Bro. Jason D Boyd

Christmas letter is going out this week in the mail. Send me a private message if you want one.

Check out my new blog post: The Table.

The Table Have you ever had a moment when you were doing something and then suddenly had a flashback of the earliest memory of your childhood that kept repeating? I was reading a book about the body and blood of Christ by an author of black liturgies. While reading, it triggered my earliest memory, a flashbac...

Open your heart a little wider for your mind to see the love of God. Your mind is hungry, but your heart will help you find the way to see, feel, and hear the breath of God through your soul.

Several scriptures teach us. It teaches us how to seek, listen, and feel God.

Take time to read the Bible or devotional. Read the scripture three times, pausing in between reading, to feel God speaking to you. This method is called lectio divina.

Deafness is not caused by the sin of your parents or the sin of your future. Deafness is a purpose. It is God’s story for your journey. He designed your map to guide your foot in that no one else will. Be still and know He is the “I AM,” and feel Him speaking through you. Open your heart a little wider for your mind to see the love of God. Your mind is hungry, but your heart will help you find the way to see, feel, and hear the breath of God through your soul. Look around you. Nature praises God every moment, every day. Pay attention to Nature. It teaches us the way.

Is anyone interested in receiving an email blog from me?

Faith is a mountain a few will climb.

Every Saturday is a prayer service in the old traditional style. It’s a moving experience that you should try it.

Feel free to like & follow the new page so that you can keep up with the news.
Episcopal Conference of the Deaf

Episcopal Conference of the Deaf A National Organization Serving Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Ministries.

If you know ASL and want to participate in a weekly discussion, check this out. It’s free when you join as an ECD member ($30/yr).

EfM in ASL | ECD A deep four-year theological program offered on Zoom by the School of Theology at the University of the South. The EfM in ASL seminar group is conducted exclusively in American Sign Language.

Bishop approved the church’s report. I’m moving forward to the final discernment milestone in January. A step closer to God’s calling.

It was an honor to receive this pin of being a Member-at-Large Board member.

I had a wonderful trip to the 76th Convention of the Episcopal Conference of the Deaf at Federal Way, WA. While there, I was elected to be on the board as the Member-at-Large for three years.

I spent a few moments alone in solitude after the evening church service—such a warm feeling.

No matter who you are, Christ loves everyone.

If you need prayer lifting or someone to listen to your struggle, Christ always listens.

Some of you aren’t on my Facebook personal wall, so I’m reposting for you.

Spent two hours this morning watching the beauty of the scenery transformed during the sunrise and reflected on the last nine months when I was going through the local vocation discernment program on top of the EfM studies.

My spiritual growth and perspective on life have changed. My relationship with God has deepened. The journey continues for a lifetime; it doesn’t end when the study is complete.

I am thankful for the supportive friends, discernment committees, church family, clergies, extended family, and my family. Please continue to pray for my sacred journey for the next forty days.

Stay tuned…

This is a good book.

Becoming obedient to God requires forgiveness and a change of behavior. Then the Grace of God will show you the Christ in every heart—the heart of your enemies, strangers, friends, and family.

Lent Reflection: Prayers Written from the Heart

Week three of Lent 2023 is the midway point toward Easter Sunday. This week is to practice compassion through prayers. Prayer is the only power we can be in union with our God, our Creator because we have God’s Spirit within us, the Holy Spirit.

Schedule a few minutes of your day to prepare for your moment with God. Have a notebook, paper, or digital notebook so you can take a moment to write a short letter to Him. The letter you write should be a form of a prayer because you are writing it from your heart by sharing what you feel and what you want to change. Start the letter with how you feel. What struggles or obstacles are blocking your connection with God or the people around you? It’s okay for your anger to lash out on paper, but know and rest assured you will receive a peaceful response from Him.

After you write, imagine what God’s compassionate response might be. He is closer than you think. He is in your hands, listening to you writing those words. He’s in your heart, feeling what you feel. Trust God. Your perspective and attitude will shift when you open your heart and mind. It changes your mindset to believe He listens to your thought, imagination, word, and action. Be honest with yourself; otherwise, you are wasting your time. God doesn’t respond to lies, even “white lies,” because He already knows the Truth. He is the Truth. Don’t expect the answer to be your way or how the outcome should be.

Another form of prayer can be used daily for work, family, organization, or school. The prayer helps your mind see compassion for your interaction with others. Pay attention to your prayer; be attentive and be present. Compassion prayer is an invitation to yield your life to God. These compassion prayers are drawn on wisdom and the connection surrounding you through nature.

Here are a couple of prayers to help you guide your prayer from your heart -- your own words.

"Let me stand to bear witness to you, Spirit of life, for you are my rock and my inspiration. You are all around me in the beauty of your creation, in the brightness of morning and in the evening light, constant and unchanging, but forever new and surprising. You are my wisdom and my understanding, my vision and my determination, sustaining my soul through every season. You are the living sign of justice, the source of compassion, the ground of mercy on which I rely. Your love is an endless stream, nourishing all the Earth in ways I cannot count. You are my lifetime, my heart and my hope, the inheritance from my ancestors, the strength that sustains me and the tenderness that embraces me when I close my eyes to rest in your timeless grace."
-- Steve Charleston, retired Episcopal Bishop of Native America

"Merciful Jesus, you are my guide, the joy of my heart, the author of my hope, and the object of my love. I come seeking refreshment and peace. Show me your mercy, relieve my fears and anxieties, and grant me a quiet mind and an expectant heart, that by the assurance of your presence I may learn to abide in you, who is my Lord and my God. Amen."
-- Saint Teresa of Avila

Compassionate God, support and strengthen all those who reach out in love, concern, and prayer for the sick and distressed. In their acts of compassion, may they know that they are your instruments. In their concerns and fears may they know your peace. In their prayer may they know your steadfast love. May they not grow weary or faint-hearted, for your mercy’ sake. Amen.
-- Book of Common Prayer

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Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

*Repost from my blog: https://www.silencefranciscan.com/post/prayers-written-from-the-heart

Lent Reflection: Compassionate Listening

This week is the second week of Lent, reflecting on “Compassionate Listening” [1] as part of this year’s Lent daily devotional. I am reflecting on today’s devotion that hits home for my family and me. The picture below demonstrates how one feels when someone doesn’t listen, and the speaker will never forget the emotion that impacted.

"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -- Maya Angelou

As Christians, we are to be fully attentive and to have full attention to the one who is speaking, so the speaker will feel valued and connected. So often, the listener will sway their attention elsewhere, as in not paying attention to the speaker, either the subject is boring or not interested in the topic.

We should be fully attentive to the speaker because we are a gift to them. We have knowledge that could help the speaker find directions on their life journey. Christ is in all of us, including your family, friends, and strangers, the poor, the homeless, and the disabled - not one is exclusive. If we are not fully attentive to the speaker, we aren’t fully attentive and listening to Christ.

It requires our physical mind and strength to remind us to be mindful of others -- show that we care as much as Christ cares for us. The more we practice attentiveness and listening, the more compassion will bring out of us.

Let’s Pray: Merciful Father, we praise you for your glory for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, to demonstrate compassion toward the way of Truth and Life. Forgive us for not listening and not being attentive when you sent someone; we could have helped them on their arduous journey. If we ever sway, help us refocus so that we can show compassion to others with attentive listening skills; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash, Kyiv, Ukraine, May 3, 2017
[1] Scott Stoner, “Compassionate Listening,” in Living Compass, Living well through lent 2023: practicing compassion with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, (n.p. 2023), page 30.

*Reposted from my blog: https://www.silencefranciscan.com/post/compassionate-listening

Curious about being an Episcopal (Anglican)? The Episcopal Conference of the Deaf would love to have you. I will soon be your Episcopal Deaf Priest after I finish the seminary. Unfortunately, there are only two active Deaf Priests nationwide, with many churches offering interpreted service!

Home | Episcopal Conference of the Deaf We are a group of people - Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing family and friends - who worship God together in the Episcopal tradition.

Tuesday night's discernment session was about Holiness. The Holy Life or the Holy Lifestyle is the duty of the priests, followers of Christ, and all other religious leaders. It is no easy task to sanctify yourself daily through devotion, scripture readings, meditation, contemplation, discernment, and prayer.

Being ordained is just a validation and recognition for the church members to witness the job in the diaconate, and it does not automatically make you holy, but the daily office practice will teach you to remain holy. Yes, you will feel Holy present at the time of ordination. It is ongoing from that day through practice and prayer to keep you grounded and remain in check with God daily.

Some people seek power in the church to become ordained and then forget the daily routine, some seek to be in the spotlight of the audience, and some seek to worship the altar with its pomp and glory instead of Christ. All these are dangerous positions in which the church falls short of the Glory of God. The Church does not need a wolf to shepherd their sheep. It is one of the examples of not being automatically holy when the priest or a pastor in other denominations doesn’t use the daily office prayer.

The discernment committee should pay close attention to the person seeking to become a priest by watching the behaviors, attitudes, and interactions with the people. The committee is responsible for finding the gifts and talents the person can offer by asking several personal questions about why seeking to become a priest/deacon.

According to “The Examination” in the Book of Common Prayer explains the duties of being a priest in the Episcopal church. “As a priest, it will be your task to proclaim by word and deed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to fashion your life in accordance with its precepts. You are to love and serve the people you work with, caring for young and old, strong and weak, rich and poor. You are to preach, declare God’s forgiveness to penitent sinners, pronounce God’s blessing to share in the administration of Holy Baptism and the celebration of the mysteries of Christ’s Body and Blood, and perform the other ministrations entrusted to you.” [1]

Christ teaches us to “love your Lord with all your mind, heart, and soul.” [2] Those three are the trinity of human characteristics, the same way as the Trinity of God. We must learn to put aside our sinful nature, possessions, and self-interest. Leave it in the past so that your time with Christ alone to do His mission. Apostle Paul tries to teach the Philippians to rid of bad behavior and tame love from hate so that their goal is to stay righteous with Christ. [3]

Christ instructs the apostles on the way to change their lifestyle by choice. He says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves.” [4] And Moses encourages his people to choose life and prosperity rather than death and destruction. [5] Death and destruction are part of the freewill. We cannot serve both Holy Life and Freewill.

I chose the way to Holy Life because I felt called to serve Christ three years ago. So, I am currently going through the discernment process, hoping to be accepted into a full-time seminary by the Episcopal Diocese. I should receive an acceptance letter this summer.



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Photo by Elite Inception Co
[1] Custodian of the Standard Book of Common Prayer, February 1990
[2] Matthew 22:37
[3] Philippians 3:7-14
[4] Matthew 16:24
[5] Deuteronomy 30:15

God’s Glory in the First Light

My day typically starts before dawn, before the first light. Usually, it is my prayer hour while the world tries to wake up. But, something symbolic about watching the first light arrives that stirs your soul that you can’t even put into words. I would say that the arriving light you see is the hope of God’s spirit.

Light is the first gift given to the creation. In the void of darkness before the creation of the universe, God said, “Let there be light.” [1] This is not the physical light you see, like the Sun or the stars. Can you imagine what the awe would be like when Angels watch the Almighty?

The same feeling I have every time I watch the first 3 minutes of the light peering through the horizon that bounce off the clouds in the darkness. I am not talking about the Sun peeping at the horizon -- it’s the twilight between dawn, and the Sun comes up. You have to pay attention to experience it. Light doesn’t wait, just like time. That 3 minutes seem like 15 minutes. Then the rest of your day will be a blessing and a good day.

There is hope, and the joy comes afterward!
That is the hope that cannot take away from creation.
The hope that cannot be destroyed.
The hope that darkness cannot contain.

The same light that gave the good news to the shepherds at the time of Christ’s birth [2], the first light of Christmas. Again, it is symbolic and a reminder to all just and unjust. The hope changes our attitude in an instance that makes us fall on our knees and beg for forgiveness. God wins, and the victory is His!

[1] Genesis 1:3
[2] Luke 2:9-10

God’s presence does not bring revelation if we are not open to Him. God walks beside us and within us, waiting to be recognized. At times, we have to reflect upon an experience to realize God was present and active with us.

This is how I’m spending New Year's Eve tonight — catching up on Education for Ministry readings. The class resumes this week.

There is no proper way how to pray. I provided some tips that could help you draw closer to God.

Pray In Secret "When you pray, enter into thy closet,...pray to thy Father which is in secret." Matthew 6:6 The closet during Jesus’ time was a luxury room everyone wished to have. It was probably referred to as a broom closet. But that is not the point of the message. Praying in the closet is a metaphor for our...

Jesus asks his friends to "follow me." Here's the devotional reading for you.

Follow Me ...take up his cross, and follow me. - Matthew 16:24 (KJV) Several times Jesus would say to his friends, “Follow me.” And every one of them will follow him to become Christ's Apostle. The closer I look into the phrase “Follow Me.” It is not referring to what we think Jesus meant. God was say...

The Charity Runners is a ministry group to support a private non-profit organization. I started this idea in 2021, and this year, the team members grew to seven. At the time of the photo, the school didn’t have the numbers on hand, so we put down our year goal. And now, I received an official amount raised by the 2022 Charity Runners team is $2,255!

We are thankful to all those who have contributed.

All things come of thee, O Lord.
And of thine own have we given thee.

I’ve used it daily and have worn down The Book of Common Prayer well for the last 20 years.

I’ve been busy finishing up my spiritual autobiography letter to go with the Master of Divinity application. The first draft is to present to the committee for feedback.

For those unfamiliar, the spiritual autobiography is your life journey through each milestone from birth to the present. It was a daunting task at first until I used a timeline method. It helps give you an overview of God’s given gifts you currently possess.

The Kingdomtide is coming to a close, and Advent begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving. This month is a perfect time to reflect and to be thankful to God.

What has God provided or helped you this year?

I am thankful that God directed my heart and guided me toward His mission on my sacred journey. I am excited about the new opportunity that may arise later next year. I am thankful to all my brothers and sisters who have supported me through the process because you contribute your part on behalf of God. 💙✝️

While reading this book in 2020, I received an enlightenment that all made sense and changed how I view God and Christ.

It was a blessing to see all the communities of Faith gathered together to support a common goal. Some cried, some laughed, some cheered for encouragement, and some prayed. All things are possible when faith rests in God.

It was a perfect morning for a nature walk with God at the nearby trails. We spent a few moments sitting at the lake reflecting on life and praise God for His glory.

You should try the trails when you can or call me up to tag along with you.

Church family weekend filled with fellowship and worship.