Moments of Quietness

Christ, our all in all,
into your presence I come, Lord;
a few moments of quietness,
closeness
in a busy world
that demands my attention.
Breathe on me now,
that I might know your power
to see this day though.
#Episcopal #Anglican #Celtic #morning #prayer #quiet #breathe
(Prayer from Faithandworship.com )

Photo by Caroline Carson, Font and window in sunset at St. Paul's Episcopal Church

i thank You God for most this amazing

                                   I THANK YOU GOD FOR MOST THIS AMAZING

City Park, NOLA in March 2015

                                        i thank You God for most this amazing

                                        day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees

                                        and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything

                                        which is natural which is infinite which is yes

                                        (i who have died am alive again today,

                                        and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth

                                        day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay

                                        great happening illimitably earth)

                                        how should tasting touching hearing seeing

                                        breathing any–lifted from the no

                                        of all nothing–human merely being

                                        doubt unimaginable You?

                                        (now the ears of my ears awake and

                                        now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

                                                                   -- e.e. cummings (1894-1962)
                                        #poetry #gratitude #thanks #Nature #nola #Episcopal

Poem found at: http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2013/10/26 
And here is a GORGEOUS choral composition written by Eric Whitacre (b. 1970) sung by The Stanford Chamber Chorale and the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, under the direction of Stephen Layton. * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMbSY7b0fuM

butterfly I saw at UNO on a pretty purple flowering bush

Thistle at NOLA City Park, March 2015

Our Moon 3/28/15

Here's my photo of our moon from Saturday, march 28, 2015. I'll probably update this with the hi-res image later today (3/30). Canon Powershot (50X)

CCarson 3.28.2015

Palm Sunday at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, NOLA

Here is our album of photos from yesterday's Palm Sunday service and potluck at St. Paul's Episcopal, New Orleans. In the morning, I decided to play with sunlight and got a few photos I really liked :-)

During the week, I'll be adding more to this album and hopefully and few others will as well!
Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153163464741635.1073741849.305709146634&type=1

Above photo: me, Rt. Rev'd Duncan Gray (his 1st day with us as bishop in residence at St. Paul's), Fr. Rob Courtney (our rector), Amelia Arthur (director of formation)

morning sunlight through a palm

Cherish every day, today!

Some lighthearted humor for St. Patrick's Day

Here's an old Gaelic blessing for ye: 

May those who

love us, love us

And those that

don't love us,

May God turn

their hearts;

And if he doesn't

turn their hearts

May he turn

their ankles

So we'll know them

by their limping

~ Gaelic Blessing

Here is a favorite, rather emotional, rendition of the Londonderry Air, "Danny Boy", by the Muppets! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OCbuRA_D3KU

Here is how St. Patrick REALLY drove the snakes out of Ireland! 

and here's the ill-fated blind date....

Christ, as a light illumine and guide me

"Canticle"

Christ, as a light

illumine and guide me.

Christ, as a shield

overshadow me.

Christ under me;

Christ over me;

Christ beside me

on my left and my right.

This day be within and without me,

lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;

in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.

This day be within and without me,

lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light;

Christ as a shield;

Christ beside me

on my left and my right.

Gulf of Mexico sunrise, C. Carson

‪#‎Episcopal‬ ‪#‎Anglican‬ ‪#‎Celtic‬ ‪#‎prayer‬

Pi Day, 2015

Yesterday was Pi Day and Albert Einstein's birthday!

Happy #PiDay 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679821480865132823066470......zzzzz...

Here's some more info about the day itself - http://www.piday.org/

Also, a couple of fun articles:

1. From Slate

and

2. From NPR

I got myself up and out and down the street to the Cafe Rose Nicaud for a slice of pecan pie. It was really empty when I got there so I decided to stay and have my pie and add some coffee and enjoy the visit. My friend Connie happened to come by so we chatted for a while and by the time I finished my pie, the place was full! :-) It's a terrific cafe and if you're in the Frenchmen Street area of New Orleans, do try to stop by. Their hibiscus iced tea is fantastic, great pecan pie, and they feature a host of sandwiches, wraps, and other croissants and desserts.Since it was 3/14/15 the trick was catching 9:26 and 53 seconds....which I ended up doing both morning and evening :-)

MONDAY.....yawn

Yawn....oh hai Monday...zzz

LMEA adjudication of Large Group Choral Festival

So honored and excited to adjudicate for the LMEA (Louisiana Music Educators Association) Large Ensemble Choral Festival (Tuesday, March 11 - Thursday, March 13). Excellent leadership and organization by Dana Lux and helpers!

They have about 50 choirs abd I'm hearing a wide variety of repertoire ranging from excellent to schlocky! Such royal treatment from District IV! Hot lunches & dinner, accommodations, little snacks, parking, and fun! First Baptist of Baton Rouge is also a SUPERB host! So friendly and helpful too!

Here's to choral music in the schools! 

You Are the Peace

                                             You are the peace of all things calm

                                              You are the place to hide from harm

You are the light that shines in dark

You are the heart's eternal spark

You are the door that's open wide

You are the guest who waits inside

You are the stranger at the door

You are the calling of the poor

You are my Lord and with me still

You are my love, keep me from ill

You are the light, the truth, the way

You are my Saviour this very day.

We thirst for you, O Christ

John 7:37-38 Jesus said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’”

Lord, it is night. The night is for stillness

Lord it is night. The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done. Let it be. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace. The night heralds the dawn. Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities. In your name we pray. Amen.
~ from the New Zealand Prayer The Book of Common Prayer
~ "Milky Way Over Abandoned Kilns" by Tom McEwan 

[http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110725.html ]
‪#‎Episcopal‬ ‪#‎prayer‬ ‪#‎celestial‬ ‪#‎Anglican‬ ‪#‎night‬ ‪#‎MilkyWay‬ ‪#‎APOD‬

This is another day, O Lord

This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.
#Episcopal #prayer #Anglican

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, NOLA. Photo by C. Carson

A Quote About Being Christian

"Whatever you do today, do it well", from Live58

‪#‎service‬ ‪#‎Episcopal‬ ‪#‎Luther‬ ‪#‎faith‬ ‪#‎prayer‬ ‪#‎Anglican‬

A Hymn for Daylight Saving Time

DON'T FORGET! Change your clocks! ‪#‎SpringFORWARD‬ Here's a little hymn (to the tune of 'God of Grace & God of Glory') to help you remember! ‪#‎DaylightSavingTime‬
(Thanks to The Choir Project & Marian Dolan for sharing on FB!)

Gregory of Nyssa

Today the church celebrates the life of Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 - c. 395 C.E.)

* A collect for today:
Almighty God, you have revealed to your Church your eternal Being of glorious majesty and perfect love as one God in Trinity of Persons: Give us grace that, like your bishop Gregory of Nyssa, we may continue steadfast in the confession of this faith, and constant in our worship of you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; for you live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

* A little history from the Internet School of Philosophy http://www.iep.utm.edu/gregoryn/ 

" - Gregory was bishop of #Nyssa from 372 to 376 and from 378 until his death. He is venerated as a saint in Roman #Catholicism, Eastern #Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, #Lutheranism, and #Anglicanism. Gregory, his brother Basil of Caesarea, and Gregory of Nazianzus are collectively known as the Cappadocian Fathers."He spent his life in #Cappadocia, a region in central Asia Minor. Together, the Cappadocians are credited with defining Christian orthodoxy in the Eastern Roman Empire, as Augustine (354—430 C.E.) was to do in the West. Gregory was a highly original thinker, drawing inspiration from the pagan Greek philosophical schools, as well as from the Jewish and Eastern Christian traditions, and formulating an original synthesis that was to influence later Byzantine, and possibly even modern European, thought. A central idea in Gregory's writing is the distinction between the transcendent nature and immanent energies of God, and much of his thought is a working out of the implications of that idea in other areas--notably, the world, humanity, history, knowledge, and virtue. This leads him to expand the nature-energies distinction into a general cosmological principle, to apply it particularly to human nature, which he conceives as having been created in God's image, and to rear a theory of unending intellectual and moral perfectibility on the premise that the purpose of human life is literally to become like the infinite nature of God. "

* More information - http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_of_Nyssa

#Episcopal #Saints #Anglican #Gregory #philosophy #EDOLA

I Arise Today

I arise today
embraced in the arms
of God the Father,
empowered by the strength
of God the Spirit,
immersed in the love
of God the Son.
I arise today
in the company
of the Trinity,
Father, Spirit and Son.
I arise today.
#Episcopal #Celtic #Anglican #prayer #arise #Morning

Psalm 23