All of us are grieved by the mass shootings this past weekend in El Paso and Dayton, and by the ongoing violence in many cities in America. At the same time, we are bombarded with increasingly strident rhetoric from seemingly every quarter, prompting the Christian humor website, The Babylon Bee, to post a satirical article that headlined, “Study Shows Leading Cause of Gun Violence Is Those You Disagree With Politically.” Ouch!

A large group from our Diocese journeyed to Dallas earlier this month for a series of significant and tremendously encouraging gatherings of the Anglican Church in North America, celebrating the tenth anniversary of our Church.

Since mid-September, the Daily Lectionary has had us in the Book of Proverbs, appointing each morning and each evening a chapter filled with godly wisdom.

I hope that you have seen reports on the amazing Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) held in Jerusalem in late June, centering on the mission-focused theme, “Proclaiming Christ Faithfully to the Nations.” With 2,000 delegates from across the Anglican Communion, including a strong delegation from our diocese, this third GAFCON (after 2008 and 2013) was a rich and rewarding experience.

In the Daily Lectionary this past week, we had readings that recount the lives of two great kings in Jerusalem: Hezekiah and Josiah. They both received a prophecy of coming judgment upon the nation, but, as we’ll see, they responded quite differently.