Anyone up for a chat thread?

Well, taking my daughters to VBS so close by backfired just a bit. The church that hosted it is going to award certificates of completion at the Sunday service. I suppose they think they are being clever. We are not skipping the Feast of Pentecost to go to VBS wrap-up at an evangelical church.

Paidiske said:

Yes, well... there's much in America that the Australian mind can't comprehend.

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Is this because they don't play cricket?

Paidiske said:

So, some of you may remember that I was undergoing a review process. It was announced today that I will finish up in the parish here at the end of September. The bishop tells me the decision is basically for my wellbeing; he feels that the parish have very unreasonable expectations (his exact words were "they wouldn't be happy with Jesus himself,"), and that it wouldn't be good for me to continue in that situation.

New adventures await! Not sure yet exactly where I'll be going; various options to explore. But I think he's made the right decision, so I look forward to seeing how it all unfolds.

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May the Lord please guide and bless your next position.

Paidiske said:

The Americans? Do they not?

I have a hunch that there's a big difference between a place founded as, in effect, a religious sanctuary for the nonconforming, and one founded as a penal colony.

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Yes, I get it, that would make a big difference.

I am sorry about my ancestors and their weird ideas about criminal justice.

Paidiske said:

The Americans? Do they not?

I have a hunch that there's a big difference between a place founded as, in effect, a religious sanctuary for the nonconforming, and one founded as a penal colony.

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I've never even seen a real cricket bat or paddle or whatever the implement is properly called. We play baseball. My favorite team is the Cincinnati Reds, who hold the distinction of being the first professional team (1869).

Shane R said:

We play baseball. My favorite team is the Cincinnati Reds

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Charlie Hustle. Hall of Fame, yes or no?

seeking.IAM said:

Charlie Hustle. Hall of Fame, yes or no?

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I've not got a firm opinion on the matter, although I'm generally opposed to posthumous selection, so let's go with No. However, his teammate and HoFer Johnny Bench is adamantly opposed. This probably violates many rules as to the selection process but I think they ought to hold a special vote on his case. No say from the sports writers, only living Hall of Famers may vote on his selection. I suspect he'd probably lose something like 52-48 percent.

Since we are discussing baseball, I thought I might reminisce. One of the older pictures of me was taken when I was perhaps 4 years old and I was dressed in a Reds outfit that was period appropriate for the late 1980s. I don't personally have a copy of that one. Growing up in Ohio, the state had two professional teams: the Cleveland Indians and the Cincinnati Reds. But NW Ohio, with it's proximity to Michigan and the top minor league team being in Toledo had many Detroit Tigers fans as well.

The first time I can recall watching a baseball game I was sitting with my dad. He was not a sports fan but for whatever reason he got interested in this baseball game that afternoon. I was probably 6 or 7 and the game featured the Montreal Expos (remember them?) and the Detroit Tigers from old Tiger Stadium. Cecil Fielder pounded a home run and that really impressed me.

I played between grade 6 and 7 and was not very good. I had poor eye sight at that time and didn't hit or field well, except from the catcher's position. In fact, in one game the opposing team's coach pulled the pitcher after I successfully hit off of him! However, I was fearless stealing bases and ended up scoring the second most runs on the team even though I generally only got on base via a walk. Anyhow, after that my mother decided she'd take me to a live pro game.

So once a year we would trek up to Cleveland, generally when the Reds were in town for the cross state rivalry series. It was just last year that we finally caught the game in Cincinnati. I took her for her birthday, with my daughters. My daughters and I were privileged to see games in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Cincinnati last summer. They are all about 2:30-3:00 from our house. They love the live game in the ballpark and think it's the most boring thing on TV. In the ballparks stuff is happening. There's sausages racing around the field. There's weird muppet things and other mascots sneaking up on you in the seating. If someone hits a home run fireworks go off. There's an organist and people get up to sing and dance.

Every stadium has differing food options but there are several traditional snacks. They are: hot dogs, roasted peanuts, popcorn, and ice cream. Also beer, typically now in a plastic cup or sometimes a can since many Americans can't behave and would chuck glass bottles at the game officials in times past.


My daughters with the Cleveland ketchup hot dog.

Great picture of your daughters. There is always fun to be had at the ballpark. If anyone ever deserved to be in the Hall of Fame based upon merit and bringing excitement to the game, Pete Rose was certainly deserving were it not for exceedingly bad judgment which was his undoing. I agree if he didn't deserve it during his lifetime, it probably shouldn't be done now.

And there I was, preaching in New York state. Parish of St. Mary the Virgin, Liverpool.

Paidiske said:

So, some of you may remember that I was undergoing a review process. It was announced today that I will finish up in the parish here at the end of September. The bishop tells me the decision is basically for my wellbeing; he feels that the parish have very unreasonable expectations (his exact words were "they wouldn't be happy with Jesus himself,"), and that it wouldn't be good for me to continue in that situation.

New adventures await! Not sure yet exactly where I'll be going; various options to explore. But I think he's made the right decision, so I look forward to seeing how it all unfolds.

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I’m praying you get a good assignment in a more vibrant parish with people who are more able to work with you - hopefully a parish that has some families with youth attendance and some good liturgical resources, as rare as they might be in your archdiocese at present.

Meanwhile I request your prayers and those of my other Anglican friends, as I’m on the verge of recovery but a number of things could cause an annoying delay to my getting back in the saddle, and its very important that I be serving again for the 10th anniversary of the repose of my beloved father and the third anniversary of the repose of my older uncle, and the anniversary of the repose of my younger uncle, so that I can pray the equivalent of a requiem liturgy for them.

Shane R said:

View attachment 366644
And there I was, preaching in New York state. Parish of St. Mary the Virgin, Liverpool.

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Splendid! So you have preaching tabs in addition to a clerical collar?

Some reformed churches use an interesting design of preaching tabs that are green with a white border and decorations, almost like a miniature stole (or rochet); I wonder if someone thought to reuse a Roman Catholic maniple. For purposes of choir dress I really like to see preaching tabs on Anglican clergy celebrating the divine office - the priests of the Temple Church in London both wear them, in addition to the cassock, surplice and tippet. It results in a very elegant, distinctly Anglican look which is ideal for Evensong and other Divine Office services.

Paidiske said:

The Americans? Do they not?

I have a hunch that there's a big difference between a place founded as, in effect, a religious sanctuary for the nonconforming, and one founded as a penal colony.

Click to expand...

We have a national cricket team, although they are not well-known.

Even less well-known is that baseball is an English invention, but it took the role of Cricket in the US, and American football the role of Rugby. Perhaps one could say in a sense basketball, which has some similarities to soccer, as the English once called football, in that it has a goal and one dribbles the ball, albeit by bouncing it with the hands instead of with the soles of the feet (I always found this to be agonizing the few times I tried it in PE in elementary school); basketball was my preferred sport because shooting a hoop is essentially just an exercise in ballistics. I never once jumped up to the level of the basket to make a shot as that would take the fun out of it. Interestingly there is also Canadian football, which differs from American football in that the ball has white stripes, like our college football, but in the opposite orientation, and it is played on a field that is 110 yards in length.