Everyday Monks

Everyday Monks

Real-life spirituality for everyday Christianity. everydaymonks.substack.com

  1. 1d ago

    “I Just Need Jesus”: Mediated Grace and the Rule of Life

    A parishioner posted a photo of Evening Prayer, and a stranger commented: “What’s up with the guy in the outfit? I don’t need a priest. I just need Jesus.” Many evangelicals would say the same, because they hear it as loyalty to Christ alone. This week the Everyday Monks ask what that sentence assumes about the Church, the sacraments, and the spiritual life. We look at what Jesus actually did: he called disciples, made apostles, sent out the seventy, gave his Church the bread, the cup, and the water of baptism, and commanded his apostles to teach “all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Even the Bible comes to us through the Church. When grace isn’t mediated, every Christian is left to judge his own heart, and the result is restlessness: congregations reinventing themselves around “what works,” rebaptism and the Donatist impulse, and “always reforming” that never arrives anywhere. We then turn to what the Church has received: a rule of faith that is both right belief and right practice, handed down by our mother the Church. Along the way: why Fr. Vinson’s own rebaptism taught him more than he expected, and why we’ll gladly submit to a CrossFit coach but call a rule of prayer “legalism.” This week’s practice: pray the Office for Morning Prayer (p. 3) or Evening Prayer (p. 21) from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer once a day for six days. If you miss a day, simply begin again. Books Mentioned: 1928 Book of Common Prayer; Louis Menand, The Metaphysical Club; Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death; Hans Boersma, Heavenly Participation; Martin Thornton, English Spirituality; Reformed Catholic Anglicanism, Cranmer Theological House. Everyday Monks is the parish podcast of St. Benedict’s Anglican Church in Rockwall, Texas: Belong - Believe - Become. Get full access to Everyday Monks at everydaymonks.substack.com/subscribe

    “I Just Need Jesus”: Mediated Grace and the Rule of Life
  2. Jun 5

    Catching Up & Looking Back

    NEW EPISODE: Why the Prayer Book Still Matters After a busy season of Holy Week, Easter, clergy retreats, church planting, and parish life, the Everyday Monks crew is finally back around the podcast table. In this episode, Fr. Michael Vinson, Fr. Michael Templin, Fr. Marq Toombs, and Deacon Timothy Wilson catch up on life, ministry, and the recent Anglican Way Institute Conference hosted at the historic Cathedral Church of the Holy Communion (REC) in Dallas. The conference explored the remarkable story of the English and American Prayer Book Tradition, tracing its development from Cranmer’s 1549 Book of Common Prayer to the modern era. What makes the Prayer Book so enduring? Why are Christians from Anglican, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, and other traditions increasingly discovering its wisdom? And what can the history of the Prayer Book teach us about worship, discipleship, pastoral care, and the life of the Church today? Along the way, the conversation explores: * The legacy and influence of the Book of Common Prayer * Reflections from the Anglican Way Institute conference * The importance of pastoral care and life in Christian community * Church planting, ministry, and life in a growing parish * Why ancient patterns of prayer still speak powerfully to a modern world Whether you’re a lifelong Anglican, curious about the Prayer Book tradition, or simply interested in thoughtful conversations about faith and ministry, this episode offers a rich and engaging discussion. Get full access to Everyday Monks at everydaymonks.substack.com/subscribe

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Real-life spirituality for everyday Christianity. everydaymonks.substack.com

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