Tuesday, July 15, 2008

of robes and absinthe and belly button fuzz. (Yes it all fits)

I know this place has become about as interesting as picking lint out of your belly button lately, but hey, your belly button thanks you...

It's all homework related absence you understand. And as the french like to say, absinthe makes the heart grow fonder. (Ok you can laugh now. Even if you don't get the joke, trust me it was a good one and people passing your computer screen behind you will see that and laugh out loud and you don't want to be found to be uncool and not get the joke, so just laugh already)

Enough jocularity for tonight.

I am very glad this night, that I don't find myself in the shoes and robes of Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. In 0 days 10 hours 46 minutes and 38 seconds the Bishops of the Anglican Communion gather to deliberate and retreat and hopefully listen and pray.

They find themselves at the end of a very dark alley with no seeming recourse that doesn't tear the fabric of who they have been. Some would say that tear has already been made. Probably the tear is in Christs eyes.

Anyway, some of my best friends are of that communion, seeking to be faithful in difficult times and so these days I am remembering them and praying for them and hoping for the best for them.

May God be with them in amazing power and presence and may they be distracted in all their plans by His beauty and Glory.

May He be the head of his church.

13 comments:

  1. Interesting times are ahead for the anglican community indeed.

    many thanks for your prays
    Ian

    ReplyDelete
  2. "may they be distracted in all their plans by His beauty and Glory. May He be the head of his church."

    Amen.

    I've just reviewed that quote. I'm not sure why I want to trim it, but it just seems right to do so. Something that's really on my heart is to see the power of God sweep through this country. What would Todd Bently style power do in the Anglican communion? Probably tear it to bits.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Probably, but i don't know that anything less will help them now.

    They, and we for that matter, could use a real visitation. That would help sort things out rather quickly I suppose.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Toni - Todd Bently? Seems there are a lot of questions about his ethics. What do you think of him?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Prayers for the Anglican communion are needed indeed - as lots of C of E friends keep telling me. But it is a parallel universe for those of us outside of it - there is, oh so much, I can't buy into - I'm glad God can keep on loving and understanding when I can't.

    ReplyDelete
  6. As an Anglican, formerly Baptist, I do understand why Anglicanism seems to be a parallel universe at this time in particular. All I can say is that we desperately need the Holy Spirit to lead and guide and soft hearts and obedient spirits to obey. Thank you all for caring enough to pray for us at a time when our denomination is coming apart at the seams. Our best theology has been born over the centuries in reaction to the types of challenging situations smiliar to what we are going through right now and I pray that it will be the case this time as well. Before becoming an Anglican I had no idea that there were so many "born again" Christians in the denomination because I had been told there weren't. While we do not tend to use that particular phrase in reference to submission to Christ, I am grateful that we have so many evangelicals in our midst. Bless you all and thanks again for your prayers and concern.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Linea - I don't know *enough* about him yet.

    But what I do know from those I trust that have been to Lakeland, the move is unquestionably from God, although there appear to be whacky bits around the outside. At the moment, my personal take is that he's a fruitcake, but one whom God has chosen to use and who has responded willingly. I wonder if us charismatic fundamentalists (;-)) have become a little too respectable, and God needed to shake us up a bit.


    Susan - I hope you don't mind, but I've borrowed a section from your post for my own blog. While it's out of context (and away from this line of thinking) I don't believe I've either mis-represented you or used it in an inappropriate way. If you aren't happy with my post then say that in the comments and I'll change it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Toni: I am not familiar with your blog but I trust you so yes, feel free to use what I said if it is helpful in some way. I appreciate that the evangelical churches are concerned for our part of the body and are praying. My husband is about to be ordained as a conservative in the Anglican priesthood and it has been a long hard journey; just finding a Diocese that wants an evangelical conservative priest has meant leaving our province of choice to live on the prairies in order to find a conservative Bishop that will ordain him. Randall, thank you for allowing Toni and I this wee chat on your blog. The Lord be with you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey Susan, it's good to meet you.

    It's been good to get to know the Anglican Vicar and his wife who live across the street, and honestly I'd trust them with my soul any day.

    But it's been tough for them. Saskatchewan for the most part has been a good place for Anglicans of a more conservative flavour and the Bishop up here has helped to create that.

    I'm curious where you guys are ending up.

    If you are comfortable with it, drop me a note sometime.
    randallfriesen at gmail dot com

    and are you related/married to Paul?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Susan - Pax
    It sounds like you are from Canada - I'm from England, and my comments about Anglicans should be taken from that very different context. Here my frustration is about the Church of England being the established church and sometimes seeming not to acknowledge the rest of us. It's that institutional church that tries to enforce global uniformity that I react against.

    My prayers are for those who are not part of the establishment - individual sisters and brothers in Christ who serve God within the Anglican church all around the world. May the actions and voices of the few in Lambeth not damage the faith of the many.

    And, Randall, thanks for facilitating this exchange - maybe you could do world peace next ?

    ReplyDelete
  11. :)

    Hmmm, world peace.

    I have an hour free on Saturday...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Barb: I hear you and that is a similar attitude in some of our Canadian Anglican churches as well. There is huge division here between the mainline churches and the "newer" evangelical denominations. Thanks for your prayers very much as we so need them.

    Okay Randall, I will stop talking to your blog buddies now. haha Thanks.

    ReplyDelete



Play nice - I will delete anything I don't want associated with this blog and I will delete anonymous comments.