Testing a few things… ecto with WordPress, specifically with the configuration I have with the WP-WYSIWYG Rich Text editor. It did not play well with the HTML coded tags in the last post, which I ought to have realized. So I will try adding the “quick tags” via ecto, which use angle brackets. Also, I want to see how it handles the little “insert current iTunes track played here” thing that ecto does. And it’s currently not working right, as it seems to remember the last thing tracked before I downloaded and installed the beta. It’s too late tonight to…
-
-
Posted by a commenter at Father Jake Stops the World I've lost track over the years of the citation, but there was a book published in the last generation that reviewed growing congregations across denominational lines (including Episcopal churches). That study found five factors as important: 1) good preaching; 2) good music; 3) good adult Christian education; 4) opportunities for hands-on service ministries; and 5) small group interactions. (Interesting, considering the attention it has always gotten, that Christian education of children wasn't afactor.) As a frequent supply priest over the years, I've been really surprised and saddened at the…
-
Ship of Fools: Features WE DECIDED TO DO SOME technological digging to find out what had been going on. The fact that Freddie, our Mystery Worshipper, had given no name for the priest in the Abbey report was starting to look rather convenient. Had we been hoaxed? Via Dylan's Grace Notes… this reads better than an old-fashioned mystery novel.
-
Father Jake Stops the World NYT: How many members of the Episcopal Church are there in this country? KJS: About 2.2 million. It used to be larger percentagewise, but Episcopalians tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children. NYT: Episcopalians aren’t interested in replenishing their ranks by having children? KJS: No. It’s probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion. I'm a childfree, environmentally aware Episcopalian,…
-
One Utah » Blog Archive » Crumbs of Compassion So, how is the country doing after a six-year diet of crumbs? Well, the good news is that, just in time for Thanksgiving, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found a way to eliminate hunger in America. The USDA will now use the term “very low food security” to describe people who used to be considered “food insecure with hunger.” Statistically speaking, hunger will no longer exist for the 3.9 percent of U.S. households in the “very low” category this represents about 11 million people, using 2000 Census figures. The bad…
-
We've been having some minor technical difficulties with our feed. But now that my husband David has figured out who to set up the automatic Feedburner plugin so that it updated correctly, all seems to be good now. I updated the little feed image widget on the left column. For everyone that was reading via RSS feed, sorry! I hope you find your way back here, I didn't do do this very cleanly when I cut everything over. And I'm sorry that I put David through that – it was pretty frustrating for him while he was getting it straightened…
-
Mom's little book of days for yesterday had some cryptic notes: Property tax due Frank 60 NOVEMBER 21 We have two ends with a common linkWith one we sit, with one we think.Success depends on what we use – Heads we win…Tails we loose. It's a cute sentiment, but it contains one of my all-time pet peeves in English usage: the substitution of "loose" for "lose." Yesterday was a very good day. I can't explain why; night before last was a rough one where I got up at about 3 or 4 to read for awhile. Sleep doesn't come very…
-
From WBEZ in Chicago | This American Life Heretics The story of Reverend Carlton Pearson (pictured), an evangelical pastor in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His church, Higher Dimensions, was once one of the biggest in the city, drawing crowds of 5,000 people every Sunday. But several years ago, scandal engulfed the Reverend, he was denounced by almost all his former supporters, and today his congregation is just a few hundred people. He didn't have an affair. He didn't embezzle lots of money. His sin was something that to a lot of people is far worse … he stopped believing in hell. …
-
Bush Choice for Family-Planning Post Criticized – washingtonpost.com No, I'm not happy about this choice – I don't think someone whose stance appears to be not just anti-choice, but anti-contraception, for everyone, and repeats the canard that since condoms can't protect against all STD's ("the infected area is often not covered by a condom"), sex should be avoided entirely unless with one, faithful, uninfected partner. Gosh, how stunningly clear, everyone will easily be able to adapt to this standard. It's very real-world, don't you think? It appears that some other of my childfree sistren and brethren are a little more…
-
Embittered Insiders Turn Against Bush – washingtonpost.com Poor George! All the powerful friends that propped him up and made him look important and powerful are jumping out of the treehouse.