MISSION STATEMENT ... To celebrate where it's deserved! ... To take the Michael out of institutions and individuals where it's deserved! ...
Recently I had occasion to prepare my gravestone epitaph:
GENE...
Educator, Novelist,
Humanitarian and Humorist
- TO KNOW HIM WAS TO LOVE HIM -
Rest in Peace
....... But while I am still walking the earth do not hesitate to contact me at:
bobbyslingshot8@gmail.com
Tuesday 28 February 2023
Charisma... what a misused word! Wherein Gene rants...
Billy Bragg ... all the charisma of a wet Thursday afternoon in Ruislip
I bristle when I hear anyone use the word charisma. It is so meaningless. About thirty-five years ago I recall listening to a young left wing lady gushing about a Billy Bragg concert she had been to. She said he had such charisma. My God! Billy Bragg has all the charisma of a wet Thursday afternoon in Ruislip.
Please everyone, stop using that meaningless word charisma.
Sunday 26 February 2023
From Today's Gospel...
The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says:
He will put you in his angels’ charge,
and they will support you on their hands
in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says:
You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’
Thursday 23 February 2023
In fact folks I had made an earlier prediction. Back in November 2021 I posted this below. Gene is one perspicacious dude...
NEXT STOP: GAY MARRIAGES HELD IN ANGLICAN CHURCHES. MARK MY WORDS.
Gay couple receive landmark Church in Wales blessing
IMAGE SOURCE,ANDREI DANIEL PRODUCTION
Image caption,
Fabiano Da Silva Duarte, left, and Father Lee Taylor were blessed by the Bishop of St Asaph
"This is a landmark and a really big step - a time to rejoice," said Father Lee Taylor.
Father Lee and his partner Fabiano Da Silva Duarte have become what is thought to be the first same-sex couple to be officially blessed by the Church in Wales.
It comes after the Church's governing body approved a new service of blessing for same-sex couples in September.
However it stopped short of allowing gay couples to marry in its parishes.
The move has put the Church in Wales at odds with its sister Anglican church, the Church of England, which forbids clergy from blessing gay couples.
Father Lee said the service, at St Collen's Church, in Llangollen, Denbighshire, was "extremely special".
"Our civil partnership took place at our local registry office in London in 2008. Although this was an important step for us it didn't really feel like an occasion for great celebration back then," he said.
"The ceremony was short and no religious content was permitted. It didn't feel like a solemn and sacred moment.
"So this [blessing] is a really big step. It's an opportunity to celebrate our love and union in the presence of God. It is exciting - a time to rejoice."
IMAGE SOURCE,ANDREI DANIEL PRODUCTION
Image caption,
Father Lee said the ceremony had the "look and smell" of a traditional wedding
He added: "We both have a deep faith and love of God and the church has always played an important part in our lives.
"We are very excited to have made this next step in our journey together."
With a choir, bell ringers and family and friends attending, Father Lee said the ceremony had the "look and smell" of a traditional wedding.
"It has been a very moving and meaningful service for us. It had all the bells and whistles but without the actual marriage part," added Father Lee.
IMAGE SOURCE,ANDREI DANIEL PRODUCTION
Image caption,
The Bishop of St Asaph said it was an "honour" to lead the blessing
However he admitted there were mixed emotions given same-sex marriages are still not permitted by the Church in Wales.
A blessing signifies, in theological terms, God's approval. It marks a significant shift from the historical church teaching that homosexual relationships are sinful.
However, the Evangelical Fellowship opposed the move, saying at the time it did not uphold the "standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman".
"It feels like we are only half way there. I would like to see the Church in Wales move forward now with same-sex marriages in church," said Father Lee.
"I believe that making a covenant with our spouse in marriage is a reflection of God's own covenant with us through Jesus."
IMAGE SOURCE,ANDREI DANIEL PRODUCTION
Image caption,
Father Taylor is priest-in-charge at St Collen's Church, Llangollen
The Bishop of St Asaph, the Right Revered Gregory Cameron, led the service at St Collen's Church, Llangollen, where Father Taylor is priest-in-charge.
He said it was "a great honour and privilege" to lead the first blessing for a gay couple that the Church was aware of.
Clergy have a "conscience clause" which means they can opt out of offering the blessing if they disagree.
The Scottish Episcopal Church became the first Anglican church in the UK to allow same-sex marriages in 2017.
Other Christian denominations in the UK that permit same-sex marriages include the Quakers in Britain, the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, and the United Reformed Church.
Tuesday 21 February 2023
BACK IN AUGUST 2022 I MADE THIS PREDICTION. SEE HOW QUICKLY ALL IS COMING TO PASS...
Wednesday, 3 August 2022
I know this may sound shocking. Nevertheless, I predict that gay marriages will take place in Church of England churches within the next ten years...
Gay marriages will take place in Church of England churches
within the next ten years
Okay, Justin Welby has reaffirmed Anglican doctrine that homosexual acts are always sinful. How many will take notice of that in the Church of England? The Church of England where in so many presbyteries vicars have installed their homosexual partners.
Believe me there will be gay marriage ceremonies celebrated in C of E churches within the next ten years.
Remember you heard it first from Gene.
...
Yes folks, since I made this prediction the C of E Bishop of Oxford has called for gay marriages to take place in C of E churches and the C of E Synod has voted to allow blessings of gay couples in C of E churches.
IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE GAY MARRIAGES WILL BE SANCTIONED TO TAKE PLACE IN C of E CHURCHES.
Yet the doctrine taught by the Church of England - and indeed taught by the Anglican Communion as a whole - is that homosexual acts are incompatible with the Scriptures.
What is the matter with the C of E? Gay marriages and blessings of gays should not even be talked about. Scripture is unequivocally clear about the sinfulness of homosexual acts.
Just consider what Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians had to say to the arsenokoitai:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals,thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive,and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Cor 6: 9-11
Saint Paul
And Detterling...
And Detterling don't think you are off the hook re retaliation for all the recent abuse you have given me.
I'm biding my time and rosining my bow as it were. You'll be hearing from me.
Early rocker Del Shannon is the subject of a comprehensive box set, Stranger in Town: A Del Shannon Compendium. The 302-track set spans his entire career, from his hits in the early 60s, his mid-60s recordings with Andrew Loog Oldham, to his 70s and 80s recordings with Tom Petty and Mike Campbell, as well as Jeff Lynne and Dave Edmunds. The 12-CD collection arrives Feb. 24, 2023, via Edsel Records.
From the announcement: Shannon was, without doubt, one of the most gifted and distinctive of musical talents to emerge in the immediate pre-“British Invasion” era of American pop. His was a talent that travelled well – indeed, his U.K. and European fanbase proved far more loyal and his success in those territories of greater longevity than in his native U.S. Moreover, he was also much admired by successive generations of musicians, including the likes of George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young. His songs, more often than not, essayed a bleak world of doomed romance, lovelorn disenchantment and existential gloom. Paradoxically, of course, those themes were frequently juxtaposed to surprisingly upbeat and bright-sounding melodies.
Stranger in Town is a compendium of the entirety of Shannon‘s career, It also includes all of his mid-80s “Nashville Sessions” recordings, most of which are issued for the first time, plus b-sides, demos and a further eight previously unreleased tracks. A 32-page booklet features photos and ephemera, plus extensive annotation by Alan Robinson.
This set contains all of Shannon’s hits, eight of which reached the Top Ten in the U.K., including the 1961 #1 hit on both sides of the Atlantic, “Runaway,” as well as “Hats Off to Larry,” “Hey! Little Girl,” “The Swiss Maid,” and “Keep Searchin’ (We’ll Follow the Sun).” Also included are Shannon’s recordings of two Lennon/McCartney songs, “From Me To You” and “A World Without Love.”
The collection includes the entire 1991 Rock On! album, recorded with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and produced by Mike Campbell and Jeff Lynne.
Shannon was born Charles Westover, on Dec. 30, 1934. He took his own life on Feb. 8, 1990, at age 55. He was inducted posthumously into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. The complete track listing is available here.
Sunday 19 February 2023
HANK MARVIN WRITES...
Gene, as someone born on Tyneside, I would like to extend my sympathy to you for the hurt my fellow Tynesider, Detterling, has caused you. Unforgiveable - the man is a swine.
Yours etc.
Hank Marvin
Gene replies:
Good to hear from you Hank. I'm putting Detterling out of my thinking. He is the ultimate nobody.
Shall we have a blast of APACHE? Well, yes I think we shall.
Well folks, I'm back. I returned to Chez Vincent this morning at 11.00am with a bunch of red roses for Marianne - red roses for a blue lady! And on Saint Valentine's Day!
I'm typing this after returning from Nonno Rosa in the High Street where Marianne and I had the most wonderful Valentine Night's meal. A lot of Chianti was put away - so my typing may not be perfect.
Yes, the past week or so has been a most difficult time but I'm returning very refreshed and optimistic. I stayed at a hotel in the Chilterns and spent time walking in the woods, praying and meditating and planning out the future.
Those vile threats, blackmail and abuse from Detterling - well, I'm not ashamed to say they got to me. I began to have a recurring nightmare of waking up in the morning and finding myself all over the papers. A great stress for any man to live with. I began to get a glimpse of the suffering and torment that poor Myrtle Thornberry and Annie Baker went through at the hands of the Clique. And by the way I thoroughly recommend to my readers Annie Baker's book ORDEAL! The Tale of my Torment and Suffering inflicted by the Clique. But be warned: it is as harrowing as any tale that has come out of Auschwitz - Birkenau.
Over the days of my isolation the words of Psalm 76 came often to my mind:
You have kept me awake, my eyes open;
in my distress, I did not speak.
I pondered on the days of old,
thought through the immemorial years.
In the night I meditated in my heart.
I was troubled, and I asked my soul:
Will God reject you for ever,
will he never again take you into his favour?
Has his kindness ended for ever,
But, I'm back and I will be fearless in my pursuit of truth and honesty.
And will I be taking aim at the Church of England? Is the Pope a Catholic?
Finally my response to Detterling's blackmail threats:
I have been in contact with him. He just has needed to get away for a week or so. He has said he was at the end of his tether. The most recent abuse, threats and blackmail from Detterling have all but destroyed him.
He described how he has had a recurring nightmare of waking up one morning, his phone goes and one of his friends informs him: "Gene you are all over the papers this morning". A terrible thing to live with.
He is staying at a hotel at an undisclosed location and will return to Uxbridge soon.
He wishes me to send the following message of defiance to Detterling:
I am writing to inform you that my husband Gene Vincent has gone missing. He is not answering telephone calls, texts or emails. Ominously he was last seen this morning walking along the Grand Union Canal between Uxbridge and Denham.
I have checked his blog and have read the vile abuse you have posted about him and the criminal blackmail you have threatened him with.
IF ANYTHING UNTOWARD HAPPENS TO GENE I WILL HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE.
