by The Rev. J.C. Austin | Sep 24, 2023
“Don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” Every good superhero has at least one signature catchphrase. Batman’s “I’m Batman,” is about as simple as you can get, but it’s surprisingly effective at intimidating bad guys who are desperately hoping they...
by The Rev. J.C. Austin | Sep 17, 2023
Rusty stood glowering at my brother and sister-in-law across the yard. It was a bright, sunny day in Kentucky where they had driven from Atlanta to visit a breeder of Great Danes that they had connected with online. When my brother Gill married Annie, it wasn’t in...
by The Rev. J.C. Austin | Sep 10, 2023
About a month ago, I attended the Opening Convocation ceremony at Georgetown University, where my son Liam has begun his first year, and which was the last moment to which parents were welcome as part of the First-Year Orientation. Most universities have an Opening...
by The Rev. J.C. Austin | Aug 27, 2023
Yogi Berra, the great philosopher of baseball, once said: “It’s déjà vu all over again.” But after reading our Old Testament lesson today, I think it was probably God who said it first. It’s déjà vu all over again for God with the Hebrews. Once...
by The Rev. J.C. Austin | Aug 20, 2023
In November 2001, I traveled with my brother in Chile. I was a pastor in New York City at the time, and the cumulative weight of responding to the September 11 attacks was weighing heavily on our pastoral staff, so we each swapped out a week’s vacation to recover. I...
