Who's Kirbyjon Caldwell?

I was recently asked to sign a petition in support of Barak Obama put together by Kirbyjon Caldwell. Who? So I looked around the web and this is what I found.

"Metanoia Ministry
We are pleased to announce the creation of " The Way, The Truth and The Life", a program created to provide Christ Centered instruction for those seeking freedom from homosexuality, lesbianism, prostitution, sex addiction and other habitual sins".

Apparently, Kirbyjon Caldwell who was spiritual adviser to George W. Bush and is the pastor of Houston’s Windsor Village United Methodist Church, and senior pastor of “ex-gay” brainwashing program Metanoia Ministries has announced his endorsement for Barack Obama, and says he plans to campaign for Obama, apparently with the blessings of the Obama campaign: “I have been in contact with the Obama campaign team,” he said. “I will be making visits on his behalf.” The "Metanoia Ministry was a ministry of the Windsor Village United Methodist Church until he was called on it by some gay activists then it "mysteriously" disappeared from the website and the spiritual leader said that there were many ministries in his church and he was "not aware of all of them? 

ed. note This minister came from the business world before he was called and I would call this poor business practice at the least. Or, well breaking one of the commandments? But I'm not casting stones, well maybe I am ;-) I think Obama should vet his ministers a little better before he signs them to speak for him.

Finally Friday Five on Summer Reading

Songbird, a former children's librarian, has posted this wordy-get it-Friday Five:

"This week, then, a Summer Reading Friday Five."

1) Do you think of summer as a particularly good season for reading? Why or why not?
I think every season is a good season for reading. I'm rarely without a book in my hand and for years after I moved to NY, did not even have a television. I was a snob, "Oh, no..I read!" I even considered a vocation as a Librarian.

2) Have you ever fallen asleep reading on the beach?
Never!

3) Can you recall a favorite childhood book read in the summertime?
I never knew that that's what they were and my particular library, the Girard, Ohio Free Library, where I later worked as a page, did not feel it important to alphabetize the children's books at that time-but did later when I worked there. made them hard to find. They were the Nancy Drew books. I only knew them the mystery books by McGowan and I really wanted to live IN the books.

4) Do you have a favorite genre for light or relaxing reading?
I know it doesn't sound relaxed, but I like mystery's, not the cozy or cute ones, but the hard boiled ones, with serial killers. With authors like Jeffrey Deaver and John Sanford and Sue Grafton and Sarah Paretsky and Kathy Reichs-much better that the TV show based on her books.

5) What is the next book on your reading list?
Well, I'm currently really enjoying "Here If You Need Me" by Kate Braestrup. I've been reading a lot of thoughtful books by women writing about spirituality as I've been discerning my faith.

I loved this FF and I really love reading.

Friday Five

Garden Party

Last Night was the annual Garden Party, fund raiser for the GLBT Center of NYC. This years theme was food and entertainment. There were 35 restaurants represented with little tents serving a small course. I met April Bloomfield of the Spotted Pig (one of the judges of Top Chef) and Lisa one of the top three finalists of Top Chef, looking fabulous in her new short haircut. The best restaurants in NYC were represented. The MC was Kate Clinton, and Ruth Reichl former reviewer for the New the New York Times and presently the editor of Gourmet Magazine spoke. The Lavender Light Gospel Choir sang. The site was a pier on the Hudson. The weather stayed clear despite the threat of rain and even the high humidity lifted. The sunset on the river was beautiful

Manchester, who are you

I'm having a frequent visitor from Manchester England England. Across the Atlantic sea. And I'm a genius genius. I believe in God...

So who are you? You must be one of the RevGals? Or are you someone else?

Well, If you want to chat in person, there's this thing. It claims to be a tunnel but we know better. It uses, well, I'll let the article explain it:

"It was possibly the most laborious and least informative interview ever conducted.
It took about five minutes, yielded a one-word answer, and gave little real flavour of the subject.
Still - it was conducted using two whiteboards, two marker pens, and it was done over a distance of 3,471 miles (5,585 km).
How? Well there are two answers to that.
If you believe artist and inventor Paul St George then his "Telectroscope" connects New York and London via a (very) long tunnel running through the earth's crust, with the images bouncing back and forth using mirrors.
The other explanation is that it is all done by optical fibres - take your pick.
One end of the "tunnel" emerges next to Tower Bridge on the banks of the Thames in London - the other is next to Brooklyn Bridge on the banks of New York's East River.
It looks like something HG Wells might have imagined.
Each end has a giant telescope-like construction which appears to punch its way out of the earth.
There are dials, and levers, and thermometer gauges on the side of the 20m long brass and wood construction.
Peer into it and you can see people on the other side of the Atlantic.
Wave at them, they wave back at you.
Write on the whiteboard, and ask a question, and they will write back."

So, want to try? It would have to be early, I mean early, est time in the morning because in NYC there are very long lines.

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