In honor of Larry Benfield’s 17 years of service as bishop of Arkansas, and his six years as rector of Christ Church, the Christ Church Compline Choir performed an anthem composed especially for him. David William Blackmon, a long-time member of the choir, is the composer. It was sung at Bishop Benfield’s retirement service this evening. Thank you, David, for the beautiful creation. Thank you, Compline Choir, for brining it to life....

If you’re one to keep up with trends in technology, you ought to know by now that the world’s favorite virtual personal assistant is not going away anytime soon. That’s right. It looks like Siri is here to stay. I’m sure she’s accompanied many of you here this morning, in fact, cozying up in your jacket pocket somewhere. She’s had some continuing education, or “upgrades,” in tech speak, since her debut on the iPhone a awhile back and now she can pretty much do what she claimed to be able to do back then....

I wouldn’t call myself an auto mechanic, but I do like to dabble. I change my own oil and filter, top off fluids, and swap out batteries. I’ve installed a K&N air filter too, for those of you who know about these things. Whether or not it has actually helped my gas mileage is an open question, but it’s fun to watch YouTubers debate the topic. I even put in a car stereo with CarPlay navigation and managed not to break anything in the process–proud of that one....

There is a popular computer game on the market today, and chances are, even if you haven’t played it yourself, your kids or grandkids have. It’s called Minecraft and it seems to have gained somewhat of a cult following, which is surprising given the fact that the graphics are barely a step up from the games of the old arcade, 8-bit PacMan days. There’s nothing flashy about Minecraft and yet the consensus is that it’s just about the coolest thing since Legos....

After about a month and a half of getting settled in, teachers, parents, and students are off and running. The new school year is officially underway. Across the state of Arkansas teachers have welcomed new flocks of learners. Classrooms are clean, stocked with supplies, SMART Boards and Chromebooks. Students are sporting new uniforms and backpacks. Just a few months ago these students admired, with awe and wonder, the upperclassmen whose very desks they now occupy....