Billie And Satchmo - The Blues Are Brewin'

Dedicated to MadPriest, the first martyr of OCICBW. He hardly ever reads my blog, so I could be the second martyr of OCICBW, but here it is anyway, even if he never sees it.

Oh, woe is me! But that's another song, isn't it?

A Graceful New Year's Resolution

From Bishop Alan's Blog:

If we don't get rid of our stuff it accumulates. But what do we do about it? That’s the basis of the sacrificial system — it takes sin seriously, rather than sweeping it under the carpet. But for Christians the naming and shaming is only the prelude to a greater act of redemption than Mosaic circumcision could ever be — Grace, in all its absurd, liberating, healing, ludicrous excess. Where sin abounds, grace superabounds. Relax! Now we can love without pretending, or trade-offs, or status games. This year I need a better grasp of Grace, right from the outset, prefigured but super-transcended in the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ. Alleluia!

In the comments, I responded:

Bishop Alan, if that is your one New Year's resolution, then it suffices. I may make it mine, too.

Now I've changed from "may" to "will".

Bishop Alan Wilson is Area Bishop of Buckingham, UK. Ann Fontaine kindly introduced me to his blog, and I'm so pleased that she did.

It's Still Christmas - Day 10

 

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord,
Selah
O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel;
and whose power is in the skies.
Awesome is God in his sanctuary,
the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.

Psalm 68:32-35

The small tree above is another product of my mother's ceramics class. We've had it since my children were young. Children want to play with it, but, unfortunately, it is not a toy. I have a few decorations that kids can play with, such as a pair of Christmas bunny rabbits. Yes, you read that right, Christmas bunnies, a male and a female, decked out in their velvet Christmas clothes. Thank goodness they're not breeding bunnies.

The Great Flydini - Parental Advisory

From Doug.

Tonight Is Naughty Night

Yesterday I had a flat tire on the interstate. So I ease my car over to the shoulder of the road, carefully get out of the car and open the trunk.

I took out 2 cardboard men, unfolded them and stood them at the rear of my car facing oncoming traffic. They look so lifelike you wouldn't believe! They are in trench coats exposing their nude bodies and private parts to the approaching drivers.

But to my surprise, cars start slowing down looking at my lifelike men. And of course, traffic starts backing up. Everybody is tooting their horns and waving like crazy. It wasn't long before a state trooper pulls up behind me.

He gets out of his car and starts walking towards me. I could tell he was not a happy camper!

'What's going on here?'

'My car has a flat tire', I said calmly.

'Well, what the hell are those obscene cardboard men doing here by the road ?'

I couldn't believe that he didn't know. So I told him, 'Helloooooo, those are my emergency flashers!'

I thought I had posted this before, but I could not find it in my list of 1833 posts. Yes, I've blogged that many posts. This is No. 1834. If you've seen this one before, just laugh again.

Thanks to Ann.

Please Pray For My Granddaughter

We had two quiet days. Somehow I knew it couldn't last. The quiet is gone with the wind. My granddaughter broke her arm today, just above the wrist. She fell off her new Christmas present, a whip-something, like a skateboard with only one wheel in the front and one behind. The bones were not lined up, so the doctor put her to sleep to line them up. She is in a cast, and she will not be using her right arm for some time.

This is the fourth broken arm she has suffered. She broke her two arms falling off a swing at school, and another arm falling off something else, which I can't remember. The doctors say her bones are all right. Lord, have mercy. It could be worse, much worse.

Le calme s'en va avec le vent.

UPDATE: I talked to my granddaughter just now, and she says that she is in pain, but not a lot, but that she did not sleep well. She is in a temporary cast until the swelling subsides. She was lamenting all the things that she can't do, like write, fix her hair (major deprivation), etc. Poor baby. She can answer the phone, which is a good thing.

It's Still Christmas - Day 9

 

So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

John 10:7-10

Pictured above are the decorations on the front of our house. If you click on the picture you can see the lights a little better.

Down below is the ghost in our front yard. Imagine! It was right in front of me, and I didn't see it at all. The photo above is shopped, but the picture below is as is, no retouching. To me, it's the ghost of a Christmas caroler with long hair, holding sheet music in her/his hands. What do you think? A Christmas miracle on the 9th 8th day (I took the picture last night) of Christmas?

 

Shocking Act Of Thievery

Oyster, the Intrepid, at Your Right Hand Thief, fills us in (with a little help from Salon) on a shocking act of thievery:

Tragically, the Holy Prepuce was stolen in 1983. Thus, for the past quarter century we've celebrated the Feast of the Circumcision with a nagging uncertainty and shame. Why did our generation have to lose (part of) the body of Christ? (It was in a shoebox in a priest's closet for goodness sakes-- how much more secure can you get?)

Read the rest for the full details. Who else but a thief would have the skinny on thievery?

Atheists Sue To Stop Prayer At Inauguration

From Beliefnet:

Michael Newdow, along with 17 other individuals and 10 groups representing atheists, named Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., officials in charge of inaugural festivities, the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery and pastor Rick Warren in their complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington Tuesday, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
Roberts will administer the oath of office to Obama at the Jan. 20 event. Warren and Lowery are scheduled to deliver the invocation and benediction, respectively.

I may bring down the wrath of many upon my head, but I think that those who initiated the lawsuit are probably right. I also think that they probably won't get very far with their lawsuit.

I have mixed feelings, leaning to the negative, about "In God We Trust" on the money, "...under God...." in the pledge, and invocation and benediction as elements of such public ceremonies.

H/T to Nicholas Knisely at the Episcopal Café.

Good Job, Boys!

I know. Blago is innocent until proven guilty. George Ryan, the former governor on the left, is still serving his prison sentence.

Don't blame me, blame Doug.