Our Own Jim Has His Say In The UK

From Jim Naughton in the Guardian:

The general convention of the Episcopal Church concluded its triennial meeting in Anaheim yesterday, and apparently succeeded in annoying Tom Wright, the bishop of Durham. In some circles this accomplishment in itself justifies the expense of lodging some 880 deputies, 150 bishops and thousands of visitors in hotels near Disneyland for 10 days.

Writing in the Times, Wright asserted that the Episcopal Church is seeking to perpetuate the schism it began six years ago in consecrating Gene Robinson, who lives in a civil union with his partner, Mark Andrew, as bishop of New Hampshire. This is not the case, but I am always grateful when Wright comments on my church. Those of us who argue in favour of the full inclusion of gay and lesbian Christians in the Anglican communion and against the centralising agenda of Rowan Williams are in need of foils, and Wright, who seems to believe condescension is a charism, fits the bill perfectly.
....

In short, we did not resolve the tensions either in our church or in the communion, but we learned better how to bear with one another as we attempt to discern the will of God. I'd like to think that is a contribution to the larger church

Bravo! That's how to do it, Jim.

Talk about hyperventilating! Slow down, Bishop Right Wright. Breathe in a paper bag if you must.

Please read the rest of Jim's article at the Guardian. It's quite good. I hope that his piece sheds a little light on the happenings at the convention for the readers in the UK. Some folks "over there" don't seem to "get" the Episcopal Church and how it functions.

Jim hangs out at the Episcopal Café. I've even heard that he runs the place. To my regret, I did not get to meet him at the convention. I had a couple of misses of VIPs whom I wanted to meet, but not many.

I once did an assignment for Jim, probably by default, because no one else was going to be present and available. I was a wreck. I am not a reporter, nor am I a detail person, but I suppose I came up with something half-way presentable, because Jim published it, after a bit of expert editorial polishing.

H/T to Counterlight's Peculiers for the link to Jim's article.

Urgent Prayer Request

From JimB:

I called the paramedics this morning because Sue-z could not breath. She is in hospital at LaGrange Community with an apparent clot in her pulmonary artery. Treatment for that condition is medical. Blood thinners are used to actually dissolve the clot.

The current expectation is that she will be in hospital until the middle of next week. As I can I shall keep you'al posted. Please pray for her and her healers.

From OCICBW.

O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Sue-z the help of your power, that her sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

From Roseann

Well it has been a wild week. I went to dialysis Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri and I'm feeling a little better now. On Tues I was transfused with 2 pints of blood. A person waiting, hoping for a kidney transplant never wants a transfusion because it builds up antibodies in your blood that make it harder to find a donor. However, being so anemic you can't walk across a room is not desirable either.
I saw my nephrologist today and he told me how worried he had been earlier this week. He's a good guy who really cares about his patients. The swelling in my arms has gone down about 75% and he expects the rest will go by the end of next week. I just keep on keepin' on.

Names I wish I had never heard:

Perez Hilton
Paris Hilton
Brittany Spears
Jessica Simpson

I just hate it that I know anything at all about those people!

Roseann, just keep on keepin' on and we'll keep on prayin'. I see that your sense of humor is intact.

Love and blessings.

"Will Wonders Never Cease?"

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

Oscar Wilde, whose flamboyant homosexuality shocked 19th century Britain, has won an unexpected endorsement by the Vatican.

The Holy See's official newspaper has praised the playwright and poet as a "lucid analyst of the modern world".

Wilde, who was jailed for acts of gross indecency with Lord Alfred Douglas and later converted to Catholicism, has been regarded by the Catholic Church in the century since his death as a dangerous degenerate and dissolute nonconformist. But on Thursday, L'Osservatore Romano declared that the author of The Importance Of Being Earnest was more than "an aesthete and a lover of the ephemeral".

Thanks to Brian for the title of the post and the link.

Walter Cronkite - R. I. P.

From CBS News:

Walter Cronkite, who personified television journalism for more than a generation as anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News," has died. CBS vice president Linda Mason says Cronkite died at 7:42 p.m. Friday with his family by his side at his home in New York after a long illness. He was 92.

Known for his steady and straightforward delivery, his trim moustache, and his iconic sign-off line -"That’s the way it is" - Cronkite dominated the television news industry during one of the most volatile periods of American history. He broke the news of the Kennedy assassination, reported extensively on Vietnam and Civil Rights and Watergate, and seemed to be the very embodiment of TV journalism.

Yes, I remember the ancient days when we had real news on TV. I remember when we saw and heard more than 44 minutes of news from an hour long news show. I remember when reporters gave us the news rather than their opinions. I remember when reporters didn't play silly games on the news shows.

Cronkite was one of the best.

Picture of Cronkite in Vietnam from Wiki.

Glorious Insults

These glorious insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words.


The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor:

She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison."

He said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."


A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease."

"That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."


"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston Churchill


"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." Clarence Darrow


"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).


"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." - Moses Hadas


"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.." - Mark Twain


"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends..." - Oscar Wilde


"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend...if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second...if there is one." - Winston Churchill, in response.


"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop


"He is a self-made man and worships his creator." John Bright


"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." - Irvin S. Cobb


"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating


"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." - Charles, Count Talleyrand


"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." - ForrestTucker


"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" - Mark Twain


"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." - MaeWest


"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde


"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts...for support rather than illumination."
- Andrew Lang (1844-1912)


"He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder


"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx


From Doug. I needed a laugh.

From Fr. Terry (aka) Fr. Jake

From Fr. Terry:

A drastically reduced budget has been approved by General Convention. Among the cuts are various programs at the Episcopal Church Center.

I'm sorry to have to inform you that the entire Evangelism program, including my position, has been eliminated from the budget.

Other program officer positions eliminated include Worship and Spirituality, Women's Ministries and Lay Ministry.

All together, 37 positions at the Episcopal Church Center have been cut. No explanation has been offered as to why these programs were chosen for elimination.
....

Pray for those staff at the Episcopal Church Center struggling with unexpected transitions.

Pray for the Church.

Read the rest at his blog.

How sad. Fr. Terry was enthusiastic about what was happening at GC09 with the Evangelism Program. The positions that were cut seem odd to me. Growing the church would seem to be essential now. In truth, all of the ministries that were cut seem important, but I suppose that choices must be made.

Indeed, prayers for all who need jobs and for the church.

For the Mission of the Church

Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him, that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

(Book of Common Prayer, pp. 816-817)


That All May Have Work

O God, the Creator of all things, you have made us in your own image so that we may find joy in creative work: have mercy on all those who are unemployed or will be unemployed. Help us to build a society where all may have work and find joy in doing it, for the good of our world and the glory of your name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Adapted from New Every Morning)

Further GC09 News

From The Lead:

The General Convention of the Episcopal Church has passed a resolution on same-sex blessings. The House of Bishops approved the legislation by a margin of more than 3-1 yesterday. tin of more than 3-1 yesterday. The House of Deputies passed the legislation by a slightly smaller margin today.

The lay order voted in favor of Resolution C056 by 78-23 with seven divided deputations. The clergy passed the legislation 74-27-7.


Thurgood Marshall has now been added to the Episcopal Church calendar.

UPDATE: Press release from Integrity:

It is a great day for the church and a greater day for the witness to God’s inclusive love.

"While Integrity’s advocacy work is not yet done," said Integrity President Susan Russell, "the actions here in Anaheim liberate us to get on with our evangelism work--proclaiming the good news of an Episcopal Church that welcomes not only LGBT people looking for a spiritual home but ALL those seeking a faith community that shares their core values of justice, compassion, inclusion, and love."

"We celebrate this historic movement forward and we commit ourselves to this church we love and serve to continue to witness to the good news of Christ Jesus present in our lives, our vocations, and our relationships. We call others to 'come and see' what we have found and seen and experienced in the Episcopal Church."

++Katharine And Bonnie Send A Letter

From The Lead:

[July 17, 2009] A letter describing the steps taken by The Episcopal Church’s 76th General Convention and reaffirming the close relationship with the Anglican Communion was sent today to Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson. A copy of the letter also was sent to the 38 Primates, and clergy and lay leaders of the Anglican Communion

The letter to Archbishop Williams outlined Resolution D025, which was adopted at this General Convention, explaining that Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori and President Anderson understood Resolution D025 to be more descriptive than prescriptive in nature. It stated that some are concerned that the adoption of Resolution D025 has effectively repealed Resolution B033 but reiterated that is not the case. The letter continued, “This General Convention has not repealed Resolution B033. It remains to be seen how Resolution B033 will be understood and interpreted in light of Resolution D025.”
....

The letter to Archbishop Williams was hand-delivered. Copies of the letter were emailed to the Primates and to Anglican lay and clergy leaders on July 17, and were distributed to the House of Bishops and House of Deputies.

How gracious of the ladies to have the letter hand-delivered to Dr. Williams.

The text of the letter is at The Lead.

Considering how swiftly Dr. Williams and Bishop Right Wright commented on D025, without seeming to fully understand it, I'm pleased to know that they and the other primates in the Communion now have accurate information in hand for reference when they make their next public statements.

For Shame, Mary!

From TPM:

Six key Senate Centrists--Ben Nelson (D-NE), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Ron Wyden (D-OR)--are asking Democratic and Republican leaders to slow down the pace of health care reform efforts.

"[I]n the view of [CBO Director Doug Elmendorf's] statement, there is much heavy lifting ahead," reads a letter the group signed today. "We look forward to working with you to develop legislation that is vital to the well-being of the American people and urge you to resist timelines which prevent us from achieving the best results."

One Republican's view:

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) on the stakes in delaying a health care vote past August: "If we're able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him."

Mary, Mary, quite contrary Democrat, that's just what we want, isn't it? To break our Democratic president early in his administration.

I know that the health insurance and drug companies give you a lot of money, but really, have you totally forgotten that you have constituents in need of your help NOW? They are hurting NOW.

From Public Campaign Action Fund:

* According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Sen. Landrieu has raised $1,668,693 from health care and insurance interests throughout her federal political career.

* Of the $1,668,693 in health care and insurance money Sen. Landrieu has raised, just 36% came from in state donors, with 64% coming from out of state interests.

* Sen. Landrieu has received substantial contributions throught her career from leading health care industries, including HMOs and pharmaceutical companies:

Health Professionals $600,366
Insurance $376,731
Hospitals/Nursing Homes $266,645
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products $228,446
Health Services/HMOs $160,005

* Sen. Landrieu has also received $677,014 from registered lobbyists and their political action committees throughout her career.

* Sen. Landrieu has received large contributions from some of the largest companies and groups in the health care and insurance industries.

There's more at the link.