Musings of an Anglocostal American

In the practice of Christianity, canonical hours mark the divisions of the day in terms of periods of fixed prayer at regular intervals.  This practice of daily prayers grew from the Jewish practice of reciting prayers at set times of the day known as zmanim. Psalm 119:164 states: "Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws". Compline, also known as "vespers" or "night prayer", is the final period of prayer  during the day, occurring just before turning in for the night. The reading or reciting of compline typically takes less than 10 minutes. I often use this time as a way to settle the events that occurred  during the day and get my mind and spirit ready for rest. Much in the way one might use a meditation, compline helps me transition from activity to sleep. I was first exposed to compline in high school as it was often read at the end of the day at church retreats and, yes, even some lock-ins. I fell in love with both its...

What's Next? On May 19th, in the year of our Lord 2018, I became licensed as a minister within the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC). This required me to complete 10 classes over the course of 10 months. The program is accredited and classes are eligible for college credit, although I did not go that route. I participated in roughly 50 hours of online training, read or listened to nearly 3,000 textbook pages, completed almost 700 short answer/essay questions, wrote 3 sermons and 1 paper on my newfound hero John Wesley. I became familiar with the IPHC Manual, the Methodist Book of Discipline and further acquainted myself with the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. This all concluded with an panel style interview where I had the opportunity to explain my calling. I will admit that this journey started off more academic than it did spiritual, but about half way through, as things started to become more real, the journey became far more spiritual than anything else. ...