Attention, Golfers

Donald Trumps plans cemetery near fifth-hole fairway at New Jersey golf course

Surfboard Tales: I’ve Always Wanted To Try That

Click on the stanza below to go to the full story.

As there will always be those who seek the safe cocoon of homogeneity, their counterparts will be challenging any notion that limits human activity and endeavor by prejudices about age, culture, gender, ideology, and spirituality. I recognized that kind of defiance immediately as it was and is a strong part of surfing, an activity that, in those days, was beginning to reclaim my attention and activity.

Has There Ever Been An Identified Haggis?

Unidentified haggis causes security meltdown in Scottish railway station

Hey, I think I used to play bass for the Unidentified Haggis.

Archaeological News

Tablet full of crude gags and riddles about beer is found - dating back to Exodus

This Week's Virgin Mary Sighting

Appears on restaurant grill

Website Re-design!

As the kids say, "Check it!" Actually, do they still say that? I still say "groovy" sometimes and everyone looks at me like I have lobsters coming out of my ears.

Anyway, the link may be found at the bottom of this page along with other goodness.

Now if we could just get the December 2010 newsletter off of there.

Top Ten Vestry Responsibilities

Something for members new and old. Just click here.

What Literature Owes The Bible

The Book of Books: What Literature Owes the Bible

From the New York Times before Christmas.  I meant to post it then, but got distracted by the season, then was reminded by our parish treasurer, to whom you may give thanks for sending this link forward.

Wow, The Hand Really Is Quicker Than The Eye

TV Magician Saws Off Finger

Another OC Conversion Experience

Stonington surfboarder never gives up on passion

Yep, he started surfing on the same New Jersey beach that I did.  Or, as the media appear to phrase it, "surfboarding". 

[No, AJ, I don't know what "surfboarding" is, either.]

Remember that we have only one [1] liturgy this Sunday at 9:30am. It's time for our annual parish breakfast [and meeting]. Come and meet the folks from the other Sunday liturgy and vote for the new vestry.

The Parish House Basement Is Almost Done

A Quotation

"The Bible is fundamentally a story of a people’s journey with God. Scripture is an account of human existence as told by God. In scripture, we see that God is taking the disconnected elements of our lives and pulling them together into a coherent story that means something. When we lack such a truthful, coherent account, life is likely to be perceived as disconnected, ad hoc. In trying to make sense of life, when we lack a coherent narrative, life is little more than a lurch to the left, a lurch to the right....No wonder modern humanity, even as it loudly proclaims its freedom and power to choose, is really an impotent herd driven this way and that, paralyzed by the disconnectedness of it all."

Hauerwas, Stanley (1989-10-01). Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony (pp. 53-54). Abingdon Press.

It Was Never About "Sacrifice" For The Wealthy And Powerful

Countering Climate Change With Practicality Ahead of Sacrifice

After all, they kept buying more mansions, more private jets, while lecturing the rest of us on how we should live.  Oh, and suckering church leaders into supporting "sacrifice" for their middle-class, poor, or elderly parishioners.  [Whenever a church leader speaks of sacrifice, my response is "You first."] 

It's remarkable how much the post-modern West resembles Rome in its twilight.

[The article linked to above is from the New York Times, so you can read it if you are registered.]

Dear Media, Allow Me To Correct You, Please

Cruise captain pleaded not to reboard ship

and

Cruise disaster: crew of Costa Concordia 'mutinied' against captain

This time it's not about church matters, though, but about the oft-repeated understanding that the unwritten rule of the sea is "women and children first" and "the captain goes down with the ship" and similar examples of nautical phlem.  While these practices are part of the "immemorial tradition of the sea"*, they are British in origin.  Those merchant services related to the British tradition through formation, history, and royal relations [such as Germany, the United States, Scandinavian and other Northern European nations, etc.] maintain that tradition and practice, but it is not by any means universal.  Speaking as the veteran of four different sinkings in three different nations [long stories; not all that interesting], the only universal practice seems to be "every man for himself".

I imagine the notion of who goes first and the terminal responsibility of the ship's captain comes from the fate of the RMS Titanic and the legends created through that event.  However, as anyone who has ever driven a vehicle in both the UK and Italy can testify, ideas of orderliness can be very, very different from culture to culture.

*"Immemorial tradition of the sea" is also a British idea, generally used to justify things that may not make sense when on land, but are ultimately life-saving when on water.

Dudes, Just Get In The Water

Indonesia cracks down again on train 'surfers'

Now Wait A Minute

Every year I get a letter from the Internal Revenue Service reminding me that explicitly political commentary may not be offered from a church's pulpit without causing a review of the church's non-tax status with the federal government.  I don't remember when this started, but it's been at least ten years now.  I have even heard that IRS agents will sit in the pews on a Sunday morning in suspect churches to make sure of compliance.

Well, apparently rules are only for us little people, and not for presidential advisers:

Senior White House Adviser Blasts Republicans from the Pulpit

While I prefer to preach the Gospel from the pulpit [well, near it], I still do not care for a government agency that's willing to coerce my speech when I'm in a place supposedly free from their meddling.  I find it particularly aggravating to discover that the rules are only for those outside of the Washington power pocket.  If it is to be a tax regulation, then apply it equally or don't apply it at all.  As a Midwesterner, in the language of my people, that's not fair otherwise.

Nativity Goat Still On The Loose!

Reward increases for runaway MN nativity goat

The Feast Of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Originally, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the only non-Episcopalian to have a day on our calendar of feast days. The reasons for his inclusion are, I think, obvious to any student of post-modern American history. [In recent years, however, the Episcopal Church has gone wild and is assigning feast days to anyone who appeals to aesthetic and intellectual tastes of the denominational leadership. Ah, well, plus ça change....]

However, the Episcopal Church remembers him not in January, which is the government holiday, but on April 4th, which was the day of his assassination. It is ancient tradition that martyrs be remembered on the date of their martyrdom.

In anticipation of his feast day, and in recognition of the federal holiday [when the government honors a highly educated American by closing all public schools!], the Episcopal Church readings for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s day may be found here.

And since the media conveniently forget that he was a practicing Christian and person of faith, rather than a "person of government", we remember him by his title "The Rev. Dr.".

Image Of Virgin Mary Appears At Hamburger Restaurant

No surprise, really. Look at the name of the restaurant.

So, What's Going On In The Anglican Communion?

The other day I used the term "Anglican Communion" in a posting and a couple of folks had questions about it.  In brief, the Episcopal Church in the United States, which is officially known as The Episcopal Church*, is part of a world-wide communion of churches that were founded by the Church of England, the so-called "mother church", during the heady days of England's muscular colonization of most of the world into the British Empire.  So, the Episcopal Church is the post-revolutionary form of the Church of England in the colonies.  Similarly, the churches throughout the rest of the world that are part of our Communion were, for the most part, founded by Church of England missionaries from the 17th to the late 19th centuries.

Unlike, say, the Congregational Church [no offence to them; merely pointing out the historic difference], we have always been part of a world-wide Christian witness that is united mainly by history and the use of the Book of Common Prayer.  So, whether we are talking about the Archbishop of Canterbury, or Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu, or Palestinian activist Hanan Ashrawi, we are talking about fellow Anglicans with a shared liturgy and theology.  All of them would be comfortable in our small parish and find it a familiar worship experience.

So, from time to time, and to remind us all of our global witness, I'll list the leading stories of work and concerns that press upon our Anglican Communion, featuring ministries and personalities of which we may be proud.

To begin, I offer the following:

Southern Africa archbishop tells Mugabe to end church persecution

After carnage in Nigeria, spiritual leaders seek unity

UK churches strive for an environmentally ‘green’ Christmas

For those who noticed the irony, British Anglicans struggle to be environmentally sensitive; African Anglicans struggle to stay alive. 

Please note: Those of you in your 40's grew up in the ECUSA, or Episcopal Church of the United States; those older grew up the PECUSA, or Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States.  There is no canonical difference between the PECUSA, ECUSA, or what is now called TEC; it's just that in every generation the powers-that-be like to demonstrate that power and engage in pointless name changes.  It's okay as it hurts no one, costs very little, and allows them to feel secure in their authority, which is the real reason for it, after all.

As Mentioned In A Previous Posting...

A great surf beach is now on the endangered list:

Marina threatens Mexican surf sanctuary

I'm convinced that, within a generation, the only good ride will be found in "surf parks", God help us, where you have to pay someone to ride an articifial wave.  As I mentioned in another medium:

Surf beaches can change over time, either due to natural disaster, erosion of the bottom, or changes in current patterns wrought by those who claim to have the science to address such things. Some of the famous beaches, especially those in family-friendly areas, are no longer able to provide any experience of interest to the obsessed surf community, as they have been “improved” with jetties and other artificial construction so that maladroit, video-addicted children won’t hurt themselves in 12 inches of water.

I should also have added, in the style of Hunter S. Thompson, "...so that 'crazy greedheads' could have a place to park their oversized boats."

Someone Defends The Anglican Communion [That's Us, Folks, In Our Worldwide Identity]

While also examining the weird "cult of Che" that has sprung up in recent decades.

Jesus meek and mild, as if ….

I Used To Play Bass For Toy Monkey (No, I Can't Stop)

Des Moines police officer assaulted with toy monkey

Hero Of The Week

Ringing Iphone Halts New York Philharmonic

Good Thing It Wasn't The Low-Speed Train

High-speed train due to arrive has been delayed 20 years

A 3D Visual Tour Of The Sistine Chapel

Click here.

Well, This Has Been An Interesting Morning...

First, a mentally ill/drug addicted former student sends me an abusive Facebook message because I gave him an "F" on a term paper 21 years ago, then I discover that a former employee of mine has been caught stealing.  For thirds, I get a message from Amanda's stolen phone that was meant for the thief's girlfriend.

In the first case, I'm impressed with my former student's ability to hold a grudge. Heck, he's not even Celtic. Although, judging from his grammar, spelling, and usage, I'm reminded why he failed the term paper.

Archaeological News

Hebrew University professor disputes claims about purpose of newly-discovered Jerusalem Temple artifact

and

Claim of Maya ruins in Georgia sparks controversy

and, from my alma mater,

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology online database

Surfboard Tales: Memoriam

Click the quotation below for the whole story:

“The waves are like life, man. And I don’t mean that like in those books about surfing. Waves aren’t about metaphysics or Eastern religion or Californicated gibberish. Everyone tries to apply some deep meaning to life, too. They create massive organizations to define it. Folks have tried throughout history to apply meaning to it, and life resists it. Life is just life. That’s why it’s like the waves. All of that verbiage, all of those words to try to turn a wave into something mystical, and the wave just is. You can tell me about energy and gravity and moon phases and [stuff], but I don’t care. I know it’s just a wave. You just ride it. Like, it’s just life, we just live it. And even when we think it’s over, we still ride it.”

[Kinda, sorta, related site:  The "paddle-out" for Sean Collins, both the California and Hawaii versions.  The scene of the south side of the Huntington Beach pier makes me nostalgic, as that was where I first rode a proper SoCal wave."

Continued Christian Persecution

Nigerian church attacked by radical Muslim sect

The End Of Something

The old, mostly dead, Roxbury Christmas tree, aka "Senior" [as opposed to the new one, "Junior"] is being cut down today. I feel like there should be a gathering of mourners.

Now That's What I Call Science

How Scottish Scientists Re-Created a Hundred-Year-Old Whiskey

Civilization Reaches Full Flower

Bacon Soda

When People Don't Believe In God, Anything May Be A Religion

File-sharing recognized as a religion in Sweden

I Used To Play Bass For The Booze-Guzzling Rats [Okay, I Can't Stop]

Drug gives rats booze-guzzling superpowers

Today's Observation From Theologian Stanley Hauerwas

"There was a time when unbelief also appeared to be adventuresome, when the denial of God was experienced as an exciting new possibility, a heroic refusal to participate in oppressive social convention. In our day, unbelief is the socially acceptable way of living in the West. It no longer takes courage to disbelieve...we Christians have given atheists less and less in which to disbelieve! A flaccid church has robbed atheism of its earlier pretensions of adventure."

Hauerwas, Stanley (1989-10-01). Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony (p. 50). Abingdon Press.

I Used To Play Bass For The Mouse Carcasses [Somebody Stop Me!]

Pepsi Says Mountain Dew Can Dissolve Mouse Carcasses

A Practice Mentioned In An Earlier Posting

Jetty extension could alter New Smyrna Beach's famed waves  

The posting may be found here. 

The Surfboard Tales Collection

Yeah, I know this is of very limited interest, but the abridged pieces that separate the chapters of Reading Water have been collected on this other website, which will eventually contain other information about the book and related ephemera.

I Used To Play Bass For Thousands Of Dead Herring [I Could Do This All Day; For Some Reason, A Lot Of Headlines Look Like Good Names For Rock Bands]

Thousands of dead herring - it sure smells like the animal apocalypse

"It Sure Smells Like the Animal Apocalypse" sounds like a good album title, now that I think about it.

I Used To Play Bass For Exploding Manhole

Exploding Manhole Tosses Car In Air After Flash Flood In Montreal       

Church Fire

The Somers Congregational Church in Tolland County suffered a fire last evening and, as one may see, appears to be a total loss.  We'll keep them in our prayers.

This Week's Provocation

"Once the concept of “human rights” has established itself as an axiom, the question inevitably arises: How and by whom are these rights to be secured? With growing emphasis, post-Enlightenment societies have answered: by the state. The nation state, replacing the old concepts of the Holy Church and the Holy Empire, is the centre-piece in the political scene in post-Enlightenment Europe. After the trauma of the religious wars of the seventeenth century, Europe settled down to the principle of religious coexistence, and the passions which had formerly been invested in rival interpretations of religion were more and more invested in the nation state. Nationalism became the effective ideology of the European peoples, always at times of crises proving stronger than any other ideological or religious force. If there is any entity to which ultimate loyalty is due, it is the nation state. In the twentieth century we have become accustomed to the fact that—in the name of the nation—Catholics will fight Catholics, Protestants will fight Protestants, and Marxists will fight Marxists. The charge of blasphemy, if it is ever made, is treated as a quaint anachronism; but the charge of treason, of placing another loyalty above that to the nation state, is treated as the unforgivable crime. The nation state has taken the place of God. Responsibilities for education, healing and public welfare which had formerly rested with the Church devolved more and more upon the nation state. In the present century this movement has been vastly accelerated by the advent of the “welfare state.” National governments widely assumed to be responsible for and capable of providing those things which former generations thought only God could provide—freedom from fear, hunger, disease and want—in a word: 'happiness.'"

(Lesslie Newbigin, The Other Side of 1984: Questions for the Churches [Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1983], pp. 13-15)