PLEASE JOIN US IN PRAYER

Starting today and for the next several days, members of the vestries and congregations of four churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana will be interviewing and spending time with six candidates for rectors priests-in-charge for four churches in the diocese.

St. John's in Thibodaux
St. Margaret's in Baton Rouge
St. Mary's in Franklin
Christ Episcopal Church in Slidell.

Because I showed up for the meeting at St. John's which explained the process, I became involved. That's what I get for showing up. :-) Seriously, I am pleased to be part of the process. I'll be busy with my duties as a team member at St. John's for the next few days. The several congregations have been praying the prayer on my right sidebar for several weeks, which I repeat below. Please join your prayers with ours that God will guide the diocesan leadership, the members of the congregations, and the candidates.

Lord, look upon the congregations St. John's in Thibodaux, St. Margaret's in Baton Rouge, St. Mary's in Franklin, and Christ Episcopal Church in Slidell. So guide the hearts and minds of our leadership teams, Bishop Morris, Canon Mark, the participating candidates for Holy Orders, and all those participating in the Clergy and Congregational Development Program, so that we may come to prepare and strengthen each other in our respective ministries. Make us all thankful of Your many blessings, faithful to Your Holy Word, and mindful that we are working to your honor and glory. Amen.

Thank you.

UPDATE: From the comments:

susankay said...

...I ask your prayers for St Marks, Durango CO as we first try to find an Interim.

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY

 

 

 

Thanks or blame to Doug.

BACK TO FIREFOX FROM CHROME

Tonight I switched browsers from Google Chrome back to Firefox. When I first downloaded Google Chrome, it was fast and easy to use. But recently it slowed down, and suddenly I was not able to view videos at all. I could see them on Internet Explorer, and now I can play them on Firefox.

I spent most of the day trying to fix the problem, even to uninstalling and reinstalling Chrome, and then decided I'd had enough. We shall see how it goes with Firefox. I was never really that dissatisfied with it, but I'd heard how great Google Chrome was, which it was for a while, but I want my videos.

LACED UP

You may recall that on several occasions I asked for prayers for my daughter who is looking for a job. She is a teacher, but she has not worked for a number of years and has had no luck finding a teaching job, but she is open to other positions. She's interviewed for several jobs in other fields, but the employers want a person with experience, and all of her experience is in teaching and in baby-sitting and selling snoballs when she was a teen-ager.

Anyway, Alison's found work as an extra in movie and TV films on a number of occasions. On her first job, an older woman who's worked as an extra for a good while, gave my daughter pointers on how to perform well so that she would be called for other jobs. Basically, the advice is, "Pay attention!" Don't be focused on your phone or other device, because when the boss calls, she/he expects a prompt response. As you can imagine, the extras do a lot of sitting around waiting, but Alison says she's met some interesting people, and she enjoys talking to them.

It's amazing how much filming is done in the New Orleans area. Alison has worked in several episodes of the TV series "Treme" and on a string of movies. She doesn't earn a great deal of money, about $100 a day or a little more, but a little money coming in is better than none, and she enjoys herself on the sets. She was a vagrant in her last film, and she will be a poor vendor in the next movie, which is "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". It's a period movie (Surprise!), and all the women must wear lace-up corsets, even the poor vendor.

Before Alison went to be fitted for her costume, a friend she met through her time on the sets told her what would happen. The women must strip down to their panties and line up bare-breasted. She had to brace herself against the wall while the dresser laced her up tightly in the corset and then free her breasts from the contraption. I thought of the scene in "Gone With the Wind", in which Mammy pulls on the laces of Scarlett's corset to get her waist back to 17" after she gives birth to Bonnie Blue - without success, as we all know. Daughter said she didn't get near 17" or even 21", which was Scarlett's measurement after Mammy's efforts. She also wondered why a poor vendor had to be laced up in a corset.

Grandpère and I nearly died laughing as Alison gave us the account of her fitting, so I was quite pleased when she gave me permission to retell the story at Wounded Bird. On my side of the family we will do almost anything for a good story.

Image from Wikipedia.

Note: The corset pictured is not back-laced, but I could not find a picture that I could use of a back-laced corset.

WAKEFIELD DIOCESE IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND REJECTS ANGLICAN COVENANT

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2011

Wakefield diocese rejects Anglican Covenant

Press Release from Modern Church, Inclusive Church and the No Anglican Covenant Coalition


First English diocesan vote rejects Anglican Covenant

Modern Church, Inclusive Church and the No Anglican Covenant Coalition are pleased with the result of the first diocesan vote on the proposed Anglican Covenant.

Both clergy and laity (the latter overwhelmingly) rejected the Covenant at the Wakefield Diocesan Synod meeting on Saturday 12th March.

While recognising the need to avoid the bitter controversies of recent years, we are glad that this Synod does not believe the Covenant is the way to do it.

We believe we should retain the traditional Anglican openness in which provinces govern themselves and disagreements are resolved by openly debating the issues free from threats of sanctions or schism.

The proposed Anglican Covenant offers instead a process for suppressing disagreements by establishing a central authority, with power to pass judgements and penalise dissident provinces by excluding them from international structures.

We trust that other Church of England Dioceses will have the courage to follow Wakefield’s example.

Further information:
Rev Giles Goddard, 07762 373674, www.inclusivechurch2.net
Rev Jonathan Clatworthy, 0151 7276291, www.modernchurch.org.uk
Rev Lesley Fellows, 01844 239268, www.noanglicancovenant.org

"A LITANY FOR JAPAN"

O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth,
Have mercy upon us.

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy upon us.

O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful,
Have mercy upon us.

O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, one God,
Have mercy upon us.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us and for the people of Japan.

Hear our prayers, O Christ our God.
Arise, O Christ, and help us.

For all who have died in the earthquake and tsunami striking Japan that they may be given entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of all your saints,
Arise, O Christ, and help us.

For all who grieve the death of family, friends, and fellow citizens that they may not be overwhelmed by their loss, but have confidence in your goodness, and strength to meet the days to come,
Arise, O Christ, and help us.

For all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit that they may be comforted, healed, and given courage and hope,
Arise, O Christ, and help us.

For all aid workers, that they may be filled with strength, generosity, and compassion,
Arise, O Christ, and help us.

For the wisdom, resources, and technological skill that a nuclear disaster might be averted,
Arise, O Christ, and help us.

For eyes to see that you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and linked our lives one to another that we may never forget our common life depends on each other’s toil and that we will always work for the common good,
Arise, O Christ, and help us.

Gracious God, the comfort of all who sorrow, the strength of all who suffer: Let the cry of those in misery and need come to you, that they may find your mercy present with them in all their afflictions; and give us, we pray, the strength to serve them for the sake of him who suffered for us, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

From Interrupting the Silence.

H/T to Nicholas Knisely at The Lead.

R. I. P. SHERMAN WASHINGTON

From NOLA.com:

Sherman Washington Jr., the leader of the Zion Harmonizers and the godfather of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival’s Gospel Tent, died early Monday at his home in Boutte after a long illness. He was 85.

What Ellis Marsalis is to jazz, Mr. Washington was to gospel. For three decades, he hosted a Sunday morning gospel show on WYLD-AM that served as the gospel community’s town hall. He led the Zion Harmonizers, New Orleans’ longest-running gospel vocal group, since the 1940s. The Harmonizers appeared at the very first Jazz Fest, staged in 1970 in what is now Armstrong Park.

After the festival moved to the Fair Grounds in 1972, he oversaw the growth of the Gospel Tent, building it into a cornerstone of the festival’s roots-music presentation. The tent introduced a music largely unknown outside the African-American churches where it was born to a much broader audience.

Until deteriorating health finally slowed him down in recent years, he administered the Gospel Tent with a steadfast integrity and intimate knowledge of the music, musicians and singers. Given that many acts consist of large choirs, the tent features more performers than any other stage at the festival.
....

"Gospel, even after jazz and blues came down to the front of the bus, was still in the back of the bus," said Jazz Fest producer/director Quint Davis. "To a large extent, Sherman’s work through the Gospel Tent has helped bring gospel music to the front of the bus. An enormous debt is owed to him by the festival, and the whole gospel world."

And here they are: The Zion Harmonizers.



Back in the 1970s when the Jazz Fest was smaller and more intimate, and when the music was all New Orleans or Louisiana, we went as a family. You know that was a long time ago. I spent a good part of my day in the Gospel tent jivin' with one excellent performer or group after another. My family could hardly pry me out of my chair to join them for at least part of the day. Sherman Washington did a great job organizing the Gospel tent year after year.

I hear the music in the Gospel tent is still very good, but as the Jazz Fest grew and grew, and the large crowds came, we stopped going, but I still have the fondest of memories for the early days.

The Lord hears Sherman Washington's prayers now. Pray for us, Sherman.

THE ROYAL WEDDING IN STITCHES

 

The happy couple

From the Daily Mail:

If you’re needled about not being invited to the royal wedding, don’t despair – for now you can knit yourself there.

Among the wealth of tea towels, printed plates and specially forged coins, this unusual souvenir kit has emerged, featuring knitting patterns for ten ‘characters’ from William and Kate’s nuptials.

These include the bride and groom, the Queen and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. And, of course, the corgis.

 

The minister

 

The rest of them, including the corgis

Knit Your Own Royal Wedding costs £9.99. To order a copy for £8.99 (p&p free) call 0845 155 0720 or see Ivy Press.

I want exclusive rights to the pictures from those of you who decide to take up the project, okay?

Thanks to Ann for the link.

PLEASE PRAY FOR JCF'S FRIEND CATHY

From JCF:

I'm back again, to ask for more prayers for my friend Cath. I've heard from her sister, and she's not doing at well at all. :-(

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

GOD AND HUSBANDS

When creating husbands, God promised women that good and ideal husbands would be found in all corners of the world.



And then he made the earth round.

Don't blame me. Blame that rascal Paul (A.)