Death of a man

When I was growing up there was no outcry about violence perpetrated against gay or lesbian persons - and transgendered was not even a category.

As with slavery, and domestic violence against women, the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures have long been used to justify violence against gay men and lesbian women. It is time to stop. Now.

It is time to say that 1. the scriptures are wrong, and wrongly used, to justify violence against any person or to segregate them and 2. it is wrong to assume these writings prove God does not look favorably on lgbt persons as God does on heterosexist men and women.

A man has been murdered in Uganda. A newspaper in Uganda some time ago ran headlines demanding the "outing" of gay men and hanging. Uganda is still considering a bill advancing past the criminalization of gay men to criminalizing anyone who does not report suspected family members, friends or neighbors for being gay and favoring the death of gay persons.

Read the latest story of murder of a gay man, an activist for civil liberties for gay people in Uganda. (Hat tip to Episcopal Cafe) Read also the response from the Archbishop of Canterbury. (Hat tip to Thinking Anglicans)

Words kill. Violent words engender violence. I you are worthy of love just as you are, so is your brother or sister. Period. Full stop.

Snow Falling, falling, snow, falling

It snowed again. This is the most snow of all the snows in this month of January. It began yesterday morning at 9 a.m., which it most certainly was not supposed to do. Now the snow is over. The early morning "night" sky is clear. The moon is unobscured. And Xena, Warrior Princess Labrador Retriever Mix of All Norwalk is in seventh heaven.

It really is beautiful. Every snow mountain left from the previous snows is piled high and rounded off like something out of an imaginary landscape. Unlike all the other snow days, this morning the city is absolutely silent. The plows (ploughs?) have already been and gone by 5 a.m. And, if we are wise, we will all take this last deep snow as an excuse to just stop for a day and let it be. When the sun comes up, it will all change.

A New Blog

I'm still adding blogs to my blogroll but I want to pull one out, a fairly new blog, Studio Notes. Christopher is a friend. His work is wonderful. You won't find news there. It's an art blog, with, as the title says, an emphasis on the lettering arts.

Yes, lettering arts. Caligraphy may be something people learn in order to address wedding invitations nicely. Caligraphy, or lettering arts, is much more than that, much more than a cottage industry. As you can see, we're talking about art here. So you lot, be nice. Visit and enjoy.

Saint Laika's: Your Place for Weekday Worship

The design of the blog has changed, and so has the sidebar. It's on the right, and it includes blogs I recommend. This blogroll is still under construction, so if yours isn't here, I'm sure it will be soon.

Meanwhile, I commend to you for special attention Saint Laika's, an online church in all seriousness. Click on the link on the sidebar of this blog, or here, for prayers and worship, and a place of solace and refuge.

Anniversary - 12 years

Yesterday was the twelfth anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood in The Episcopal Church.

A retired bishop who, in his wisdom, declined to approve me for seminary, said he thought I'd crack up ten years after ordination and it would be his fault. What the hey, I crack up every day.

Oh, wait, maybe he didn't mean ROFLMAOLOL kind of cracking up! Oh well...

12 annual parish meetings later, 12 annual parish budget reviews later, 144 vestry meetings later, 12 years of service with congregations skating on the edge of financial demise, 12 years of Holy Weeks, 12 years of Easters and Christmases, 12 years of making decisions, good and bad, 12 years of listening to the hearts of my fellow travelers whom it is my privilege to serve, countless baptisms - which I LOVE doing! - countless funerals - at which I have had way too much practice and it's still a privilege - Clergy retreats, Clergy conferences, Clergy meetings, Diocesan Conventions, and a life of prayer and study for which I get paid - can you believe that?!

Here I am, Lord. Send me. It's no bed of roses. But neither is Holy Week. And I love Holy Week. I might even love it if it didn't end in Easter. But it does. So does ordained ministry. So does life.

Look for it. Resurrection.

SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!

The Eve of the Epiphany

What star are you following?

Where is it taking you?

Will it lead to new life?

That which seems dead may hold strange beauty.