Saturday, May 5, 2012
ABOUT WENDY...AND STORMY AND BADUT
Pictured above are my son's cats, Stormy and Wendy. Stormy, the male, looks very much like a Russian blue. Wendy, the female, is a brown and gray tabby, who has been having intestinal problems lately, in that she doesn't hold her food down. She's been thoroughly examined and tested by the vets, and they can find nothing wrong. She's lost weight, but not a dangerous amount, and is now on a special diet of expensive cat food, which did not immediately solve the problem.
Some of what Wendy regurgitates includes hair balls. My son told the vet the story of Stormy and Wendy. A stray female tuxedo kitten came to my son's house, and the family took her in, as much as they could, because she was and is half feral. Turns out the 'kitten' was pregnant. She was so small that she had to have been impregnated the first time she came into heat and, from the appearances of the 5 kittens in the litter, possibly by more than one male. Badut (Don't ask about the name. I have no idea.) stayed in the house when she had her litter and until the kittens were weaned, but now she prefers outside, except in very cold weather.
Badut was quite conscientious about feeding her litter, but Wendy was the nanny who did the cleaning and grooming, since the mother cat showed no interest in those chores. My son found good homes for all the kittens but Stormy, whom they kept in the family. Stormy is a very large cat, although you can't tell from the picture. Wendy is a normal-sized female, but she still grooms Stormy as she's done since he was born. The vets finally concluded that Wendy was ingesting too much hair by grooming herself and the huge Stormy, and her digestive system could not handle all the hair. They've put her on an anxiety medication to try to keep her from vomiting, and it seems to be working.
In addition to her compulsion to groom Stormy, Wendy has to put up with his attempts to mount her. Once he gets her down, she's so much smaller, she doesn't have a chance, and when my son goes to rescue her, Stormy gets a crazed look in his eyes as though to say, 'I'll tear you limb from limb, if you disturb me!' All the more need for anxiety medication for poor Wendy.
And that's not all. Whenever Badut decides to spend time in the house, Stormy still tries to nurse from his tiny Mama. What a sight! He's about twice her size. He's never forgotten, but his Mama wants none of it, which may be one reason why she spends so much time outside.
Stormy is seemingly a large cat with a small brain, who yet manages to rule like a king. Such is life with the feline members of the household.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - MEISTER ECKHART
Man’s last and highest leave-taking is leaving God for God.
UPDATE: The thought above in a broader context:
I will put into plain words what St. Paul means by wishing to depart from God. Man’s last and highest leave-taking is leaving God for God. St. Paul left God for God: he left everything he could give or take of God, every concept of God. In leaving these, he left God for God since God remained to him in his essential self, not as a concept of himself, or as an acquired thing, but God in his essential actuality.
From An Introduction to Meister Eckhart
H/T to Windhorse in the comments at Adventus.
EL CINCO DE MAYO - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GAYLE!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ar4WI_jSap9rp_u6O5KXNKvQoJ3AOuM4TbczmX9RxP-EoxWqd5Tr_O-d_XYtlkd3Agmx7LU5Y4XIAS7PnOMCc0xL4RH_gR-3O32WQGtpwIs9zYOkrybbfMtYyI9v7M3MdkvfYGisHr56/s400/Fullscreen+capture+552011+23617+PM.bmp.jpg)
Today is my beloved sister Gayle's birthday. She died six years ago on April 27. We celebrated her life in a memorial service on her birthday, May 5, 2006. After the service, we had a quiet gathering of friends and family. Later that evening, we had a not-so-quiet gathering, in other words, a party. Gayle loved parties, so it was fitting.
She also loved that she shared her birthday with the Mexican celebration. Of course! Another occasion for a party.
¡Viva México! ¡Viva El Cinco de Mayo!
Viva Gayle! May we meet in the kingdom!
Friends of Gayle set up The Dillenkoffer Endowment to provide scholarship grants to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered teens. We know that it's not easy to come out as a teenager. The consequences, at worst, can be nothing less than deadly. I greatly admire all the young men and women who have the courage to step forward and claim their identities in the face of the difficulties.
If you would like to make a donation, here's the link.
(Reposted from last year with slight editing.)
Friday, May 4, 2012
CHRIST'S PRESENCE
Bro John Anthony posted in St. Cuthbert's Cottage
Bro John Anthony 10:28am May 4 Knowing Christ to be present and active within us is the true reward. Our service to others, our generosity, are the manifestation of the life of God, the love of God, the generosity of God active within us. What could be a better reward than God within us?
-Br. Mark Brown
Society of Saint John the Evangelist
HE HAD A RIGHT TO BE THERE
Occupied Bishop George Packard was arrested again.
I said to Brook on that long march from Union Square to Veterans’ Plaza, “It would be a relief to be arrested just to sit down.” We’re not that out-of-shape; it was the stop and go, creep along, that the NYPD made us do to keep order that wore us out. Truth be told, the crowd—though hefty at fifty thousand strong—was docile.Very sad, indeed.
....
Despite the fatigue the traverse past Trinity Church brought a wave of continuous and universal disdain. Sad, really, because that parish/corporation—true to the Gospel--could have brought an moment of magnanimity to the Occupy Movement by granting refuge on their vacant Duarte property back on December 17th. What had been an esoteric argument over using church property wasn’t wasted on this endless parade of protesters. They got it.
So, we wended our way down past the infamous bull on lower Broadway with a surprising left turn toward Water Street. My legs were yearning for the benches around Bowling Green but sometimes the inscrutability of places like Trinity can only be matched by the likes of my young friends of Occupy. Where we were going? Enroute we all received this text message: “New Occupation Assembly at Veterans’ Plaza.”....
Once there, you can’t help but think of the young men with whom you served. In those days I was an Army platoon leader.
....I’m probably at the end of God’s list of coincidental places from which to be arrested: church property on December 17th and now the Memorial for my fallen brothers and sisters on May 1st....and so I ignored the police instructions to leave the park.
Thus George was arrested again, although he had every right to rest and remember in Veterans Plaza. What to say of a system in which a veteran is not permitted quiet time at a veterans memorial? Read the entire poignant post.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Since Lawrence O'Donnell suggested that I stay tuned to The Last Word because Alec Baldwin would appear on his show, I have not watched the news on the tee vee.
TWO STORIES OF THE DAY
Hidden Ocean
Joy of Spring
She held her grief behind her eyes like
an ocean & when she leaned forward
into the day it spilled onto the floor &
she wiped at it quickly with her foot &
pretended no one had seen.
Joy of Spring
The birds brought seed & flowers & bitsFrom StoryPeople.
of brightly colored string & placed them
in her hair while she slept so that she
would remember the wild joy of spring
when she finally awoke.
OMAR KHAYYAM - LOVERS ARE AT HOME IN HEAVEN AND IN HELL
I've enjoyed immensely Juan's series translations of Omar Khayyam.Seekers of the truth look at the
lovely and the ugly
as the same.
Lovers are at home
in heaven and in hell.
Those who’ve lost their hearts can
dress in satin or sack cloth;
the infatuated
do not know if they are laying
down their heads in clouds or
resting them on earthen bricks.
Translated by Juan Cole
from [pdf] Whinfield 128
Juan Cole at Informed Comment.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
WELCOME, WELCOME, FOCA!
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Richard Chartres, Bishop of London |
At an evening gathering of over 500 Anglicans in the Emmanuel Centre, Westminster, on Thursday 26 April, the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (UK and Ireland) hosted scores of senior Anglican leaders from 30 countries who arrived from conference at St Mark’s, Battersea Rise, in a fleet of red double decker buses. They were welcomed by the Bishop of London who encouraged them in evangelism. They also heard of Christian witness amid the terrorism in Nigeria and countries of Central Asia.I'd say to Bishop Chartres, "Careful, this welcome and encouragement to the FoCA folks to evangelize may come back to bite you." But what do I know?
Names! I want names of the 'senior Anglican leaders from 30 countries' in attendance. Not that I can kick ass after I take names. I just want to know.
“The Primates of the FCA have assured us that, through instruments now available in this country, including the panel of bishops of the Anglican Mission in England and the FCA UK, those who might otherwise have been under pressure to leave the Church of England can remain within the family of global Anglicanism and be recognized by that body as faithful to the Church of England itself.”There you have it.
The photo is a still from the video of the bishop's sermon at the royal wedding of Kate and William.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
DREADLOCKED BISHOP-ELECT JUSTIN
"I am delighted to announce that the Rev Justin Duckworth has been chosen as the next Bishop of Wellington.
Justin was nominated by an Electoral
College ably chaired by Bishop Richard Ellena, and Justin's nomination
has since been formally confirmed by the House of Bishops and members of
the General Synod.
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Justin, who is 44, has been at the cutting edge of mission and ministry in Wellington for 25 years." |
Archdeacon Bernard Faull conducted a video interview with the new bishop-elect after his election, which is also at the link above. During the interview, the two speak of the the juxtaposition of the dreads and the mitre. Below is a close-up photo of Justin.
Justin's is a fascinating story with sometimes surprising twists and turns.
NACC PLANS NEXT STEPS
No Anglican Covenant Coalition
COALITION PLANS NEXT STEPS
LONDON – With diocesan synod voting in the Church of England completed, and with 26 dioceses having rejected the proposed Anglican Covenant, the No Anglican Covenant Coalition is preparing for the next steps in its international campaign, including the appointment of a new Moderator, the Revd Malcolm French, a parish priest in the Anglican Church of Canada. The Revd Jean Mayland, a retired priest, will be the No Anglican Covenant Coalition Convenor for the Church of England.
“We have accomplished what many thought was an impossible task,” said the Coalition’s first Moderator, the Revd Dr Lesley Crawley. “After a full and fair debate, the Church of England has rejected the Anglican Covenant, and it cannot be considered again prior to 2015. As the campaign moves on to other fronts, this is an opportune time for me to hand over the leadership of the Coalition. Malcolm and Jean have been key members of the Coalition from the start, and I am confident the Coalition will experience continued success under Malcolm’s leadership.”
“Lesley stepped up to lead the Coalition with courage and commitment,” said French. “As we move forward, I will look to Lesley’s example of empowering leadership. The defeat of the Anglican Covenant in the Church of England has changed the playing field in the rest of the Anglican Communion. We are confident that a fair debate on the merits will lead to the defeat of the Covenant in several more Communion churches, just as we saw in the Church of England.”
Over the next six months, several more churches will consider the proposed Covenant, including the Scottish Episcopal Church, in June, and The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, both in July. Canadian dioceses have begun studying the Covenant in preparation for General Synod 2013.
A model General Convention resolution has been prepared to assist General Convention deputies in the Episcopal Church who may wish to submit a resolution on the Covenant. The model resolution, along with other supporting material, is available at the No Anglican Covenant website (noanglicancovenant.org/resources.html).
The No Anglican Covenant Coalition is an international group of
Anglicans concerned about how the proposed Anglican Covenant would
radically change the nature of the Anglican Communion.
noanglicancovenant.org
Anglicans for Comprehensive Unity
noanglicancovenant.org
NEWS RELEASE
MAY 1, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LONDON – With diocesan synod voting in the Church of England completed, and with 26 dioceses having rejected the proposed Anglican Covenant, the No Anglican Covenant Coalition is preparing for the next steps in its international campaign, including the appointment of a new Moderator, the Revd Malcolm French, a parish priest in the Anglican Church of Canada. The Revd Jean Mayland, a retired priest, will be the No Anglican Covenant Coalition Convenor for the Church of England.
“We have accomplished what many thought was an impossible task,” said the Coalition’s first Moderator, the Revd Dr Lesley Crawley. “After a full and fair debate, the Church of England has rejected the Anglican Covenant, and it cannot be considered again prior to 2015. As the campaign moves on to other fronts, this is an opportune time for me to hand over the leadership of the Coalition. Malcolm and Jean have been key members of the Coalition from the start, and I am confident the Coalition will experience continued success under Malcolm’s leadership.”
“Lesley stepped up to lead the Coalition with courage and commitment,” said French. “As we move forward, I will look to Lesley’s example of empowering leadership. The defeat of the Anglican Covenant in the Church of England has changed the playing field in the rest of the Anglican Communion. We are confident that a fair debate on the merits will lead to the defeat of the Covenant in several more Communion churches, just as we saw in the Church of England.”
Over the next six months, several more churches will consider the proposed Covenant, including the Scottish Episcopal Church, in June, and The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, both in July. Canadian dioceses have begun studying the Covenant in preparation for General Synod 2013.
A model General Convention resolution has been prepared to assist General Convention deputies in the Episcopal Church who may wish to submit a resolution on the Covenant. The model resolution, along with other supporting material, is available at the No Anglican Covenant website (noanglicancovenant.org/resources.html).
noanglicancovenant.org
The Revd Malcolm French (Canada) | |
The Revd Jean Mayland (England) | |
The Ven Lawrence Kimberley (New Zealand) | |
The Revd Canon Hugh Magee (Scotland) | |
Dr Lionel Deimel (USA) |
TRUST, MONIES, GOSPEL - DIOCESE OF SOUTHWARK
Adrian Worsfold, at Pluralist Speaks, writes of the recent news from the Southwark Good Stewards Trust, in the Diocese of Southwark in the Church of England, which believes itself to be misrepresented:
What will this mean for the Diocese of Southwark and other dioceses in the Church of England, should the concept spread, as it is likely to do? The member churches will still be part of the diocese, according to the answer to question No. 5.
Further in answer to question No. 5:
As you see, I have a few questions that are not answered by the FAQ list on the website of the Trust. I assume that the authorities in the Diocese of Southwark may have a few questions of their own.
...the Directors have issued the below Frequently Asked Questions, ahead of the official Trust launch and reception. The Directors hope that the FAQ's may be of interest to members of churches of other Dioceses where there is also widespread concern about revisionism.The first question is of particular interest:
1. Does the Trust mean one particular tradition of the church will just be serving themselves?
No. The Trust is open to applications from any Incumbent within the Diocese who can genuinely sign The Jerusalem Declaration (see below).I will not cover the FAQs one by one, but regarding the first question, is The Jerusalem Declaration another creed? Signing the declaration seems to be the ticket to get in the door of the Trust. According to The Jerusalem Declaration:
3. We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.But that's not quite enough to assure the exclusion of Anglicans who accept the historic Creeds, but may yet be categorized as revisionists.
What will this mean for the Diocese of Southwark and other dioceses in the Church of England, should the concept spread, as it is likely to do? The member churches will still be part of the diocese, according to the answer to question No. 5.
5. Is the Trust ‘separatist’ ?
The Trust seeks to support parish churches of the Diocese which are orthodox, whatever their particular tradition. There is nothing separatist about it.Is the intention to take over the Church of England from within? Is this the beginning of an attempt to turn the Church of England into an evangelical fundamentalist church? But wait! Will the alliance between the two groups, fundamentalist evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics, hang together?
Further in answer to question No. 5:
Rather its intention as its name implies, is that members should be 'Good Stewards’ of the monies the Lord has given them, and be ‘Good Stewards’ of the apostolic Gospel which has been entrusted to them, within a particular Diocese, for the sake of the salvation of future generations.So. It's about the monies and the Gospel with the monies mentioned first. How will the monies of the Diocese of Southwark be affected as churches ally with the Trust?
As you see, I have a few questions that are not answered by the FAQ list on the website of the Trust. I assume that the authorities in the Diocese of Southwark may have a few questions of their own.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
EAT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN
A signboard outside a restaurant said: "Eat as much as you can and let your grandchildren pay the bill."
A man entered the restaurant, ate as much as he could, and when the waiter gave him the bill he pointed to the signboard and said, "Don't you see; only my grandchild needs to pay for this bill".
The waiter replied, "But sir, this is not your bill. This is your grandfather's bill."
Cheers,
Paul (A.)
A man entered the restaurant, ate as much as he could, and when the waiter gave him the bill he pointed to the signboard and said, "Don't you see; only my grandchild needs to pay for this bill".
The waiter replied, "But sir, this is not your bill. This is your grandfather's bill."
Cheers,
Paul (A.)
MAY DAY - OCCUPY WALL STREET
Follow the protests live at Occupy Wall Street, or find out at the website how you can follow the events in different locations on Twitter.
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Broadway NYC |
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Union Square NYC |
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Oakland CA |
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Chicago IL |
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Los Angeles CA |
'GOD IS LOVE' - THE INNOCENCE MISSION
Rain or shine
This street of mine is golden
Rain or shine
This street of mine is golden
With the gold of hickory leaves
I can walk under these clouds
Rain or shine this street of mine is golden
God is love
And love will never fail me
God is love
And love will never fail me
If I'm driving there today
And I really am this afraid
God is love
And love will never fail me
Some birds I know are moving on this weekend
Some birds I know are moving on this weekend
And I'm under the sky, I am on the ground, with my coat
Some birds I know are moving on this weekend
God is love
And love will never fail me
God is love
And love will never fail me
And some days I will decide
To let everything else go by
God is love
And love will never fail me
Love will never fail me
THEY HAVE NAMES
Total War Deaths: 7787
Iraq: Total Deaths: 4804
-no casualties this past week
Afghanistan: Total Deaths: 2983
WORKMAN, Chris J., 33, SGT, US Army, Boise, ID, 25th Infantry Division
VIRAY, Don C., 25, CWO, US Army, Waipahu, HI, 25th Infantry Division
SHAFFER, Dean R., 23, SGT, US Army, Pekin, IL, 25th Infantry Division
JOHNSON, Nicholas S., 27, CWO2, US Army, San Diego, CA, 25th Infantry Division
METCALF, Michael J., 22, PFC, US Army, Boynton Beach, FL, 82nd Airborne Division
WALSH, Jonathan P., 28, 1st LT, US Army, Cobb, GA, 82nd Airborne Division
FANKHAUSER, Joseph H., 30, SSGT, USMC, Mason, TX, I Marine Expeditionary Force
VASQUEZ, Manuel J., 22, SPEC, US Army, West Sacramento, CA, 172nd Infantry Brigade
GONZALEZ, Moises J., 29, SPEC, US Army, Huntington, CA, 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade
NEAL, Benjamin H., 21, SPEC, US Army, Orfordville, WI, 82nd Airborne Division
BRITTONMIHALO, Andrew T., 25, SSGT, USMC, Simi Valley, CA, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group
EGGLESTON, Brandon F., 29, SSGT, US Army, Candler, NC, 3rd Special Forces Group
LEE, Jr.,Dick A., 31, SSGT, US Army, Orange Park, FL, 21st Theater Sustainment Command
MOSKO, Christopher E., 28, LT, US Navy, Pittsford, NY, Joint Special Operations Task Force
EDENS, Jason K., 22, SPEC, US Army, Franklin, TN, 1st Armored Division
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.Source: iCasualties.org
May God give comfort, consolation, and the peace that passes understanding to those who love the service members who died.
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)
Note: Estimates of civilian casualties in Iraq range from 105,000 to 1,033,000
For information, click here.
Estimates of civilian casualties in Afghanistan range from 17,000 to 37,000
For information, click here.
List from The Daily Office.
A-MAYING
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'Queen Guinevere's Maying' - John Maler Collier |
For thus it chanced one morn when all the court,(Alfred, Lord Tennysosn - 'Idylls of the King' - 'Guinevere')
Green-suited, but with plumes that mocked the may,
Had been, their wont, a-maying and returned,
That Modred still in green, all ear and eye,
Climbed to the high top of the garden-wall
To spy some secret scandal if he might,
Image from Wikipedia.
Monday, April 30, 2012
FOCA - COUP, SCHISM, OR SOMETHING ELSE?
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FoCA Conference, London |
The epistemic divide is clear. FCA members have objective criteria (both biblical and from within traditional church teaching, though the former is definitive) by which to critique both secular society and Christian praxis.Our own (or is he?) +Mark Lawrence attended the London conference and, according to Simon Sarmiento at Thinking Anglicans, he was invited by The Guildford Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship to give a talk in Surrey, before he headed home to Charleston, South Carolina. If you'd like, you can listen to +Mark's talk at Baby Blue Online.
In particular history in the sense of legitimating and identity-forming narratives is replaced by salvation history: judgement by objective biblical and theological criteria.
I wonder if +Mark will attend General Convention of TEC this year. GC09 left him feeling quite dyspeptic. Few would be greatly surprised if the bishop bolted from TEC.
Photo from Baby Blue.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
GOOD-BYE SWEET IZZIE
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RIP My Sweet Izzie |
Izzie was put to sleep this afternoon. My little sweetie has crossed the rainbow bridge. She has been really failing over the last year or so.Read the rest of the story of Izzie's life with Amelia.
....
I will miss my little sweetie. I will miss her snoring next to me at night. Her snores were famous in Vestry meetings where they helped move the discussion forward, sounding out at just the right time. I found her funny, loving, stubborn and always up for an adventure. Now she will have a new adventure, joining her doggie friends, Sydney and Daisy and Luci as well as Bear and Oso and Eva who have already crossed the rainbow bridge. I'm sure she will be waiting for me, tail up and curled, when it's my time.
Grandpère and I had the privilege of hosting Izzie and Amelia for a couple of days. Both Izzie and her human were great guests, the kind you'd like to have back. Alas, Izzie you'll not come to stay again, but we won't forget you, and perhaps Amelia will return.
The photo above, taken by Amelia, is my favorite, because Izzie looks smashing resting on the quilt of many colors and wearing her pink bow.
O Lord our God, we come before You this day in sadness. Izzie, who brought Amelia so much joy in life, has now died. Her happy times in her embrace have come to an end. She misses Izzie already.Help her, O God, to remember the good times with Izzie. Remind her to rejoice in the happy times she brought to her home. Let her be thankful for the good life she was blessed to give to her.We are grateful to You, God, for creating Izzie, for entrusting her to Amelia's care, and for sustaining Izzie in her love for a measure of time. We understand that all that lives must die. She knew that this day would come. And yet, O God, she would have wanted one more day of play, one more evening of love with Izzie.O God, as Amelia has taken care of Izzie in life, we ask that You watch over her in death. You entrusted Izzie to her care; now, she gives her back to You. May Izzie find a happy new home in Your loving embrace.As we remember Izzie, may we love each other more dearly. May we care for all Your creatures, for every living thing, as Amelia protected the blessed life of Izzie. May her memory bless our lives with love and caring forever. Amen.
(Prayer from Rabbi Barry H. Block)
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