Jesus appears on a door
In the tradition of The Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese sandwitch, Jesus on the back side of a dog, and God in an eggplant, we now have Jesus on a door.
Dateline EAST WINDSOR…
The apparent likeness of Jesus Christ, which mysteriously materialized on a bedroom door here 10 years ago, lately has been declared “a miracle” by a Pentecostal bishop.
The religious imagery appears intrinsic to the grain of a common pine wood door of the bedroom in the typical suburban home of Jerry and Wendy Divock, the parents of three grown children.
“I honestly believe it is supernatural. Absolutely,” said Dr. Philip Bonaparte, a local internist, serving as bishop to four area Church of God denomination churches.
So this couple has been looking at Jesus on their door for 10 years. Why come forward now?
Divock said he decided to go public with his family’s miracle yesterday because he felt it was finally time to share with the public “something this significant.”
It is, after all, the Lenten season, the period of penance leading up to the Christian celebration of Easter, which this year falls on March 23. (Source)
I have another idea why now….cash. Yes the couple with the mystery door is cashing in on their door. You can purchase a photo of the door for only $13.50. It is a glossy 8 x 10…no cheap rips offs. (Shipping included)
7″Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7, NIV)
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Pastor and anger management instructor charged with domestic battery
Dateline Gary, Ind…
An anger management instructor was charged with domestic battery after his wife accused him of grabbing and beating her during an argument, police said.
The Rev. Robert Nichols, 49, has taught anger management classes for defendants in Gary City Court for several years, but his contract was voided while the misdemeanor charge against him is pending, said City Court Judge Deidre Monroe.
“It’s our policy that anyone working in the court system can’t have criminal charges,” Monroe said Monday.
Nichols was arrested early Thursday after the couple’s young daughter called police to report the fight, police said.
Monroe said Nichols’ case will be handled in Crown Point because of his association with the City Court. Monroe appointed a special judge to arraign Nichols in court Friday.
The Associated Press could not reach Nichols for comment as there is no phone listing for him in Gary. (Source)
This is in the same category as the pastor who stole wedding gifts from the wedding they officiated or the pastor who stole the church building. Fortunately, it does not reach the level of pastoral extortion.
Once again, we will let the courts sort it out.
If it was good for Martin Luther, it is good for me. Please help me pay my hosting by buying me a beer.Have a merry…I mean Maury Christmas
Source: http://bitsandpieces1.blogspot.com/2006/12/may-your-chrismas-be-merry.html
If it was good for Martin Luther, it is good for me. Please help me pay my hosting by buying me a beer.It was bound to happen
It would appear that Christian merchandise, crosses to be specific, were made in a sweatshop. I have to assume it was unintentional.
Bishop in favor of legal Brothels…really
Dateline London…
LONDON (Reuters) - A Roman Catholic bishop in the southern English port city of Portsmouth is backing a campaign to legalize brothels without in any way condoning them.
The Right Reverend Crispian Hollis supported the local branch of the Women’s Institute which wants to license brothels.
“If you are going to take a pragmatic view and say prostitution happens, I think there is a need to make sure it’s as well regulated as possible for the health of people involved and for the safety of the ladies themselves,” Hollis said.
“That’s not to say I approve of prostitution in any way. I would be very much happier if there was no prostitution in Portsmouth,” he told The Portsmouth News.
“But it’s going to be there whatever we do and it has been from time immemorial. So I think that is something we have to be realistic about.”
His comments won praise from Rachel Frost, from the International Union for Sex Workers.
“The bishop should be commended for having the guts to come out and say that,” she said.
Well there we go. That is a first, is it not? Sounds kind of Hillary’esq…I am not in favor of it…but we should consider it.
If it was good for Martin Luther, it is good for me. Please help me pay my hosting by buying me a beer.Pastor Steals church and brags about it on his blog
Don’t know how I missed this one. Dateline Ripon, CA…
For nearly a decade, members of Ripon’s First Congregational Church bared their souls to Pastor Randall Radic. But clearly it didn’t work both ways. There were certain things he wasn’t telling them.
That became obvious a year ago, when Radic pleaded guilty to betraying his flock and secretly selling the church and its rectory out from under them. He used the money to buy himself a brand-new black BMW and a laptop — exploits he later chronicled in a cheeky, almost gleeful blog about his double life as a sinner.
“We didn’t know anything until we got a call from the bank that he had bought a BMW,” said David Prater, who led the church board during Radic’s tenure. “He drove that car right down Main Street.”
….
But Radic’s lawyer said last week that the 54-year-old former pastor, who spent six months in jail awaiting trial, will not have to serve any more time behind bars because he agreed to testify about the alleged murder confession of a jailmate.
So not only is he a thief, but he turns on his cell mates.
First, Radic faked documents giving him possession of the parsonage, and used the property to take out about $200,000 in personal loans, prosecutors said. Then he forged papers saying he had the power to sell the church, and sold it to a couple for $525,000.
After investigators began inquiring about the BMW, Radic fled to Denver. Prosecutors coaxed him back, and he was arrested in 2005.
Why do they always come to Colorado?
So where is Radic and his faith today?
Radic, who still lives in Ripon, did not find a buyer for “SNITCH,” but he did sign a deal last month to publish a book called “The Sound of Meat,” billed as a “(fairly) truthful” memoir.
“So, you really want to know which camp I belong to … right? Saint or … Sinner?” he wrote on his Web page, which features grainy shots of a nearly naked woman and a portrait of Radic smoking and drinking. “The truth really is a lot more complicated. It leads down the winding paths of the human heart and challenges anyone who follows to defy it.”
Somehow, that strikes me as the only true thing he has said in a while. (Source)
If it was good for Martin Luther, it is good for me. Please help me pay my hosting by buying me a beer.
Officiating pastor accused of stealing wedding gifts
Dateline Portland, OR….
PORTLAND, Ore. - Kitty and Shawn Sonnenschein didn’t think they had cheap friends. The couple were married last month at their Portland house. Because they were remodeling the kitchen, they requested gift cards from Home Depot instead of gifts.
But when they looked in the basket they had set out by the guest book, they found only three Home Depot cards. Not wanting to offend their guests, the couple didn’t say a word.
"It’s been extremely uncomfortable," Kitty Sonnenschein, 28, told The Oregonian newspaper. "You don’t want to call somebody and ask them what they got you."
But over the next week, many of their friends and family began to ask what they were going to buy with their gift cards. That’s when they became suspicious that someone might have stolen them.
The newlyweds suspected the Rev. Shey-Rima Silveira.
The couple had a friend who offered to officiate, but they weren’t sure his license was up to date. So they turned to the popular Web site Craigslist to find a minister.
Silveira advertised "last-minute weddings" as her specialty.
"She was wonderful over the phone," Kitty Sonnenschein said.
Their friend did officiate, but Silveira performed a brief ceremony afterward and signed the certificate to make it official.
The couple suspected Silveira because she was the only person in the house during the outdoor ceremony, and she seemed out of sorts and anxious to leave.
"We did everything we could to avoid suspicion of her," said Shawn Sonnenschein, 41. "But the evidence was pretty clear."
Home Depot officials, using credit card numbers, were able to trace the gift cards and discovered that at least four had been redeemed.
Portland police detective Willie Halliburton pulled the store’s surveillance tapes, and spotted Silveira buying tools and detergent.
Silveira denied the theft when confronted by officers, saying the wedding party gave her the cards. But police arrested her Tuesday on an accusation of second-degree theft.
Silveira did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment.
(Source)
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Bring some fun to a fundamentalist Bible Study
Things a little dry at your Bible study? The Holy Observer has a tip…
"Mention you’re not sure who you’ll vote for in the upcoming democratic primary."
That ought to do it. Check out 9 more great ideas here.
If it was good for Martin Luther, it is good for me. Please help me pay my hosting by buying me a beer.Take my church choir…please
The choir of St Stephen’s Church in Bristol has appeared as an item for sale on ebay. ‘Venerable Anglican scarlet-robed choral tradition (SATB), of St Stephen’s Church, Centre of Bristol. Good condition,’ the text reads. ‘Reason for sale: The choir have (with extreme sadness) decided that even though they would have liked to have assisted with the future plans for the church, they essentially have no place in the new worship arrangements that will soon be imposed, and that little opportunity for negotiation now exists.’ (Source)
Hmmm….I have seen church choirs I wish someone would buy.
If it was good for Martin Luther, it is good for me. Please help me pay my hosting by buying me a beer.Taking a bumper sticker faith to a whole new level
