An action-packed weekend:
Enger-land vs Algeria tonight (I'm hosting again. Not watching on ITV HD this time).
21st Century Disciples Conference tomorrow + drinks with the soon-to-be-leaving Coxes in the evening.
Two services + the Gibson Street Gala on Sunday (the latter includes a little personal humiliation in the form of sponges being thrown at me).
Is the Vestry currently full of crestfallen En-ger-land fans? Beginning to wish I'd went now... ;-)
Posted by: ryan | 18 June 2010 at 09:19 PM
Also, instead of throwing sponges at lovely holy eirenic you, can we not have a Throw Stones at the Creotards event? Now *that* would be worth getting out of bed (or Forbidden Planet) for ;)
Posted by: ryan | 18 June 2010 at 09:23 PM
Ah yes! Any further info on the regulations re sponge sizes? I have an old mattress topper and I don't know whether to cut it into two or does it have to be three? ;-)
Posted by: Jen | 18 June 2010 at 10:37 PM
After last night's performance we will not be watching much more of Ingerlund, la-la-la, methinks. Come on the Netherlands! The Dutch and the Scots have loads in common so I'm following them. Please don't call them Holland as that would be like calling Scotland Ayrshire or Lanarkshire. South and west Holland are merely regions of the Netherlands, hopefully to be joined by Flanders when liberated from the artificial construct of Belgium.
Pray tell us more about your "spongeing"? I hope that you are not losing any of your dignity as a teacher by being part of any festival japes. "Cultural relevance" should only be taken so far and the elder of a congretaion that has been set aside to teach and preach should not be lowering the gravitas of his position in the community. Stern lecture over. Enjoy the sun and the football.
Posted by: Andrew T | 19 June 2010 at 03:25 PM
It could be a lot worse - they could be throwing sponges at me while I preach. Er....that's not happening, is it?
Posted by: GadgetVicar | 19 June 2010 at 08:20 PM
I hope that your sermons will remain sponge-free.
But on a serious note, I was speaking with an elderly relative who told me of her fear that her minister was driving the people away by failing to gave a gospel message when preaching and just wanting to crack jokes. The only advice that I could give her was to try the EU kirk round the corner!
It is a solemn responsibility to be a minister and in such a post one should keep a balance between approachability and losing respect.
Posted by: Andrew T | 19 June 2010 at 10:02 PM
Careful, are sponges not part of the global warming/CFC/don't leave your TV on standby global warming hysteria????
Posted by: Andrew T | 19 June 2010 at 10:07 PM
Indeed, Fr.Gadgetvicar! Do not forget that you are Priest, offering Sacrifice and acting In Persona Christi, and so should be above such things? Does no-one respect the clergy anymore? ;)
Posted by: ryan | 19 June 2010 at 11:58 PM
Interesting, Andrew. Doubtless you've heard the examples of non-football fans joining in World Cup sweepstakes and complaining that the Netherlands are 'that made up country in Peter Pan' (anyone who thinks said joking originated in 'Friends' needs to start watching better Television!). The mighty oranje have always flattered to deceive, so it's about time they won the major trophy - interestingly, Johan Cruyf revealed a couple of yeas back that he only played in one World Cup as, circa Argentina 78, he received threats of kidnapping against his family. Talking of Argentina, they're surely another team that Scots should be rooting for (and are one of my 3 teams, the other being Italy and Brazil). Honoury Scotsman Diego Maradona has still got it, as this clip from the Korea game the other day shows :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYCJLqHvmJE
Very amusing to think that, prior to the World Cup, England pundits were genuinely claiming that Rooney is better than Messi(!!!!). And they wonder why Scots (or neutrals) don't support them... ;)
Posted by: ryan | 20 June 2010 at 12:04 AM
I had sponges chucked at me by the Youth club in my curatical days in Pollokshields, I didn't find it lowered my standing in the community - unless it further peed off the old dears who had nipped my heid about wearing red socks on Ash Wednesday. I told them to concentrate on adoring the Lord in the Sacrament at the elevation instead of looking at my socks! It's very Franciscan being a holy fool! Incidentally Ryan "stoning cretards" doesn't fit very well with "Let the one who without sin cast the 1st stone" to the Moral Rigourists who caught the wumman in mid bonk with one to whom she was not married. Not that I'm a fundamentalist but sometimes the plain sense of scripture has much to commend it!
Posted by: fr dougal | 20 June 2010 at 05:49 PM
If there are sponges to be thrown in services, can I have a shot? Missed my chance on Sunday :-(
Posted by: Jen | 21 June 2010 at 02:46 PM