The Feast of St. Thomas - A Helpful Meditation

It's the Feast of St. Thomas today. He doubted, like the Church of England itself but unlike the Episcopal Church, came to great faith.

Thomas scorned liturgical dance

And hated bad vestments

He was against wimmyn bishops, note Gloucester's teeth. And...

He stood for the Faith.

Here's the collect.

ALMIGHTY and everliving God, who, for the greater confirmation of the faith, didst suffer thy holy Apostle Thomas to be doubtful in thy Son's resurrection; Grant us so perfectly, and without all doubt, to believe in thy Son Jesus Christ, that our faith in thy sight may never be reproved. Hear us, O Lord, through the same Jesus Christ, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for evermore. 

Amen.

LSP 

Peace is Flowing

Do you recall Gulf War I, 1990-91? When Bush the Elder launched against Saddam? You may have forgotten but I remember because I called up several pals in the UK at the onset of hostilities and asked if they'd had their "call-up papers." It went like this.

"Hey man, you had your papers yet?"
"What?"
"You know, call-up papers. They're drafting anyone under the age of 40 with military service."
"You gotta be kidding."
"No I'm not. I got mine yesterday, have to report to Depot Lichfield next week. It's really serious."
"What the..."
"Hey, kiddng!"

Imagine several people's relief. But seriously, the pathetic comsymp Independent predicted 45,000 allied soldier deaths and all-out Armageddon, along with the rest of the leftist media. Point being, they were pacifists and I scorned that. Fast forward to today.

Syria

America's been in a state of war for nearly 30 years, fighting continuously in the Middle East and elsewhere. The cost, in terms of lives and money has been horrendous, to say nothing of failed states and the movement of radicalized Muslims into the West.

Military age males?

With that in mind, you'd think the leftist media would applaud Trump making good on his promise to end our involvement in seemingly endless wars. You'd imagine they'd be pleased that we're bringing soldiers home from Syria and Afghanistan. But no, they're not.

Iraq

The left, which used to be the party of peace, is howling with outrage along with their friends in the GOP. And my question is this.

Since when and why did the, ahem, peace party reinvent itself into a nest of transsexual jingo hawks? I can speculate but I'd welcome your thoughts. 

Going home

In the meanwhile, well done Mr. President for making good on another campaign promise. Check out LL here for a great Syria briefing.

Peace is flowing like a river,

LSP

Hunt 'Em Up!

Some of the Birds and a Couple of 20s

There's a method to it. Three pointers surge and bound through the long grass ahead of you, followed by an equally bounding spaniel. They're excited to be on the hunt for birds and so are you, shotgun in hand.

First point. Two dogs stand stand stock still on either side of a patch of cover and the spaniel leaps forward. "Hunt 'em up!" urges the guide and that's just what the dog does, going into the grass after the bird which erupts into the air like a rocket. Shoot! And it's bird down, good shot, CB.

Bishop Exultant

This repeated itself for the rest of the morning, pheasant, partridge and quail rising bravely into the 20 gauge flak storm. I wasn't desperately impressed with my shooting but connected with the avian adversary well enough. 

To be honest, I was wary of shooting a dog (!, some do...) and pretty rusty. CB did better and it goes to show the value of a good warm up on clays the day before. We probably should've shot twice the mixed bag we did but regardless, huge fun.

A Typical Scene at the Lodge. Note Keepers Tweed

Afterwards we fell back to the lodge which was all go with returning hunting parties, guides, ATVs, dogs and general magnificence. Then, on the heels of a short exeat in asset stripped Ranger, we went out again, for an exotic spot and stalk. Aoudad, Impala, Axis, Blackbuck, Gemsbok, Oryx and more; big fun and it gets the adrenaline up. Good training for the real thing.

The evening was spent around the fires of  Greystone Castle and the talk was on Mazarin, Richelieu, the repellent Macron, but mostly 15thC Florentine power politics and hermeticism. 

Hermetic

CB, who knows the arcana, tells me that Hermes Trismegistus is a Persian forgery as opposed to a translation from the Egyptian. If so, it still throws light on magic in antiquity at around the time of Christ, and it was burgeoning. 

That in mind, Origen Contra Celsus makes the point that since Christ the magic doesn't work anymore. A common feature of Christian apologetic at the time and one which, as far as I know, wasn't disputed by the pagans. The demons were vanquished. 

The Illuminati Demons Struck This Town

Will they return? St. John the Divine, the Apostle, and Jesus Himself seem to suggest they will and I'd argue we're beginning to see the resurgence. Time, of course, will tell.

The other hunters were intrigued by the conversation, har har, but became respectful when they discovered CB had shot a 193" buck the day before. Not shabby at all. I saved face, massively, by coming from Hillsboro, which is hardcore by anyone's standards.

Out in the Field

The next day dawned all too soon and it was time for me to head back to Hill County and then Dallas to fix lights on the tree, and CB to fly off to Connecticut and the world of Old Masters. And I have to say, what  a lot of fun.

Outstanding enjoyment at every level and a cooler full of bird to boot; I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. Big thanks to our guide, Hans, who was excellent, and most of all to CB for the invite. Great result. 

Greystone Castle, in Texas

If you can, check out Greystone Castle. I tell you without reservation, you will enjoy it.

Hunt 'em up!

LSP

Lights

If you use the New Skool Lectionary (NSL) you're probably just recovering from John the Baptist's brood of vipers, so here's a few Christmas lights to uplift the spirit, even though it's not Christmas yet. But so what, they look good in our barbarous machine age.

Here we see the Holy Family threatened by a Green Santa Demon. Nearly a third of Americans want Santa to be gender neutral or "trans," apparently.

I like this glowing Snowman, busy holding down the brick fort.

This one sings at you as you walk by, I like that, sweet.

Her decorations don't change from year to year and we'd always exchange a sunny hello as I walked Blue Advent to the Pick 'n Steal. But she doesn't come out on the porch anymore, better check on that, pastor.

I call this bury me in southern ground and don't tread on me. I love this house and the person who lives there and stands up for the Faith. And that's that, a quick tour around the Christmas lights of this small farming community in Texas.

God bless,

LSP

Church of England Gets Trans Baptism Ritual

As all the world knows, the venerable if shrinking CofE's finally stepped up to the plate and decided to celebrate, bless and affirm transsexuals in a special new naming ritual taken from the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith (ABF).

The new trans worship ceremony's like a Baptism that isn't a Baptism and includes, if High Church desired, anointing with oil, a splash of water and, of course, prayers and a blessing. 

Point being, don't feel like a blasphemous parody of a man or a women. Instead, celebrate your new identity; choice of personal pronoun? Rigorously observed. Such is freedom from tyranny in the 21st Century.

Imagine, just like women's ordination, how this prophetic stance will fill the pews. Until it doesn't. And we have to ask, how many "thought leaders" in the Promethean attempt to overthrow the chains of DNA, Chromosomes and biology itself are ritual occultists? 

To what extent is the decision making body of the Church of England given over to the Adversary. Does that sound extreme, do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law?

To help you formulate an answer, here's a picture of Bruce Jenner. If you want to read about the Church of England's new Strategy For Mission, go here.

All means all,

LSP

Dear Mr. Fantasy

Because this is an uplifting family blog, here's Mr. Fantasy. Good work, Traffic. My dad, rest in peace, used to call Winwood "Stevie Boy," and got him to help out with the Mass music from time to time. Quite a thing in a small church in 'Nam; that'd be Cheltenham, obviously.

I visited "Stevie Boy's" recording studio in the Cotswolds, it was like a spaceship. No kidding.

BTW, Arc of a Diver is rubbish. Sorry.

Rollright,

LSP

Cheer Up!

I apologize. This lighthearted mind blog's become a bit serious, full of letters by French Generals, photos of aging female trolls, assorted Illuminati stooges and the dupe pawn jihadi shills of the NWO. So cheer up and enjoy America's popular and glamorous First Lady looking good on deck. 

And some rod and gun. Shakespeare Ugly Sticks guarding an SKS. Proper little Chicom blaster. Nice, right?

But what about this, a plush unicorn "comfort sock," which has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the Church of England. Beautiful, isn't it.

And for good measure, a lovely Christmas tree ornament.

There, better already!

Your Friend,

LSP

French Generals Accuse Macron Of Treason

Ten Generals, an Admiral, a former Defense Minister and a Colonel have signed an open letter accusing Macron of treason. Here it is, via Free West Media:

Mister President,

You are about to sign the “Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration” on 10 and 11 December, which establishes a genuine right to migration. It may impose itself on our national legislation through pre-existing treaties or the principle of common responsibility set out in this pact.

It seems to us that the only sovereignty that will remain with France will consist in freely setting the way in which the objectives of the pact will have to be implemented. You can not give up this new part of the national sovereignty without a public debate whereas 80% of the French population considers that it is necessary to stop or regulate drastically the immigration. By deciding alone to sign this pact, you would add an additional reason for revolt to the anger of an already battered people. You would be guilty of a denial of democracy or treason against the nation.

In addition, the finances of our country are drained and our debt is growing. You can not take the risk of an expensive call for air migration without first showing that you will not have to resort to more taxes to meet the objectives of the pact. On the other hand, you must be able, in terms of security, to curb the consequences linked to the arrival of extra-European populations. Finally, you can not ignore that the very essence of politics is to ensure security on the outside and harmony within. However, this concord can be obtained only if it maintains a certain internal coherence of the society alone capable of allowing to want to do together, which becomes more and more problematic today.

In fact, the French state is late in coming to realize the impossibility of integrating too many people, in addition to totally different cultures, who have regrouped in the last forty years in areas that no longer submit to the laws of the Republic.

You can not decide alone to erase our civilizational landmarks and deprive us of our carnal homeland.

We therefore ask you to defer the signing of this pact and call by referendum the French to vote on this document. You are accountable to the French of your actions. Your election is not a blank.

We support the initiative of General MARTINEZ against the signature of this pact which must be adopted by the Member States of the UN at the Intergovernmental Conference of Marrakech.

General Antoine MARTINEZ

Charles MILLON – Former Minister of Defense

General Marc BERTUCCHI

General Philippe CHATENOUD

General André COUSTOU

General Roland DUBOIS

General Daniel GROSMAIRE

General Christian HOUDET

General Michel ISSAVERDENS

Admiral Patrick MARTIN

General Christian PIQUEMAL

General Daniel SCHAEFFER

General Didier TAUZIN

Colonel Jean Louis CHANAS

Make of this what you will and good luck, Macron.

LSP

Macron is so Very Awesome

The failed Faux Bonaparte, Illuminati ruler of France and the European Union was forced into making embarrassing concessions to nationalist populists this week, such as scrapping a hated weather tax and raising the minimum wage.

Problem is, people smell blood in the water. Here's a mechanic, via Zerohedge:

He is trying to do a pirouette to land back on his feet but we can see that he isn’t sincere, that it’s all smoke and mirrors,” said Jean-Marc, a car mechanic as a gathering of some 150 Yellow Vests in the southern town of Le Boulou.

“It’s just window dressing, for the media, some trivial measures, it almost seems like a provocation,” said Thierry, 55, a bicycle mechanic.

“All this is cinema, it doesn’t tackle the problems of substance. “We’re really wound up, we’re going back to battle,” he told AFP before taking part in blocking the Boulou turnpike on the French-Spanish border.

“Maybe if Macron had made this speech three weeks ago, it would have calmed the movement, but now it’s too late. For us, this speech is nonsense,” said Gaetan, 34, one of the “Rennes Lapins Jaunes” (Yellow Rabbits of Rennes).

It looks as though the protests are set to continue and many Americans, at least in my zone, don't get it. Who are these awful Communists?  They ask, bewilderedly old paradigm.

Look, an Illuminati troll hiding behind Macron!

No, surely it's the same urge that put Trump in power. Disgust in a smug, self-serving, elite, NWO kleptocracy which apparently cares nothing for the bulk of the citizenry. Heck, they outsourced all the jobs to China and then attempted to weather tax everyone to make up the deficit. All those immigrant votes don't come cheap you know.

Here she is again, Vive La Trolle

Whatever. The French don't seem to be buying and you can't blame them, though you might ask who's going to lower taxes and increase welfare and how. To put it another way, can you have the unfortunate Antoinette's cake and eat it too?

And again! Brigitte La Trolle crops up everywhere

In related news, an immigrant homegrown Moslem of Moroccan descent shot up a Christmas Market in Strasbourg yesterday, yet again proving the value of multiculturalism. 

I'd imagine the French are wondering why Muslims have been imported into France so they can kill French people. Just remember, Islam's a religion of peace and Jihad isn't violent, that's why it means war. 

Cheers,

LSP

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Today's the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, and we celebrate her appearance to Juan Diego and the miraculous Tilma. Many attribute the remarkable conversion of Mexico to this; I have a personal interest.

There I was, years ago, saying the evening Office in a church on the suburban ghetto side of the DC/Maryland border. It was my first US parish and I prayed fervently that God would grant us real Marian devotion. No, not the typical Anglican small-icon-in-a-corner, fine as that is, but the whole nine yards.

Note Shrine at Back of Church

Perhaps you know the kind of prayer, heartfelt and white knuckled as you like, and there it was. The next day I went over to church to say Morning Prayer and knelt down in the usual place, but out of the corner of my eye something seemed different. It was.

Over against the back wall of the church sat a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe on a table, and not a small one either. This statue was a good four foot high and came complete with eyelashes. No kidding, the real deal.

A Typical Street Scene

It turns out some Mexicans had brought her over as an offering after I'd finished Evening Prayer. And there she was, La Guadalupana. Those of you who know what that means in an Anglican church without Marian devotion can imagine my reaction. But I'd prayed for it and found myself caught out!

In my last year in that parish, the infamous heretic bishop figure, John Chane, came to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation. He came with a couple of seminarians in tow from Virginia Theological Seminary, famous then for its lesbian ethics professor. 

All Rigged up For Easter And Solemn High Mass

I showed one of the seminarians around the sanctuary before Mass, and he asked in his bow-tied way if we had any "programs." I answered, "No, not especially," and he sat down in the benches, looking skeptical and annoyingly brainy. 

Thirty minutes later they began to arrive, at least 300 people and 35 confirmands; for goodness sake, it was standing room only and people spilled out onto the grounds.

Remember, Roman Catholics and big church Evangelicals, this is a lot for an Anglican church in Maryland. My bow-tied friend sat there, next to the banditos, and they were, meditating on the nature of the program. Well, you can't beat that old time religion.

A Statue

At the end of Mass, I directed heretic Chane to the Guadalupe shrine, where the people were 6 deep and in the spirit. He knelt down and lit a candle while I intoned the Regina Coeli. Moral of the story?

Don't underestimate the power of prayer and the intercession of Our Lady.

Ave,

LSP

It's Gettin' Stormy!

Do you remember the bizarre contender for the Democrat 2020 throne, Michael Avenatti, popularly known as Creepy Porn Lawyer (CPL)? Sure you do, CPL's the hot shot lawyer representing Stormy Daniels, the famous dancing prostitute who went after Trump for an alleged affair in 2006. 

Stormy owes Trump money

But things haven't been easy for Stormy or CPL. Just today, a California judge ordered the stripper to pay Trump over $290,000 in legal fees, including  $1000 in sanctions for a frivolous lawsuit against the president. Stormy, under the aegis of the brilliant CPL, had sued the president for defamation following a Trumpian tweet and... lost the case.

CPL, defender of wimmyn's rights everywhere

How will Stormy pay the bill? Through her gofundme appeal of course, which as of August had raised $585,563. That'll cover the fine and some of CPL's fees, and we have to thank all the well meaning progressives who helped finance Trump's legal team. 

Whether Stormy and CPL will win their NDA lawsuit against the president remains to be seen. If they do, the proceeds might go some way towards covering Avenatti's mounting financial woes.

Just one of the fellas!

CPL's been ordered to pay his ex-wife $37,897 in child support and $124,398 in spousal support. A month. Far more than most people in the world earn in a year or several. 

And that's not all, the hapless Avenatti's been ordered to give his fortunate Ex his Farrari Spyder, ahem "art," his collection of super pricey watches and a share in a private jet, all by way of retroactive payments to his former wife.

One of the best things about cocaine is that it doesn't make you arrogant or weird.

What a lot of money! Amounting to rather over a $1 million a year, and that's before the unfortunate champion of womyns rights has even bought anything. Who knows, maybe CPL's going to recoup the loss with a staggeringly, not coke-fueled, win against Trump with his All Star client, Stormy.

She, by the way, ran for office as a Republican back in 2010. Here's Wikipedia:

In April 2010, Daniels finally declared herself a Republican candidate. Her decision was inspired by disclosures that the Republican National Committee (RNC) had paid expenses for fundraisers at a "lesbian bondage themed nightclub" in Los Angeles, stating that the revelations "finally tipped the scales".

I tell you, can't make this stuff up. Hunter Thompson's Generation of Swine was a couple of decades early and millions of dollars short. 

And who knows, maybe Stormy will make up the deficit by dancing in her declining years. Good luck to her.

I loved this place

CPL, on the other hand? Perhaps Satan's discarded its malfeasant toy.

Cheers,

LSP

Get it Together

OK, so you've got these neat metal chairs which belonged to your Great Great Grandmother, and there they sit, restored and gleaming on the newly painted porch. Great result, no doubt about it, but something was missing. A swing.

The swing arrived last week and sat in its box while our old enemy, The Weather, attacked us with an endless barrage of rain. Then it cleared, the climate changed and out came the swing, ready for painting.

Blue Painter

It lay there looking pristine and wooden at the front of the Compound, ready for a light sanding and paint. I opted for cheap white enamel primer & paint spray for the first couple of coats and then Rustoleum's "professional grade" white enamel. That was cheap too, thanks, Walmart.

Typical Texan Street Art

Rustoleum's hi-grade spray paint is apparently tough enough for "industrial applications," so I figured it'd probably do the trick. Time, all three of you who read this engaging mind blog, will tell. And I have to say, spray painting wood takes a while; maybe I should have brushed on the primer. Still, perhaps spray makes for a better finish.

Painted, at Last...

Then it was done. A painted porch swing sitting on its cardboard box in front of the house in the Texan sun, waiting for the paint to do its thing and dry in the marketeers' promised 15 minutes, which it pretty much did.

Well I'll be, There's a Swing on The Porch

Now it's on the porch, suspended by two 10' chains and I thank our ancestors for being wise to high ceilings, it makes a difference.

Rifle to Pot

To celebrate this victory, I broke out a pack of venison sausages from their refrigerated prison, made some batter and put it all together in a heavy metal pot. It'll be toad in the hole in a bit, and goes with onion gravy, delicious.

Porch life,

LSP