THE MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX

I WAS SUCH A FOOL- CAROL FRAN
I NEED HIM- KIM WESTON
CRYING ALL BY MYSELF- OLDIES
IF YOU LET ME BABY- CHRIS CLARK
WOMAN DON'T GO ASTRAY- KING FLOYD
I'M YOUR WOMAN (YOU'RE MY MAN)- THE SWEETEENS
PUPPET ON A STRING- BILLY PROPHET
WIDE AWAKE IN A DREAM- JERRY JACKSON
GOOD LOVIN'- OLYMPICS
I NEED HELP- DETROIT LAND APPLES

THE PRAYER LIST

As it's the weekend, please post your own prayer requests in the comment section to this post.




George Herbert pray for us.

NEW BLOGGERS ON THE BLOCK

I have just added a couple of new blogs over in THE NEIGHBOURHOOD. The first is called AVAILABLE LIGHT and is the creation of another (kosher) blogging bishop (only just as he was bumped up to the New Zealand episcopacy last night in Dunedin). His name is Kelvin Wright and his recent life has been

a bit of a roller coaster ride to say the least. Check out THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES for more details. He's a blog friend of Brian (NOBLE WOLF) by the way. Whether that's an endorsement or a reason to avoid the good bishop like the plague is up to you to decide.

The second blog to be given the dubious honour of a listing on The Neighbourhood Hall of Fame is SEERSUCKER SEMINARIAN. Its creator, Joseph P. Mathews, OSL, is far too young and good looking and I hate him already.

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

From THE DELAWARE COUNTY DAILY TIMES:

I'm going to have to think about this one before I comment on it. In fact, I'm thinking about it right now. Mmmm.

THE MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX

My apologies for the lack of action at OCICBW... recently. Unfortunately your host is going through a bit of a confusing, even worrying time at the moment. I've posted a lot more about it on the CHIN WAG @ OCICBW... page (details concerning access can be found in the sidebar on the right of this page). Here, I will just say that if you are a glass half empty sort of person my future looks pretty bleak, but if you are glass half full sort of person my future is full of new and exciting possibilities. Personally I'm swinging between the two like Tiger Woods and this has led to me not being able to focus too well or have any enthusiasm for much.

I'm sure I will get my mojo working again soon whatever the state of the proverbial liquid in the glass. In the meantime here is some music.

COUNTRY GIRL- HENRY C AND THE IVY LEAGUERS
WARNING- PAT LEWIS
SIPPIN' SORROW- PEARL WOODS
JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOU- THE APOLLAS
GET UP GET DOWN AND LET YOUR BODY POP- GREYSHIP DAVIZ
LOVE THEME - BARRY WHITE
BOTTOM OF MY SOUL- ALVIN ROBINSON
JUST BECAUSE- DAVID SEA
MY FIRST LOVE- ANTHONY HAMILTON FEAT. LATOIYA WILLIAMS
GUESS YOU'RE NOT THE ONE- GEORGE DUKE

CAPTION COMPETITION

THE MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX

A Thousand Miles Apart

Tony Sams &

The Lala Wilson Band
Reaching For The Best

The Exciters

Twilight Zone

The Astors
Detroit City Soul

The Thrillers
It's A New Day

Skull Snaps
Number One In Your Heart

Herbie Goins & Nightimers
Voice Your Choice

The Radiants
It's The Last Time

Around For Me

Jesse James

Oh, No, Not My Baby

Fontella Bass
Satisfy Me Baby

Sweets

DANCIN' AT THE RAISE THE DEAD HOP

OWNERS OF JESUS CHRIST SUE HOLLYWOOD

From BREITBART:

Rio de Janeiro's Catholic archdiocese is demanding unspecified damages and interest from Columbia Pictures for showing the iconic landmark being destroyed in a worldwide apocalypse in the film, "2012," that came out last year. The archdiocese manages copyright issues related to the 40-meter (130-foot) high statue erected in 1931, which overlooks Rio with its arms outstretched. The archdiocese holds copyright until 2032, when the sculpture becomes part of the public domain.

In practice the archdiocese allows use of images of the statue "in 99 percent of cases." But it turned down Columbia Pictures' request to show the statue being destroyed by a giant wave.

A spokesperson for the diocese said, "many faithful have said they are shocked and offended by the images of the destruction of this sanctuary that the archdiocese wanted to preserve. We are at the start of negotiations and don't know the amount of damages we are looking at. That will depend on an expert's evaluation."

COMMENT: Surely a ruddy great statue of a god on top of a ruddy great mountain has to be regarded as "in the public domain" from the word "go." I'm not sure but I think English law reflects this obvious fact. Certainly you can photograph the outside of a building without permission but not the inside, as outside is public and inside isn't. If this was not the case then you could photograph or film any building without permission built in the last 100 years or so as architects are artists as much as a monumental stone mason.

SWEDE IN DEEP WATERAFTER BED WETTING PRANK

From THE LOCAL (Sweden):

A sheltered housing facility in Torsby in western Sweden has found itself embroiled in a macabre controversy.

The victim in the horror scenario was a handicapped man who had a problem with incontinence. Personnel at the home had grown tired of the man's bed-wetting and one staff member decided to take the matters into his own hands. The employee dressed up as the Grim Reaper, went into the handicapped man's room and threatened to cut off his penis if he did not stop peeing himself.

The incident has been reported to the local health authority and is the subject of a Torsby municipality investigation.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS IF YOU WORK FOR SENSUS

From THE LOCAL (Sweden):

Sensus, a Swedish church-backed study association, has adopted a new policy to allow prospective employees to classify their gender in three ways: Female, Male or Other.

The study association, which runs courses in a range of disciplines for more than 350,000 Swedes, has decided to introduce a third alternative in its standard online application form.

"It is a question of letting you as an individual decide for yourself how you want to be defined. Or if you turn it around, you should not have to have one role privately and another as an employee," explained Johan Welander at Sensus to Church of Sweden newspaper, Kyrkans Tidning.

Applicants can now choose between Kvinna (woman), Man or Hen, a gender-neutral pronoun and alternative to the Swedish Hon (She) and Han (He).

COMMENT: Shouldn't that be "cock" or "hen?"

OCICBW... CAMPAIGN DERAILEDBY GERMAN CHURCH CHICK

I do not need this. Just as OCICBW...'s BABELICIOUS BISHOPS campaign was to gain official backing from the international, ecumenical conference of influential primates, The Bishops' Organisation Of Babeliciousness (BOOB), this happens:

From THE LOCAL (Germany):

Bishop Margot Käßmann, the head of Germany’s Protestant churches, resigned on Wednesday after being caught driving drunk over the weekend.

Käßmann said she no longer had the moral authority to comment on issues such as the war in Afghanistan, which she has sharply criticised.

“On Saturday I made a serious mistake that I deeply regret,” she said at press conference in Hannover.

“But I cannot overlook that fact that my office has been damaged and my heart tells me very clearly I can’t stay in office with the necessary authority.”

Käßmann said she would step down from all positions effective immediately aside from her job as pastor of a congregation in Hannover.

Because of this woman's foolish action the world now faces many more years of ugly bishops. The sister has let us down big time.

OCICBW... has not had to face such embarrassment and loss of face since research proved conclusively that some gay couples end up getting divorced just like straight couples.

GOD HATES BABIES

From WTOP:

Western Prince William Del. Bob Marshall, R-13th, says disabled children are God’s punishment to women who have aborted their first pregnancy. He made that statement last Thursday at a press conference to oppose state funding for Planned Parenthood.

“The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children. In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There’s a special punishment Christians would suggest,” said Marshall, a Republican.

At the press conference, the Rev. Joe Ellison, vice president of the Council on Biblical Principles, said that when he was in college, he paid for girlfriends to get abortions. He said he still feels guilty about that today.

Ellison said he was “declaring war against Planned Parenthood.”

“We’re asking pastors to shut them down in the community. We’re asking pastors to pray them out. And we’re asking Planned Parenthood to leave our children alone,” Ellison said.

COMMENT: A teeny bit of displacement of guilt there from the reverend Ellison, I think. He's like an ex-smoker. An ex-smoker who had zero respect for women back when he was in college and still zero respect for women even now.

Thanks to Ellie for forwarding this report in to MadPriest Towers.

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

AND CAPTION COMPETITION:

IN WHICH MADPRIEST CONNECTS THEELTON JOHN STORY TO THE SAME SEXWEDDING STORY IN ONE PHOTOSHOP

AND THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN!

From THE TIMES:

Senior bishops in the Lords have told The Times that they will support an amendment to the Equality Bill next month that will lift the ban on civil partnership ceremonies in religious premises. The amendment would remove the legislative prohibition on blessings of homosexual couples and open the door to the registration of civil partnerships in churches, synagogues, mosques and all other religious premises.

In a letter to The Times a group of Church of England clerics say today that religious denominations should be allowed to register civil partnerships on their premises if they wish. It would be up to individual denominations whether to offer civil partnership ceremonies.

The Church of England, which along with the wider Anglican Communion is divided over gay ordinations and same-sex blessings, will maintain its official ban. But if the legislative prohibition is lifted, as seems likely, the Church’s own ban is likely to be ignored by some clergy.

The Lords amendment is expected to be tabled in the next few days by Lord Alli, the Labour peer, who is openly gay. It is likely to be backed by the Conservatives and, significantly, the Bishop of Leicester, the Right Rev Timothy Stevens, who convenes the 26 bishops in the House.

This would in effect end any remaining distinction between civil partnerships and marriage and increase the pressure on the established Church to take a more liberal line on same-sex relationships.

The amendment is expected to be strongly opposed by conservative Christians. Andrea Williams, of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “What is being advanced as an issue of religious freedom today will be used to remove religious freedom in the future."

And from the TIMES EDITORIAL:

Benjamin Disraeli believed the Church of England to be “a part of our liberties, a part of our national character”. If it has any hope of continuing in that role, the Church — and the Government — must recognise that our liberties today should include the right of homosexuals to register the most important promise of their lives in a church.

COMMENT: For many years clergy in the Church of England followed the law of the land that stated they must marry anybody who was legally entitled to marry and married divorced people in church against the instructions of the House of Bishops. There was nothing their bishops could do to stop them if the priests were incumbents. So, I think Our Ruth may be right in her prophesy that Church of England incumbents will do the same for same sex couples if the law of the land states that same sex couples are legally entitled to marry.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHINGCOMPLETELY DIFFERENT

And now, if you've not heard this before, or even if you have, prepare to be very impressed.

WEBSITE

BLOG NOTICE - 22ND. FEBRUARY 2010

There have been major delays in emails hitting my mailbox over the last couple of days. As I have to physically publish all comments this means some of you may be thinking I'm blanking you - which (with the exception of Brad) I am not.

If you have commented and it has not been posted yet, please try again.

(RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY) HELP NEEDED

The following has the full endorsement of OCICBW... (and also the Matriarch of The Neighbourhood, Grandmere Mimi).

Jay Phillippi is a longstanding, good friend of this blog and is as sound as a pound. So, if you can help him, please do. Anyway, it's just the sort of thing most of you love to get your teeth into.

I am wondering if you would be willing to do a favor for a reader and occasional poster.

On March 1st I will begin a 60 day sabbatical from my work as Diocesan Youth Missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of WNY. The subject of my sabbatical is "Personal Piety in an Episcopal Context in the 21st Century". It's a subject that I've become very interested in over the last decade. As Episcopalians (and Anglicans in general) are very much a people defined by our corporate worship I think there's a real gap when it comes to helping our members develop a personal piety.

My favor is this: I'm asking a variety of bloggers for a moment with their audiences. I'd like to have this appeal put on your blog and ask all your readers (Anglican/Episcopal and not) to answer two simple questions:

1: What does the phrase "Personal Piety" mean to you?
2: Outside of corporate worship settings what do you do in the way of personal piety?

The answers can be sent to a seperate email I've established for this project - personalpiety at gmail.com. (obviously they should remove the "at" and replace it with an @) I do not need their names unless they are willing to share. It would be useful if they could indicate if they are Anglican or not. Input from non-Anglicans is very welcome as either a simple comparison group but also as a resource for ideas that would be consistent with our "context".

I will be doing a lot of the "work" of the sabbatical "in the open" as it were, using my blog THE VIEW FROM THE PHLIPSIDE for blogging and videos and whatever else pops into my head during the sabbatical. My intent is to explore the subject in greater detail there. I would certainly invite anyone to look in and comment as they feel called.

This is a presumptuous request I know. But I think I may be better served in my journey if I can hear from more voices than just those close by.

I understand completely if you choose not to do this. But as a teacher of mine taught me years ago, "You don't know if you don't ask".

Peace
Jay Phillippi
Diocese of WNY

FORGET THAT YOU ARE DUSTAND TO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN

A big thank you to JCF for sending this major
league media gaffe into MadPriest Towers.

ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER BATTLE...

... but here is something sent in by
"our Orthodox friend" that should
get you in the right frame of mind:

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay

man who understood human problems. On the cross, he

forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to

be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people

so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East -

you're as good as dead."
(Elton John, Parade Magazine)

THE MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX

I thought you might enjoy a few legs to go with

the selection of recently purchased soul tracks

in tonight's mix. And if you don't like my selection

of legs, well, you can get your own in future.

My Inspiration - Von Thadden
April - Walter Thomas
Cold Front - Juanita Place
Hey Mama - George Smallwood
Love Comes... - Von Thadden
Let's Love - Foxy Foxy
Sweet Beulah Dreams (LaLa) - Menoosha
Simplify - Vimala
Touching Is My Thing - George Smallwood
I Ain't Hearin' U - Angie Stone

MADPRIEST'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Cats have no need for a god. They have humans to blame.

I wish I could get it into Henry's head that I am not responsible for the fact that it is snowing (raining/cold/there are other cats in the world etc. etc.). Neither do I know where the switch is to turn it off. And I certainly don't deserve THAT LOOK from him when I open the back door on his demand and the environmental conditions are not quite up to his high expectations.

You know, Dicky Dorkins should get himself a cat. He might then understand how God feels with having to put up with his constant "Why didn't God stop the earthquake in Haiti" type carping.

I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS DEAD

Well if the Italians can drag bits of poor, old Saint Thérèse around the British Isles I can't see any reason why we shouldn't join in:

From THE CHRISTIAN POST:

Two questions:

1) Whose head is it?

2) Will it be on a platter?

HEADLINES OF THE DAY

This is just so typical. The big guys beat up the little guys so the little guys go and take it out on even smaller guys.

From BEAVER COUNTY TIMES:

And this one from THE NATIONAL

brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it:

Ouch!

THE DIOCESE OF ROCHESTERWINS GOLD FOR HYPOCRISY

From KENT NEWS:

In response to the (WOMEN IN BONDAGE) episode, the Diocese of Rochester said: "Christians believe that all people are made in the image of God and are equal in God’s sight.

"The Church of England is a broad and embracing Church which believes in and promotes the sanctity of marriage and the uniqueness of the Bible.

"Members of the clergy interpret their priestly ministry in different ways and this is reflected in the rich variety of Anglican churches."

COMMENT: Equal? Broad and embracing? Rich variety?

This is Nazir-Ali's patch.

What a bunch of Kentish hypocrites!

THE FIRST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST

THE PRAYER LIST

From Maggie:

Hello Jonathan,

My sweetie Gerry lost his brother-in-law Barton Childs yesterday (19th. February).

I would like to request prayers for the repose of his soul and comfort for his widow and family.

Thank you.

CLICK HERE for a copy of his obituary that shows him to be a man who literally changed the world for the better.

***

As it's Sunday,

and I've got to

pop into work

and all that,

please would

you post any

of your own

prayer requests

in the comments

to this post.

Thanks.

TIME FOR A CHANGE

Two perennial arguments reared their ugly heads on OCICBW... yesterday. Firstly, the Mexicans are still trying to move their country out of Central America and into North America. There's nothing I can do about this other than to continue to speak very slowly and loudly to them and hope they eventually comprenda.

The second disagreement we may be able to do something about. Pretty much every time I use the term "American" to describe people from America somebody emails in to tell me that I should use the phrase United Statesonianites, or whatever, because people from Venezuela think they are yanks as well. This is a ridiculous situation that needs to be sorted out.

Obviously we can't start calling Americans, "United Statesonianites." Germans might be able to cope with such long words but not the English. Our time is precious. Also, Americans themselves seem intent on calling themselves Americans and I can't see them changing as they are a people who despise change of any sort. For a start, I don't think their prime minister, George W, Bush is ever going to start introducing his little pep talks with "My fella United Statesurkans." So, we need to think laterally and I propose coming up with a new name for everybody who lives in the new colonies who is not the real McCoy.

For example, I quite like the phrase, "free Americans," or "evolved Americans" maybe. But what do you think? I'm sure together we can come up with something acceptable to everybody, especially the English who, as they discovered the Americas in the first place, should really have the last word on the mater.