THE 'GOOD NEWS' - TURN OR BURN

From the church's Facebook page.

H/T to Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin.

FEAST DAY OF FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE

Nevertheless I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterwards you will receive me with honour.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.

Psalm 73:23-26

PRAYER

Life-giving God, who alone have power over life and death, over health and sickness: Give power, wisdom, and gentleness to those who follow the lead of your servant Florence Nightingale, that they, bearing with them your presence, may not only heal but bless, and shine as lanterns of hope in the darkest hours of pain and fear; through Jesus Christ, the healer of body and soul, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Tobias Haller, who blogs at In a Godward Direction, wrote the lovely icon pictured above.

James Kiefer writes at the Lectionary:

The commemoration of Florence Nightingale is controversial. On the one hand, she doubted or denied many of the central articles of the Creed. On the other hand, she believed in God and devoted her life to His service as she understood it.

I'd say more than good enough. Thanks be to God for the life and service of Florence Nightingale.

DID YOU EVER NOTICE...

Not before now. I never did.

Don't blame me. Blame Doug for destroying your innocence.

REMEMBERING KIRSTIN - PART ONE

The first segment of Kirstin Paisley's memorial service, put together by Sean McConnell, is now available online at vimeo.

Kirstin passed away after a long battle with melanoma. She touched the lives of many with her courage, honesty, faith and compassion. Kirstin blogged at Barefoot and Laughing.

UPDATE: I just now had time to watch Part One in its entirety. The service is powerful, indeed.

STORY OF THE DAY - ROUGHAGE

I used to eat popcorn for every meal, she
told me once. It made me feel like I was
in the movies & my life would turn out
happy in the end. Did it work? I said. I
don't know, she said, but I like to think
the roughage counts for something.

From StoryPeople.

A SAMPLING OF SCULPTURES IN THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is one of my favorite museums in all the world. My hotel was within walking distance, and I visited three times and wondered around until my feet wore out. The galleries in the V&A are manageable and not vast like those of other large museums. And, wonder of wonders, taking pictures is allowed!

Jason - 16th century - Italy - Unknown artist

Virgin and Child - Girolamo Campagna - ca. 1578

(Note: Thanks to Lapin who identified the Apollo and Zephyr statues, shown below, and the Madonna and child, shown above for me.)

Apollo & Zephyr - Pietro Francavilla - 1577

Cupid Kindling the Torch of Hymen - George Rennie - 1831

Peasant Woman Nursing a Baby - Aimé-Jules Dalou - 1873

Crouching Youth - Winifred Turner - ca. 1934

Albert Einstein - Jacob Epstein - 1933

Cupid and Psyche - Auguste Rodin - ca. 1908

I'll post more pictures from the V&A later. One day when I'd decided to revisit the museum, it was raining, but, since I was only a block and a half away from the South Kensington Underground Station, I walked through the tunnel there, at the end of which you arrive inside the museum, not soaking wet.

Picture of the building from Wikipedia.

MADPRIEST'S BACK!

Of Course I Could Be Wrong... is rockin' and rollin' again. You can pop right over there to welcome MadPriest back. He's open for business.

THE COBB AT LYME REGIS - MERYL STREEP AND ME

Meryl Streep, or what? Or what, I think. If I'd removed my glasses? Still, or what. Don't blame me. Blame Cathy. It was her idea and her sweater draped over my head. In the first picture, I was smiling, and that would not do. For this picture, I had a hard time keeping a straight face. The picture of me is dreadful. Will I do anything for a laugh? Well, almost anything.

I'll write more about Lyme Regis and its resonances for me later. My photos are not that good, so I'll look for better pics on the web. Suffice it to say that when Grandpère and I traveled to England the first time in 1982, we wanted to go to Lyme Regis, but we never made it there. I've been wanting to go ever since, and thanks to Cathy, I made it there this year.

Image of movie poster from Wikipedia.

FURTHER PRAYER REQUEST...

From Tim Chesterton:

Further to my prayer request for Joe Walker and his family here, please keep them especially in your prayers tonight. They are down east with Joe’s parents, and the end may be close for Joe. Thank you.

Tim blogs at Faith, Folk and Charity.

Update from Tim Chesterton:

Half an hour ago I learned the news that my dear friend Joe Walker died early this morning after a short and increasingly painful battle with cancer.

Read the rest at Tim's blog Faith, Folk and Charity.

May Joe rest in peace and rise in glory. May God give comfort, consolation and the peace that passes understanding to Joe's wife Alisa, to their children Emily, Adam, Sarah Joy, and Justin and to all who love Joe.

SICK AT HEART - THE RIOTS IN ENGLAND

The riots, violence, looting, and destruction in London and other cities in England, a country that I love, makes me sick at heart, especially since I was there as recently as the end of last month. There is no excuse, repeat, no excuse, for citizens to take the path of violence and destruction to effect change in their societies. But when we ask why such violence and destruction take place, we must note that at least some of the participants are probably those who have little or no hope of ever having a reasonable stake in the societies in which they live. They are less likely to care greatly about the disorder and destruction and more prone to get caught up in the mob and actually become partners in the destruction of the very communities in which they live.

By no means do I rule out the presence of the criminal element, who, no doubt, take every advantage of the chaos to profit from it, but the rioters probably include 'people of no hope', people who see around them the rich prospering in the greed-is-good mentality of untrammeled capitalism, even as they are left behind. Is it really surprising that some of the 'no-hopers' get caught up in the mob mentality of the riots?

My words could apply to other countries in the West, including my own, where the ever-widening gap between rich and poor and the erosion of the middle class continues apace and will lead us nowhere good.

O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Book of Common Prayer

UPDATE: Bishop Alan Wilson of Buckingham and Counterlight both posted reflections on the rioting in in England which I think are worth a read.