and the responsibility of human beings to protect and enjoy nature as stewards of God's creation and as creatures ourselves. Legend has it that before his death St. Francis thanked his donkey at his bedside for carrying and helping him throughout his life, and his donkey wept.

  • Lessons from Geese

    Geese
    “Open our eyes to see you hand at work in the world about us.” We can find epiphanies in every corner of the universe. For example, consider the epiphanies that come from GEESE.

    Download lesson_geese_.pps

    Be sure to turn on your speakers and click on the pictures to see the next slides.

  • e-piphanies from a hot spring in Colorado

    The Ute Indians were mystified by hot water flowing out of the earth adjacent to the frigid waters of the Colorado River. Because they couldn’t explain it, they considered the springs sacred. Today, we know that these waters are heated by lava 30,000 feet beneath the earth’s surface. However, that doesn’t make them any less sacred. For people of faith, that knowledge is another sign of the Creator’s hand at work, prompting us to accept the gift of this water and offer thanks to the Giver.

    While making the video, I had to keep my voice low out of respect for the others who were bathing in this spring. That, coupled with the sound of the water, makes it a little difficult to hear. If you will turn up your volume it will help. RDP+

  • Galveston Benchmark

    My frequent walks on Galveston's seawall brought this e-piphany to mind.

    This is a benchmark. At some point in time, surveyors arrived at a precise calculation of this location and its elevation above sea level. Then, they placed brass plate here so that it could be used by others a reference point in tidal observations and surveys. A surveying team places a transit directly over this benchmark and then uses other instruments to attain precise measurements. People have returned to this benchmark time and time again to orient themselves.

    For Christians, the Holy Bible is a benchmark, a fixed reference point to which we turn to orient our lives and our actions. The Bible, like this one at Galveston’s Trinity Church or the one on your desk, is a revelation of God – God’s nature, and God’s purpose for creation. God gives us additional instruments which are necessary to apply the divinely inspired writings of the Bible to our lives: the instrument of reason and the instrument of tradition. Reason is necessary in order for us to find the truth of the scripture in relation to the world and the time in which we live so that it is ever relevant, as fresh as the morning newspaper. Tradition, the accumulated wisdom of surveyors of the faith through the centuries. It is necessary in order for us to see how others who have gone before us have applied the teachings of the Bible to their circumstances. We can learn so much from their experience and insights.

    In this way, scripture serves as our benchmark for the proper orientation of our life and our faith, helping us find our way as we walk with God. Read the scriptures and use the God-given instruments of reason and tradition to orient the life God has given you. The Book of Proverbs promises, when you do, “Then, you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; prudence will watch over you; and understanding will guard you.” (Proverb s 2:9-11)

  • The Galveston Sea Wall

    e-piphanies on the Anniversary of The Great Storm of 1900

    We are here at the Seawall on Galveston Island on September 8, 2007, the 107th anniversary of the Great Storm of 1900, which devastated this island and killed over 6,000 of its inhabitants. Today, 107 years later, that storm remains the worst natural disaster in American history. There were epiphanies in the storm for the people of Galveston. In the aftermath of the storm, they discovered blessings they might never have recognized.

    Engineers designed this Seawall, which rises 17 feet above the beach below, to protect the island from other storms by breaking the force of a tidal surge. It is an amazing example of pioneering engineering and construction. The level of the island was raised six feet in some places. People not only wanted the island to be habitable again, but they also wanted it to be beautiful, so they planted oleanders and other flowering plants. A new form of city government was developed to facilitate the rebuilding of the city. That form of government not only served this city well for over 50 years, it was copied by more than 300 other cities across the country. And the people! The people of Galveston discovered spiritual resources that made it possible to overcome differences, transcend barriers of race and class.

    In the midst of devastation, God gave the people of Galveston the intellectual, physical, economic, and spiritual resources to rebuild their island home and their lives. That’s the way it works. If we look into the difficult times with eyes of faith, we discover God’s hand at work, helping, healing, and providing for us all we need to move forward into the future. “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)