Povey Prattle

A couple of Sundays ago at my parish Church we sang “The Church’s One Foundation”.   I  had a visceral and negative reaction to this hymn, and on my blog I referred to it as being triumphalistic.     A respected friend (and Priest) questioned the use of this word.   He was right – it was a poor choice on my part.   So here is my attempt to “fill out” why I strongly dislike the hymn (and why I wish that we did not sing it).   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Presbyterian Minister and Hymnologist Louis Benson (1855-1930) quotes one English archbishop as saying that “wherever he was called upon to open or dedicate a church, he could always count on two things— cold chicken and ‘The Church’s one Foundation’ .” As I have previously noted the hymn was written in 1866 by Samuel John Stone (as part of his series of twelve hymns which he wrote to explicate the Apostles Creed). ...

We are all aware of the unbearable bullying which some children in schools ( K -12 ) have to endure; in many cases cruel, vicious and dangerous verbal bullying via various "social media" services. We are less aware that such bullying continues in College and University life -  very often perpetuated by Sororities and Fraternities by means of (often illegal) "hazing". Many of us have also encountered bullying in the workplace; or in married life. I suggest that popular T.V. condones a bullying culture.  I watch some of it during afternoons, but I am coming to believe that it can be toxic. I think of that British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey , with his restaurant makeover shows.  That man uses the F word as if it were a comma or semi-colon in a sentence.  He screams and yells at hapless restaurateurs who often cower under his abuse and seem unable to tell him that his behaviour is out of bounds.  And for that he gets paid. Jerry Springer lives in Saraso...

There were but two people who came to the prayer service at Resurrection House today. One was a regular.  I know him only by his street name of "Blue".  He is at one and the same time a lost sheep and a plausible rogue. Blue, in his early thirties, always makes a fuss of me when our paths cross at Res House.  Of course I do not trust this "fuss".  For it always precedes a request for dough. About a month ago I entrusted my wallet to the Director of Res House just before the service, so that I could tell Blue that I did not have any money "on me". This morning I decided not to be disingenuous.  When, after the prayer service, Blue asked me for money I simply said  "No, I will not give you money". The other worshipper was a newbie.  His name is D. and I guess that he is about 25 years old. He has an open, honest and friendly face. He prayed with clear sincerity. After service D told me that "we"  (I do not know who is...

SCARY I "hate"  (strongly dislike) using my CPAP machine.  I feel so very uncomfortable when I  wear the face/nose mask. I do so "for my own good" (As my Mum used to say when administering a noxious and Physician prescribed "tonic" [heavy in iron]  "this is for your own good" ) My Sleep Doctor tells me that this mask must be bound tightly to my face.  I am obedient to his orders. Last Friday I placed the mask on my face for my own good.  In a semi-drowsy state I determined that I should increase the air pressure.  I thought that I was doing this. In fact I was turning the damn machine off. SO  the mask was bound tightly to my face, but it was not delivering any air. In fact it was restricting my ability to breath. There were consequences in my dream life. I had a weird and scary dream in which my Mum had purchased an expensive antique map of Norway, only to discover that the map was a fake. I tried to warn Mum, but my dre...

Every time working people and their advocates call for a living wage and decent benefits, or speak about the greedy excesses of the 1%;  the ultra-right (which now dominates the Republican Party) accuses them of class warfare.   If there is class warfare in these United States it is being waged against poor, working class, and even middle class citizens by the plutocrats.   North Carolina is a tragic, dangerous and sad example of what happens when such plutocrats rule the roost.  (It's a State which allows 12 year olds to work in the tobacco fields).   The Gospel reading in the Episcopal Church today had something to say about this:  "What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul"  (King James Version by memory).   The once honorable and noble Republican Party (the party of Lincoln)  has lost its soul even as it has gained the whole world in the State Government of North Carolina (and many other St...