One Minute Review: The Grey

The Grey is one of those films that could really go either way. It stars Liam Neeson, which is good. The trailer makes it look pretty cool. But it comes from the guy who made the recent A-Team movie, which does not bode well. Is it a throw-away action film, or is there some substance there? Luckily, the One Minute Review has the answers.

One Minute Review: The Artist

A black and white silent film? Didn't we stop making those for a reason? What good could come out of that? Watch the One Minute Review to find out.

After Winter Conference

This is the pastoral letter I just sent to my congregation.  It is about the current mess in and around the Anglican Mission in the Americas.

Dear Church of the Redeemer,

Greetings to you.  I hope this letter finds you well.

As you are probably aware, this has been a tumultuous time in the Anglican world.  I have written three other updates which I hope you have already read.  You can find them on our website.  My first letter is here: http://tinyurl.com/7gb86aq  My second letter is here: http://tinyurl.com/7kmcdfr  My third  letter is here http://tinyurl.com/7m3ru2p

Since I last wrote to you, I have been to the annual Anglican Mission (AMiA) Winter Conference.  I was joined by our other pastors and three of our elders.  The highlight of the event was Jenna Martin’s ordination to the deaconate!  I don’t always enjoy the programs at these conferences, but I always enjoy seeing my fellow clergypersons from both North America and Africa.  This year many of these friends were absent.

It was a pleasure to be with the clergy leaders of all the AMiA churches in our “Mid-South Network” (Middle and Eastern Tennessee).  We had many good discussions.   I was especially grateful to hear from Bishop Todd Hunter and Canon Ellis Brust.  Bishop Todd was our bishop until his resignation from Rwanda, and I would love for him to be our bishop again in the near future.  The best thing I experienced in that hotel was the discussion which took place between Bishop Todd and the Tennessee clergy.

Bishop Todd's humility and non-defensiveness were remarkable.  When I asked him why he had resigned from Rwanda, he answered me that he had made a mistake.  He did not know that his resignation would affect his relationship with our church.  He expected that the bishops were simply going to move into another Anglican Province.  He reminded us that he has only been an Anglican for a couple of years.  He did not fully grasp the enormity of this move.  He said these same things to the entire conference.

Bishop T.J. Johnston, our previous bishop, was also a humble and sensitive presence.  He apologized to all of us, not for what he had done but for the pain that had been caused.  He is leading an effort to negotiate with the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).  It is possible that these negotiations will lead to the AMiA coming under the oversight of ACNA.  This is what I would most like to see happen.

Unfortunately, much of what was said by the leadership of the AMiA was not as helpful.  From my personal perspective, I heard too much arrogance, fact spinning, and finger pointing.  I would prefer not to give a laundry list of specific examples, as this is not beneficial to my soul.  They explained to us that they intend to begin a “missionary society” that will possibly not be part of an Anglican Province.  They did not tell us what a missionary society was, or why it should exist.    At least one of the bishops questioned whether it was even necessary for the organization to remain Anglican at all.

Our Elders and Pastors have had serious conversations about the situation. We are not satisfied with the present circumstances.  We don't believe that the AMiA has adequately addressed important questions. Redeemer is completely committed to remaining Anglican, and attached to an Anglican Province (or at least an emerging Province like the ACNA).

All that being said, we are still hopeful that the AMiA will find a satisfactory a resolution. We don't see the value in making any hasty decisions. While we are not currently governed by any AMiA bishop, we intend to retain our membership in the AMiA for now. However, we are also paying close attention to the guidance of our present bishop, Archbishop Rwaje and the bishops who did not leave Rwanda.  Furthermore, we are in contact with bishops of the ACNA.

At this time we have not been officially offered an alternative structure.  Some new structures are emerging, but nothing is in place quite yet.  I expect that at some point Redeemer will be asked to make some important decisions regarding how we will relate to the wider Anglican Communion.  At that time, I will make sure to give you whatever information I have. 

I am still a priest of the Anglican Province of Rwanda.  Danny Bryant is a deacon of Rwanda, and Jenna Martin is actually a deacon of the Anglican Church of Congo.  Church of the Redeemer is part of the world-wide Anglican Communion by virtue of these connections.  Archbishop Rwaje is our bishop.

Regardless of how we are connected to the Anglican Communion a year from now, I am certain that Redeemer will remain what it is today, a church that lives and proclaims Christ’s redeeming love.  Our vision, our values, and our direction have not changed.  I do not believe that this current mess was God’s best for his people.  I believe it came from the sinfulness of men, though what those sins were and who committed them are not mine to know or judge.  I do know that the Lord is still in the redemption business.  I believe he will take this messy situation and bring forth something beautiful.  I continue to hope that he will bring forth a more fully unified Anglican Church in this nation.

I call upon each of you to pray.  Let’s kneel together in this season.  Please pray for your pastors and elders.  Please pray for the leaders of the AMiA, the ACNA, the Province of Rwanda, and all those affected by this situation.  Pray that all of us would find resolution soon.  Pray that the enemy of our souls would find no foothold.  Pray that no further dishonor would come to the Name of Christ.

As I said in my previous letter, if you feel that you would like to discuss this matter further, please feel free to contact me and set up a meeting.  There is a great deal of opinion and “information” on the internet.  Feel free to explore that as much or as little as you like.  I will do my very best to keep you informed as things develop.

May the Lord grant to us His peace, the peace that the world can’t give. The peace that we will never find in good circumstances, in happy climates, or in godly leaders.  The peace that comes from Him alone.

My love and prayers are with you all,


The Reverend Thomas McKenzie
Pastor, Church of the Redeemer

Good Words from the Abbot

Every week I eagerly await the regular letter from Abbot Phillip, the abbot of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. This weeks letter was particularly helpful to me this morning, especially given the confusing and painful denominational meeting I am presently attending. I pass part of it on to you in hope that you will find it helpful.

The great challenge of monastic life is not the challenge of having a lot
of vocations, but the challenge of forming men so that they can use their
energies to seek the Lord. Very often men come to us with truly good
intentions and want to be formed to seek the Lord with all of their
energies. As the formation goes on, of course, most drop out.

As I look at society today, I wonder if we are teaching that we don\'t
have to change, but the world around us must change. If life is difficult,
then we must change something around us. It is rare to find the person who actually realizes that the greatest changes must be made within us and not outside of us.

A good way to discern how we make our decisions is simply to ask why we
did something. If the answer is generally because of outside factors, we must ask ourselves why that is. If the answer is usually that I did a
certain thing because it seemed the right thing to do, or because I was
trying to do what I thought that God wanted of me, then perhaps we are
getting closer to the maturity that God wants of us.

It is only when our hearts are still, at peace and without strong desire
that we can seek the will of the Lord. Throughout the history of spirituality, there have been many ways to find this inner peace where we can make good decisions. We each must find our own way to get there. There are some signposts that indicate whether we are there or not.

If I have anger in my heart, I am not there. If I have resentment in my
heart, I am not there. If I think that life has been unfair to me, I am
not there. If I think that I am misunderstood, then I am not there. If I think that others do not understand me, then I am not there. And so on.

Think back to Elijah the Prophet, who finally encounters the voice of God
in a soft, gentle breeze. Only when we have finally recognized to be still
and listen will God be able to speak to us. God comes in the silent
stillness of our hearts, God comes in the scent of light, God comes in
silent music. Normally only time can help us arrive at the inner silent
stillness of our hearts where encounter with God is possible. This is why
God invites us every day to spend time in quiet stillness, waiting for Him
to speak. If we never take the time, God can still surprise us because God
is always God.

The general principle, however, is that grace builds on nature. Thus we
must struggle with our own nature so that it is open to the workings of the
Lord. Another general principle is that emotions need to be guided by
reason and reason needs to be guided by faith.

Each of these principles seems straight forward and easy to understand.
But so often we want to be what we are not and strive to be different from
how we are created. Too often our emotions run our lives and we even
pretend that the emotions are not there.

It is always today that we can begin to cooperate more with the Lord. It
is today that we can take a few moments just to be still and listen. It is
surprising how much impact a few moments each day can have on our lives. We don't need to present to be spiritual giants, but rather we can be
ourselves, recognizing that always we are new born children.

Is there any clear result of all of this? No. Giving a small part of
each day to the Lord is not magic. We cannot control the Lord for He is
God. Yes our lives do change, just because we begin to make silent
stillness the inner heart of our daily lives. If we do this for enough
years, we might even see some changes. We have to remember always that it is God who seeks us and we are able to respond to His seeking. It is not we who will do great things for God, but perhaps God will do great things in us.

One Minute Review: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Welcome to my 900th blog post!

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The classic spy novel gets a modern version with an amazing cast. Will this thriller thrill you? Find out.

One Minute Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

The sequel to Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes has received pretty bad reviews. Is it worth watching, or has all the fun run out at 331B Baker Street? The One Minute Review has the answer to this mystery.

One Minute Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the "feel bad movie of the season." But is it a bad movie? Or are the bad parts bad enough to make you stay away? Watch the OMR to find out.

One Minute Review: Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to check out the One Minute Review of Mission Impossible (4): Ghost Protocol.

One Minute Review: Tin Tin

Tin Tin, the European boy wonder comes to America. Should you check out this adventure flick? The OMR knows for sure.

One Minute Review: Arthur Christmas

Total throw away garbage or new Christmas classic? The One Minute Review knows for sure.