WE HAVE A RUNNER IN THIS ONE

From HENRIETTAPOST.COM:

Episcopal SeniorLife Communities is hosting its third annual “Gorgeous Grandma” contest. In celebration of Gorgeous Grandma Day July 23, it is hosting a contest for anyone ages 5 to 13 who thinks his or her Grandma is gorgeous.

Submissions to the contest must include at least three reasons why Grandma is gorgeous and a description of what the contestant likes to do with Grandma.

Okay, ignore the age restrictions - we can lie on the application form. I await your submissions in due course.

Please keep your answers concerning what you would like to do with Grandma both legal and within the bounds of possibility.

THE THOUGHTS OF A SCREECHING GEORDIE

"Well I don’t believe in religion, let’s put it that way. I believe all religions are bad. I think they’re a waste of time. Jesus was a clever man. He wasn’t the son of God. We all know that he was a very clever, wonderful man and he said, ‘Church is in here,' meaning you are your own church.”
(AC/DC's Brian Johnson from
"Rockers and Rollers: A Full-Throttle Memoir")

Mr Johnson is famous for telling us that he has big balls.

Well, he certainly speaks bollocks.

Whether or not Jesus was a god or just a man may be up for dispute. But one thing is for certain, his message was one of extreme altruism and having a relationship with a god who was out there. Nothing is written down anywhere that indicates that the god of Jesus Christ was locked up inside the mind of the individual making excuses for every act of selfish debauchery singing like a tom cat being castrated without anaesthetic can buy.

On the other hand, Maybe Brian is right. Surely, if there is a god, Bon Scott wouldn't have died and AC/DC would have remained a real rock 'n' roll band and not become a comedy act out of the same mould as Johnson's previous group, Geordie.

CHIT CHAT (15)

"Chit Chat" is an occasional posting in which I simply give you a word, or short phrase, and you then just waffle on about the subject in any way you see fit. 

If the number of comments on any one Chit Chat post gets to fifty, all those who have commented will receive 500 days off purgatory. Should the comments ever reach one hundred I will grant all the participants a general plenary. Now, you don't get offers like that on Facebook!

Your word this week is:

POLITICIANS

Where you take it is completely up to you.

DOGS ARE BETTER THAN CATS

THE SOPPY SAM NORTON SELECTION

Sam has sent me a link to a whole load of brilliant photographs of the dogs who work with our service personnel. Here is one photo, check out the rest at FOREIGN POLICY.

ELSEWHERE ON THE OCICBW... EXPERIENCE

Here is the service of evening prayer for today. A poem, some music and me singing. What on earth have you done to deserve that?

Words and credits can be found at ST. LAIKA'S.


MP3 File

At THE ANCHORHOLD AT OCICBW... Ellie has a new post up entitled "Receptivity."

Boaz has posted a fine exegesis of the gospel on CHIN WAG @ OCICBW.... Details on how to access Chin Wag can be found somewhere on the right hand sidebar.

OCICBW... is now offering free advertising on its pages to its friends for their products and businesses. Check out THE OCICBW... FREE ADVERTISER for details.

NAZI WAS A SAINT

From THE EUROPEAN JEWISH PRESS:

Pope Benedict XVI honoured Sunday Croatia's late controversial World War II Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac as a "defender of Jews, the Orthodox and of all the persecuted."

In "a time of Nazi and Fascist dictatorship", Stepinac became "a defender of the Jews, the Orthodox and of all the persecuted, and then, in the age of communism, an advocate for his own faithful, especially for the many persecuted and murdered priests. His martyrdom signals the culmination of the violence perpetrated against the Church during the terrible period of communist persecution," the pope said.

Earlier on Sunday Holocaust survivors voiced regret over pope's stop at Stepinac's tomb. The American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants labelled the cardinal in a statement as an "avid supporter of the Ustasha."

"Holocaust survivors join all victims of the Nazi-aligned Ustasha regime in wartime Croatia in expressing disappointment that Pope Benedict would honour Cardinal Stepinac. Stepinac was an avid supporter of the Ustasha whose cruelties were so extreme that they even shocked some of their Nazi masters," it said in a statement.

COMMENT: If I was a psychologist I might be tempted to suggest that Benny's mania for pardoning Catholic Nazi sympathisers is nothing more than an attempt to excuse himself from his own dubious connections with fascism.

ADVICE FOR NEW DEMONS

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

From NEWS LETTER (Northern Ireland):

Well, that is really good news for the ladies.
Now, you all say thank you to the nice protestant gentlemen.

THE PRAYER LIST - 7TH. JUNE 2011

THANKSGIVING

The wait is over. At 2.25 this morning (English time) Heather gave birth to a baby boy "after a wonderfully swift, calm and straightforward - if painful - home birth."

***

From Grandmère Mimi:

And the rains came! The first rain since Mardi Gras, March 8. Thanks for the prayers. Thanks be to God.



FOR YOUR PRAYERS

At FINDING LIFE HARD, Liz has posted the sad news that her mother in law died on Sunday morning.

***

From Brian:

Please pray for my mother who has an appointment with a specialist tomorrow to check for colon cancer. She is very frightened.

***

From JCF:

Urgent Prayer Request:

Amina Abdallah Araf al Omari, an out lesbian blogger from Damascus, Syria, was seized by three men earlier today, her cousin wrote on her blog, 'A Gay Girl in Damascus', earlier today:

Amina told the friend that she would go ahead and they were separated. Amina had, apparently, identified the person she was to meet. However, while her companion was still close by, Amina was seized by three men in their early 20’s. According to the witness (who does not want her identity known), the men were armed. Amina hit one of them and told the friend to go find her father.

One of the men then put his hand over Amina’s mouth and they hustled her into a red Dacia Logan with a window sticker of Basel Assad. The witness did not get the tag number. She promptly went and found Amina’s father.

The men are assumed to be members of one of the security services or the Baath Party militia. Amina’s present location is unknown and it is unclear if she is in a jail or being held elsewhere in Damascus.

Later, it was updated:

I have been on the telephone with both her parents and all that we can say right now is that she is missing. Her father is desperately trying to find out where she is and who has taken her.

Unfortunately, there are at least 18 different police formations in Syria as well as multiple different party militias and gangs. We do not know who took her so we do not know who to ask to get her back. It is possible that they are forcibly deporting her.

From other family members who have been imprisoned there, we believe that she is likely to be released fairly soon. If they wanted to kill her, they would have done so.

That is what we are all praying for.

Pray for Amina's safe release!!!!

***

From HAARETZ.COM:

Palestinian security guards reportedly killed 14 Palestinians Monday in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria. According to witnesses, an angry crowd of mourners began to charge toward leaders of Palestinian factions, prompting their security guards to open fire.

***

From THE BBC:

Japan has more than doubled its estimate of radiation that escaped from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant in the first week after the disaster. Japan's nuclear safety agency also said meltdowns took place in three reactors more quickly than earlier believed.

***

From THE NEW YORK TIMES:

Fighting spread to Kadugli, a city in a heavily militarized part of Sudan, on Monday, as the northern Sudanese army appeared to be trying to disarm militias and forces aligned with southern Sudan.

***

If you would like to light
a candle as part of your
prayer, please click HERE,
then click on BEGIN and
follow the instructions.

Our group name is
Laika (case sensitive);
please type this into
the appropriate box
when requested.

THE MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX

Some more blues from Mali. This time courtesy of Vieux Farka Touré, son of the late but legendary, Ali Farka Touré. Three songs off Vieux's new album, The Secret" which gets quite heavy in places. Check out the first track for some really rockin' guitar work.



VIEUX'S WEBSITE

PURCHASE VIA MADPRIEST'S AMAZON STORE

THE WORLD'S WORST BOOK SALE

EKKLESIA and METANOIA have got together to promote a "supersale" on Ekklesia books. Check out the bargains - NOT!

"GET YOUR GAY COOTIES OFF ME!"SAYS ZAMBIA'S ARCHBISHOP CHARMLESS

From THE LUSAKA TIMES:

The Anglican Church in Central Africa has re-affirmed its stance against the practice of homosexuality. Anglican Province of Central Africa overseer, Archbishop Albert Chama, said in Kitwe at the weekend that the church would continue to make it clear that it would not condone homosexuality.

He said, “We have made it very clear even to churches around the world that we interact with that if there are any members or priests that practice homosexuality, they should keep them away from us,” he said.

COMMENT: Why? Would the temptation be too much, Bishop?

A CLASSIC MIMI / MADPRIEST EXCHANGE

I'm so pleased with that last come back.

THE FABLE OF THE PORCUPINE

An inspiring story sent in to MadPriest Towers by Michelle.

It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions. After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the warmth that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.

Moral of the story: The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

The real moral of the story: Learn to live with the pricks in your life.

LET'S ALL BE SILLY

SPANISH FAIL TO GET THE HANGOF WHAT THE MOUTH IS FOR

Thousands of litres of wine are needed every June for the San Pedro festival which is held in the town of Haro, in the wine region of La Rioja. Some of it is drunk, but the vast majority is used as ammunition for Haro’s ‘Batalla del Vino’, the ‘Wine Battle.’

The day begins early in the morning at the Riscos of Bilibio where the town’s flag is raised above a chapel which stands there at the top of a crag. After a mass, the battle commences, when some 40,000 litres of red wine are chucked, squirted and sprayed by the two groups of opposing teams. Some are armed with wineskins, others with giant water pistols or even buckets and plastic bins.



COMMENT: That's about £350000 worth of Rioja at English high street prices. You would never, ever get Englishmen doing this with beer.

Full story at TYPICALLY SPANISH.

WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'S

Here is today's service of evening prayer.
It's pretty straight forward today.


MP3 File

THE MANAGEMENT WOULD LIKE TOSINCERELY APOLOGISE FOR THE SICKSENSE OF HUMOUR OF THE CUSTOMERS- DON'T BLAME MADPRIEST, BLAME JIM

Did you ever wonder why there are no dead penguins on the ice in Antarctica?

Well, you need wonder no more.

It is a known fact that the penguin is a very ritualistic bird which lives an extremely ordered and complex life. The penguin is very committed to its family and will mate for life, as well as maintaining a form of compassionate contact with its offspring throughout its life.

If a penguin is found dead on the ice surface, other members of the family and social circle have been known to dig holes in the ice, using their vestigial wings and beaks, until the hole is deep enough for the dead bird to be rolled into and buried.

The male penguins then gather in a circle around the fresh grave and sing:

♫♫♫♫
"Freeze a jolly good fellow"
"Freeze a jolly good fellow."

Then they kick him into the hole.

THE OCICBW... FREE ADVERTISER

Thank you for all your comments on the post I DO NEED YOUR HELP - MORE QUESTIONS, on Saturday. Overwhelmingly your collective advice was "Go for it!" So I have and the results can now be seen on the left hand sidebar.

My special appeal, I DO NEED YOUR HELP, posted on Friday raised an extra £40 per month in donations. This is greatly appreciated but it is not going to keep me in the lifestyle that I would like to become accustomed and I think I've pretty much reached the ceiling as far as sponsorship by my readers is concerned. But this is okay because the advertising revenue on top of your generosity should bring my self supporting ministry at OCICBW... and St. Laika's nearer to being a real possibility.

However, I'm not completely comfortable with this advertising thing. So, I've come up with something that might help me come to terms with it. You will have all heard of carbon credits, through which businesses salve their consciences regarding their contribution to climate change. Well, I've just invented advertising credits.

I will place on OCICBW..., at absolutely no cost, your advert if you are a blogger on THE NEIGHBOURHOOD blogroll, a regular commenter, member of Chin Wag @ OCICBW... or one of my facebook friends. The rules are simple. I will only post the advert if it is your product or business, or you run the charity. I will consider posting short period adverts for events if you are just involved with their organising but, bear in mind, although OCICBW... has a simply ginormous readership, it is a readership scattered thinly across the world so the success of a jumble sale at St. Baldrick the Lesser next Saturday morning will not be boosted much by an advert on my blog.

If your product is available through Amazon, I will link it to my Amazon shop widget.

My decision is final, everything has to be decent and legal etc. etc.

So there you have it. If you would like to take advantage of this scheme please email the text for your advert (which I will edit), any graphic you would like included and a link to your business website or the site your product can be purchased from.

NEW FRIENDS

The following bloggers have been added to the OCICBW... blogroll which you can find on THE NEIGHBOURHOOD page, your one stop shop for all our community's gossip and stuff. They have been included on the list from no fault of their own, except for Laura at Lay Anglicana, who is quite wicked and deserves the shame and embarrassment of being tarred with the same brush as me and the ne'erdowells who hang around this place.

LAY ANGLICANA

THE PRAYERFUL SKEPTIC

A GOOD AND JOYFUL THING

PICK OF THE DAY

IWANNAGOTONZ

A GARDENERS DIARY

TIPPY THE WONDER DOG

OUR FILEY COTTAGE

FROM KIAORA

FILEYGARDENER

SAMSON

WHAT A CUP OF TEA

TLONGACRE

REV RUNS!

REAL ANGLICANS

PERPETUALLY IN TRANSIT

FORMATION

THE PARTY'S AT YOUR PLACE!

From THE HINDU:

A teenage girl in Germany who forgot to mark her birthday invitation as private on Facebook fled her own party when more than 1,500 guests showed up and around 100 police officers, some on horses, were needed to keep the crowd under control.

The birthday girl, identified only as Thessa, went into hiding, said Mr. Streiber, but “nonetheless the party was a hit”.

Thessa celebrated quietly with her grandparents at an undisclosed location.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

At YEARNING FOR GOD, Jan has a post giving details of The Golden Rule in the religions of the world. Fascinating.

***

On June 5th, 1981, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a report on a rare and deadly illness affecting five young, gay men in Los Angeles. "It would be more than a year before the condition got its official name, but that was the day that Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, was officially recognized in the U.S."

WORMWOOD'S DOXY has posted a moving reminder of the early years. Do go and read it.

***

Pioneering gay priest John McNeill is still shaking up the Vatican at age 85. He is going to Rome for the world premiere of a new documentary about his life on June 6 at EuroPride 2011 -- and to ask the Vatican for LGBT justice. When in Rome, McNeill will not do as the Romans do, but instead will advocate change in the Roman Catholic church.

Check out the rest of this inspiring story and watch the vid  posted by Kittkatt at JESUS IN LOVE BLOG.

For accepting certain martyrdom and being one of the small gusts of wind that became the hurricane, Father John is OCICBW...'s

BRICK OF THE DAY

THE PRAYER LIST - 6TH. JUNE 2011

Please include the following in your daily prayers and use the widget at the end of the post to light a candle.

***

Please pray for G, who went into hospital this morning to have a cancerous growth removed from one of her kidneys. The prognosis is very good.

***

Posted by Eugene at PARADOXY:

I was laid off from my job shortly before Memorial Day. I'd been uncertain about my future there since our new VP came on board last year, so the real blow was receiving a minimal severance package on top of the fact that my former employer doesn't pay unemployment insurance due to its incorporation as a church (which, in reality, it's not).

For now, this time off is an opportunity to rest and de-stress. I don't know what lies ahead, but as I stated in the subtitle of my blog, sometimes the journey takes you places you never dreamed existed.

***

Posted by Tracie at ON HOLLADAY - FLORIDA STYLE:

Hugs - I needs 'em. I am very tired, very lonely, very sick at heart. Lots of regrets.

***

From Grandmère Mimi:

If you'd include prayers about the drought in Louisiana, I'd appreciate it. We haven't had rain for months. I don't know whether God is a rainmaker, but pray for God's comfort for God's people in their distress and concern about the lack of rain. The farmers, especially, are hurting.

***

From VOICE OF AMERICA:

Syrian rights groups say the death toll in a two-day government crackdown on protesters in the northwest has risen to 35 as exiled opposition figures called for the isolation of President Bashar al-Assad. The violent clashes began Saturday and continued into Sunday, after thousands of residents turned out for the funerals of other anti-government protesters killed in the crackdown.

***

From SKY NEWS:

A volcano in south-central Chile has continued to erupt, shooting out pumice stones and plumes of ash six miles high and three miles wide. More than 3,500 people were evacuated at the weekend from their homes near the volcano, and took shelter in government accommodation or friends' homes. Ash is being blown towards neighbouring Argentina.

If you would like to light
a candle as part of your
prayer, please click HERE,
then click on BEGIN and
follow the instructions.

Our group name is
Laika (case sensitive);
please type this into
the appropriate box
when requested.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHINGA LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT

BAND'S WEBSITE

TODAY CROATIA -TOMORROW THE EUROPEAN UNION

The pope, who is visiting Croatia at the moment, has given the country his full backing for their bid to gain EU membership. This is hardly surprising as Croatia's population is 90% Roman Catholic. The pope's game plan seems to be to persuade the Croatian government to turn their nation into one whose laws are completely in line with Vatican dictates so that the balance of power in Europe will shift towards a Vatican dictatorship if Croatia gets the nod from the EU.

At the moment, women can undergo an abortion up to ten weeks after conception and later with a doctor's permission. In his homily today the pope urged parents to affirm the inviolability of life from conception to natural death, saying "Dear families, rejoice in fatherhood and motherhood!" He also urged them to back legislation that supports families "in the task of giving birth to children and educating them."

Croatia has recognized same-sex couples since 2003 and allows gay partners in relationships of more than three years rights of inheritance and financial support, the same as enjoyed by heterosexual couples who aren't married. There is no gay marriage, however, and gay couples cannot adopt. But at today's papal rally, Monsignor Valter Zupan, in charge of family issues in the Croatian bishops' conference, said Europe had been founded on deeply Christian values about marriage between man and woman, but that these values were being threatened by trends that favor "different types of living together which don't have any foundation in European culture."

"We want our children to continue to call their parents 'mamma' and 'papa' because that's their natural names," he told the applauding crowd. "Children have the right to publicly state that a 'father' and a 'mother' gave them life," he said, adding that the church also had the right to demand the government reverse its abortion law.

Later Sunday after Mass, Benedict will pray before the tomb of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, Croatia's World War II primate whom John Paul beatified during a 1998 trip. His beatification was controversial because he was a Nazi sympathiser.

If anyone is making a documentary film of the pope's visit to Croatia, I suggest an appropriate title would be "Triumph des Willens."

Main source: ASSOCIATED PRESS.

WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'S

Here is the service of Holy Communion for Sunday, 5th. June 2011. The words and credits can be found at ST. LAIKA'S.


MP3 File

WHERE DOES HE FIND THEM?

I DO NEED YOUR HELP - MORE QUESTIONS

What do you, OCICBW...'s loyal readers, think of the idea of advertising on the blog? Does anyone know how much money I would make from it. What are the pros and cons?

MADPRIEST'S QUESTION OF THE DAY

I am an avid fan of cop dramas and detective programmes on TV and Mrs MP is a sucker for hospital dramas. In real life police stations and hospitals do the bosses get away with shouting at and being downright rude to the lower ranks without being told where to get off, sued for harassment and bullying or simply smacked in the face?

THEY KILL STUDENTS, DON'T THEY?

Thousands of Chinese and foreign tourists flocked to Tiananmen Square on Saturday, the anniversary of the deadly 1989 crackdown on mass pro-democracy protests, amid a noticeable police presence.

The sensitive anniversary of the brutal June 4 army action in the heart of Beijing comes as the Chinese government wages its toughest clampdown on dissent in years, rounding up dozens of lawyers, writers and artists in recent months.

THE PRAYER LIST - 4TH. JUNE 2011

From Jim+:

For Rob and Rhonda, to be ordained deacons on Sunday, Deo volente, and also for those who are planning to protest and object to Rob's ordination.

***

We have been praying for our longstanding friend, Renz, for a couple of weeks now as he has been very poorly. Please read his post "Ending Radio Silence" at RENZ IN THE WOODS and continue to pray for him.

***

Please pray for Molly and her human companions.

Molly is only 10 years old but went into congestive heart failure yesterday.

UPDATE: The news on Molly isn't good. We will probably loose her tonight. It is cancer & she is bleeding internally. We will probably put her to sleep so she doesn't suffer.

***

From Ann Fontaine:

Prayers for my friend undergoing tests for possible tumors.

***

Posted by janinsanfran at CAN IT HAPPEN HERE?:

The vet informed us this week that the moment we've feared for several years has come. Frisker has reached the end of any plausible medical intervention's capacity to keep her going with a good quality of life. She is about 19 years old, arthritic, and is developing stomach tumors. We are forced to face the responsibility that people who choose to live with a domestic animal assume. I will miss her horribly.

***

Posted by Jaliya at A POST-CYNICAL SEER:

I cancelled my phone's answering service a few days ago because it's become too expensive. I'm becoming afraid to eat because by the time my essential bills and rent are paid, I have about seven dollars a day to live on. That's for everything - food, water, food and care for my two cats, medicine, household supplies, clothing, emergencies. I'm close to feeling like 'I can't do it anymore' -- and I must. Two small, cherished creatures depend on me for their survival. It would take very little for all three of us to turn feral; I am one monthly benefit cheque away from being turfed to the street.

***

Posted by Ormonde Plater at THROUGH THE DUST:

Murdered this week in the New Orleans area:

Gregory Keys 25
Mary Lou Marx 51
William Kerner IV 52
Antoine Martin 26
unidentified ?

Please pray for the victims, perpetrators and their families.

***

From HAARETZ.COM:

Syrian forces killed at least 63 civilians in attacks to crush pro-democracy demonstrations on Friday. Thousands of protesters took to the streets after noon prayers on Friday in defiance of security forces determined to crush a revolt against President Bashar Assad's 11-year rule.

***

From XINHUA NEWS AGENCY:

The operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Japan said Saturday extremely high radiation was detected at the No.1 reactor building of the plant. The radiation readings were up to 4,000 millisieverts per hour.

***

From THE LOS ANGELES TIMES:

At least 200 migrants, mostly sub-Saharan Africans and South Asians, were missing and feared drowned after an overcrowded boat that left Libya bound for Italy capsized in the Mediterranean. The doomed craft ran aground Wednesday on a sandbank near a chain of Tunisian islands, about 185 miles northwest of Tripoli. It capsized as desperate passengers rushed to one side seeking rescue by approaching Tunisian coast guard and fishing boats. An extensive Tunisian rescue effort managed to save at least 570 passengers.

***

From THE BBC:

Churches near the Chevron oil refinery in Pembroke are opening their doors to allow people to say prayers for the victims of Thursday's fatal explosion.Work is continuing to recover the bodies of the four people who died, while a fifth person is being treated at Morriston Hospital, Swansea.

***

If you would like to light
a candle as part of your
prayer, please click HERE,
then click on BEGIN and
follow the instructions.

Our group name is
Laika (case sensitive);
please type this into
the appropriate box
when requested.

THE MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX

I always try to play something really classy on Friday night and this week I think you will be greatly impressed. The track begins with some bells, then some men sing for awhile and then Montserrat Figueras takes it away. Oh, sweet rapture.



PURCHASE VIA MADPRIEST'S AMAZON STORE

I DO NEED YOUR HELP

PLEASE NOTE: At the bottom of this long post I ask a question concerning etiquette that I need your answers on. If you skip the text because it does not apply to you I would be grateful if you would still read and respond to the question.

I have been struggling financially since I was ejected out of the Church of England at the end of August last year. The generous donations that I have been receiving from my readers (about £500 per month) have covered my bills and I am still living in free accommodation. But the parish wants its house back and the diocese wants to stop paying my rent. So Mrs MP has brought a house. However, because paying for the house will take up most of my wife's salary I will have to start finding money for food and stuff. I cannot, at this moment in time, afford to do this.

I really need to double the level of donations that I now receive if I am to continue my online ministry, which is all I have, all I am likely to have in the future and, let's be honest, all I want to do. So please, if you do not do so already and you are in a financial position to be able to help me achieve a living wage from my blogging, please consider doing so.

I have been doing some checking on my stats. OCICBW... gets about 1500 hits a day. In the last month I received 23120 unique visitors to OCICBW... alone. Every week, thousands of people download or stream the St. Laika's podcasts (which take about 4 hours each to produce) and my Sunday service is always listened to by over 700 people. On top of these figures the OCICBW... Experience is accessed by an unknown number of people on their news readers (I know that at least 900 people use this facility and they are only the ones using the three top news-readers). For various reasons my blogs do not show well on the rating sites. But, from the information now in my possession I know OCICBW... is far more visited than blogs rated far higher in the ratings. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion OCICBW... is the most popular Christian proper blog in the world (although, of course, I could be wrong on this).

In other words, what many of you have been telling me all along that my priestly ministry is OCICBW..., is not only true but successfully true.

Supporting OCICBW... is supporting the mission of Jesus Christ. It is helping to podcast good, enjoyable liturgy, good sermons and good Christian music into the homes of people who are unable or unwilling to go to church. St. Laika's podcasts throughout the week, not just on Sundays, and is bringing the Calendar of the Church to life for many people.

It is my opinion that together over the last five years we have done something new and have been pioneers of a different way of being church that is exciting and relevant and responsive to the needs of the people who belong to our community or just visit from time to time. But that will all be of no worth if we do not make our successes known to those who really want us to fail. The best proof of our success would be the continuation of OCICBW... and St. Laika's.

People can donate to the mission of OCICBW... using the widgets below. You can send one off payments at times it suits you and such donations will be gratefully received and acknowledged. Or you can sign up to subscribe monthly at a level that suits your pocket. The latter method is most reassuring from my point of view and leads to less insomnia.

If you can link to this appeal on your blogs or on other social network sites that would be brilliant. The time for politeness and avoiding being cheeky is long past. I am a man on a mission :-)

I would also like your advice on something. Would it be the right thing to do to post a list of subscribers, with the individual's permission, on the sidebar at OCICBW...?

Finally, get this into your heads! I am fully conscious of the fact that many of you are in a worse situation than even I am or simply do not have the spare cash to give away. I am also aware that some of you will not want to support this project financially. That is okay. Please do not apologise as no apology is necessary. However, if you are a praying sort and/or a writing comments of encouragement sort, please consider this to be of equal importance to me (actually I probably don't really believe that - BUT GOD DOES).

Option 1 : £5.00GBP - monthly Option 2 : £10.00GBP - monthly Option 3 : £15.00GBP - monthly Option 4 : £20.00GBP - monthly Option 5 : £25.00GBP - monthly Option 6 : £50.00GBP - monthly Option 7 : £75.00GBP - monthly Option 8 : £100.00GBP - monthly Option 9 : £30.00GBP - monthly

Another way to help me is to buy Amazon products via his Amazon shop. Details of how to do this can be found on the right hand sidebar.

LOUD FRIDAY

Okay, this time I'm serious.

This week's Loud Friday selection will be best appreciated if you listen to it through BIG earphones with the volume turned up BEYOND 11. In fact, if you wire your brain directly into a stadium spec amplifier, that would be even better.

If you find this tune far too melodic I suggest you check out the band's "Live In Roadburn" album which is basically just noise - bloody brilliant noise.

BAND'S MYSPACE PAGE

PURCHASE VIA MADPRIEST'S AMAZON STORE

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A FREE MASON

Check out Theo Hobson on Rowan Williams
and freemasonry at THE GUARDIAN.

This was my comment:

I would point out that I have great respect for the historical achievements of international freemasonry. But English freemasonry has always been primarily the Rotary Club with funny handshakes.

CANADIANS ARE GOOD - AMERICANS ARE BAD

Posted at LESLEY'S BLOG:

THE PRAYER LIST - 3RD. JUNE 2011

From RENZ:

Well, I'm back at work on very large doses of prednisone which is controlling the pain in my hands/arms & feet/legs, allowing me to walk again and use my hands. It is clear now from lab work at the hospital (two trips to the Emergency Department last week, one by ambulance) that I am in an auto immune crisis - not sure of the specific disease at this time (my bet is that this is Lupus). My doctor has begun working on referring me to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Also, have to request permission from the benefits folks to give me permission to leave our health system, my insurance obligates me to get all services here. Prayers to continue please.

***

Still no news from Heather who is well overdue on the giving birth front. The last time I heard from her (three days ago) she was very worried about what this might mean and entail medically. So please continue to hold her in your prayers.

***

Posted by Penelopepiscopal at
ONE CANNOT HAVE TOO LARGE A PARTY:

A few days ago, someone with whom I was friends 30-something years ago when I was in college, died suddenly and unexpectedly. We kept in touch all these years via Christmas cards and the occasional letter with a newspaper clipping about one old friend or another, and more recently via Facebook, but I am sure we hadn't seen one another in 25 years.

Still, I am sad - especially for her family and close friends. I know they are shocked and grieving; I know they will miss her.

So rest in peace, my old friend Lucy, and may light perpetual shine upon you as you rest in God's arms. You will certainly be missed here, but I imagine your bright smile is lighting up heaven even now.

***

From THE WALL STREET JOURNAL:

The bacteria that have left 18 dead, sickened hundreds and sparked economic and diplomatic disruptions across Europe are a lethal strain of Escherichia coli that has never been responsible for a human outbreak, health officials said Thursday. The outbreak is the deadliest in modern history to involve E. coli, and among the top three in terms of the number of people ill.

***

From THE WALL STREET JOURNAL:

As spiraling drug violence kills thousands in Mexico and police battle gangs for control of Brazil's drug-infested slums, a high-level international panel has concluded that the U.S.-led war on drugs isn't working.

"The global war on drugs has failed," said a report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy released Thursday. The report calls for a frank dialogue on the issue and encourages governments to experiment with the regulation of drugs, especially marijuana.

***

If you would like to light
a candle as part of your
prayer, please click HERE,
then click on BEGIN and
follow the instructions.

Our group name is
Laika (case sensitive);
please type this into
the appropriate box
when requested.

ONE COMPLETE AND UTTER BASTARD AND HIS DOG

Do not watch this video if you are a dog
as it will give you nightmares.



Thanks to Paul(A) for sending the link
to this video into MadPriest Towers.

THE MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX

Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen are both reasonably talented performers but there has always been one thing that has held both of them back and stopped them from progressing much beyond the ranks of the "also rans" of popular entertainment. That one thing is the fact that neither of them sing in a broad, Dublin accent which, as I am sure you will agree is exactly what their songs are crying out for. Fortunately, there is now no need for you to remain disappointed due to this geographical accident of fate, because Barry McCormack is a young man who is obviously intent on carrying the mantle of Cohen/Dylan et al, which he does with supreme aplomb on his new album, and all with the broadest Irish brogue you will come across outside of "the Republic of Doyle."



BARRY'S WEBSITE

PURCHASE VIA MADPRIEST'S AMAZON STORE

A MAN FOR THE PEOPLE

Justin Welby is married to Caroline and they have had six children (one of whom died in infancy). His recreations include most things French and sailing.

WORSHIP AT ST. LAIKA'STHE LITURGY OF ASCENSION DAY

This is the full works. I've thrown the whole lot it.
It took me all day so you all better give it a listen.

You can find the words and musics at ST. LAIKA'S.


MP3 File

Ellie is celebrating Ascension Day with a post entitled "Ah, Diversity" over at THE ANCHORHOLD @ OCICBW..." It seems to have something to do with a highland cow.

THE CHURCH ESTABLISHED

The current Dean of Liverpool, The Very Rev Justin Welby, has been appointed as the next Bishop of Durham.

From WIKI:

Welby was born to Gavin Bernard Welby and his wife, Jane Gillian Welby (née Portal). His mother remarried, becoming Lady Williams of Elvel, years after his father's death in 1975. He is also related to former Conservative Deputy Prime Minister Rab Butler, later Baron Butler of Saffron Walden. His great-grandfather, Sir Montagu Butler, was Lord Butler of Saffron Walden's father and also the father of Welby's grandmother, Iris Butler.

Welby was educated at Eton College before going to Trinity College, Cambridge to study law and history. Following graduation he spent 11 years in the oil industry, eventually becoming Group Treasurer of Enterprise Oil PLC.

From 1989 to 1992, Welby studied theology and trained for the priesthood at Cranmer Hall and St John's College, Durham (evangelical) before becoming a curate at Chilvers Coton with Astley (Nuneaton) from 1992 to 1995. He then became Rector of Southam and Vicar of Ufton from 1995 and 2002.

In 2002, he was appointed a canon residentiary at Coventry Cathedral and was also Co-Director for International Ministry from 2002 to 2005 at the International Centre for Reconciliation. In 2005, he was appointed Sub-Dean and Canon for Reconciliation Ministry.

Welby was appointed Dean of Liverpool in December 2007 and was installed in a service at Liverpool Cathedral on 8 December 2007.

Welby has written widely on ethics and on finance, featuring in books such as Managing the Church?: Order and Organization in a Secular Age and Explorations in Financial Ethics. He also wrote a book entitled Can Companies Sin?: "Whether", "How" and "Who" in Company Accountability which was published by Grove Books in 1992.

COMMENT: Oh, why, why, why?

Why me?

Why does God hate me?

We are moving to Durham to get away from the Bishop of Newcastle.

Talk about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

I give up.

MADPRIEST'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Q: How do you confuse a fundamentalist Christian?

A: Give him a "join-the-dots" puzzle book.

ASCENSION DAY 2011 CALLED OFF

THE PRAYER LIST - 2ND. JUNE 2011

Please continue to pray for Heather (see SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST). The last I heard the stubborn little tyke was still refusing to come out.

***

Posted by Diana at THE KITCHEN DOOR:

My mom is headed to Tuscaloosa with a church group to do some tornado relief. They'll be down there for about a month. She's had all sorts of relevant training, and she's an incredibly creative problem-solver.

All this month, I'll be praying for that trip. That her church is able to serve the people in Alabama well. That my mom stays safe, and also that this is a time of peace and fulfillment for her. That both the serving and the served are blessed. If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate your keeping the trip in your prayers, too.

***

Posted at DIOBETH NEWSPIN:

Pray for our young men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for their families:

Pvt. Thomas C. Allers, 23, of Plainwell, Michigan
Staff Sgt. Martin R. Apolinar, 28, of Glendale, Arizona
Sgt. Aaron J. Blasjo, 25, of Riverside, California
Pfc. William S. Blevins, 21, of Sardinia, Ohio
Sgt. Thomas A. Bohall, 25, of Bel Aire, Kansas
Lance Cpl. Peter J. Clore, 23, of New Philadelphia, Ohio
Spc. Richard C. Emmons III, 22, of North Granby, Connecticut
Spc. Adam S. Hamilton, 22, of Kent, Ohio
Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Hamski, 28, of Ottumwa, Iowa
Pfc. John C. Johnson, 28, of Phoenix, Arizona
Pvt. Andrew M. Krippner, 20, Garland, Texas
Staff Sgt. Kristofferson B. Lorenzo, 33, of Chula Vista, California
Staff Sgt. Edward D. Mills Jr., 29, of New Castle, Pennsylvania
Pfc. Anthony M. Nunn, 19, of Burnet, Texas
Staff Sgt. Ergin V. Osman, 35, of Jacksonville, North Carolina
Spc. Adam J. Patton, 21, of Port Orchard, Washington
1st Lt. John M. Runkle, 27, of West Salem, Ohio
Capt. Joseph W. Schultz, 36, of Port Angeles, Washington
Tech. Sgt. Kristoffer M. Solesbee, 32, of Citrus Heights, California
Chief Warrant Officer Christopher R. Thibodeau, 28, of Chesterland, Ohio
Sgt. Louie A. Ramos Velazquez, 39, of Camuy, Puerto Rico

Pray also for the fallen heroes also of our coalition partners, and for the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan who have died, unnamed and unknown to us, and for those who mourn ... and for an end to this endless war.

***

From CNN:

More than 200 Afghan militants have crossed over and attacked a security checkpoint in northwest Pakistan. The firefight in Upper Dir district along the Afghan border erupted Wednesday morning and went on for about a day. Three civilians and 22 security forces died in the attack. Pakistani military officials took over, killing more than two dozen militants.

***

If you would like to light
a candle as part of your
prayer, please click HERE,
then click on BEGIN and
follow the instructions.

Our group name is
Laika (case sensitive);
please type this into
the appropriate box
when requested.

HANGING IS TOO GOOD FOR THEM

Thanks to Jay Simser for sending the
link to this video into MadPriest Towers.

A CHURCH FOR EVERYONE

This will never take off in England.
Our church is all about the bishops.
Always has been. Always will be.

Thanks to Claire for sending the link
to this vid into MadPriest Towers.

CONGRATULATIONS MATE !

Yes, a hearty congratulations, with just enough envy in my voice to prove my sincerity, to first wave Christian blogger, Scott Gunn, of the SEVEN WHOLE DAYS blog.

From EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE:

The Rev. Scott Gunn has been chosen to lead Forward Movement Publications in its mission to "reinvigorate the life of the church."

Gunn, a priest of the Diocese of Rhode Island, has been named by the board of directors and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as the organization's executive director.

Forward Movement, the publisher of Forward Day by Day meditations as well as books and pamphlets about spirituality and the Episcopal Church, celebrated its 75th anniversary last year.

Gunn begins his ministry with the Cincinnati-based Forward Movement in late July, according to a June 1 press release.

"Our church is at a critical and thrilling point as we seek to find our way forward in the 21st century," said Gunn in the release. "Forward Movement is positioned well to be a leader in proclaiming the gospel that is at our core."

Jefferts Schori said in the release that "we welcome Fr. Gunn as he joins the work of leading Forward Movement into the next chapter of its ministry."

With a worldwide circulation of more than 300,000 subscribers, Forward Day by Day will continue to play a central role at Forward Movement, according to the release, while Gunn leads the agency in the exploration of new content -- and new methods of delivery -- both to support current readers and to attract new audiences.

COMMENT: I have told him that the first thing he must do is open a branch in North East England.

THE MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX

My favourite singer/songwriter is not from the United States and is certainly not from England. He is, in fact, from Canada (although he moved there from Ayr in Scotland back in 1966). His name is David Francey. He has a gorgeous, warm folky voice that I can listen to for hours on end and the rare talent of being able to compose songs with immediately attractive melodies.

It has been a lean few years for fans of David's records (his last studio album was released four years ago and a live album released in 2009 wasn't really that interesting), so it's great to be able to play three tracks of his brand new studio album, "Late Edition," to you this evening. And there's more good news for his fans this side of the Atlantic. I contacted his management the other week to find out if he would be playing the UK anytime soon and they told me that he should be heading my way in the Autumn. I'm hoping against hope, that being originally from Scotland, he will realise that there is a north of England and will be playing a gig that I can afford to get to. I've never seen him perform and I would love to. I have a feeling it would be a magical evening.



DAVID'S WEBSITE

PURCHASE VIA MADPRIEST'S AMAZON STORE

THE BRITISH BIASED CORPORATION

From THE MAIL:

According to a survey of BBC viewers, conducted by the Corporation itself, the BBC is regarded as anti-Christian. The survey found that Christians are portrayed with 'derogatory stereotypes' and presented as 'weak' and 'bigoted'. Arrogantly, the BBC has dismissed the findings of its own report. A spokesman says it 'has strict editorial guidelines on impartiality' and that it 'does not have anti-Christian bias'.

The Mail cites a recent character in the popular soap, "Eastenders", as proof of the shitty way the BBC portrays Christians on their channel.

Thus a prime time series, such as EastEnders, offers a story line of a Christian preacher, Lucas Johnson, who leaves his ex-wife to die, murders his wife's ex-husband, drowns his son's dog, and strangles his wife and locks her in a basement, kills another woman who looks like his new wife.

And then it asks the reasonable question:

Where are the equivalent pro-Christian story lines in their soaps?

In conclusion the Mail points out:

Much of the abuse heaped on Christianity from the BBC - for instance from 'alternative' comedians and soap opera script writers - is the work of Guardianista atheists. But, of course, part of the formula for political correctness of this group is to combine their insults of Christianity with an uncritical approach towards minority faiths. BBC executives have admitted that although they would show a scene where a Bible was thrown away, they would never do the same with a copy of the Koran.

Although the Mail is maligned, with good reason, by politically correct liberals (as opposed to politically incorrect liberals like myself) as being the newspaper of lower middle class, grumpy old reactionaries, it does have a point here and the bias against Christianity is not just restricted to the BBC. There are very few documentaries fronted by Christian scholars on any of the British channels and when a Christian does get a crack of the whip they are invariably closer to Unitarians in their beliefs than the beliefs of an average churchgoer or even an average reader of this blog.

But most of all it is the constant belittling of Christians and even their most innocuous beliefs by comedians on the box that is most damaging to Christianity in my country. Most of our comedians rely on adolescent humour to get their laughs and so they appeal mostly to adolescents and young adults. Of course, being called stupid by a celebrity is the last thing any young person wants and the barrier that the BBC and their co-conspirators in the other TV companies are building between young people and the gospel by employing the Stephen Frys and Eddie Izzards of this world, without employing equally brilliant Christian comedians like myself and Father Christian, is becoming unbreachable.