"Nonet"

 

My friend, Ann Fontaine, writes at The Daily Episcopalian of her 27 years of service as a deputy at General Convention. This year, her 9th convention, was her last to attend the convention as a deputy, and she writes movingly about those years and of her bittersweet experience at this year's convention.

Over the years, Ann has done me many kindnesses as a blogger by sending me links and generally keeping me informed. In Anaheim, she took me in hand and showed me my way around and looked out for me during my stay there. She introduced me to a good many of the rich and famous in TEC. It was a joy to meet her after our years-long virtual relationship. She was just as I expected, and I'm now proud to claim her as a real-life friend.

Ann, may God bless you and your husband as you begin a new dance in your lives in Oregon.

"...A Ray Of Hope For The Episcopal Church”

Froom The Living Church:

The Rt. Rev. Charles Jenkins, Bishop of Louisiana, said he voted for C056 because his colleagues had responded well to his plea for graciousness.

“During closed session, I stood and asked the majority of the house to please consider the position of the minority,” he said, adding that it took the church from 1976 to 2009 before all bishops supported ordaining women to the priesthood.

“A mature clarity means leaving a place for the other to stand with integrity,” he said. “What happens when your pastoral issue runs up against my pastoral issue? What happens when your sense of justice runs up against mine?”

The bishops who met late into the night to discuss C056 did the needed homework, Bishop Jenkins said.

“I felt I was honor-bound to vote for it because these bishops had done what I had asked them to do,” he said. “I felt that the process was a ray of hope for The Episcopal Church.”

Most of the bishops quoted in the article voted against Resolution D025, which opens the door to the election of more gay bishops, but voted for C056, which directs the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to “collect and develop theological and liturgical resources”.

The Republican Health Care Plan

What a surprise! I mean, who knew?

Oh My! Blackmail?

From TPM:

Meet Paul Stanley. He's a Republican state senator in Tennessee who teaches Sunday school, loudly opposes allowing gay couples to adopt and is a firm opponent of sex outside of marriage -- except his own. Poor Stanley, 47, ended up having to go to the police and admit having sex with his 22-year-old intern after her boyfriend clumsily tried to blackmail him with pictures and video of Stanley and the intern in flagrante delicto. Unlike Sen. John Ensign's claims of blackmail, the police have taken this one seriously and charged the schlub of a boyfriend.

You'd think they'd learn, but it appears that not a few only learn the hard way.

Awesome Toilets, etc.

THE LADY IS GETTING READY TO ENTER!!

This is a picture of a public toilet in Houston

 

Now that you've seen the outside view,
take a look at the inside view...

 

It's made entirely of one-way glass!

No one can see you from the outside, but when
you are inside it's like sitting in a clear
glass box!

Now would you...COULD YOU....???
....


BATHROOM PAINTED FLOOR!!!

IMAGINE YOU ARE AT A PARTY...

Tenth floor of a hi-rise building...

AND THEN YOU HAVE TO VISIT THE BATHROOM....

You open the door...

NOW, REMEMBER THE FLOOR IS JUST A PAINTED FLOOR!

KINDA TAKES YOUR BREATH AWAY...DOESN'T IT?

Scroll sloooooooowly.
.....

 

Would this mess up your mind??? Would you
be able to walk in To this bathroom???
....


THIS IS A CEILING MURAL IN A SMOKER'S LOUNGE.

 

Please share with friends with a sense of humor....

And that's what I'm doing. All my readers have a sense of humor.

With thanks to Erika.

Feast Day Of Thomas a Kempis

Page from 15th c. manuscript of The Imitation of Christ.

Readings:

Psalm 34:1-8 or 33:1-5,20-21
Philippians 4:4-9
Luke 6:17-23

PRAYER

Holy Father, who have nourished and strengthened your Church by the writings of your servant Thomas a Kempis: Grant that we may learn from him to know what we ought to know, to love what we ought to love, to praise what highly pleases you, and always to seek to know and follow your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Thomas is known almost entirely for composing or compiling a manual of spiritual advice known as The Imitation of Christ, in which he urges the reader to seek to follow the example of Jesus Christ and to be conformed in all things to His will. An extract follows:

When God bestows Spiritual comfort, receive it with a grateful heart; but remember that it comes of God's free gift, and not of your own merit. Do not be proud, nor over joyful, nor foolishly presumptuous; rather, be the more humble for this gift, more cautious, and more prudent in all your doings, for this hour will pass, and temptation will follow it. When comfort is withdrawn, do not immediately despair, but humbly and patiently await the will of Heaven; for God is able to restore you to a consolation even richer than before. This is nothing new or strange to those who know the ways of God, for the great Saints and Prophets of old often experienced these changes. ...Indeed, the temptation that precedes is often a sign of comfort to follow. For heavenly comfort is promised to those who have been tried and tempted."To him who overcomes," says God, "I will give to eat of the Tree of Life."

James Kiefer at the Lectionary.

UPDATE: There was much beauty and consolation in today's Lectionary readings. The following words from Psalm 34 are amongst my favorites:

The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.

I love the idea of the angels of the Lord encamping around me and those I love. Can't you see them? I know. I am a mystical nut case.

And I love the entire passage from Philippians for today:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:4-9

And then in Luke Jesus teaches the Beatitudes from the plain, followed by these words:

Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

Rejoice and leap for joy? Much to ponder there.

Sue-z Update (ongoing)

From JimB:

With so many good folks praying for her, Sue-z can actually feel the uplifting. The news is all pretty good. Sue-z is responding to treatment so well the cardiologist is dropping away. The lungs are still congested but she is getting better: she is on much less O2. Her kidney function s getting better. The radiologists had to postpone because her blood is too thin but the procedure will be tomorrow.

Many thanks!

Wonderful news, Jim! Keep the prayers coming, folks. What Sue-z says is true. I felt the uplifting all the times you prayed for me and mine.

New Treatment For Sunburn

A guy fell asleep on the beach for several hours and got horrible sunburn, specifically to his upper legs. He went to the hospital, and was promptly admitted after being diagnosed with second-degree burns. With his skin already starting to blister, and the severe pain he was in, the doctor prescribed continuous intravenous feeding with saline, electrolytes, a sedative, and a Viagra pill every four hours.

The nurse, who was rather astounded, asked, 'What good will Viagra do for him, Doctor'?

The doctor replied, 'It won't do anything for his condition, but it'll keep the sheets off his legs.'

Don't blame me. Blame Doug. And if this is too wicked, let me know, and I'll never do it again.

I'm still laughing. There must be something wrong with me.

The Archbishop Speaks Plainly?

From Adrian at Pluralist Speaks:

Since 2003, in particular, the Instruments of Communion (not simply myself as a form of Speaker; I cannot so act alone) have been looking for ways by which we can suspend members or the equivalent of the sitting of the House - and for Houses (plural) read local Churches. Indeed we managed successfully to suspend one member outside his local Church, namely the understood to be Bishop V. Gene Robinson, although actually local Churches have effectively suspended many women who are also understood to be bishops in their local Churches. But we have not yet done this properly and formally in respect of partnered gay and lesbian people. In effect too we also exclude lay and clerical gay and lesbian people, except those who hide this feature of their identities, although I have indicated that such exclusion ought to include listening to the unhiding while they are excluded unless, of course, they resume and have a good hiding instead.

Go read the entire post. It's excellent. What a ride!

Don't blame me for the drawing. Blame Adrian.

The Good News Today

The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’

Acts 15:6-11