Saturday, 1 September 2012
SATURDAY PRAYER
Dear Lord, I have always claimed that if I were to win the top prize in the National Lottery I would be generous with the money and use most of it to bring happiness to others. I think you should test me on this one. Amen.
Friday, 31 August 2012
UP SHIT CREEK CALLING OUT FOR A PADDLE
I've been in a right panic and heading into a major depression. PayPal have been telling me all month that the regular donations to my account from my supporters were being cancelled left, right and centre. I assumed I must have upset a lot of people, although, for the life of me, I couldn't work out what I had done. I didn't contact anybody because I think it's a bit crass to go nagging people who are sending me money purely out of the kindness of their hearts.
Fortunately, a couple of days ago, a supporter did get in touch and it became obvious that at least some of these cancellations were cock-ups by PayPal. This gave me a good enough excuse to write to everybody concerned. Unfortunately, quite a few of these people are on vacation at the moment.
Basically, at the end of the day, I'm over a hundred pounds down this month. That's a quarter of what I receive in donations. I am really struggling, having only £10 to get me through to the beginning of next month.
So, I would be extremely grateful if you would consider making a small contribution to my online ministry (the only work I have at the moment), especially if you download my weekly services or just think they are a worthwhile way to reach out to those who, for one reason or another, do not attend a bricks and mortar church regularly.
If you do not do so already and are able to, I would really appreciate you considering a monthly pledge (no matter how small or no matter how large) to my ministry. You can use the following widget for this. Click on the arrows in the option box, choose the amount you would like to donate each month and then follow the online instructions.
Another way to help me financially, and one which costs you nothing, is to buy from Amazon via the widget under the heading MAKE MADPRIEST RICH PLEASE in the righthand sidebar.
A DISTINCTLY BIZARRE WAY OF LIVING
"Mortality," a posthumous collection of Christopher Hitchens’s short essays on living with terminal esophageal cancer, is reviewed, very well, by Jeff Sharlet at BOOKFORUM.
Thanks to Tracie for sending the link to me.
Thursday, 30 August 2012
PETER TATCHELL CALLS
FOR COMPLETE INACTION
But if the government removed the word "insulting" then they would end up outlawing words and behaviour.
HEADLINE OF THE DAY
1) How to play strip billiards.
2) That the richer you are the more likely it is that women (or men I suppose) of easy virtue will agree to have sex with you.
3) That there's no point learning anything from Harrygate because the vast majority of us are obviously far too old and out of shape to ever get invited to "that" sort of party anyway.
MADPRIEST'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The powerful are very good at choosing their words carefully. Fortunately for those they seek to control, they are rarely as good at choosing their actions so carefully.
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
Jesus is the Messiah,
the Holy One and Son of God
who leads us out of darkness into light,
out of captivity into freedom,
out of sickness into wellbeing,
out of sadness into joy,
out of ignorance into understanding,
and out of death into eternal life.
(MadPriest from "New Words for Holy Communion)
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
MADPRIEST ON FAIR WAGES
In England we pay a heck of a lot for our energy. Electricity, gas and, especially, petrol, it's all very expensive. I believe that we pay more for our energy than most, if not all, other Western European countries, and we certainly pay more than Americans have to fork out. But, whatever the national variations in cost, the basic way that energy bills are calculated are the same, pretty much the world over, I would guess. The more energy you consume, the more you have to pay to the providers of the energy source.
Energy comes out of all sorts of manufacturing processes. In England we have coal fire generators, oil turbine, water turbine, wind farm, nuclear power etc. Some of these processes are a lot more technical and complicated than others. But it doesn't matter how clever the process is, you still pay the same and it is still based on the amount of energy consumed.
And why not? It's a simple, very logical system. We apply it to all sorts of things. The more doughnuts you buy the more money you have to hand over to the doughnut man. The more beer you drink, the emptier your wallet will be at the end of the evening. We all get it. It's not rocket science.
So, I have a suggestion. Let's apply the same principal to wages. Basically, the more energy a worker expends to do his or her job; the more calories they burn, the harder they work, the more money they get. This would seem eminently sensible to me and would get rid of the accidental variables that seem to inform our salary structures at present. It won't matter if your parents were rich, or you went to the same school as the prime minister, or you happened to have the good fortune to be born with a higher IQ than somebody else. At the end of the day wages would be based on one simple factor, the amount of energy expended. Just like everything else.
Now, I do realise that this means my dustman would be driving around in a new BMW every year and that the smarmy git who sat on his arse, picking his nose, all day whilst the bankers further down the chain of command (and salary scale) broke every rule in the book, would be riding to work on a pushbike everyday. But surely this is a small price to pay for a straightforward, logical and, above all, fair, system for rewarding workers whatever their rank.
Energy comes out of all sorts of manufacturing processes. In England we have coal fire generators, oil turbine, water turbine, wind farm, nuclear power etc. Some of these processes are a lot more technical and complicated than others. But it doesn't matter how clever the process is, you still pay the same and it is still based on the amount of energy consumed.
And why not? It's a simple, very logical system. We apply it to all sorts of things. The more doughnuts you buy the more money you have to hand over to the doughnut man. The more beer you drink, the emptier your wallet will be at the end of the evening. We all get it. It's not rocket science.
So, I have a suggestion. Let's apply the same principal to wages. Basically, the more energy a worker expends to do his or her job; the more calories they burn, the harder they work, the more money they get. This would seem eminently sensible to me and would get rid of the accidental variables that seem to inform our salary structures at present. It won't matter if your parents were rich, or you went to the same school as the prime minister, or you happened to have the good fortune to be born with a higher IQ than somebody else. At the end of the day wages would be based on one simple factor, the amount of energy expended. Just like everything else.
Now, I do realise that this means my dustman would be driving around in a new BMW every year and that the smarmy git who sat on his arse, picking his nose, all day whilst the bankers further down the chain of command (and salary scale) broke every rule in the book, would be riding to work on a pushbike everyday. But surely this is a small price to pay for a straightforward, logical and, above all, fair, system for rewarding workers whatever their rank.
WILL THE WOLF SURVIVE?
"If this photo were black and white you might think it was from the early 20th Century. Nope it's a picture of Dennis Brent Sawyer of McCall, Idaho this winter, 2012. Dennis posted this on the web, and we figured we would share it with you. Wolves Belong: Stop the Slaughter."
(WOLF WARRIORS)
To kill any dog is a betrayal. It is the breaking of a sacred bond that is older than the gods. People who take delight in the killing of a wolf or a fox or any other dog, are not persons as they have no spirit of life within them. Nature screams but they do not hear her for they are not born of her. They are cancer.
(WOLF WARRIORS)
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
VATICAN'S SF CAPO ARRESTED FOR
WORSE SIN THAN HOMOSEXUALITY
From SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL:
The Roman Catholic archbishop-elect of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, controversial for his vigorous support of California's same-sex marriage ban, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and ordered to appear in court, San Diego authorities said Monday. Cordileone was booked into San Diego County jail two hours after being stopped and was released Saturday on a $2,500 bond, sheriff's records show. He was ordered to appear in court Oct. 9.
In a statement released by Cordileone he stated, "I pray that God, in His inscrutable wisdom, will bring some good out of this."
I am sure we are all incredibly shocked by this report. If it is true it would make this papal golden boy a Class A hypocrite and a far greater danger to society than any tinkering with the definition of marriage could ever be. I mean, same gender marriage is not responsible for the maiming and killing of hundreds of thousands of people, many of them just children, every year, whilst drink driving is.
Furthermore, according to the Bible, gay sex is a minor matter, only worthy of two or three mentions in the whole of it's lengthy text. But getting drunk is condemned over and over again in both Testaments and there are numerous stories recorded about the dangers of excessive drinking.
"Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery..."
(Ephesians 5:18)
Basically, Cordileone has been seduced into indulging in the sins of the flesh. As the Roman Catholic Church is primarily concerned with condemning the sins of the flesh, I cannot see how this drunk priest can now head up the San Franciscan branch of the war against gays without showing his church up as a major practitioner of hypocrisy. And that would never do.
Big thanks to Alison for sending me this news report.
The Roman Catholic archbishop-elect of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, controversial for his vigorous support of California's same-sex marriage ban, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and ordered to appear in court, San Diego authorities said Monday. Cordileone was booked into San Diego County jail two hours after being stopped and was released Saturday on a $2,500 bond, sheriff's records show. He was ordered to appear in court Oct. 9.
In a statement released by Cordileone he stated, "I pray that God, in His inscrutable wisdom, will bring some good out of this."
I am sure we are all incredibly shocked by this report. If it is true it would make this papal golden boy a Class A hypocrite and a far greater danger to society than any tinkering with the definition of marriage could ever be. I mean, same gender marriage is not responsible for the maiming and killing of hundreds of thousands of people, many of them just children, every year, whilst drink driving is.
Furthermore, according to the Bible, gay sex is a minor matter, only worthy of two or three mentions in the whole of it's lengthy text. But getting drunk is condemned over and over again in both Testaments and there are numerous stories recorded about the dangers of excessive drinking.
"Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery..."
(Ephesians 5:18)
Basically, Cordileone has been seduced into indulging in the sins of the flesh. As the Roman Catholic Church is primarily concerned with condemning the sins of the flesh, I cannot see how this drunk priest can now head up the San Franciscan branch of the war against gays without showing his church up as a major practitioner of hypocrisy. And that would never do.
Big thanks to Alison for sending me this news report.
Monday, 27 August 2012
Sunday, 26 August 2012
WORSHIP AT SAINT LAIKA'S
A SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION
THE TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
All are welcome to join me in taking communion.
The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.
If you want to physically partake of communion you will require a small piece of bread and a small amount of drink (preferably made from grapes and containing alcohol). How you view the nature of this part of the service is completely up to you.
The order of service is posted beneath the audio file so that you can join in with the service. The words in bold type are the ones we say together.
Click on the arrow on the player to stream.
Download via the MP3 icon below the player.
MP3 File
CLICK HERE for order of service and credits (opens in new window)
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