[TEST] New Covenant Church Blog

Along The Way

Bishop Carl Buffington — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 05:42:55 GMT

Referencing Mark 10:17-31**)

"As he was setting out..." someone, who perhaps grasps and then gasps -- 'He's leaving, this is my last chance to ask him' -- approaches him, respectfully, honestly, humbly, sincerely.

"What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Please.

Tell me.

The disciples, as do we, lean in. The dialogue is deceptively compelling.

The answer to this question has us all holding our breath. I hope.

Because when breath becomes air -

As it does for all living souls,

What's next?

What shall we do, you do, anyone do?

To inherit eternal life?

If it's not your question now, well, it should be...

A friend of mine said he had a commandment above his bed -

"Thou shalt not should on thyself."

But, it seems right here, to should on yourself.

And besides, did you see it?

Jesus added a commandment too - "do not defraud" - maybe just for this person?

Or not. Go figure.

Anyway, they continue on their way.

"All the way to heaven is heaven, because He said I am the Way."

St. Catharine

He's not with them.

I'm told this is the only scripture where someone leaves Jesus presence - sad.

What did he miss? Why couldn't, didn't, he get it?

Look again, see if you see,

Along the Way Part 2

Bishop Carl Buffington — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 05:42:55 GMT

"All the way to heaven is heaven, because He said I am the Way" St. Catharine

What must we do to do the works God requires?

Sheryl Shaw — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 04:00:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago, when preaching from John this was the phrase that rang in my ears. And the answer:

Friday Epistle - Vacation Bible School

Carl Buffington — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 04:00:00 GMT

Seventy kids, and a large number of our parish, have been showing up this week. It's been fun, a little wild, and every day has been a blessing. Here are a few snapshots from the week.

From Bishop Carl:

VBS impacts the spirit and soul.

First of all it's the interaction of the people, kids and adults smiling, laughing, serving, focusing on our Lord together. I love being with the staff as well as the children. It is refreshment at its best and more.

The soul gets nourished. A friend of mine used to teach that when we taught, the first thing forgotten was the content. The second thing forgotten was the style, how you taught what you taught. And the thing remembered longest was the attitude with which we taught. Our attitude nourishes the soul.

We also can bless the spirit of those present. We can awaken a thirst. A parishioner sent me the following, borrowing from Max Lucado.

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).

The phrase "train up" descends from a root word that means to develop a thirst. Hebrew midwives awakened the thirst of a newborn by dipping a finger in a bowl of crushed dates and placing it in the baby's mouth. To "train up," then, means to awaken thirst.

Parents and teachers can awaken thirst "in the way [the child] should go."

What an awesome gift it is! This is a work of the Spirit to the spirit.

Roberta:

Friday Epistle for January 5, 2018

Fr. Christopher Caudle — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 05:00:00 GMT

"God saw that the light was good..." Genesis 1.4a

Friday Epistle for May 5, 2017

Fr. Christopher Caudle — Fri, 05 May 2017 04:00:00 GMT

Many congratulations to Bishop Carl this week as he celebrates the second anniversary (May 2) of

Conquering the Dragons

Clint Kandle — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 04:00:00 GMT

Originally sent to the parish via email September 16, 2016

I have a strange way of relaxing, or perhaps not so foreign to some. I may lose some of you right here as I admit that I love to sit in front of the television and vegetate when I have nothing else special to do. The idea of viewing the world through another's eyes is somehow intriguing.

Infinity + 1

Clint Kandle — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 04:00:00 GMT

What is Infinity + 1?

I remember sitting in my eighth-grade math class, half-excited that it was nearly over and half-annoyed that we were listening to a classmate argue with the math teacher about the definition of infinity, in math used to symbolize the largest number imagined. She wasn't really arguing. She was trying to understand how infinity could be the largest number possible. Every time the teacher tried to explain that the term was not really a number but a rather a symbol, she would exclaim, "Well then, what is (Infinity+1)?"

Good Friday Epistle: A Sermon from St. Augustine

Carl Buffington — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 04:00:00 GMT

Good Friday Epistle for April 18, 2014

The Great 50 Days of Easter Day- 23

Fr. Christopher Caudle — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 04:00:00 GMT

Scriptures for today.
Psalm 41, 52 · Exodus 32.1-20 · Colossians 3.18-4.18 · Psalm 44 · Matthew 5.1-10