IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE REQUIRED

Times are hard in the MadPriest household. We are used to living hand to mouth but this month I don't think we are going to manage. I have a bill of £150 to pay with no money in the bank to cover it. Therefore, if you have not already contributed towards my ministry this month, I would be extremely grateful if you would consider making a small contribution towards helping me out on this one. If you can, this is the widget that will get the cash through to me.

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.

Option 1 : £1.00GBP - monthly Option 2 : £2.00GBP - monthly Option 3 : £5.00GBP - monthly Option 4 : £10.00GBP - monthly Option 5 : £15.00GBP - monthly Option 6 : £20.00GBP - monthly Option 7 : £25.00GBP - monthly Option 8 : £30.00GBP - monthly Option 9 : £50.00GBP - monthly Option 10 : £100.00GBP - monthly

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.

LATER WITH MADPRIEST

God loved this so much he signed Billy up to the house band a lot earlier than he perhaps should have done.

LOUD FRIDAY

After far too long a break - the return of LOUD FRIDAY!

Repo Man - Those Darlins
When I Wake Up - Desktop Rulers
Coup d'Etat - New York Rivals
Reverse Projector - Battleme
When The Shit Hits The Fan - The Suicide Dolls
Louie Louie - Box Office Poison
TV Party - Polar Bear Club

OLD TIME DEMOCRAT

Well this certainly bucks the trend. After months of rednecks releasing "give me back my country" crap along comes a country style endorsement of Barack Obama, and it ain't half bad. Mind you with lyrics such as "With higher pay for the working class, the one per cent can kiss my ass," it was always going to be a winner with me.

NEW KID IN TOWN

Check out the blog, ROTTENQUEERCHRISTIAN, that I have just added to the Neighbourhood blogroll.

ALLIGATOR ATTACKED BY CORPORATE LAWYER

From YAHOO NEWS:

Steve Gustafson, a 66-year-old retired corporate lawyer in Florida jumped on top of a 7-foot alligator all in an attempt to save his "best friend," a small terrier dog named Bounce.

"I just knew that my best friend was going to be dead," he told the Orlando Sentinel. "And I took off."

The grandfather was hanging out in his backyard while the 9-year-old West Highland terrier wandered close to the shore of a nearby pond. That's when Gustafson said he heard Bounce yelp and saw the alligator carrying his dog away in its mouth.

"For whatever reason, I don't know, I just yelled, 'you're not going to get her!' and just leaped on the gator," Gustafson said.

But the rescue didn't come without a fight. The 130-pound gator reportedly tried to pin Gustafson to the bottom of the 3-foot-deep pond before he was able to outmaneuver it, finally setting Bounce free. Both Bounce and Gustafson sustained minor injuries, receiving medical attention and a few stitches.

His neighbors responded by giving Gustafson a superhero cape and alligator belt buckle. Still, they both came out far ahead of the unlucky gator, who was captured and killed by a local trapper.

For the first time ever, a lawyer becomes OCICBW...'s

BRICK OF THE DAY

... although, I'm sure, it's only what any of us would have done.

The trapper on the other hand is hereby consigned to that infernal swamp where giant gators will snap at his heels for eternity. And that would be too good for him.

JESUS ON MARS

From SPACE.COM:

Sending people to another star will be a monumental undertaking, and the challenges will be not just technological, but human. One thorny question, experts say, is whether to involve organized religions in the effort to mount an interstellar journey.

Religious leaders argued the issue Sept. 14 in Houston at the 100 Year Starship Symposium, a meeting to discuss the prospect of sending a space mission to another star within 100 years.

The church has the resources, funding and reach to garner support for an interstellar mission, said Jason Batt, group life director at Capital Christian Center in Sacramento, Calif. Batt said there is "spiritual potential" in space travel and that the church should begin preparing an organization for an off-planet ministry.

When I first read this I thought it sounded like a thoroughly horrid idea. Sending our religious fanatics into the cosmos armed with bibles and catechisms to bludgeon into the Christian faith any little green/grey men/women who might be up there would be a repetition of some of the worst mistakes of humanity's past and could even spark an interstellar war that would make the tiff between the Klingons and the Romulans seem like two eight year olds squabbling in a school playground.

But then I got all selfish and came to the conclusion that it might be a good idea. Especially if we got to vote on which of our religious celebrities we would send into outer space for a very long time.

Any suggestions?

IF OLIVER CROMWELL FLEW IN TODAYTHEY'D SEND A LIMOUSINE ANYWAY

From WTOP:

The World War I Memorial Peace Cross in Prince George's County has stood for nearly 90 years. But an organization is asking that the cross be taken down.

The American Humanist Association, a humanist and atheist advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., filed a complaint last month saying that the cross is an unconstitutional use of a religious symbol on public land.

The "New Atheists" are often accused of being fundamentalists. The cap most certainly fits. This monument has been standing since 1925. As such, it is a piece of history as well as being architecturally iconic and culturally important. To demand that it is torn down is no different, in my opinion, to the destruction of the two giant Buddhas of Bamiyan (Afghanistan) at the hands of the Taliban back in 2001.

The question is where do you draw the line? I live in a mainly secular country which is filled with religious architecture. Our cathedrals and churches are visited by millions of people every year, the vast majority of whom are atheists or adherents of non-Christian religions. The iconoclastic thinking of new atheism does not allow the possibility that non religious people can be interested in cultural heritage, which is very patronising and most definitely not humanist. What about Stone Henge? Heck it's on public property. If it was in the USA the government would probably be forced to tear it down.

And what are these atheists scared of? To a non-believer this cross is just a lump of rock. Are they frightened it might fall on them? Or do they have such a low opinion of their fellow citizens that they believe a war memorial in the shape of a cross will turn their children into creationists and mosque bombers?

There are valid reasons for American atheists to campaign against the erection of new religious symbols on public land. But the tearing down of those religious monuments that are already there is just cultural vandalism and the wanton destruction of the historical record. It is also very silly and very petty.

Honestly, these fundi-atheists are nothing more than godless puritans.

FREE MUSIC

Tracks from all Lucy Wainwright Roche's
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upcoming release. All free and legal.
It even features The Indigo Girls on
the opening track.

HALLELUJAH BERRY

From BUSINESS INSIDER:

Hallucinogenic berries, not religious experience, likely caused the strange behavior of a monk who was discovered stumbling naked through a German forest on the sixth of September. Police found the man cold and disoriented and took him to the hospital.

Apparently the monk had eaten poisonous berries (probably from the Deadly Nightshade plant) while camping. The berries reportedly gave him hallucinations and partial paralysis, preventing him from finding his way back to his tent.

A police spokesperson said, "It wasn't clear why he wound up naked."

NEW RULES PROPOSED FORBABELICIOUS BISHOPS CONTEST

From THE BBC:

Senior Anglican bishops have significantly watered down proposed concessions to those in the Church of England who are against women bishops. Legislation thrown out by the Church of England's General Synod in July would have given traditionalist parishes significant exemptions from serving under a woman bishop. The latest proposal gives future women bishops more control in selecting a substitute for a particular parish, and would oblige them only to "respect" theological objections.

I suggest that the bishops make one further concession to the "so-called" traditionalists. To avoid ambiguity they should use exactly the same definition for the word "respect" that Forward In Faith and Anglican Mainstream have been using for the passed twenty years regarding women priests in the Church of England.

The new wording will be voted on in General Synod in November.

ANCIENT TEXTS

From YAHOO NEWS:

An Israeli attraction meant to immerse tourists in an authentic, ancient biblical experience has outfitted its donkeys with wireless routers. At the historical park of Kfar Kedem in northern Israel, visitors decked out in biblical robes and headdresses ride donkeys through the rolling hills of the Galilee, learning how people lived in Old Testament times. Now they can also surf the web while touring the land of the Bible on one of the oldest forms of transportation. A device slung around the donkey's neck like a feedbag is actually a Wi-Fi router. The wireless donkey tour has been running for less than a week, but it is already a hit with visitors.

"I don't miss any news," visitor Peter Scherr said. "I send pictures back to my family while I'm having fun on the donkeys."

PLASTIC JESUS

In England, CHURCHADS.NET (previously know as the Churches Advertising Network) has released details of its Christmas campaign for 2012. This is, of course, a waste of time and money as we are all going to die on the 21st. December, according to a programme I watched on TV last week.

As usual the creative, holy trouble makers are going for a shock/horror response from the media, which is about the only way you can get God into the public consciousness nowadays. I understand there will be various takes on the them, but this is the leading ad:

On their website they state:

The striking image of a fictional "Godbaby toy" aims to make the Christmas story appeal to the younger generation and puts Christ at the centre of conversations. The doll represents the baby Jesus and plays on the idea of Christmas being a time when everyone is searching for that 'must-have' Christmas gift. This obsession means we focus too much on the material nature of the festival and miss the point – that Jesus, the true Godbaby, was born human and must never be turned into a commodity.

The Church of England's official trendy bishop, Nick Baines, has given the image an enthusiastic thumbs up.

He says: "It's another strong and arresting image. It will surprise some and disturb others. Which is exactly what the real Jesus did. And it forces us beyond the tinsel to the human reality of 'God among us'."

Personally, I think it's very good. It's certainly a lot less worrying than another toy campaign that I have just been advised of by Amazon. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the toyshop...

Thanks to Adrian Worsfold for sending me this story. You can read his take on the campaign on his blog, THE PLURALIST SPEAKS.

THE TROUBLE AND STRIFE OF JESUS CHRIST

From BOSTON.COM:

Karen L. King, a historian of early Christianity at Harvard Divinity School, has identified what appears to be a scrap of fourth century Egyptian papyrus that contains the first known explicit reference to Jesus as married. The fragment, which has been preliminarily authenticated but still must undergo further testing, portrays Jesus as referring to a woman as his legitimate disciple, most likely his wife, whom the text’s author probably believed to be Mary Magdalene.

The text is not evidence Jesus was married, said the professor. But she said it may cast new light on the history of early Christianity, including the formation of Christian views of celibacy and whether women were members of Jesus’s inner circle.

“The issue has far from gone away,” King said.

The fragment is smaller than a business card, and appears to have been torn from the middle of a page of a codex, or primitive book, written in a southern Egyptian dialect. It contains just eight broken lines, scrawled in a crude Coptic hand.

The fourth says: “…  Jesus said to them, ‘My wife…”

The next line reads: “…  she will be able to be my disciple.”

The fragment appears to underscore the diversity of Christian ideas about Jesus’s life when the faith was still in its infancy, before the books of the New Testament had been canonized and religious councils convened to resolve differences over beliefs.

“It helps to remind us that practically everything that later generations told about Jesus was put together and edited by somebody well after his death, and represents the view of Jesus that they were trying to get across,” said Roger Bagnall, director of the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World and professor of ancient history at New York University, who helped King authenticate the papyrus.

BRAVE, SAINTLY AND DISHY WITH IT

From FOX NEWS:

Sergei Baranov keeps his clerical robes hanging neatly in his closet, but he believes he will never again be allowed to wear them inside a Russian Orthodox Church. Baranov, who had led a quiet life as a deacon in the small city of Tambov, became an Internet celebrity last month when he asked to be defrocked in an open letter to the Moscow patriarchate, saying he was outraged by the church's stance against three members of the punk band Pussy Riot.

Baranov told the Associated Press on Tuesday that he supports the band's stunt and does not regret his resignation.

"Everyone prays as they can," Baranov said of the Pussy Riot members. "And with their act they exposed the ills and blisters of society. We should have done that a long time ago."

Sergei Baranov goes straight to the number one spot on our...

BRICK OF THE DAY

... chart. And if Hollywood ever decides to remake "Dr. Zhivago" I strongly suggest they offer this man a screen test for the lead role.

BLARNEY, BALONEY AND BOLLOCKS!

The Northern Irish are not averse to talking shit a mile a minute, not on either side of the sectarian divide. But the statement from a unionist representative which I have highlighted in the following news report takes their brazen-faced dissembling to a whole new, exalted level.

From THE IRISH TIMES:

The Orange Order has pledged that only hymns will be played outside a Catholic church along the route of a major Belfast parade later this month. But Sinn Féin has said the move does not go far enough, calling on marchers to meet nationalist residents from the area. The row comes after a loyalist band played offensive tunes outside St Patrick’s Church on Donegall Street, and others later defied restrictions passing the venue.

Now the Orange Order said it was making moves to ease the controversy. The Order said: “In a respectful and sincere effort to address what we heard and following further conversations with local districts, bands, community representatives, political leaders and locally elected representatives, the Ulster Covenant centenary parade on 29 September when passing St Patrick’s, which will be open; will play hymns. The return parade in the early evening will show similar respect.

“The Orange Institution is committed to civil and religious liberty for all and developing a programme of mutual understanding that begins to rebuild Christian neighbourliness and a return to normality. All we seek is acceptance and respect for our traditions; we will not deny others what we ourselves desire.”

Click on above image to enlarge

O'ER THE LAND OF THE FREE

From FOX NEWS:

Shane and Marlen Roessiger, of Venice, Florida, are facing a $250 per day fine for hosting Friday night prayer and Bible study gatherings in their home that are attended by as many as 10 people, an act that city officials argue violates zoning codes.

It is difficult to understand how it is illegal to have a prayer meeting on Friday night with a half dozen people but it is alright if I invited the same group on Monday evening to watch Monday night Football,” Roessiger said.

The Roessigers are also facing a fine for putting a small sign in their front yard that reads: “Need Prayer (941) 484-4915.”

This would never happen in an unfree nation like England. Heck, it would have put Tupperware and Ann Summers out of business. On the whole, in England you could only be prosecuted for what you do in your own home if it was causing a significant nuisance to your neighbours. Just running a business from home is not against the law and even holding a full blown house church meeting in a private residence would never get you into trouble with the law.

Perhaps the Romans had similar zoning laws.

A GOOD CATHOLIC EDUCATION

From THE INQUIRER (The Philippines):

The oldest Mandauehanon woman turned 106 years old yesterday. Clad in a brown dress, Olympia ‘Impyang ‘ Judilla celebrated her birthday with her only child, 76-year-old Lucia Morpos, six grandchildren and ten great grand children.

While she didn’t get formal schooling, Olympia memorized the Ten Commandments, the seven sacraments of the Catholic church, the mysteries of the Holy Rosary and how to pray the Angelus. These she can recite in Spanish and Cebuano.

Police officer, Sanguniang Kabataan, is Olympia’s eldest great grandson. He said he never forgot how “Lola Limpia” would beat him after he climbed a tree against her wishes. He said that his grandmother was a disciplinarian and a devout Catholic. As a a child, the police officer remembered praying with her on their knees in front of the altar before going to bed. If his lola caught them coming home late, the children would be made to pray over and over again.

The Mandaue City police officer credits his grandmother’s disciplinarian ways for his present career as a police officer.

WHERE DOES HE FIND THEM?

Well, as far as I am concerned, this says it all. Flopsie for president. She's the only one who is talking any sense. At least, the only rabbit who is.



There is also a WEBSITE.

MADPRIEST AND GLENNA GO BIG WALKIES

The MadGang were in North Yorkshire last week due to the fact that Mrs MP and Delphi were entered into an obedience competition at Newby Hall over the weekend. I would point out that it was not Mrs MP who was being obedient. Mrs MP never does as she is told. She has certainly resolutely refused to do anything I have told her to do for the last twenty five years. But, Delphi is, like me, very good at doing what Mrs MP tells her to do and proved it by coming fifth in her class (out of thirty three dogs) on Sunday and picking up a white rosette to prove that she had.

On Saturday, the two oldies decided to let the two youngsters go off to their show on their own. Glenna and I went, instead, for a ramble across the fields near Bishops Monkton and along the River Ure and Ripon Canal as far as the end of Ripon Racecourse and the hamlet of Littlethorpe. It was quite a trek, at least seven miles. Both of us spent Sunday resting after our exertions.

Here is the photographic record of our expedition:

The Ripon Canal is located in North Yorkshire, England. It was built by the canal engineer William Jessop to link the city of Ripon with the navigable section of the River Ure at Oxclose lock, from where boats could reach York and Hull. It opened in 1773, and was a moderate success. It was sold to the Leeds and Thirsk Railway in 1847, and was effectively closed by 1906, due to neglect. It was not nationalised in 1948, and was abandoned in 1956. In 1961, members of the Ripon Motor Boat Club formed the Ripon Canal Company Ltd, and gradually restored the canal up to Ripon. The restoration was finally completed in 1996.

BACK AT MY DESK ROUND-UP

My friends, Lois and Xena, have an unwanted guessed visiting at the moment. So I cobbled this vid together for them as a permanent reminder. I did so with love, an evil grin on my face and my tongue placed firmly in my cheek. Check out the full story at RAMBLINGS WITH LOIS.

I have added two new blogs to The Neighbourhood list (see right hand sidebar).

The first is entitled, THE SOULS OF MY SHOES, and it is the ongoing account of Erin's travels through South America. The young lady doing the travelling is the daughter of Paul Walton of the GETTING THERE... 2 STEPS FORWARD, 1 BACK blog. Look, this is a well written blog and extremely interesting. The fact that Erin is also well babelicious should not be a reason for adding her to your blogroll.

The second new blog (well, new to my list) is ANDREW'S VERSION by Andrew McGowan, the Warden and President of Trinity College at the University of Melbourne, and a Canon of St Paul's Cathedral Melbourne. OCICBW... featured his piece on the Ordinariate, that was published by "Eureka Street" a month or so ago. That was an excellent piece of writing much appreciated around our neighbourhood.

Although Andrew obviously has a brain the size of a planet, he is well used to dumbing down for students and Australians, so you lot should be fine with his stuff. Mind you, you will need to put your thinking head on because this is serious stuff.

Suem has a guest post up at SIGNIFICANT TRUTHS by a writer who has some hard-hitting and valid things to say about the so-called acceptance of gay people in our churches. It's well worth reading.

Penelopepiscopal has posted a stunning and beautiful, real-time video of the Northern Lights, filmed back in January during a solar storm, on her blog, ONE CANNOT HAVE TOO LARGE A PARTY. Check it out, skywatchers!

La Biscuitsnapper has posted an urgent prayer request at RANTINGS OF THE BISCUITSNAPPER.

Prayers and thoughts for a lady called Shabana and her family who attend our church and recently had their visa application refused. As they are Pakistani Christians, we would rather they did not have to go back home (they have had some disturbing news about what's been happening to some of their Christian acquaintances back home). They are a hard working family (four out of five of them are employed, including the two older boys who should be focusing on their A levels) who have given so much to the church (Shabana started a multi-lingual prayer group which has really grown and provided so much pastoral care for us and her husband and sons have contributed their talents as leaders and musicians). Please pray that the hearts of the authorities might be turned and their appeal granted.

I realise that some of you get upset with me when I mention the persecution of Christians in Pakistan, but you are just going to have to suck it up. I studied with Pakistani Christians at ordination college and I know how frightening the place is for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Anyway, I shall be praying for them and their friends and relations back home. If you decide to join me then pop over to La Biscuitsnapper's blog and leave a comment to say you are. I am sure your support will be passed on to the family concerned and help them get through their ordeal.

Long time blogger, Goodfornowt, has posted one of his own poems on his blog, GOOD FOR NOTHING. It's entitled, "Death In January," and is very good indeed.

This cute face belongs to Bailey, a Siberian Forrest Cat.

Check out the complete, full-sized photo and bio at
AN UNFITTIE'S GUIDE TO ADVENTUROUS TRAVEL.

FREE MUSIC

Recommended by MadPriest.

THE MADGANG GO TO MASHAM

Masham is a small market town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,235.Situated in Wensleydale on the western bank of the River Ure, the name derives from the Anglo-Saxon "Mæssa's Ham", the homestead belonging to Mæssa. The Romans had a presence here, but the first permanent settlers were the Angles. Around 900 AD the Vikings invaded the region, burning and laying waste to the church and causing great suffering in Masham. They also introduced sheep farming, something for which the town is well known today.

St Mary's Church was most likely founded in the seventh century and stood somewhere near the present town hall on what used to be known as Cockpit Hill. The graveyard yielded 36 burials in a recent excavation. The present church, while having some Anglo-Saxon stonework and the stump of an eighth-century prayer cross, is mainly Norman with fifteenth-century additions. Masham was given to York Minster in the mediaeval period but, as the archbishop did not wish to make the long journey north to oversee the town's affairs, the parish was designated a peculiar.

Of note for a relatively small town is that it is home to two working breweries, BLACK SHEEP BREWERY and THEAKSTONS, situated only a few hundred yards from one another. It is also home to one of the oldest markets in the UK, receiving its first market charter in 1250. Wednesday and Saturday are market days, popular among both locals and visitors. Masham's importance as a major sheep market is the reason for the huge market place and its beautiful Georgian houses. The market originally thrived because of its nearness to Jervaulx and Fountains Abbeys, with the monks' large flocks of sheep. The annual SHEEP FAIR is in September.

Marmion Tower is a 15th century gatehouse near to the village of West Tanfield in North Yorkshire, England. It was the entrance to and formerly adjoined to a now vanished manor house by the River Ure, owned by the Marmion family from which the gatehouse gets its name. The tower has three levels and is built in stone. The gateway is barrel vaulted and has a guardroom to the south. The stair leads to the rooms above and ends in a turret above the battlements. It is noted for its well preserved oriel window on the first floor and other features include the garderobe (latrine) and a porter's "squint".