WE ARE ALL SO PROUD

The bright and good-looking lad pictured above, my grandson Bryan, will graduate from high school tonight.  His Mom, Dad, Gramdpère, and Gramdmère are very proud of him.

Congratulations and blessings, Bryan!

That's Gino looking adoringly at Bryan.

PS: I'm sure his brothers are proud, too.

BISHOP ALAN COOKS THE NOT-SO-VERY-ROTTEN EGG

(1) “This isn't, of course, about gender. Perish the Thought.”
This assertion is a lie. It is, and it always was. Discriminatory is as discriminatory does. It is not for the discriminator to judge the matter, based on their intentions, but those discriminated against, based on what actually happens. All else is illusion.

(2) “This is about theology not discrimination.”
This assertion is a lie. However you tart it up, Trevor Huddleston showed us years ago, discriminating is actually a theological assertion. Imagine, as I have attempted sincerely to do, that there is a theology that justifies treating women, against their will and calling, as inferior. I can't conceive of such a thing, but let's suspend disbelief for a moment. What is the difference between that noble theology and cultural prejudice dressed in voodoo? At no time in the past five years has anyone showed me. All that unites reactionaries in this matter seems to be a cultural prejudice against seeing women in positions of authority, reinforced by a reactionary subculture. It is every bit as much drawn from the contemporary world’s values as progressive aspiration. It’s just drawn from the reactionary quarter of them.

Read the entire excellent post.

If the amendments to the legislation on women bishops from the House of Bishops were not so tragic for the Church of England, I could view the entire enterprise as farce.  42 of the 44 dioceses have spoken that they want women bishops.  General Synod has voted for women bishops, and yet the senior bishops in the church do not get the message.  As Bishop Alan says:

Many of our senior men probably thought on Monday that all they were doing was giving the women what they wanted whilst being as nice as possible to the other lot.

It appears to me that the House of Bishops plays a game of chicken with the members of Synod, but perhaps, as Alan says, many of them are merely clueless. The diocesan synod votes and the vote in GS should have put the senior bishops a bit more in touch with the rest of the church.

From Thinking Anglicans:

The Synod has no power to amend the legislation further but can adjourn the Final Approval debate and invite the House of Bishops to reconsider the amendments that they have made. If such an adjournment motion were passed the House would have to meet again-and would at that point have power to make further amendments- before the Final Approval debate was resumed. An adjournment motion in July would mean that the further meeting of the House and the resumption of the Final Approval debate would have to happen at a later date. The earliest that the General Synod might be able to conclude the Final Approval Stage in that eventuality would, therefore, be in November.

There you have it.

IMPORTANT WOMEN'S HEALTH ISSUE

* Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
* Do you suffer from shyness?
* Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?
* Do you suffer exhaustion from the day to day grind?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.

Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. Margaritas can help ease you out of  your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything. You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.

Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas.

Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include:
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Incarceration
- Erotic lustfulness
- Loss of motor control
- Loss of clothing
- Loss of money
- Loss of virginity
- Table dancing
- Headache
- Dehydration
- Dry mouth
- And a desire to sing Karaoke

WARNINGS:
* The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
* The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
* The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing.
* The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

Please share this with other women who may need Margaritas. 

Thanks or blame to naughty Suzanne for this one.

GOD'S REVELATION HAPPENS NOW

Presume that God’s revelation is happening all along the way, not just in “sacred” moments but in every moment, every day. Practice attentiveness.

-Br. Curtis Almquist
Society of Saint John the Evangelist

Bro John Anthony posted in St. Cuthbert's Cottage

"DAZZLING BLUE" - PAUL SIMON

Another video of a song from Paul Simon's latest and lovely album titled So Beautiful or So What.

"Dazzling Blue"

Sweet July and we drive the Montauk Highway
And walked along the cliffs above the sea
And we wondered why, and imagined it was someday
And that is how the future came to be.

Dazzling blue, roses red, fine white linen
To make a marriage bed

BREAKING: OBAMA BORN IN HAWAII

Krazy Ken Bennett, Secretary of State in Arizona, received verification that Obama was honestly, really, truly, positively born in Hawaii and will place his name on the ballot.

Hawaii State Registrar Alvin Onaka sent the document Tuesday confirming the information on Obama's birth certificate, such as the Honolulu hospital where he was born and the names and ages of his parents.

Well, Bennett may be satisfied, but will the doubts of the Birthers be allayed?  Of  course not!   You see, the conspiracy is so vast that the Hawaiian authorities are in on it.


Picture from Wikipedia.

"BEHOLD, I AM COMING SOON"

Mural painting from the catacomb of Commodilla. Bust of Christ.

“Behold, I am coming soon,” says the Lord,
“and bringing my reward with me,
to give to everyone according to their deeds.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
the beginning and the end.”
Blessed are those who do God’s commandments,
that they may have the right to the tree of life,
and may enter the city through the gates.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to you,
with this testimony for all the churches.
“I am the root and the offspring of David,
I am the bright morning star.”
“Come!” say the Spirit and the Bride;
“Come!” let each hearer reply!
Come forward, you who are thirsty,
let those who desire take the water of life as a gift.

Revelation 22:12-17

When I read the words, "Behold, I am coming soon," in the Daily Office today, I felt a quickening, because the words are for today, not for the End Times or for the Second Coming.  The words mean that Jesus comes to us right here and right now, wherever we are physically and spiritually, to freely give us the water of life.

Image from Wikipedia.

JESUS AND MO - THERE

Click on the cartoon for the larger view.
 
From Jesus and Mo.

UPDATE: Better a moon just sitting there than a "Bad Moon Rising", which is now endlessly running through my head.  Thank you, Author.

TEC HOUSE OF DEPUTIES PRESIDENT BONNIE ANDERSON WILL NOT STAND FOR REELECTION

May 23, 2012

Dear Deputies and First Alternates,

I write to you for two reasons: to thank you for your support, friendship, prayers, challenges, brilliance and love that has inspired and humbled me during these 6 years and second, to let you know that I do not plan to stand for election as President of the House of Deputies for another term.

The reason I am not seeking re-election is a simple one: I want to spend more time with my family. My husband, Glen, is retired. I want to be with him more. Our amazing son, Justin, lives with us and reminds us every single day, by his very existence, that God is a generous miracle maker. I want to celebrate Justin’s life by being with him every day. I want to bake cakes with my grandchildren and go to all their band concerts, soccer games and school plays. I want to have leisurely phone conversations with my daughters. You get the picture.

By tomorrow, you will receive information on the process for electing a President and Vice President while we are in Indianapolis.

I have been honored beyond measure to lead this house, and gratified to observe the many ways in which Deputies and Alternates serve and lead God’s Church, both when General Convention is in session and when it is not. Your voices resonate not only within the great representative diversity of General Convention, but also in our communities and in commissions during the triennium, in vestries, and in the leadership roles you hold in our congregations, dioceses and provinces. In my 21 years in the House, and my two terms as your president, I have been reminded again and again of our forebears’ wisdom in creating a system of governance that honors the simple theological truth that the Holy Spirit blows where she will, and that to discern God’s purposes, we must listen to the voices of all of the baptized.

Please know that I will serve the House of Deputies as President at full capacity until the “gavel goes down” on July 12 in Indianapolis.

Peace and blessings,
Bonnie Anderson, D.D.
President, The House of Deputies

H/T to Jim Naughton at The Lead.

I met Bonnie in New Orleans on one occasion, and I was privileged to see her in action as Madame President at GC09 in Anaheim. She represented all of us who are not entitled to wear mitres in a professional, determined, and enthusiastic manner.  I'd say, "Well done, Bonnie," except she's not done, and I fully expect she will lead us well through the upcoming convention in July.

Almighty and everliving God, source of all wisdom and understanding, be present with those who take counsel in General Convention for the renewal and mission of your Church. Teach us in all things to seek first your honor and glory. Guide us to perceive what is right, and grant us both the courage to pursue it and the grace to accomplish it; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(The Book of Common Prayer) 

EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF LEXINGTON LISTS CANDIDATES FOR BISHOP

The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington (in Kentucky) has released the Search Committee's list of five nominees to serve as the seventh bishop of the diocese.

"[The] Candidates for the 7th Bishop of the Diocese of Lexington

• The Rev. Ronald Abrams, Rector, St. James Parish, Wilmington, NC (Diocese of East Carolina)
• The Very Rev. Dr. Douglas Hahn, Rector, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Columbus, GA and Diocesan Convocation Dean (Diocese of Atlanta)
• The Rt. Rev. Santosh Marray, Bishop Assisting, Diocese of East Carolina
• The Rev. LaRae Rutenbar, Interim Rector, St. Peter’s, Rome, GA (Resident Diocese of Western Michigan)
• The Rev. Nigel Taber-Hamilton, Rector, St. Augustine’s-in-the-Woods, Freeland, WA (Diocese of Olympia)"

More information on the nominees here.

Thanks to Nicholas Knisely at The Lead.