Friday cat blogging on Sunday

Tipper is a rather large cat...

What if...

What if people worried more about their own lives and allowed others to do the likewise? What if people stopped being preoccupied by how other people relate to each other in love? What if people stopped being preoccupied by what consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedrooms? What if people were able to walk a mile in someone else’s moccasins? What if people were able to accept a person as they relate to others rather than as they look or talk or believe? What if Christians were willing to do as their Jesus taught - love Godde, love each other, take care of each other and leave judgment to Godde?

In other words, what if those who claim to be “Christians” acted in ways that don't seem to be the opposite of what I believe the Bible says Jesus taught?

What if people ignored difference as long as being different doesn’t hurt someone else. Americans seem terrified of difference. Why? We avoid people who are blind or deaf or missing an arm or are otherwise physically different. We avoid people who don’t dress like we do. We avoid people of a different social class. We avoid people who have a different lifestyle. We avoid people others avoid.

What if people weren’t so quick to judge something or someone different as wrong? We are quick to judge others’ habits as wrong. We are quick to judge others’ beliefs as wrong. We are quick to judge others as wrong simply on appearance.

What if the people arriving for worship toward the end of the eucharist last week were told to not bother? There was no later service. I’m happy to say I didn’t think of them as “wrong” but I did wonder why they bothered. In their culture time seems to be relative. It is not my culture. Should I consider them wrong if they don’t exactly do what we do when we do it?

What if we all admitted we can't know exactly what is “right” in Godde's world anyhow?

Lost turtle

I almost hit this with the mower. She reminded me of Hildy. She is about the same size.

This is what she had to find her way thru to get to my driveway. As I said, I need help. Anyhow she was about 300 feet from water. I didn't see her leave but she did after I put the mower away. She didn't seem to deposit any eggs as the little hole was empty and dry. The mower and the cats probably traumatized her. Turtles have often laid eggs closer to the water. When I mow that area I should probably walk it first. One year I found dozens of turtlettes scurrying toward the water. The neighbor kids were little at the time and were fascinated. For some reason they didn't try to catch any of them.

Help wanted

Weeding help desperately needed. I thought I had dug up all the Asian lilies and given them to my neighbor. I guess I missed a few.

Prayers for Bonnie and family

Today The Three Legged Stool told us of the passing of Ed Spivey on 22 May 2009. Our hearts and prayers go out to Bonnie and those who share her love for Ed. Prayers also for Wolfie who surely misses him too.

The other hungry one

This one visits every evening and eats whatever the cats leave. S/He is quite bold and comes over to look in the kitchen.

St Barnabas, Monmouth Junction, NJ

The gal I stayed with in New Jersey is the organist at St Barnabas Episcopal Church. When my plans for church fell thru she asked me to sing tenor with her choir.

This was the first of ten young people confirmed during the service.

The parish has many members from Africa and various islands. The women wore beautiful, colorful dresses which I was unable to photograph successfully.
The Right Reverend Sylvestre Romero, Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey, celebrated and preached.

LASHIR

Raanan Shefa's choir in Princeton, NJ

The New Brunswick Party

This was THE dessert last night. Fried pudding with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. For more news about the party, go to Telling Secrets for now.

Friday cat blogging

Tzaki and Tipper

Becoming an Ubuntu people

Friday cat blogging

Breakfast this morning.

Discernment

How does a person "discern"? I find it easy to live with unanswered questions. Many people don't. I used to drive Mom crazy with questions and I'm sure plenty of others as well. Yesterday I asked some questions of an Episcopal priest. He hasn't answered yet. I wish I would have thought of using the word "discern".

He said, for him the Word of Godde (using my spelling) is Truth. For him Truth is of the utmost importance. Godde's Word is the Bible. I didn't ask which translation. He doesn't trust the APA - the topic addressed in his original message was the usual homosexuality - because it is too political. He apparently believes that only the Word of Godde in the Bible contains Truth without political implications. I asked if perhaps the men who chose the writings to include in the "official" Bible weren't also very political. I find it difficult to believe that a group of men who could have their control of the church wrested away by others would really listen to the Holy Spirit. How does one "discern" who is being political and who is responding to the Holy Spirit? Perhaps I'm too cynical?

Earlier I wondered about the difference between worshipping the Word of Godde and following the Word of Godde. For me it is an easy "discernment". I am curious to know why others are so tied to words and rules and what may be only the writings of men who had a good thing going and want(ed) to preserve their privileges. Yes, I believe that many of those/these men believe they were/are faithful to Godde and Jesus and were/are good people. I believe many of them try hard to be good servants and shepherds. I question how they "discern(ed)" they were/are so "right" to the exclusion of all others.

And how does one "discern" a call to the priesthood? What if many roadblocks are placed on the path? How does one "discern" whether the roadblocks are trial by fire or serious? What if everyone "discerns" one path for a candidate for ordination yet the person "discerns" and pursues something else in spite of roadblocks?

I'm afraid I don't have much love for "discernment". I do not believe that I am better at "discerning" than anyone else. Or that I am any more right or wrong than anyone else tho I wonder about people who use their Words of God to abuse, exclude or otherwise denigrate other people. I believe that those of us who take seriously the admonition to love everyone unconditionally, even when it seems impossible, have better, calmer, happier lives. That isn't "discernment". It is experience.

Culture without the Arts is dead

I do not like this jerky, sound bite, disjointed presentation that has become popular these days. No wonder our kids have attention problems. The message is important regardless of my irritations.

Arts and Citizenship from Pittsburgh Filmmakers on Vimeo.

Don't want to pay for health care

"My friend spent her last years suffering not only the pain of cancer but the indignity of having to worry about how she was going to pay her rent and feed her child. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer 2½ years ago, and was able to get Social Security disability payments only nine weeks ago."

Read it all here.

If there is one Christianist out there who wants to keep as many pennies as possible without helping anyone else except those s/he chooses, may I suggest s/he go read the Bible s/he worships, especially the things the Bible says Jesus taught. People without health care will bankrupt the system eventually as they flood hospital ERs then can't pay. And their illnesses are far more expensive than they would be with early intervention. This is not a Christian nation. It is a cruel collection of individuals who will donate huge sums to international disasters while allowing their neighbors to die.

This has been a nasty day.

But Sotomayor is a bright spot. Too bad the uglies are parading their venom all across the media. Ugh.

Thoughts on Sotomayor

Yes! Far more qualified than any of the sitting justices.

What do I think about what the antis are saying? See the post below. Pretty much the same folks at the root.

Thoughts on Prop 8

On second thought, I'd better not. Mom was right that I shouldn't say anything if I couldn't say something nice. I have nothing nice to say about Christianists.

Even and especially Jesus...

My Memorial Day 2009

This was my third year to march in the Memorial Day parade with Women in Black. It seemed to be an odd parade. One band - MASH - then lots of cars and firetrucks with some very loud cannon blasts or something - fortunately way ahead of us. Many of us carried 4 flags but there weren't nearly enough of us to carry all 193 flags - one for each soldier from Pennsylvania killed in the Iraq war.

After the parade I had a delightful lunch of tube steaks and macaroni salad with friends. He has three cats. This is Lexie. She has a brother Nicki I've never seen.

And this is Paz.

PT's portrait

After a brief absence, PuddyTat returned this morning so here is her portrait. I was getting very worried about her and was happy to see her in the annex - where she still is. She is not an early riser.

Rising above the crowd

The little yellow blooms lay close to the ground. Now more than 2 feet tall they are determined to blow away over everything else.

The Word of God

There is an interesting article in Church Times called "The Word is made of flesh and blood, not ink". For me it addresses the essence of much of the turmoil in Christianity today. What is the difference between the Bible being the Word of Godde and Jesus being the Word of Godde?

Are Christians to obey the rules set down in the Bible as dictated by Godde through the Holy Spirit? Or are Christians to follow what Jesus taught which is "Love Godde and love your neighbor"?

If our neighbor is doing something we believe is wrong, is it our duty to tell the person in order to "save" him or her? If so, what justification do we have for naming the sin? By what authority may we warn the neighbor? If the person continues in what we perceive as sin, should we walk away?

Or is it our duty to love all people unconditionally as Godde loves us? If so, what responsibility do we have toward and with the other?

Ambition

Tim's tail was twitching...

Friday cat blogging

Tommie

Tim (originally Timid)

Dude

Jellico

Supper with PuddyTat and Tom. She hasn't appeared yet today so she didn't get her mug here. The annex was tipped over this morning. She may have been in or on it and is still spooked.

Friday shuffle

1. Summer in the City - Lovin' Spoonful
2. Get Up John - Ricky Skaggs
3. Live Here With You - Dusty Springfield
4. PDQ Bach: Capriccio La Pucelle de New Orleans
5. We Shall Walk Through the Valley - Brunelle, Vocal Essence
6. Arlen: Out of This World - Chanticleer
7. Paulus: Mass for a Sacred Place, Sanctus - Cathedral Choral Society
8. Earth Angel - Penguins
9. Save the Last Dance for Me - Drifters
10. In Old Mexico - Tom Lehrer

Poison dry cat food

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Franklin, Tennessee (May 21, 2009) -- Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.

Two mineral premixes were affected. One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium. Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food.

This issue was identified during an audit of our documentation from the supplier. An extensive review confirmed that only these two premixes were affected. This recall does not affect any NUTRO® dog food products, wet dog or cat food, or dog and cat treats.

Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel. We are working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or distributed further.

Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile. While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please contact your veterinarian.

Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product. Cat owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST, or visit www.nutroproducts. com.

Recalled Pet Food

The varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods listed below with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010 are affected by this voluntary recall.

To see exactly what varieties of Nutro cat food is recalled go to Just Another Black Sheep.

Dear President Obama,

Dear President Obama,

Yet another excellent military person has been fired because he is gay. He is a highly decorated Air Force pilot, Lt Colonel Victor Fehrenbach, who is two years short of retirement. That is cruel and stupid. Firing those who speak languages needed in the Middle East is equally thoughtless. Firing military people who are functioning well in their positions simply because of their sexual orientation demonstrates that sex is more important than national security to those who make the rules.

Certain religious groups are saying that LGBT people are not created in God’s image and do not deserve the rights and responsibilities everyone else has. This is fear talking. Fear that LGBTs will somehow cause them harm is ridiculous, unfounded and destructive. If those who believe that this is a Christian nation actually followed what Jesus taught, we would not need unconstitutional laws such as DADT and DOMA.

When are you going to tell the military brass that they are simply prejudiced, wrong about lesbian and gay people in the armed services and harming our ability to protect the US? When will you order the suspension of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell"?

Thank you for your prompt action to remove this serious flaw in our military preparedness.


cc: Sen. Arlen Specter, Sen. Robert Casey, Jr., Rep. Kathleen Dahlkamper

Five steps to being miserable

HT to Elizabeth.

Hallelujah! A new Liturgical Mystery!

Those of us who are devoted fans of Mark Schweizer's Liturgical Mysteries feared that the series had stopped after the first six were issued in a boxed set. Now today I went to St James Music Press Books to copy the URL for a blog comment. Lo and behold, there is a new mystery - The Diva Wore Diamonds. Oh joy, oh rapture. Can't wait.

This makes me sooooo angry

And yet more prayers requested

Please go to FranIAm's blog or Grandmère Mimi's blog for the latest additions to the prayer list. You'll have to scroll down a bit for those. Sorry, I'm lazy tonight.

Beating the Bounds on Rogation Sunday

After the service a group of Christ Church people braved a bitterly cold wind and beat the bounds of the church. We did not use boys and we didn't actually beat anything else.

We began on the steps with a prayer:
God of seed and growth and harvest, creator of need, creator of satisfaction, give us, we pray, our daily bread, sufficient and assured for all. Give us also, we pray, the bread of life, and we shall have a care to feed the hungry, and to seek for peace and justice in the world. Help us, then, to remember and to know that you are our life today and every day; you are the food we need, now and for ever. Amen.

We then walked to the first corner singing For the Beauty of the Earth (not us). At the first corner, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 was read followed by a prayer:
God of creation, we thank you for the gift of the earth, and for the life which teems upon the land, in the waters, and in the air. Thank you for the wonder of life that you have entrusted to us in all its complexity, interconnectedness and biodiversity. Help us to conserve it well, use it sustainably, and endow it faithfully to our children's children.

We sang the first three verses to Canticle of the Sun (H86 406) on the way to the second corner. We then prayed:
Lord God, from your hand comes the mystery of life: the wonder of fertility, growth and harvest, and resistance to disease. We thank you for the gift of seed; bless the seeds we sow in our farms, allotments and gardens, that they may germinate well, flourish, and yield blessing to your children. Bless our efforts to feed others and ourselves.

We finished Canticle of the Sun as we walked up the alley and around the corner.
Lord God, from your hand comes all that nourishes life. We thank you for the gift of soil. Bless the soil in which our seeds are sown and our crops are planted; bless our efforts to use it well, to enrich it, and to sustain its fertility for the future.

We sang the first two verses of All Things Bright and Beautiful (very obviously not us) on the way to the final corner of the church property. Ezekiel 34:25-31 was read followed by:
Lord God, your rain is the most precious liquid on earth. We thank you for the gift of water. Bless our land and our crops with rain; bless our efforts to keep water unpolluted, to make it accessible, and to conserve it responsibly.
We finished All Things Bright and Beautiful on the way back to the church. The final prayer:
Almighty God, whose will it is that the earth and the sea should bear fruit in due season: bless the labors of those who work on land and sea, grant us a good harvest and the grace always to rejoice in your fatherly care; through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord.

Inside we received the blessing then sang An Irish Blessing before the dismissal.

Friday cat blogging

Almost every morning I'm greeted with this writhing, usually demanding mass of catmanity. Dry catfood often ends up everywhere except in the dishes as the felines jockey for position with each other and with me. They could see I had a camera rather than food first thing this morning. Poor Jellico got left out as he was a little late to the party and was on the ground behind me. He has a new nasty habit. He comes to be petted then, after I've removed my hand, he swats at me with claws extended catching either me or clothing. That has to stop somehow.

The cast of characters: PuddyTat is the tan one and Tommie the black boy. Dudie is the noisy one on his shelf. Tim joins the party late.

Friday shuffle

1. Rheinberger: Mass, Sanctus -
2. He's Got the Whole World in His Hands - Bach Choir of Pittsburgh
3. Mozart: Ave verum corpus - Westminster Choir
4. Bach: B minor Mass, Osanna - Rilling
5. Remember When - Platters
6. Sylvia's Mother - Dr. Hook & Medicine Show
7. Crystal Blue Persuasion - Tommy James & Shondells
8. Leavin' - James King
9. He's So Fine - The Chiffons
10. Shop Around - Smokey Robinson & Miracles
Interesting that shuffle almost always begins with classical before finding other stuff. Unusual to find my bluegrass music on YouTube.

Lost generation

HT to bg on the HoB/D list and Caminante

More prayers requested

Today Julie-Anne is having surgery on her shoulder. She has lupus and is worrying more than normal because this is the first surgery she has had since the lupus diagnosis. Please pray for guidance of the hands of all involved that her pain will be eliminated and recovery will be swift and full.

Richard is also having surgery today to remove a tumor from his liver. He is, quite frankly, a physical mess. Please pray for him, his medical team and his family who have suffered much lately.

And while we are at it, let's also keep in mind the folks affected by the tornadoes. We are grateful that our friend Maria was able to outrun the tornado in her pickup but not all the residents were so lucky.

Prayers, please (extended)

FranIAm's sister-in-law "has shown evidence of malignant cervical cells. Due to her age, weight and other health conditions her doctor is recommending her to a special surgeon for a hysterectomy. She is very frightened. O is not a woman of particular faith, actually has been quite scarred by it. That said she is wanting to pray and be prayed for. It is in the nature of my husband's family to expect the worst in all things and then actually manipulate things unconsciously to bring the worst forth and "be done with it." Please pray for her health but also for her hope and faith, which is what she really needs."


FranIAm also requests that we please support Chris and hold her in prayer. Chris is often taking care of everyone else, friends seek prayers to take care of her!

Cecelia is coming out as a partnered lesbian to her church today and tomorrow. She is in an organization which apparently hasn't understood the Gospel message yet. Please pray for Cecelia and for her church.

Jane wrote: "Deenie will die soon. She knows it. She is also living well. I worried during most of this year that I would not see her alive again, but the academic year is over, I am going to visit my parents in Boston in a couple of weeks, and I will have time to go to and visit. With her strength and Godde's grace, I will be able to see her and spend some time with her.

Dear Prayer Posse, please pray that Deenie will live well in the coming weeks, that she will have good care and be comfortable, and that she will continue in her tenacity and clarity. Hospice workers say that people often die the way they have lived, and Deenie has always been a woman of spirit and strength. May she continue with courage and peace as long as she remains in this life."

One of our blog friends, Bonnie, has asked that we add her husband, Edward to our prayers of the people. Bonnie reports that Edward has been in ICU for a week and that he is in need of a miracle.

There are many others who need our prayers including Roseann and Paul and all the others on my long prayer list. Where healing is possible, may there be healing. Where endurance is needed, may there be endurance. Where peace is possible, may there be peace. Please, Godde, be with our friends and all who you.

Ventura on waterboarding

Jesse Ventura on Larry King Live according to Twin-Cities.com:

Ventura said he was waterboarded as part of his Navy SEAL training. He was (typically) not shy about his views. "It's a good thing I'm not president," Ventura said. "I would prosecute every person involved in that torture. I would prosecute the people that did it. I would prosecute the people that ordered it. Because torture is against the law."

He went on: "I'll put it to you this way: you give me a waterboard, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I'll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders."

May I sell tickets? That would take care of any financial problems for the rest of my life.

Senior Safe Driving

In Pennsylvania, people aged 55 and up can get a 5% discount on their auto insurance if they take the Senior Safe Driving course. The class is a two day affair the first time you take it. After that, it is four hours every three years. I attended the refresher last night.

This class was quite different from the earlier one. The people were younger and there were fewer of us. The room setup was also different, two rows of tables as opposed to a room full of rows of chairs. There was quite a bit of give and take this time which made it go a bit faster.

I did learn a few new things about safety belt laws and some statistics. It's interesting that the death rate from accidents among women declines after age 85 while it continues to increase for men. It is much easier for a woman to stop driving voluntarily than a man apparently. Some think the purpose of the class is primarily to scare people out of their cars.

The statistics reminded me of some of my adventures during which I surely had a protector. At 80 mph, the chances of surviving an accident are nil. The teacher kept reminding us that young men are more likely to drive drunk, speed and refuse to wear seat, no, safety belts than young women. Not this girl. I raced around town in high school in our hot Buick Century like a madwoman. There were only three cars in town I couldn't beat.

My wildest adventures were in my '65 TR4A. Unlike most then and even some now, I never went anywhere without my safety belt fastened. People advised against it as I would be crushed if the car rolled over. I knew my car would not roll over. I wanted to be strapped in tightly so I didn't move and could maintain control. I blew a tire one rainy day and did a cookie in the middle of the road in front of a state cop in Ohio. I never left my lane, pulled off to the side and started to get the tools out to change the tire. The cop stopped of course and was surprised to see a female driver. He complimented my on my driving skill but couldn't help with the tire. He didn't know how. Well, it was easy since there was only the center holding it on unlike the four or five bolts most cars have. He just stood there and watched then wished me well and drove away.

I vividly remember bouncing that little car in and out of a ditch one night after an office party while trying to round a country bend at 60 mph or so and wondering how I could be so lucky. Neither I nor my passenger nor the car was damaged. Shudder.

I fairly regularly drove at speeds above 90 mph, especially on I-90 between Conneaut, OH and the PA line. I knew that a rabbit could probably kill me so I watched like crazy. For the cops too.

Had I been born later into different circumstances, I probably would have tried to drive race cars. I still love to be on the road. But I must surely drive my guardian angel crazy. Fortunately I am very aware that I am not as young as I used to be. My reflexes are slower and I'm more easily distracted. And I'm too cheap to risk a speeding ticket. That's all good.

iTit

Apple announced today that it has developed a breast implant that can store and play music. The iTit will cost from $499 to $699, depending on cup and speaker size. This is considered a major social breakthrough, because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.

Responsibility

If I installed a doggy door large enough for a big dog to come and go, I should be aware that a small child could easily use the same door. A couple is suing the manufacturer of such a door that allowed their child to leave the house and drown in the swimming pool. My heart aches for them but my head wonders where theirs was. If more people would take responsibility for their own lives and decisions, we would all be better off. I pray the court will point out that the couple should have used their heads and taken precautions with the doggy door just as they did with everything else in the house and absolve the manufacturer.

Does a warning need to accompany everything we buy? If so, perhaps it should say:
Warning: The use of this product requires human intelligence. Serious injury or death may result from lack of forethought or use by non-humans.

Help bring Padre Mickey east

Padre Mickey of Padre Mickey's Dance Party and Friday Red Mr. Peanut Bank and Gallito Mescalito Blogging fame is an Episcopal missionary in Panama. At the moment he, his lovely wife Mona and their pooch Chompita are on sabbatical in California. We would like to bring Mickey east to join us at a party in New Jersey on 5 June. A missionary's pay is insufficient for side trips to visit friends. We are trying to raise $600 to bring him to the party. We are about a third of the way to our goal. Are you joining us at the party? Will you help? Please. You may get more info and pledge either at OCICBINY or on Facebook.

TEC and the AC

Some of my thoughts on the current problems within the Anglican Communion in no particular order. This may be updated...

Some bishops (and other clergy types) complain that TEC has shattered the communion because of following Jesus's commandment to love all. Those men, primarily, believe that loving, not judging and allowing LGBT people to answer Godde's call to ministry is so sinful that they cannot share the table or even be part of an organization with TEC. In My Not So Humble Opinion, TEC has done nothing to split the communion. TEC has continued to support foreign missions, participate in conferences and live into the love of Godde in Christ while tolerating as long as possible the bishops who vilify others, steal property, lie, refuse to consider there are valid opinions on scripture other than their own and show no signs of being followers of Jesus. The men who complain and withdraw are the ones harming the communion.

People who cling to the belief that LGBTs are not deserving of the same rights and privileges as the people in their circle do not understand the message of the Bible at all. In other words, they believe the hated/feared behavior of LGBTs - doing whatever straight people do - is so sinful that Godde cannot possibly love LGBTs. IMNSHO these prejudiced folks have created God in their own image. I want nothing to do with their God.

In the Bible, Satan gave Jesus the opportunity to be the ruler over all he could see. He declined. Sad that so many bishops and other clergy haven't taken that example to heart. I've always believed that the person who wants power is probably the worst person to give it to. Was it Plato who agreed?

There is a section of the most recent version of the "Covenant" which many are using to pound TEC into submission:
3.2.5: to act with diligence, care and caution in respect of any action which may provoke controversy, which by its intensity, substance or extent could threaten the unity of the communion and the effectiveness or credibility of its mission.
IMNSHO Nigeria and Uganda, among others, should be censored for their inhumane, unChristlike actions and rhetoric against LGBTs which can inspire violence. If anyone is breaking the communion it is these men who have very strange opinions of the message of the Bible. Why are their minions in the US not complaining about that evil? Does their silence mean they approve? Jesus would eat with them but what would he say? There is no credibility to either the parent provinces or their stepchildren.

3.2.6: in situations of conflict, to participate in mediated conversations, which involve face to face meetings, agreed parameters and a willingness to see such processes through.
This needs to apply to all. There is no excuse for Akinola or Orombi or Anis or anyone else to refuse to have an intelligent conversation with an LGBT person. Colin Coward writes that any attempt to discuss with "reporters" is met with a barrage of verbage. I believe that any concession to listen to the real LGBT experience is perceived as a threat to the prejudiced. If a crack appears in their wall against LGBTs, it might spread causing the entire house of cards to tumble. Then all they have said and written against LGBTs must be refuted. The embarrassment is too difficult to imagine.

3.2.7: to have in mind that our bonds of affection and the love of Christ compel us always to uphold the highest degree of communion possible. To put it bluntly, heifer dust. There is no love of Christ among the legalists who can't conceive of the idea that Godde loves homosexuals. TEC tries to maintain bonds of affection but those who know God best keep breaking them.

Those who judge others unfit for whatever, especially responding to Godde's call to ministry, have put themselves above Godde. They may be sincere in their beliefs but they need to examine the beliefs they cling to tightly in the light of what Jesus taught. Just as the rich man could follow all the rules but not surrender all his wealth, the self-righteous can believe they are following the rules but cannot surrender the prejudice that separates them from others.

I'm not a Bible scholar but I believe there is something about an emmisary - the Holy Spirit - who will teach us what we are not yet prepared to learn. It seems to me that the Bible literalists who cherish the verses which, in their opinion, condemn homosexual relationships and which restrict the priesthood to people with penises refuse to hear the Holy Spirit. Could it be because traditionally the Holy Spirit has been considered feminine and women have nothing of value to add to the discussion? Or are those men simply denying the Trinity by believing that the Holy Spirit died with the council of Nicea?

It has been recommended that TEC withhold funding from the AC until the future of the AC is determined. The current movement seems to be toward the Roman model with a magisterium that dictates belief and has means of determining who is in and who is out. That is not the Anglican way. I have mixed feelings about withholding money but I would encourage using those funds to provide desperately needed support for our missionaries who barely survive on the pittance TEC now provides. The withheld resources could also be used to defend property rights when challenged by men who would impose their beliefs on TEC and remove the property illegally when TEC doesn't agree.

I don't much care for organized religion. I like our parish somewhat tho I came very close to leaving last summer because of what I perceived as an unhealthy environment. I perceive the environment preached by the schismatic priests and bishops in the AC to be extremely unhealthy, especially for people. That is all too true in many churches that preach about Jesus yet forget about loving all. Kinda dumb, eh?

Friday cat blogging

PuddyTat and Tim often take up this vigil after eating in the morning especially if Jellico is below wishing he could be "friends" with one or both of the girls. If you look closely you can see Dude on his shelf.

The "annex" behind PT was tipped over this morning. That means one of two things. Either the raccoons were busy doing whatever damage they could or somebody got on top and moved too fast somehow. It is not as stable as it used to be. PT's box is gone. I know the coons were responsible for batting it about. I hate the thought of putting the trap in my Prius. Trapped raccoons reach out and rip apart whatever they can find and they can find lots to rip apart in a long drive to the swamp.

The kitchen is much lighter without the box.

Friday shuffle

1. Schubert: Mass in Eb, Benedictus - Dawn Upshaw, Shaw, Atlanta
2. Mozart: Requiem, Agnus Dei - Bach Choir of Pittsburgh
3. MacMillan: A New Song - Cathedral Choral Society
4. Elgar: The Prince of Sleep - Finzi Singers
5. My Boy Lollipop - Millie Small
6. It Makes a Fellow Proud to be a Soldier - Tom Lehrer
7. Liszt: Venezia e Napoli, 2. Canzone - Lazar Berman
8. Oyfn Veg Shreyt A Boym - Jowel Klezmorim
9. Jam Up Jelly Tight - Tommy Roe
10. I'm a Believer - Monkees
Wondered if I would ever get to something other than "classical" music. No real wonder tho as probably half of the "songs" are parts of classical works.

OCICBW Party, 5 June 2009

I plan to be in New Jersey in early June. It would be fun to get together with OCICBW friends on Friday, 5 June in or near New Brunswick. Might you join us? Check OCICBINY for followup and details. Email me or use Facebook, please, if you are interested.

Why I hate to mow in spring

My front yard is full of violets. I love violets. I like dandelions too. They provide a wonderful contrast. If you click on the photo, you can see the violets better.

The yard behind me is full of violets. This little dandy lion is PuddyTat.