The Thankful Priest – Leyla King

Hi, I’m Leyla.

I’m an Episcopal priest, author, Palestinian American, and small church advocate – all of which are part of my identity as the Thankful Priest. Click here to learn more.

Daughters of Palestine

Daughters of Palestine is now available for pre-order wherever you get your books. Release-date of the paperback is July 8 but you can get an early digital copy by joining the Launch Team

Small Churches, Big Impact Collective

As one of the founders of the Small Churches Big Impact Collective, I’m passionate about the dynamic nature of small churches. The average Episcopal church has an average Sunday attendance of 40. Yet these small churches, all around the nation, are having a big impact on their members and communities. Click here to learn more.

Palestinian Anglicans and Clergy Allies

Palestinian Anglicans and Clergy Allies (PACA) is a grassroots organization of Palestinians – both living in the land of Palestine and in the diaspora – who are members of the Anglican Communion worldwide, and the ecumenical alliance of clergy and seminarians who support them. Our goal is to educate and equip the clergy of the Church in the global West to understand, teach and preach from sound theological and pastoral foundations about the realities faced by Palestinians. Click here to learn more.

The Thankful Priest
Blog

While I am an author and speaker, my blog is where I pen my most personal reflections.

Check out the Thankful Priest Blog by clicking here or scrolling down below.

Latest Blog Posts

  • Sursum Corda

    I dreamt of my father last night. I was on a couch in the middle of a wonderful conversation with a dear and intimate friend, when I looked up and discovered that the wall before us had given way and… Continue reading

    Sursum Corda

  • Insist on Joy

    “Depressed people never change the world” — Mitri Raheb Despite it all, I will insist on joy. I will drink in wonder in the natural world, in the miracle of my own body, in the faces of my children, glowing… Continue reading

    Insist on Joy

  • On Gratitude: A Poem

    for Thomas You know that moment when the drug hits the neurons in your brain and you register that, finally, blissfully, the pain has gone, and freedom fills the space left empty by its previous persistence, horizons open upon the… Continue reading

    On Gratitude: A Poem

  • An Easter Discipline

    You have, perhaps, heard of a Lenten discipline. This past Lent was my fifth one where I didn’t take on a discipline of any kind in particular. I didn’t fast from a luxury or hold fast to a prayer or… Continue reading

    An Easter Discipline

  • White-ish, Part IV: The Cross I Bear

    A note to my readers:A long time ago, I published a blogpost in which I referred to myself as “sort of” white.  I got an inordinate amount of feedback, both positive and negative, some just curious, some weirdly aggressive, about… Continue reading

    White-ish, Part IV: The Cross I Bear

  • Let It Shine: Soccer Edition

    It was an incredibly hot day for my kids’ usual soccer practice. Texas is always hot from about May to mid-October but this was the kind of heat that felt suffocating. I only set up my lawn chair and already… Continue reading

    Let It Shine: Soccer Edition

  • Operation Passover Cleansing

    An essay in poem form. American Independence Day, late at night. I learned today – or was it yesterday? – from a book of fiction about a fact I didn’t know. In April of 1948 there was a strategic and… Continue reading

    Operation Passover Cleansing

  • Our Thriving Church

    There are those in the upper echelons of The Episcopal Church who have taken up an anxious refrain: “The Church is dying; the Church is dying!” they claim, like a Greek chorus of Chicken Littles. And they take our wealth… Continue reading

    Our Thriving Church

  • Voices Heard and Unheard

    A Homily for the Compline for Palestine at the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church  Jeremiah 31:15-17Matthew 2:13-18 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. “A voice is heard in… Continue reading

    Voices Heard and Unheard

  • A Prayer for Those in Rafah

    To you, my loves, in Rafah… I cannot pray for your life, your survival, or even the lack of your suffering. For already your suffering knows no end. And, for reasons I cannot comprehend, prayers don’t work that way. Ask… Continue reading

    A Prayer for Those in Rafah