Povey Prattle

By John Pavlovitz I am a father of two, (Noah and Selah), and husband of one (Jennifer); a 17-year ministry veteran, specializing in trying to live-out the red letters of Jesus. I enjoy songwriting, exercising, cooking, hiking, and eating emotionally. This is a place where I say stuff that I think needs to be said. I welcome you to say what you believe needs to be said in response, knowing that ultimately the truth is somewhere in the middle. I proudly serve at North Raleigh Community Church. Thanks for stopping by, and for reading the pontifications of a flawed, passionate, work in progress. John Pavlovitz That phrase. We’ve all received it personally gift-wrapped by well-meaning friends, caring loved ones, and kind strangers. It usually comes delivered with the most beautiful of intentions; a buffer of hope raised in the face of the unimaginably painful things we sometimes experience in this life. It’s a close, desperate l...

 My favourite joke was told by the British comedian/actor/singer Alfred Marks. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Marks  ) I saw and heard him tell this joke on a British T.V. show some forty years ago.  My youngest brother (Martyn), also remembers the joke. The "set up" is in the working class areas of east London during WWII  (where many men worked in the old London Docks). The London Docks were an obvious target for enemy bombs. Alfred Marks' joke went this way. The air raid sirens went off. The male of the household  calls out to his wife. He says: "Come on me old Dutch, the Sireens  are goin' off, let's get to the shelta". She replies: " ''ang on a minute, I've got to get me false teef". He responds :   "Bloody 'el. 'itler's  droppin'  bawms  not sandwiches" 

This photo' has been going the rounds.  It is, of course, "over the top" - such is the case in all profound and wry humour.     But maybe it is not far from the truth.     As one of my English nephews asked recently  "why are Americans so obsessed with guns"     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------   It's all rooted in our Constitution.  ( much of the following,   in bold purple) is taken from a Wikipedia article). c The right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right that is codified in the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the United States of America and in the state constitutions of forty-four States. The text of the United States Constitutional amendment reads: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. T...

I have been thinking,  and praying about grief, ever since  Savannah G took her own life at aged 20, just eight days ago.  The wonderful Anne Lamott offers wisdom  even as we grieve: She writes this:   “You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.” ― Anne Lamott And this: “And I felt like my heart had been so thoroughly and irreparably broken that there could be no real joy again, that at best there might eventually be a little contentment. Everyone wanted me to get help and rejoin life, pick up the pieces and move on, and I tried to, I wanted to, but I just had to lie i...

Our beloved assistant Rector Andi Taylor, at St. Boniface Church, Siesta Key, FL.   is on the cusp of her well earned sabbatical leave, That sabbatical will take her (amongst other places) to Lee Abbey, a wonderful retreat Guest House in  Devonshire, England http://leeabbey.org.uk/devon/ And to the Holy Island of Iona  (off the west coast of Scotland) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona And to Ireland where she will meet up with her husband and their two sons. Whilst in England she will stay with the former Director of Music at St. B's, Neil Page, and his wife Sue, at their home in Exeter. Andi will also stay with my brother Martyn and his wife Wendy in Bristol.  (Andi and her family have twice met Martyn, on the occasions of his visits to me in SRQ.)  (Wendy Povey will be meeting Andi Taylor for the first time, since she (Wendy) has not been able to travel by air to these United States). We bade "au revoir" to Andi this mor...