thought for today

Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.

J. R. R. Tolkien
British scholar & fantasy novelist (1892 - 1973)

Bothering God

I have attached a short (well perhaps not that short) quote from an article entitled "Bothering God" by Barbara Brown Taylor written for the March 24-31, 1999 issue of The Christian Century. It is about her experience with her granddaughter. It is an excellent article and well worth looking the entire thing up.

Why do any of us keep wishing for things we know won't happen?
Why do we keep tossing the coins of our hearts' desires into pools of still water that swallow them up without a sound?
If I had been prepared, I might have said something inspired about the difference between wishing and prayer, but I was not prepared. When I talk to Madeline about prayer, I want to make sure I tell her the truth about what she can expect. I want to say something she can test for herself, about how God loves her and listens
to her, but in that case I will need a ready explanation
for why it does not always
seem so.
I think I will skip the usual stuff about how no is a valid answer to prayer. As true as that may be, it sounds stingy to me.



Copyright 1999 CHRISTIAN CENTURY. Reproduced by permission from the Mr 24-31 1999, p 356 issue of the CHRISTIAN CENTURY. Subscriptions: $49/year from P.O. Box 378, Mt. Morris, IL 61054. 1-800-208-4097

Christian Century 116 no 10 Mr 24-31 1999, p 356. ISSN: 0009-5281. Related Record Number: ATLA0000159516

thought for today

Today's thought comes by way of my friend Dennis.

Our Lord asks but two things of us; Love for [God] and for our neighbor. We cannot know whether we love God…but there can be no doubt about whether we love our neighbor or no.

- Teresa of Avila
Interior Castle

structurally humiliating women

A short quote from a BBC article reporting on the passage of of legislation in the Church of England allowing for the consecration of women as Bishops.

Archbishop Williams said: "I am deeply unhappy with any scheme or any solution to this which ends up, as it were, structurally humiliating women who might be nominated to the episcopate."

I don't know who the good Abp could think that provisions restricting the authority of a bishop who happens to be a woman could be anything other than structurally humiliating.

On the road

I'm up in Anchorage for a few days so I'm missing Emmanuel and Emma very much. The good news is that we found out that Emmanuel will be able to keep Emma for a bit longer than July 9th. We are grateful for every extra day. Of course the stress of thinking she is leaving and it being postponed is not without its stresses as well. But I'm thankful to know I will have at least a few more days with her when I get home.

"All the world's a stage . . .

This is part of a post from Elisabeth Kaeton a wonderful priest in the Episcopal Church:

"All the world's a stage . . .
from Telling Secrets by Elizabeth Kaeton

. . . and all this day, we've have front row center to the drama in the Church of England, meeting in Synod, to determine whether or not women can be ordained to the episcopacy."

First of all, I want to be clear that these remarks are my own on my own personal blog. I am not speaking in my official capacity as President of the Episcopal Women’s Caucus.

It’s not that I suspect my sisters and brothers on the board would disagree with me. It’s just that we haven’t had a chance, just yet, to discuss it as a community of leaders. We’ll do that later this evening in our monthly Board Conference Call.

I have been closely following the Church of England Synod debate over the ‘election’ of women to the episcopacy.

They have already agreed with the idea of women bishops.

Now, they are to vote on how to “accommodate” the minority who do not accept the idea or the presence of women in the episcopacy. By the time this is posted, the final vote may have already been taken.

Ruth Gledhill has been ‘live blogging’ here.

Thinking Anglicans is also updating here.

I know. You thought that was a done deal. Yes, they do ‘allow’ women to be ordained to the diaconate. Yes, for the past 15 years women have been ‘allowed’ to be ordained to the priesthood. But, for the past 15 years, women have not been allowed, in the Church of England, to be ‘appointed’ bishops.

Yes, that’s right. One is ‘appointed’ to the episcopacy in England, not elected in a diocese by clergy and laity as is our custom in The Episcopal Church. Which may be part of the problem.

No. Check that. Here’s the problem. It’s as old as the story of the Adam and Eve. It’s the ‘original sin’ of Paradise: sexism. You know: It's all Eve's fault.

It’s no surprise to me that the two issues confronting the church are the ordination of LGBT people and the last crack in the stained glass ceiling for women. Suzanne Pharr wrote about it in 1988 in her book, “Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism.”

Yes, you got that right. 1988. I discovered it shortly after I got home from the last Lambeth Conference in 1988 where eleven bishops who are women were in attendance.

I have a very clear memory of the day that Lambeth Resolution which said that homosexuality was incompatible with scripture. The coalition of conservative American bishops and their Global South partners emerged from the meeting hall shouting, “V-I-C-T-O-R-Y”.

It was like being at a tail-gate party. The testosterone level was that high.

The American progressive bishops emerged looking like Bambi-in-the-headlights. I remember Martin Smith, then head of the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE) who attended there with Bishop Tom Shaw (as both men were celibate monks, Martin joked that he was Tom’s “his most chaste spouse”), said that the images from Lambeth were, for him, like undeveloped film that would need to spend some time being soaked in baptismal water before any clarity emerged.

It’s hasn’t been that long since the entire process of picture-taking has been revolutionized by the technology of computer digitalization, but I think we used to call undeveloped film “negatives.” Right.

It didn’t take long for the negatives to emerge with greater clarity than anyone expected.

The very next day, the good bishops and primates came after women, passing a resolution which stated, “there is and should be no compulsion on any bishop in matters concerning the ordination or licensing” of women.

The resolution, entitled, “Unity of the Anglican Communion” was hammered out in private meetings between some women bishops and traditionalists and passed by 80%.

I know. It broke my heart when it didn’t blow my mind. And, it went downhill from there. I don’t know who wrote the prayer, but I remember praying the part about “help us from oppressing others or from participating in our own oppression.”

Suzanne Pharr defines patriarchy as “an enforced belief in male dominance and control”. She says patriarchy is the ideology and sexism the system that holds it in place.

Pharr further states: “The catechism goes like this:

Q: Who do gender roles serve?
A: Men and the women who seek power from them.

Q: Who suffers from gender roles?
A: Women most completely and men in part.

Q; How are gender roles maintained?
A: By the weapons of sexism: economics, violence and homophobia.”

Most of this catechism was written in the crucible of domestic violence where these three weapons were seen most clearly.

Pharr writes: “The stories of women battered by men, victims of sexism at its worst, show these three forces converging again and again.


read the rest of it here.

thought for today

Treat the other man's faith gently; it is all he has to believe with. His mind was created for his own thoughts, not yours or mine.
Henry S. Haskins

thought for today

For those who read "Forward Day By Day" today's quote will be familiar as it comes from today's meditation.

"The word freedom comes from a Sanskrit word priyia, which in its verbal form means to love and to be loved and as a noun means "my beloved." Freedom is a relationship of mutual love; of the gift of self to another..."

Anthony Bloom

thought for today

with greed comes
animosity, ignorance, pride,
thoughts of self-benefit and discontent.

with generosity comes
loving-kindness, wisdom, humility,
thoughts of all others and great joy.

Ven. Shi Wuling, an American Buddhist nun

Thought for today

The true man (with the poster's apologies for the gender specific nature of this quote) of God sits in the midst of his fellow-men, and rises and eats and sleeps and marries and buys and sells and gives and takes in the bazaars and spends the days with other people, and yet never forgets God even for a single moment.

Abu Sa'id Ibn Abi'L-Khayr (Persian mystic and poet known for his service to the poor)

Thought for today

“Christians have often disputed as to whether what leads the Christian home is good actions, or faith in Christ…It does seem to me like asking which blade in a pair of scissors is most necessary.”

C. S. Lewis

Poll Results

Below are the results of the previous poll. Thanks to everyone for participating.

A recent survey found a considerable number of people of various faith traditions believed that their faith was not the one true faith leading to salvation. What do you believe?

A stroll with Emma

I took Emma for a stroll today. We are in the final countdown until she leaves us for her new home on the 9th of July. Fortunately I have this week off during the days and get baby sitting duty. As I was pushing her around I made her promise that in 20 years she would find me and push me around and not complain if I was drooling and sleeping like she was. She seemed to agree.

You can see in this picture that she loves to try and feed herself and find that using feet and hands are most effective bottle handling techniques.

At this moment he is jumping around and cooing in her johnny jump up chair so I must be off to talk to her.

You can see more of Emma here.

Thought for today

Thanks to my friend Deborah for finding this jewel for me.

"We are, each of us, angels with only one wing, and we can only fly embracing each other."
– Luciano Decrescenzo

thought for today

in war,
both the winners and losers
lose.

Ven. Shi Wuling, an American Buddhist nun

A nice blog to visit

Found a new and interesting blog for all to check out. It is the blog of the Liturgical Curmudgeon. Now I personally think that anyone who uses the word Curmudgeon on their blog is worth a read!

Reflections after 5 years in prison ministry

Today is my last day in prison.

It is hard to believe that I was involved in prison ministry at the State of Alaska' only maximum security prison for over 5 years. Time certainly does fly by. It is been interesting, challenging, frustrating, and rewarding, and sometimes all of these at the same time. I have worked with some wonderful and caring staff. And I have been blessed to see the lives of some prisoners truly transformed, partly I hope, through my presence and ministry among the men here. And of course I'm sure I have been taken advantage of and used as well, but I suppose that is true for all of ministry, perhaps just more prevalent here in prison.

I'm disappointed that the job is being terminated due to the decision of the legislature of our state to no longer fund the position. It is a reflection on the hard hearted attitudes in this state and is extremely shortsighted.

But as I have deal with the reality of loosing the position, I have also come to grips with how very stressful the job has been for me. To be honest I never imagined it would be quite that stressful, particularly since I have always felt that I was a pretty laid back, low stress person.

As I was thinking about stress in my life I realized something else. In my Coast Guard career I usually only spent 2 or so years at any job before being transferred to a new assignment. My five years at prison and seven years at St. Peter's represent the longest I have ever been at the same job. And I wonder that if, after 24 years of moving on over and over again, that perhaps just the idea of staying at the same thing (no matter how rewarding) is just not my cup of tea. Perhaps this contributed to my feelings of stress over the years.

I'm looking forward to the slightly less stressful job of becoming a maritime instructor this fall, sort of a return to my roots, while I wait to see what God may have in store for me for ministry in the future.

And I'm still hopeful to find another ministry opportunity out there somewhere and am trusting in God that something will work out in my future.

GAFCON

Well I have not posted much here about GAFCON, but I figured I should at least post their final statement and some responses it to.

You can find the final statement here.

The Church Times Blog has links to the Archbishop of Canterbury and our own Presiding Bishop's responses here.

"You Raise Me Up"

The lyrics to this song have been on an inspirational commercial I have seen quite a bit on TV lately. I thought that they were very good and wish I was talented enough to come up with things like this on my own. But I will have to satisfy myself with just posting others work.

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

Thought for today

“The saint who advances on his knees never retreats.”

Elizabeth Elliott
“Shadow of the Almighty”

thought for today

“I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.”

Xenocrates (396-314 BCE)

Gay Marriage Is Good for America

A great opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal.

By order of its state Supreme Court, California began legally marrying same-sex couples this week. The first to be wed in San Francisco were Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, pioneering gay-rights activists who have been a couple for more than 50 years.

More ceremonies will follow, at least until November, when gay marriage will go before California's voters. They should choose to keep it. To understand why, imagine your life without marriage. Meaning, not merely your life if you didn't happen to get married. What I am asking you to imagine is life without even the possibility of marriage.

Re-enter your childhood, but imagine your first crush, first kiss, first date and first sexual encounter, all bereft of any hope of marriage as a destination for your feelings. Re-enter your first serious relationship, but think about it knowing that marrying the person is out of the question.

Imagine that in the law's eyes you and your soul mate will never be more than acquaintances. And now add even more strangeness. Imagine coming of age into a whole community, a whole culture, without marriage and the bonds of mutuality and kinship that go with it.

What is this weird world like? It has more sex and less commitment than a world with marriage. It is a world of fragile families living on the shadowy outskirts of the law; a world marked by heightened fear of loneliness or abandonment in crisis or old age; a world in some respects not even civilized, because marriage is the foundation of civilization.

Read it all here.

Thanks to the blog Straight, Not Narrow for this.

thought for today

“Those who understand themselves as victims actually become victims of their own inability to act.”

Russell Preageant
“Engaging the New Testament”, p. 114

Thought for today

Some people think that the longer you can sit the wiser you must be. I have seen chickens sit on their nests for days on end.

Achaan Chah

Schism on hold!

While I have not posted much about GAFCON here, this article from Time is pretty good. I guess all the talk about schism will be on the back burner for now. And considering that many of the hard line conservatives will be boycotting Lambeth it should be pretty peaceful.

Threat of Anglican Schism Fizzles

Wednesday, Jun. 25, 2008 By DAVID VAN BIEMA

Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria of the Anglican Communion speaks during the Global Anglican Future Conference opening session in Jerusalem June 22, 2008.

Ronen Zvulun / Reuters

The would-be Anglican rebels gathered with storm clouds brewing around them. But now, even though the conservative Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFcon) has not concluded its meeting in Jerusalem, the secession it threatened to bring to the 78 million-member Anglican Communion looks like a confused bust.

Read the entire article here.

The Chicago Consultation

The Chicago Consultation, is a group of some 50 bishops, clergy and lay people, supports the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Christians in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Check out their web site here.

Our church's evolving attitude has led us to the point where we must consider gay marriage

Here is a snippet from a great editorial by Bp. Chane:

Christians have always argued about marriage. Jesus criticised the Mosaic law on divorce, saying "What God has joined together let no man separate", but even that dictum appears in different versions in the Gospels, and was modified in the letters of Peter and Paul. Christians had to square the ecstatic sensuality of the Song of Songs with Paul's teaching that marriage was a fallen estate, useful primarily in saving those who could not be celibate from fornication.

This tension is indicative of the church's long struggle to reconcile the notion that sexuality is a gift from God with its deep suspicion of the pleasure of sex. As the historian Stephanie Coontz points out, the church did not bless marriages until the third century, or define marriage as a sacrament until 1215.

You can find the entire article here.

Thought for today

practicing diligence is like lighting a fire,
if we persist, we will succeed,
if we give up, we will fail.

so often in a new endeavor
there is an initial burst of enthusiasm,
then routine activity...
boredom...
cessation.

with
determination,
the fire will burn strong.

Ven. Shi Wuling, an American Buddhist nun

Poll results

Well the results are in and I'm happy to report that reading my blog is less painful than root canal.

37% voted for less painful
9% voted for more painful
27% never had root canal
27% wondered if they should even bother reading!

Thank to everyone who participated!

Back down on your knees

AP reports that the Pope intends to return to "the old way of distributing Communion at Masses.

Benedict's master of liturgical ceremonies said in an interview Wednesday in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that the pontiff will place the Communion host in the mouths of the faithful who kneel before him."

You can read it all here.

A Supranatural Sexuality: Further Problems for Those Who Argue 'from Nature'

OK, maybe I'm spending way too much time reading blogs, but here is an excellent and short (so naturally I like it) explanation with respect to the arguments against accepting homosexuality from the idea of it being against nature. You can find the post here.

A Supranatural Sexuality: Further Problems for Those Who Argue 'from Nature'

[Jun. 19th, 2008|09:02 pm]

In my recent comments on homosexuality, I attempted to demonstrate that arguments based upon the 'naturalness', or lack thereof, of homosexuality cannot be based upon Gen 1-2, when we take those texts at face value. Rather, those who read Gen 1-2 as a condemnation of gay unions, tend to filter the text at hand through the lens of a particular (and rather simplistic) reading of Ro 1. According to these exegetes, Ro 1 suggests that homosexuality is unnatural, and therefore immoral. Now here is an interesting idea. Paul's comments about the 'unnatural' nature of homosexuality are based upon his experiences as an observant Jew, living within the diaspora, during the first century CE. From this perspective, I suspect that a case could be made that Paul's comments about what is 'natural' or 'unnatural' are based upon his observations of nature. That homosexuality would be considered 'unnatural' is just as obvious as, oh, the fact the men should have short hair and women should have long hair (1 Cor 11.14-15: "Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory?"). This leads to two further ideas. (1) Those who wish to cling to the 'natural' argument in Ro 1, need to demonstrate how this 'natural' argument is more significant, long-lasting, useful, or whatever, than the 'natural' argument Paul makes in 1 Cor 11. (Good luck with that!) (2) Those who wish to cling to the 'natural' argument in Ro 1, now do so against what we have observed in nature. Now this is interesting because, if I am correct that Paul believed that the unnaturalness of homosexuality was actually easily observable in nature, then this position risks contradicting itself. You see, it is now clear that (for many people) homosexuality is not a choice, and homosexuality has also been well documented within nature, and within the actions of other species. In response to these observations, those who wish to assert that homosexuality is 'unnatural' simply assert that these things are signs of the truly pervasive nature of the fall. But note what then occurs: (a) that which is 'natural' is increasingly defined by that which exists outside of the realm of nature -- and so talk of the 'natural' is increasingly supranatural (i.e. there is essentially no proof from nature -- say the discovery of a 'gay gene' or whatever -- which would then be convincing to those who hold this position); and (b) Paul's method of argumentation is reversed and, seemingly, discounted. Paul makes an argument based upon his observations of what appears to be obvious in nature, and now some Christians wish to affirm Paul's argument while simultaneously arguing that we should not make arguments based upon our observations of what appears to be obvious in nature!

The person for whom Jesus died

This came from a blog post I stumbled across. It is a very powerful reminder about how Jesus expects us to treat each other.

I Corinthians 8:11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. (ESV)

Who are we? We are the persons for whom Jesus died.

How do I view another Christian? As one thing: The person for whom Jesus died.

What measures all my actions towards another Christian? This is a person for whom Christ died.

What determines the definition of love as I will express it for brothers and sisters? This is the person for whom Jesus died.

What goes BEFORE anything our denominations have to say about one another? This is a person for whom Jesus Christ died.

Why do I have a place at the Lord’s Table? Because I am a person for whom Jesus died.

What is the foundation of every invitation from God and from his people? This is a person for whom Christ died.

Who am I? I am the person for whom Jesus died.

Who is God? He is Jesus Christ who died for me.

What is the Gospel? God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, by dying for you and for me. Believe this Good News and be found and loved by this God, along with all others for whom he died.

What comforts me in life and in death? That God loves me/the world so much, that Jesus died for me/the world.

Thought for today

"...the dark night of the soul is an ongoing transition from compulsively trying to control one's life toward a trusting freedom and openness to God and the real situations of life. It is the same in prayer, where the effort and forceful focusing of meditation are gradually eased, and the more willing receptivity of contemplation grows."

Gerald G. May, M.D., "The Dark Night of the Soul"

Too funny!

I found this at the Good Eats Humor page thanks to a post at Barkings Of An Old Dog. It is just way too funny!

The Dog's Diary

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

The Cat's Diary

Day 983 of My Captivity

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now ...

You've Been Left Behind

This just goes to show you how people will do anything for a buck! Check out this service.

Of course you have to count on the people running this site to be actually raptured for the system to work. Or perhaps if a few of the workers find themselves unfortunately left behind they might send out the messages manually.

Thanks to Letters from Kamp Krusty for pointing out this jewel.

GAFCON, the Anglican Communion, and does anyone really care

I have noticed that many places in the blogosphere are full it posts about GAFCON, either how great, wonderful, and amazing it is or about how horrible, wrong minded, foolish and judgemental it is. And of course many comments regarding how this will or will not affect the Anglican Communion.

But I have to ask, does it really matter? The folks in my former parish never really cared or were even aware of all the machinations going on. Not because they are ignorant or don't have an opinion (trust me many of them definitely have opinions!), but because the truth of the matter is that the Anglican Communion is not all that important. What matters to them is what we are doing to share the love of Jesus in our community and in the world.

I don't think the folks at St. Peter's really are all that worked up about the future of the Anglican Communion, because they know that St. Peter's will continue to love people and to try to feed the poor and visit the sick.

I really wish others would recognize that is what is really important too. I wonder how many mouths would have been fed by all the money put into GAFCON.

He Reigns

I really love the lyrics to this song (from the Christian boy band Newsboys) . I appreciate the universal nature of the mystery of God being found everywhere.



its the song of every teen, rising from the african plain
its the song of the forgiven, drowning out the amazon rain
the song of asian believers, filled with gods holy fire
its every child, every tongue, every nation, A love some born of a grateful choir

its all gods children singing glory glory, hallelujah he reigns, he reigns
its all gods children singing glory glory, hallelujah he reigns, he reigns

let it rise above above the forewinds, caught up in the heavenly sound
let praises echo from the towers of cathedral, to the faithful tethered underground
of all the songs sung forth the dawn of creation, some were meant to persist
of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples, none rings true'r than this

its all gods children singing glory glory, hallelujah he reigns, he reigns
its all gods children singing glory glory, hallelujah he reigns, he reigns
its all gods children singing glory glory, hallelujah he reigns, he reigns
its all gods children singing glory glory, hallelujah he reigns, he reigns

and all the powers of darkness, tremble at what they've just heard
cause all the powers of darkness, cant drown out a single word

when all gods children sing out glory glory, hallelujah he reigns, he reigns
all gods children sing out glory glory, hallelujah he reigns, he reigns
all gods people singing glory glory, hallelujah he reigns, he reigns
all gods people singing glory glory, hallelujah he reigns, he reigns
glory glory, glory glory
glory glory hallelujah, he reigns
your my glory, your my glory, your my glory
oh glory glory, glory glory, glory glory

He reigns

Thought for today

“Remember that almost all of the Bible was written to and for communities and is still best read in a community. As we study the Bible with others, we gain a deeper and broader understanding from their insights – and they will gain from ours.”

Christopher L. Webber
“Welcome to the Episcopal Church”, p. 57

Thought for today

Another great quote from the Ven. Wuling. I never imagined that in posting things here I would have the opportunity to make contact with so many wonderful people. You can check out her web site here.

when others hurt us,
we usually react with
anger,
resentment,
and may even wish for retaliation.

but these actions will only prolong our pain,
for to hold resentment in our hearts
only serves to make us feel worse.

Ven. Shi Wuling, an American Buddhist nun

The Venerable Wuling

Many of you have enjoyed, as I have, the quotes from Ven. Wuling. She recently made a visit here and so I discovered the link to her web site. You can find it here.

thought for today

"To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same field, it beholds every hour, a picture which was never seen before and which shall never be seen again."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bumper stickers

From the weekly update of Resurrection Lutheran Church, Seward, Alaska:

PARTING THOUGHTS: Spotted on Bumper Stickers

“Dear God, please help me be the person my dog thinks I am”

“If God can make it on 10%, why not the government?”

“In case of Rapture, I claim your car.”

“My boss is a Jewish Carpenter”

“If you love God tithe. Anyone can honk’”

thought for today

contentment is born of the capacity

to love impartially
to listen uncritically
to give unconditionally
to forgive unreservedly
to laugh at oneself unaffectedly.

Ven. Shi Wuling, an American Buddhist nun

On using gendered pronouns for God

An excellent posting on gender usage with respect to God. Found at the blog The Fire and the Rose. Here is the text:

I thought we had progressed further than this. In the comments to my final post on the Envision conference, some people criticized me for advocating the removal of gendered pronouns in relation to God. They argued that this was implicitly a rejection of the revealed triune name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Whenever I hear this kind of argument, I reminded of how much re-education still needs to happen in the church.

The fact of the matter is that the name “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” has nothing whatsoever to do with gender. God is neither male nor female, because God is not a creature. God is qualitatively different from anything created, and that means the distinctions between male and female, old and young, black and white, have no bearing on God’s being. Even when God takes on the humanity of Jesus, this does not mean God only takes up the male sex. That would be heretical, tantamount to saying that God only died for men, not for women. The humanity of Jesus is concrete, yes, but a concrete universal—the humanity of all people. This is why the Roman Catholic insistence upon male clergy on the basis of Jesus’ maleness (and the sex of the disciples) is fundamentally mistaken: it elevates the particular attributes of Jesus as a male human over the attributes of his salvific significance. The only attribute significant in terms of his identity as the Savior of the world is the attribute of “human nature,” not “male humanity.”

At the end of the day, interpreting the name “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” in gendered terms is equivalent to interpreting anthropomorphic imagery about, for example, the “hand of God” as if God actually has a hand. The Bible is full of anthropomorphic talk about God, but that does not mean God is just a Big Human in the sky. Similarly, the revealed name of the Trinity as “Father, Son, and Spirit” should not lead us to the mistaken impression that God is simply a human father raised to the level of infinite perfection and then projected upon the face of the divine. Nor is the Son of God simply a human son raised to the level of infinite perfection. (As always, we face the perennial problem: what is the gender of the Spirit?)

I am not arguing that we should jettison anthropomorphic imagery of God. The fact of the matter is that all human speech about God is necessarily anthropomorphic. As humans, we cannot speak about God in non-anthropomorphic language. We only know creaturely reality, so such talk is inescapable. But we cannot interpret such language literally or univocally. To do so would only be a denial of God’s divinity. It would mean reducing God to the level of a being within the world. It would be to adopt the metaphysical idea of God that Feuerbach already unmasked as a human projection, an idealized human being. According to Feuerbach, “The divine being is nothing else than the human being, or, rather, the human nature purified, freed from the limits of the individual man, made objective—i.e., contemplated and revered as another, distinct being. All the attributes of the divine nature are, therefore, attributes of the human nature.” In the end, Feuerbach realizes that such knowledge of God is only “man’s knowledge of himself, of his own nature.” When we ascribe gendered pronouns to God as if they are actually descriptive of who God is in Godself, then we fall prey to Feuerbach’s critique. We succumb to metaphysical thinking about God.

Am I saying that gendered pronouns are absolutely unacceptable? No. God had to become a specific gender in the incarnation, and it happened to be that God became a man. Does this mean that one gender is superior to the other, or that one gender is more a part of God’s being than another? Absolutely not! But it does mean that gendered pronouns are, in a certain, inescapable. When we talk about Jesus, we are talking about God. My argument was really about being courteous to those who seek to excise gendered pronouns when speaking about God, about the divine. While I personally strive to never use gendered pronouns because of the possible misinterpretation that God is somehow male or related more to men than women, I do not disparage those who choose to use such language, as long as they use it critically and responsibly.

Where I get frustrated is when people think that somehow male pronouns are privileged over female pronouns. That is nonsense. We can and should be able to speak about God as a “she” just as much as a “he.” Either gender is anthropomorphic in nature, and thus does not apply to God’s actual being, because God is not a creature. We speak as humans to humans, and we need to be aware of the limitations of our speech when we talk about God. Failure to do so is to fall into idolatry: to make God like us, or, even worse, like me.

Thought for today

There is a love like a small lamp that goes out when the oil is consumed, or like a stream that dries up when it doesn't rain. But there is a love that is like a mighty spring gushing up out of the earth, it keeps flowing forever, and is inexhaustible.

Isaac of Nineveh (8th century Syrian bishop, theologian, and solitary monk)

Presidential candidates and their faith poll

I have to admit that I'm surprised. When I posted the poll question asking if people thought that presidential candidates should talk about their faith, I had in my mind the answer I assumed I would get (and of course I should have known better, I know what making assumptions does!). I figured that considering this blog likely attracts somewhat liberal readers that it would be a slam dunk no from most people. Imagine my surprise when I ended up with a 60/40 spit in favor of it. I guess you learning something new every day!

QUESTIONS THAT HAUNT ME!

A great post found over on the Of Course I Could Be On Vacation Web Site. And yes I did sing the songs! Thanks Grandmere.

QUESTIONS THAT HAUNT ME!

from Of Course I Could Be On Vacation... by Grandmère Mimi

Can you cry under water?

Why do you have to "put your two cents in"... but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

What disease did cured ham actually have?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.

Why is 'bra' singular and 'panties' plural?

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?

If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours?

They're both dogs!

If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Why did you just try singing the two songs above?

Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

Do you ever wonder why you gave me your e-mail address in the first place?

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate!!!!

From Doug a good while back. I'll bet he forgot that he ever sent them.

I hope the Mad One comes back soon, as I'm running out of steam.

Thought for today

God is the friend of silence.
Trees, flowers, grass grow in silence.
See the stars, moon, and sun
how they move in silence.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

The Rector Speaks: Why I blessed a gay relationship

Dr. Martin Dudley, the rector of St Bartholomew the Great in the City of London, in the eye of storm over gay 'marriage', explains why he decided he must bless a gay relationship.

For today’s Church of England it is as if the 1970s never existed; the lessons have been forgotten. There has been a retreat from exploring the depths, pushing the boundaries to the point where words strain, crack and sometimes break as we struggle to express in a suffering world the foolishness of God and the all-embracing love found in Jesus Christ

There has been a return to uncritical fundamentalist use of biblical “proof texts”, ripping verses from their theological and literary contexts. There has been a flight to the safety of rigid law and inflexible dogma and a consequent desire to unchurch those who will not conform.

So on a day late in 2007 when my friend and colleague Peter Cowell asked me to bless the civil partnership that he was to contract with David Lord in May this year I was ready to answer “yes”. I did so not to provoke the so-called traditionalists and to deliberately disregard the guidelines published by the English House of Bishops, not to defy the Bishop of London, whose sagacity I respect, or Archbishop Rowan, who I have known and admired for 25 years, but because to respond in any other way would have been a negation of everything I believe, of everything that makes me who I am, as a man and as a priest.

Read the rest of the article here.

It makes one wonder

I was pained to read the news story a day ago about the man who beat a 2 year old child to death in California. You would think that after being a Chaplain at a maximum security prison for 5 years that nothing would really get too me. After all, I have heard plenty of horrific stories. And yet, every new horror hits me hard (which I suppose is a good think, I would hate to think I could get used to this stuff). It is hard to imagine what would make a man beat his own (presumable) child to death, but I guess I'm hoping he is just plain crazy and didn't realize or understand what he is doing.

As I have been enjoying the blessing of Emma in our lives and home it is hard to image anyone would be capable of injuring or killing a little child. And yet it has happened before and will unfortunately happen again.

And of course children are killed by starvation every day in the world, in spite of the world (and us that means) having the means to change this.

Thought for today

“… God did not simply call us into being, but continually has expectations of us.”

“…our task is to repair and perfect God’s creation.”

Susannah Heschel

An Inerrant Bible

I was wandering about the internet recently and stumbled across the web site of an "missional" church by the name of Kaleo. As I often do I checked out their statement of faith. In it they say:

"We believe the Holy Bible consisting of the Old and New Testament Scriptures to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, and infallible"

While this is a pretty common statement found in most conservative/fundamentalist churches (and probably many of the emergent/missional churches as well), what they fail to address is that minor little problem of no original writings being in existence. I don't understand how it even makes sense to make this statement with no original writings around and none likely to be found.


They go on to say: "the Bible is our tool to know and understand who God is according to His own self-description; it is our tool to grow in faith and maturity and to learn the promises that God has given us. We take it literally. God's truth is the anchor for our souls. It calls us to dive deep into God and there discover His blessings and the transformation He brings to our lives, our church, and our world."

I do agree with this (except for the taking it literally part). God's truth surely is the anchor for our souls.

The Episcopal Church Welcomes You

I am grateful that this statement is true in many places in the Episcopal Church. I found it true for me when I needed it most. There is a great article in Newsweek from another gay man who likewise found acceptance in the Episcopal Church.

Let Me Worship as I Am

From a young age I felt called to Christ. But as a gay man, I took a long time to find my spiritual home.

In October 2005 I took the soup. To an Irish Catholic, "taking the soup" means going to the other side, turning Protestant. During the famine years, one could get a bowl of soup if one sat through a Protestant service, which meant automatic excommunication in those pre-ecumenical days. So the slang was born, implying desertion of the One True Church in order to make life easier.

I suppose what I took wasn't soup, but it was comfort. I took a life steeped in the mystery and rhythm of the church along with what I hoped was a life with the integrity of being an open, practicing gay man. When I turned to the Episcopal Church, I saw a Christianity that was alive and evolving, one that delighted in difference and saw God's creation in many things, including women and openly gay men serving as priests and bishops.

Read the entire article here.

I rejoice in a church that welcome me! I'm grateful for the many people in the Episcopal Church who make a place of welcome for all.

Thought for today

may ignorance give way to understanding,
may hatred yield to compassion,
may war surrender to peace.

Ven. Shi Wuling, an American Buddhist nun

The Naked Liturgist

Check out this great video clip. Great Sunday viewing!

And thanks to Chuck over at the blog A Guy in the Pew for posting this gem!

Your political compass

Economic Left/Right: -3.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.85

I guess this will be no surprise to anyone.

Thanks to Mimi for this link.

You can take the test yourself here.

Thought for today

“To the question, Who is my neighbor? I reply as my Master did by the example that He gave: ‘the alien and the heretic.’”

Frederick W. Robertson

Saddleback Church and gays

Some disappointing news from the Straight, Not Narrow blog. I had always hoped that Rick Warren might be a little more open minded.

Rick Warren Welcomes Gays to His Church--Oops, Never Mind

from Straight, Not Narrow by Jim and Brenda Johnson

The story had started circulating that Rick Warren, the author of the wildly successful best-selling book "The Purpose Driven Life" and pastor of Saddleback Church in southern California, had invited a group of gay fathers to worship and meet with him on Fathers Day.

Here is one link to that story passed on by SNN reader Mark:

However, Rev. Warren issued this clarification, reported at the bottom of the story linked above:

Following news of the plan by gay fathers to attend Saddleback Church this coming Sunday, the church’s pastor, Rev. Rick Warren, has issued a statement clarifying the church’s role. “We did not invite this group, and I will not be meeting with them,” he said, adding that he had a previous commitment and would not be in church on Sunday.

The stern tone of this statement was very disappointing. It seems the Purpose Driven Life author sees no purpose in meeting with members of the GLBT faith community. What a shame and an opportunity lost.

Remaking Jesus in our own image

What is common to all these positions is a remaking of Jesus in one’s own image. The political conservative makes Jesus into a capitalist warmongerer. The theological conservative makes Jesus into a preacher of penal substitution. The Emerging Church leader makes Jesus into a casual suburban moderate who is relevant to contemporary youth in the Western world. The liberal makes Jesus into an ancient Che Guevara—hence Hendricks’s use of violent imagery and his anti-Yoderian reading of the NT, despite the title of his book. More significantly, the Emergent and liberal views of Jesus end up endorsing a decidedly low christology. Both of them dispense with notions of atonement and soteriology and speak almost exclusively of Jesus as a model for ethical behavior. Hendricks, for his part, explicitly separated God from Jesus—a tactic common among liberals who reduce Jesus to the role of human prophet and want their abstract notion of “God” to be inclusive of, say, Allah. “God” becomes a cipher for whatever people think they worship, and Jesus becomes a model for how we should live socially and politically today. Jesus is a revolutionary, but not a savior.

The above paragraph was taken from a rather long post at the blog of The Fire and the Rose. But I was struck by the truth of this particular observation. I think all of us need to be concerned about the problem of wanting to make Jesus in an image that particularly speaks to us. Not that I think that in itself is wrong, but it becomes wrong when that is the only image we can see of Jesus.

I'm lagging behind!

I sent an invitation to just about everyone I know to join the EPPN, I mean there is a contest going on for crying out loud. And I'm lagging sorely behind in the contest. Come on everyone out there in the blogsophere, help me out and sign up! Click here to join the EPPN!
Be sure to give them my email address when you sign up (episcopalpadre@gmail.com) so I get my credit!

The Episcopal Public Policy Network Policy Alert

Dear Robert, Pentecost Membership Drive and Contest Continues The Pentecost Membership Drive is now in full swing! Many of you have successfully recruited members and many more have been putting the word out about the EPPN. Need ideas on how to tell people about the EPPN? Check out: 5 Easy Ways to Share the EPPN. Election Year Guide for Churches We get lots of questions about what churches can and can't do when it comes to talking about policy issues, inviting candidates to forums, or participating in voter registration and Election Day activities. The Interfaith Alliance has a great easy to understand resource to help churches be involved in a non-partisan way and not get in trouble with the IRS -- Religion and Politics: A Guide for Houses of Worship For more information about faith and elections check out Faithful Democracy &nbsp Anglicans Under Attack in Zimbabwe The visit of Bishop Thomas Shaw to Zimbabwe has gotten a lot of attention in the media. He went there on behalf of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and at the invitation of Bishop Sebastian Bakare of Harare to witness the ongoing religious and political violence among the people of Zimbabwe. Read about his trip in ENS and in the Boston Globe. Or listen to him being interviewed on NPR &nbsp Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North TV Premiere on PBS In this feature documentary, filmmaker Katrina Browne (Episcopalian) discovers that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. She and nine cousins retrace the Triangle Trade and gain a powerful new perspective on the black/white divide. An unfinished version of the film was shown in Columbus at General Convention '06. Traces of the Trade will have its national television broadcast premiere on the PBS award-winning independent documentary film series P.O.V. on Tuesday, June 24 at 10pm! Please check your local listings for airdate and time in your area. &nbsp Legislation While climate change legislation has been killed for this year, stay tuned for alerts on debt relief - the Jubilee Act - and the Global AIDS Reauthorization Act of 2008.

110 Maryland Ave., N.E. #309, Washington, D.C. 20002
1-800-228-0515, (202) 547-7300, FAX (202) 547-4457
On the Web: www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn
Email: eppn@episcopalchurch.org

Thought for today

just as dew refreshes
the wilting flower,

tenderness restores
the grieving heart.


Ven. Shi Wuling, an American Buddhist nun

Arctic synod says recent same-sex blessing votes hurt church unity

The Anglican Journal reports:

The synod of the diocese of the Arctic, meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut from May 27 to June 3, passed a motion criticizing decisions by four dioceses of the Anglican Church of Canada that support blessing same-sex unions.

“Synod expressed great disappointment as some diocesan synods have decided to move forward with approving the blessing of same-sex civil marriages, after General Synod 2007 (made) it clear that this would not be allowed until the Lambeth Conference had time to discuss the issues this summer,” said a press release issued by the diocese of the Arctic synod. “This then indicates that Canadians are not serious about unity elements that hold the church together.”

It also passed a motion expressing “strong support … for those in the Southern cone dioceses, recognizing them as members of the Anglican Communion.”

Read it all here.

But of course since it is not the Synod of the Diocese of the Arctic that gets to recognize who is and who is not a member of the Anglican Communion, their recognition doesn't really matter a whole lot.

CS Lewis

In CS Lewis' book "The Last Battle", Aslan has the following discussion with a devoted follower of Tash:

"Then I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen him. But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me. Then by reasons of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one? The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted. Dost thou understand, Child? I said, Lord, thou knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me), Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious One, unless thy desire had been for me thou shouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek."

An interesting side note. As I was looking for those quote, I found it in all places at a Fundamentalist Baptist web site which is devoted to warning people of the dangers of CS Lewis. I would post the link here, but I really don't want to encourage people to go there! :)

CS Lewis has a very generous understanding of grace as demonstrated in this passage.

Thought for today

“But thus do I counsel you, my friends: distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful!”

Friedrich Nietzsche

Duck Noodle Gang

I ran across another interesting blog this morning (ok, to be honest, he ran across mine, made a post and so then I found his) which is rather interesting. I encourage you to check it out here. It is from a priest down under who has some interesting things to say.

Nature or nuture?

Albany (New York) Bishop William Love recently said that he "disagreed with those who say that God created some people to be oriented towards people of the same gender "and therefore it is in accordance with His will that they live out their gift of sexuality in a same-sex relationship."

"To the best of my knowledge, there is no scientific study that proves that people are born homosexual," he said. "There is no genetic link that has been discovered. In regard to God creating people homosexual in orientation, Matthew 19 makes a strong case against such an argument. Jesus said, 'Haven’t you read, that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh?" So they are no longer two but one.'"

I'm appalled at such an attitude from an Episcopal Bishop. While he is correct in his claim that no scientific study proves that people are born homosexual, neither is there any scientific evidence they we are not.

If Bishop Love really believes our sexuality is a choice, I invite him to choose homosexuality for a while and walk in our shoes. I suspect that he will find that kind of choice rather difficult. Shame on him for thinking it is so easy for me.

Billboards

A little humor, courtesy of the "Of Course I Could Be On Vacation" web site. I really love the third one!

Billboards!

Church growth vs. stealing sheep

Those interested in church growth should read the article in the latest edition of Ocknega Connections. In an article entitled "Stealing Sheep: A Study in Church Growth Ethics" the Rev. Dr. William Chadwick presents an interesting conundrum. His work reveals that most of the church growth reported at many evangelical churches results largely from transfers from other churches, hence the name of his article.

The article is a good wake up call for many.

Thought for today

"When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task; his single and unique task. He will have to acknowledge the fact that even in suffering he is unique and alone in the universe. No one can relieve him of his suffering or suffer in his place. His unique opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his burden."

Viktor E. Frankl

The End is Near!

I stumbled across a rather funny site called "The Rapture Index". According to their web site, The Rapture Index has two functions: one is to factor together a number of related end time components into a cohesive indicator, and the other is to standardize those components to eliminate the wide variance that currently exists with prophecy reporting.

I find it rather amusing that people actually find time to do things like this. Just to save you from looking the Rapture Index is currently above the highest level meaning, I assume, that the Rapture is just around the corner.

The amazing thing is that they have even taken steps to make sure that the web site remains active after the Rapture, although there are no provisions for someone staying behind to update it!

Although, they postulate that those of us Christians who do not believe in the Rapture will indeed be left behind, so I will put maintaining the Rapture Index on my to-so list!

What I really wish is that people would pour as much energy into bringing about the kingdom of God now rather than wasting their time on trivial pursuits like this.

A poem for Emma

Barring a miracle, Emma will be leaving Emmanuel and me for a new home on June 18th.



Emma

god came to me in the form of a child
in a most unexpected way and time

she cooed and she cried
her smile brightened my life

i was affected in ways i never imagined
and my life has been changed forever

then just like that
in a flash she is gone

and a hole is left in my heart
empty and void

she will probably never remember me
having been moved to a new home so young

but i will never forget her face
or the love she brought to my life

Thought for today

understand things as they really are.

do not mistake
the reflection of the moon in the water
for the moon.


Ven. Shi Wuling, an American Buddhist nun

The pain of life

I'm struggling right now with the very hard news that Emmanuel received yesterday. He learned that Emma will be going to a new home on June 18th (her four month birthday). I have been struggling with the possibility of loosing her for quite some time now, but the finality of it all has brought the pain to a more intense level. I had been so looking forward to spending days with her in July when I was supposed to start caring for her while Emmanuel was at work. I had envisioned stroller trips where we would be walking around town visiting.

And now all that has come crashing down. Emmanuel is naturally devastated.

While I'm happy we were able to give her such a great start in life for her first four months, I'm quite frankly angry and God and the system for now cruelly taking her away.

Laid off

Well it has been made official now. The Chaplaincy position and therefore my job was not funded after the end of this month. It is frustrating to see the State of Alaska take sure a short term view, looking only to save a few dollars now rather than the long term implications. But it is sadly the continuation of a long term plan to do away with any rehabilitation whatsoever for the prisoners in Alaska.

On the good news front, I had an excellent interview for a job as Maritime Instructor (a return to my earlier roots) and they are waiting to hear if the Coast Guard will approve me as an instructor. If they do, I should be starting that new job in the Fall.

While it is a bitter disappointment to loose the Chaplain position I'm excited about the possibility of moving on to this new position.

Somehow I know that God is at work in all of this.

concupiscence

For several years now I have been promising the members of my EfM group that I was bound and determined to use the word concupiscence in one of my sermons. Sadly I never found the opportunity. But I was dismayed to discover that someone was able to use it in an article in the May 18th, 2008 edition of "The Living Church". I guess I just didn't try hard enough!

Thought for today

Many of you have figured out that I very much enjoy the thoughts of the Ven. Shi Wuling, an American Buddhist nun. Here is another to ponder.

may all beings
become messengers of peace
in times of chaos and conflict.
may they
become the calm voice of reason
in times of anguish and anger.

Ven. Shi Wuling, an American Buddhist nun

Calif. court refuses to stay gay marriage ruling

Good news for equal rights for all in our country.

AP reports:

SAN FRANCISCO - California's highest court Wednesday refused to stay its decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, clearing the final hurdle for gay couples to start tying the knot this month.

Conservative religious and legal groups had asked the California Supreme Court to stop its May 15 order requiring state and local officials to sanction same-sex unions from becoming effective until voters have the chance to consider the issue in November. The justices' decisions typically become final after 30 days.

Read it all here.

Dark night of the soul

Another great quote from "The Dark Night of The Soul" by Gerald G. May. In it he writes: "the dark night of the soul is an ongoing transition from compulsively trying to control one's life toward a trusting freedom and openness to God and the real situations of life."

I was struck by the power of this thought. I have been coming to grips with my own efforts of "compulsively trying to control" my life and my circumstances. While I hardly know if I'm in the middle of a dark night of my soul, I do know that I want to work on making the transition he is speaking about in my own life.

Oh happy day

These Panda's look pretty happy! I don't know what it is about panda's that make them so lovable!

Thought for today

in developing compassion, we care for
those we love
those we know.

eventually we will even care for
those we do not like
those we do not know.

Ven. Shi Wuling, an American Buddhist nun

How to pick a Primate of your very own

This is a snippet from the Anglican Journal.


Meanwhile, a former Canadian Anglican bishop who is now licensed by the Southern Cone said that the network contacted other foreign primates as possible leaders but aligned itself with the British-born Archbishop Venables because of his background.

“We did talk to a couple of primates of different colours,” said Bishop Donald Harvey, formerly of the diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, in an interview. But Archbishop Venables was willing to take on the job, is well respected by other primates, and brings few cultural barriers and no language limitations, he said.

End of snippet.

But I have a suggestion. The best primate if you are shopping for one to jump to so you can "have it your way" so to speak, would be a dead one. Then you not only don't have to worry about cultural barriers, language limitations, or racism and even better you don't have to worry about the troublesome issue of someone potentially telling you what you have to do!

Oblivion is bliss, or is it?

Anglicans Online has a weekly article which this week focused on symbols. They made, what was for me at least, the startling observation that "every elevator in the Western world has a five-pointed star on or next to the button that will take you to the floor that exits the building." It was startling to me because I have never noticed this. And I have occasionally found myself in a elevator trying to figure out which button would take me to the floor where I could exit the building.

Imagine all the time I could have saved myself if I would have learned this simple little trick. Who ever thought of it, and who knows about it and why did they never tell me? Perhaps I'm just an overly oblivious person (ok, no perhaps about it, I really am an oblivious person). I think someone should write one of those "Dummy" books for us oblivious people to help clue us in!

Thought for today

“If we thanked God for the good things, there wouldn’t be time to weep over the bad.”

Yiddish proverb

Just Emma and me

Emmanuel headed off (with much trepidation) to an Elton John concert this Friday and left Emma in my care for the night. He bravely only had to call and check up on us twice and I happily report that Emma and I had a wonderful time. Thanks to our friend Deborah who came over with pizza and ice cream for dinner (alas, only formula for Emma though!).

Emma survived with no apparent ill effects and I really enjoyed taking care of her.

And if you want to see many more pictures of this beautiful angel you can see them here.

Thought for the day

before we can help,
we need to understand,

before we can understand,
we need to listen,

before we can listen,
we need to be quiet.

Ven. Shi Wuling, an American Buddhist nun

Religion and politics

This news item from Reuters does a good job outlining some of the problems in presidential elections. Pandering to the religious right has done no good for McCain and has eventually forced him to repudiate some of his endorsements. Obama likewise continues to be dogged by his former pastor problems.

Perhaps religion should just be left out of politics.

Obama and McCain have "righteous" problems

By Ed Stoddard - Analysis

DALLAS (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain has a "Religious Right" problem. His likely Democratic rival, Barack Obama, has a Rev. Wright problem.

In a country where high levels of belief and church attendance often translate into a major role for religion in election campaigns, analysts say faith may well be a poisoned chalice for the likely contenders in the November White House race.

The faith problem for Obama, who would be the first black president and is within striking distance of the Democratic nomination, stems from voter anger over anti-American sermons by his former pastor the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Wright has said the September 11 attacks were retribution for U.S. foreign policy and the U.S. government had a hand in spreading AIDS to harm blacks.

Obama has publicly severed ties with Wright but opinion polls persistently show the relationship matters to some voters.

McCain's trouble lies with the Republican Party's conservative evangelical base, the so-called Religious Right, which rallied behind President George W. Bush but has been less than enthusiastic about McCain because of his past support for stem-cell research and his failure to back a federal ban on gay marriage.

"The religious right challenge to McCain is far more significant and problematic for his candidacy than the Rev. Wright problem for Obama. The reason is because religiously committed Christians are fundamental to a Republican winning the White House," said Michael Lindsay, a political sociologist at Rice University in Houston and a noted expert on faith and politics.

"That is not the case for Democratic candidates, in fact quite the opposite. The so-called secularist wing of American politics is part of the core of Democratic support and especially Obama support," he said.

But that does not mean Obama can exorcise the ghost of Wright, and Lindsay said it could haunt him in swing states -- those states that often switch from one party to the other and where the margin of victory in presidential elections is often narrow.

"I think the Wright controversy will continue to plague Obama's candidacy in swing states where religious voters can make a difference like Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania."

Polls of voters taken after Tuesday's Kentucky Democratic primary, which Hillary Clinton won easily in what many see as one of her last stands, showed that more than 50 percent of those who voted thought Obama shared Wright's views.

This highlights the scope of the Wright problem for Obama among Clinton's white, working class and often church-going supporters in swing states -- voters who could be up for grabs in an Obama-McCain showdown.

CAN MCCAIN REAP THE WRIGHT STUFF?

But can McCain reap what Wright has sown?

Many of the conservative evangelicals whom McCain needs to woo are staunchly patriotic and are enraged by Wright's inflammatory statements. That could help divert attention from McCain's perceived drawbacks.

"I don't think the McCain campaign will dwell on it but the rest of the Republican machinery will try and keep the Rev. Wright controversy at a low boil," said Cal Jillson, a political analyst at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

McCain also has positions and qualities that many conservative Christians find appealing, such as his consistent opposition to abortion and his status as a military hero and former prisoner of war in Vietnam.

But Obama's ease at talking about his personal faith -- a trait he shares with Bush -- stands in stark contrast to McCain's obvious discomfort with the subject.

McCain attends a church affiliated with America's largest evangelical denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, but he was raised in the more reserved embrace of the Episcopal faith. Obama is an adult convert to the United Church of Christ and the convert's passion gels easily with his speaking style.

"The political problem Obama faces (because of Wright) can be solved by personalizing the issue of faith," Jillson said.

Obama's campaign also has a faith outreach program aimed at religious voters, which helps dispel false rumors that he is a Muslim.

Clyde Wilcox of Georgetown University in Washington said he saw the Wright issue fading but it has still hurt "because there are people who are looking for a reason to doubt him (Obama) ... But Obama can survive this, he talks so very well about religion and has forcibly distanced himself (from Wright)."

(Editing by Eric Beech)

Obscurity of the dark night

I continue to find some wonderful thoughts in the book "The Dark Night of The Soul" by Gerald G. May. In it he writes: "The obscurity of the dark night is so constant that I sometimes say, "If you're certain you're going through a dark night of the soul, you probably aren't!"

I think one thing true in my own life, is that I often see things much clearer in hindsight. I supposed I might have lived a better and more effective life if I could see things as clearly at the beginning as at the end, but that does not seem to very true in my life.

Of course, I have also learned that sometimes I never seem to see things clear at all until much later, and sometimes perhaps too late. But I'm counting on God to continue to work with and through me and to grant me new insights and new visions as to what the future holds for me.

Fr. Matthew presents

Fr. Matthew presents is an great short video series which I encourage you to check out. They are all posted on YouTube and if you search there for Fr. Matthew you will find many that he has done, in addition to this series on the Eucharist.

Ordination: Father Matthew Presents the Sacraments

Want to know what Ordination is all about? Only have three minutes? Well, you're in luck! Episcopal priest, Matthew Moretz, at Christ's Church in Rye, NY continues his series "Father Matthew Presents the Sacraments" with a look at the sacrament of ordination: the way deacons, priests, and bishops are made. You can find sermons and church info at www.ccrye.org. You can contact Fr. Matthew at curate@ccrye.org. Peace be with you!

Blog Reability

I found this on another blog and out of curiosity decided I would check out the readability level of my blog. Here is the result:

Movie Reviews

Today's sermon

My sermon for today has been posted on my sermon blog. The podcast has also been uploaded to my podcast site. You can also find my podcasts at Itunes by searching for episcopalpadre.