Flummoxed

I simply cannot understand why people use tobacco today. It can kill. It is filthy. It can cause a person to lose control of their own life via addiction. It is now ridiculously expensive. Why?

Friday shuffle

1. Milhaud: Les Deux Cites, Babylon - Princeton Singers
2. Berlioz: Requiem, Hostias - Norrington
3. Christiansen: Beautiful Savior - St Olaf and Westminster Choirs
4. Einhorn: Voices of Light, Relapse - Anonymous Four
5. Handel: Israel in Egypt, Their bodies are buried - Taverner
6. You Don't Know What Love Is - Gene Harris, Jack McDuff
7. Britten: Gloriana Dances, Country Girls - Sixteen
8. A Groovy Kind of Love - Mindbenders
9. Villa-Lobos: Choro - Pepe Romero
10. Stay - Maurice

A little heavy on the "classical" this time. Appropriate since 6 choirs are combining efforts to sing Beethoven's Ninth tomorrow, Saturday 25 April, at 8 at Passavant Center, Thiel College, Greenville, PA. Fun!

Friday cat blogging

Tim came to breakfast yesterday but PuddyTat wasn't finished sleeping.

Later PT took up a strategic position on the office windowsill only five feet from the bird feeders. Hmmm.

Only Tom and Dude came for breakfast this morning during a very loud thunderstorm.

Comments on the Economic Stimulus Package

Apparently the American Medical Association has weighed in on the new economic stimulus package....

The Allergists voted to scratch it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.

The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.

The Obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a misconception.

Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.

Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the Pediatricians said, 'Oh, Grow up!'

The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it.

Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing.

The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the Plastic Surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter."

The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea.

The Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.

In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the assholes in Washington.

"Anglican" purity

A number of clergy in The Episcopal Church have decided they and only they know all the truth about the Bible and Christianity. They are upset that many of us in TEC seem to believe that followers of Jesus are to love Godde and love each other leaving judgment to Godde. They believe they can't be part of TEC as we know it. They seek to divide the body of Christ into little segments according to how they judge the purity of each segment. Then they seek to put all the parts together yet separate under the "Anglican" banner.

I pray Godde finds a way to heal their Bibles so they may read and understand more than the snippets they use to prooftext their separatist goals.

To learn more about this group who would shatter the body of Christ according to their purity codes, read Mark Harris's blog Preludium and Thinking Anglicans.

I am beginning to believe that there are Christians and there are followers of Jesus and the two groups have little in common. What does this mean for the future of "the church"?

Late bloomer

My 40 year old poinsettia is nuts this year. Because it lives in the corner by the door and evening light from across the room is minimal, it "blooms" every year, usually after Valentine's Day. This year it bloomed in late February as usual. Much to my surprise, it grew more red for Easter and has just presented me with a third bloom. I love this plant!

I'm a bit embarrassed to post this photo of the entire plant because it shows the unfinished inside of my house. But it is as it is.

God is not a white man

The Michael Gungor Band "White Man"

Hat tip to EAK.

Finally, the daffodil fence

It is cold, dreary, wet so all the flowers are pointed down rather than smiling at the sun. They brighten the landscape significantly.

Happy Birthday, Padre Mickey

Church landscaping

Last year some volunteers put in many hours and much hard work landscaping around the newly paved parking lot at Christ Church. This spring their efforts are blooming beautifully with many surprises to come.