Rite of Confession

It has been over three years since my last  and first} Rite of Confession.

I am way past due to make another one. Sadly, I really know I SHOULD make the sacramental Confession, but truth be told I don't want to do it.

No one likes to face their sins in such a profound way. Bu I know from experience how cleansing this rite can be. And I needed to do it *yesterday*. But like the prideful human I am, I find excuses to NOT go to Confession.

I screw up often.

But then , everyone screws up often. God does not expect perfection--just obedience. And the Church provides us with a rite to " make things better" but openly naming one's sins before God in the presence of a priest.

To my more Protestant fiends, naming one's sins befoe a priest is not an easy task. But who said anything healthy and worthwhile is easy?

But this Lenten journey we are on isn't supposed to be easy. We will stumble.

My " Lycan" Book obsession

Everyone who knows me knows that I am a cheapskate when it comes o entertainment. One of the applications that is the most useful to me is the " Books Buddy" application on my NOOK Color Tablet. I've read many books that I've procured from this app, but very few are worthy of a review from me.

Approximately one month ago I came across a deal on a paranormal romance-adventure novel by little-known Canadian author Nicky Charles.  Since I am a huge fan of paranormal novels I decided to give Book One _The Mating_ a try. I finished _The Mating  immediately started to read_The Keeping_ . When I finished Book Two I read _The Finding_. In my opinion, _The Finding_  contains the darkest material thus far, but I am currently reading Book Four_Bonded_.

In spite of some rather...steamy.. coitus scenes ,{really--one can live without*that* much detail concerning werewolf " relations"} I totally enjoyed the world that the author created where Lycans { werewolves} live in ' packs" that resemble a modern-day tribe. These werewolf packs have a hierarchy that is based upon that of real wolf packs.  Lycan society is hidden from the human population & through the centuries, werewolves developed a strict code that governs their daily lives. Apparently Lycans once populated the earth in larger numbers, but humans hunted them to near extinction. Although I don't recommend these novels to anyone under the age of consent, they are a fun read that I'm enjoying immensely.

I find the premise of a fictional " secret society hidden n plain sight" fascinating. For me  that was one o the themes of the Harry Potter series of novels that intrigued me. In Book Four the author deals with the serious topic of Lycan racial cleansing. Unlike her previous three novels in this series, _Bonded_ takes place in the past---back to a time in Lycan history when packs came under the influence of " purist" Alphas who sought to rid Lycan society of " mixed" families created when werewolves paired with humans.

These books are both fun & thought-provoking. I'm finding that the Purist movement in _Bonded_ is eerily similar to the eugenics that have been documented in history

Thank you, Ms Charles, for sharing your novels with us

Picasa Picasa

Currently I am uploading my photos from #Diocgc13 onto Picasa, per the request of the person who is overseeing communications for my diocese. I informed her that I will have all the photos to her by the end of tomorrow & I SHALL meet my deadline. Once I am accustomed to using Picasa I hope that the upload & email distribution will be less tedious than it is for me today.


I did not realize how SLOW Picasa is in uploading photos to a particular album for distribution. Thankfully, I've done all the basic editing  prior to uploading the event photos---the uploads are huge { after all, I do use a brand new Nikon 3100}

Saturday morning session. #Diocgc13

I got many photos of various delegations from parishes this morning. Morning Devotionals was, in my opinion dull . We read the role of each of the categories of ministry & the visiting bishop expounded upon the catechism.  Now I would HOPE that anyone attending a convention in the Church would know that material, but maybe I am wrong.


Bishop Duncan presided over a very passionate discussion  regarding the budget.  The Visiting Bishop led the congregation in devotions using the Catechism.

The delegates voted on new Standing Committee members & various resolutions.

The Bishop's staff always works extra-hard to make the annual convention run smoothly.

The delegation from our "sister parish" up the highway smiles for the camera. Getting all the delegations together in one place is a challenge, but one that I gladly undertook.

Closing Mass was wonderful. The Visiting Bishop had some wise remarks for those of us in attendance.

I've been to a total of three Conventions of my diocese . And t is my opinion that #diocgc2013 was by far the one that will leave me with  lasting memories that will be an interal part of my development as a Christ-follower.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the delegation from St Monica's Episcopal Church in Cantonment, Florida for welcoming me into their condominium for the duration of the convention. I saw many of my friends from around my Diocese , but I also made some new ones from St Monica's & for this I am grateful.

I am also grateful to e a part of the Church in this place & time. I'm more confident after today's business session that the Church is alive & well. It is also heartening for me to see lay & clergy Church leaders step forward on faith. I am grateful for Church leaders who are willing to " step out on a limb" of faith & find ways to be the Church that we have been since the first followers of Christ gathered together to worship & pray.

We are Church.Thanks be to God.

Amen. Amen. Amen.

#Diocgc13 Friday Night Gala

The Gala was held in the ballroom of the Majestic Towers in Panama City, FL.  We enjoyed supper, drinks and dancing. It was fun.

                                                   The centerpieces were so pretty!

                                                        Our Bishop attended the Gala.

                               Clergy & their spouses enjoyed an evening of fun & fellowship.

The Gala delegations enjoyed time together at Gala.

#Diocgc Friday afternon

 The delegates of our Convention participated in an outreach ministry for hungry people called "Stop Hunger Now"  Some of the students from Holy Nativity Episcopal School helped with the packaging of the food boxes. .

The spouses of the clergy gathered for fellowship, & food at the annual Clergy Spouse Luncheon.

During Noonday Prayer, the Mission Team to the Dominican Republic was commissioned by Bishop Duncan.

#DioCgc13 Friday Morning Business session

 Friday morning started with a ride over to the Majestic Resort, a short car ride from our complex in Panama City. This morning's worship was one of Morning Prayer, with re-affirming ordination vows for clergy & blessing of the chrism oils.

 During the break between worship & the beginning of the first business session was time for fellowship .

I walked through the Exhibit Hall before morning worship & there are various displays from ministries & other organizations around our Diocese.

#DioCgc13 Thursday night arrival

We arrived Thursday afternoon & checked in to the Long Beach Resort here in Panama City. The Opening Mass was wonderful & I got to see several of my friends, many whom  have not seen since #DioCG12.

The Holy Nativity { Panama City} Childrens' Choir sang two songs including the Lords' Prayer at the Communion on Thursday evening. The Visiting Bishop for the Convention is the Right Reverend Pierre W Whalen,

I saw many friends from around the diocese. both clergy & laity last night before & after the opening Mass.

    Part of my duties last night was to take the " official clergy photo" for the Diocese.

All Packed & Ready to Go #Diocgc13

  I promised my parishioners, friends & family that I will keep them updated  on the highlights of this years' Diocesan Convention via my blog. Since I am not a voting delegate this year, I'll have more " down time" with which to reflect what I wish to report to my church family back home while I'm experiencing the Convention.

Although the Convention is not a totally new experience for me{ I've been an alternate delegate & an elected delegate to two previous conventions} In addition to my designation as the " official" event photographer, this is my first  PAID photography gig! * does a happy dance* This weekend is, for me, adding up to be not just a fabulous time of worship & fellowship, but also one that can help me further my art. In addition, it is my hope that reporting on Convention via my weblog will help me hone some reporting skills that have { sadly} gone dormant from lack of use.

I'm hoping & praying that the conference center in Panama City has wi-fi access, because I can get a lot of blogging done during certain speeches & commission reports.  If not, I'll just stay awake late { ha ha ,like I'll sleep anyhow in a strange place!} I'll also recap briefly what Bishop Duncan says in his address on Friday morning.  My readers can expect a very brief entry  about Friday evening's Gala, so I am sure I'll be tired & the schedule has us needing to arise early for breakfast & morning worship.

I am hoping that the weather holds up for us, since we'll be on the beach! The dress code put forth in the Convention packet says that " casual" is the order of the day for Convention. However, the " girly girl" in me is THRILLED to bring along one of my favorite dresses to wear to the Gala!

In His Service,

Sarah Beth.

A Photography Gig!

I am excited.

I will be attending the 43rd Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast this Thursday -Saturday.

This year the events will be hel at the beach in Panama City, Florida.

I am not a voting lay delegate this year, I will be involved with all the Convention-related activities as a PHOTOGRAPHER! Yup, not only do I get to  see my friends from around the Diocese, but this is an opportunity for me to show my budding skills as a photographer.

St Pauls' Episcopal Church, Selma, AL

On Sunday Best Dude & I woke very early in order to drive to Selma, Alabama to visit two of our favorite people{ who just happen to both be priests at St Pauls' Episcopal Church} Anyway, we arrived in plenty of time for the 10:30 Mass. Naturally, I took along my Nikon & got some great photos of the church & its stained-glass interior.

It was a lovely, albeit foggy drive north to Selma.We left home at 5:30 A.M. & saw the sun rise over a foggy sky. As we drove north, and then west, I saw many small elevations in the grade of the land. As a mountaineer, sometimes I miss life at a higher elevation, so riding along on a two-lane country road brought back many fine memories of rural life.  Most of the woodland critters who live in the Alabama woos were in hiding{ this IS hunting season  after all!} but we did notice a flock of birds-of-prey roosting on a power line.

Here is a photo of the gorgeous stained-glass window near the ceiling in the nave above the front door of the church.

 This is a view of the nave of St Paul's , Selma.

                 There is a side chapel located off to the left of the main seating area of the nave.

There is an original Tiffany stained-glass window upstairs in the Fellowship Hall. I could not capture the detail o this work with my " budget" software, but the scene depicted in the glass is "The Wedding at Cana"

I love the Gothic architecture of the St Pauls' Selma church building.

Pittsburgh, PA urban hike

Two years ago I spent the day with Cousin J in the City of Bridges: PITTSBURGH. We took a two-and-a-half-mile  urban hikes around The Golden Triangle.

Here is one of the suspension bridges that cross Pittsburgh's three rivers. Although I am not sure: I believe this bridge to be the very one that is featured on the movie _Flashdance_

 This is the view from Point State Park of Mount Washington.

 Our view of "Dahntahn" as seen from Point State Park.

Pittsburgh Plate Glass, also known as PPG Place.

We saw the huge statue of Fred Rogers { _Mr Roger's Neighborhood_}

I miss the old Three Rivers' Stadium. We walked by both the new Pirates' baseball stadium & Heinz Field.