"One of the mysteries of life is how God's spirit can take hold of us and change us." Writes Leonard H. Budd. "Think of this force in your life as the Spirit's tether. In my mind, a tether is the image of the Counselor that Jesus promised. It is the experience of God's spirit that has been part of my living: The Holy Spirit's tether."

The fourteen sermons in this book are based on gospel texts, primarily from Mark. Sermons follow the Revised Common, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic lectionaries.

Our confrontation with Jesus Christ opens to each of us the blessed opportunity of forgiveness, and in that unburdening, the opportunity for a new start in our relationship to God and to one another. (from the Proper 5 sermon)

Leonard H. Budd is senior minister of Church of the Saviour, Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He is a former United Methodist district superintendent. He is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, Oberlin Graduate School of Theology, and Methodist Theological School in Ohio.