For over thirty years Alan Neale has spoken with passion, relevance, authenticity and humor of themes that are profound and pressing; the profound he makes simple and accessible, the pressing he makes immediate and welcoming. All these years past have provided little time for Alan to write extensively and so now he begins a long-postponed desire and there are many themes waiting to be translated into books; the task is daunting and enthralling and he longs to begin in 2015
I cannot remember ever preaching on Jesus’s Parable of the Five Wise and Five Foolish Virgins; what a good friend of mine yesterday described as, “Not one of Jesus’ better parables!”. Forty years of parish ministry and no sermon on this text. As with all parables it’s important to get the thrust of the message… Continue reading
Quality of Service: 5.0 Responsiveness: 5.0 Professionalism: 5.0 Value: 5.0 Flexibility: 5.0 Larissa said… Alan did a wonderful job officiating our ceremony at OceanCliff. He is very professional, responds very quickly, and is willing to work around your schedule. Alan was so kind to us from our first meeting on, we enjoyed our entire process… Continue reading
One definition of the spiritual journey – to discover upon whom, upon what the indelible divine image has been made and then to safeguard it, to cherish it. Below the sermon audio is the sermon text. Sermon Preached at Trinity Church, Newport RI Sunday October 22nd 2017 The Reverend Alan Neale “Checking for the Divine… Continue reading
I get to talk about one of my favorite characters, the drunk turned evangelist in late eighteenth century Cornwall, UK – Bill Bray! “God’s man with a shout.” His call to the balanced life of spiritual living is key to constant and profound happiness. Below the sermon audio is the text that was taken into… Continue reading
In Jonah chapter 4, the prophet is asked the same question twice by the Lord, “Is it right for you to be angry?” It seems to me that a lot of personal grief and psychic damage would be avoided, a lot of physical destruction escaped, if we could ask this question of ourselves. Maybe, with… Continue reading
Often parents take me aside during rehearsals or after weddings and thank me for the ways in which I have supported their children preparing not only for their wedding but also for their marriage. The parents are grateful that a personal link has been created and who knows when that link may be of value… Continue reading
Below the sermon audio is the sermon text (well, what was carried into the pulpit…) Sermon preached at Trinity Church, Newport RI; Sunday September 17 2017 The Reverend Alan Neale; “Called to Serve” A story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was… Continue reading
The article below (click link) by Eli Finkel raises the inevitable dilemma of whether/when/where/how much partners should aim to “fix” their partner. In the film “Juno”, there is a scene in which one character says to her beloved, “God loves you just the way you are; but He loves you so much He wants you… Continue reading
5.0/5.0 Quality of Service: 5.0 Responsiveness: 5.0 Professionalism: 5.0 Value: 5.0 Flexibility: 5.0 Todd said… Alan is one of the most wonderful human beings that we’ve ever come in touch with. His unique charisma kept us full of ideas and gave us ways to personalize our ceremony. It was a pleasure getting to know him… Continue reading
I truly hoped that I would settle on a “lighter” theme for this Labor Day weekend; but the “vengeance” theme remained firmly settled in my mind. Maybe, somehow, it is appropriate… we take this on as our “Christian Labor” for the months to come? The text is below the audio of the sermon… Sermon preached… Continue reading