tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37852082011-04-21T13:44:38.644-07:00In CommunionAt the corner of "I bought in" and "I need to upgrade".chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.comBlogger571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1119642851518237792005-06-24T12:36:00.000-07:002005-06-24T13:29:32.620-07:00Fun with New MusicThanks to my launch radio subscription, I've lately been hearing a lot of music that I'd never been exposed to before. A lot of it, IMHO, is crap and I'm very thankful for that skip button. But then there have been those gems of discovery where I have to sit back for a second in my little cubicle and go "WOW, why have I never heard this before?"It get's even more frustrating chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1118430985974980392005-06-10T12:01:00.000-07:002005-06-10T12:42:24.643-07:00MY ARM WAS TWISTED INTO IT!Blah Blah BLah...Yeah I know it's been a year since my last post. It might be a year before my next. Since then my wife got pregnant, we had a baby girl, we moved next door, we vacationed in Oregon, I got a new job, and life has generally been very good. Don't really know what else to say without writing twenty pages on the significance of these events. If you read thischancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1088199454675235702004-06-25T14:22:00.000-07:002004-06-28T23:38:36.433-07:00How 180 Became Something Other Than Half a Circle...Part 2
So when I started noticing myself changing shape, I didn't really think much of for a while. In fact, at first I thought, "Wow, I really can gain weight." But in the last few weeks, I pondered it anew. But my thoughts were not specifically revolving around how large I am (most might say I am still small, with the exception of my wife chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1086729808450289152004-06-08T14:17:00.000-07:002004-06-25T00:22:46.923-07:00How 180 Became Something Other Than Half a Circle...Part 1
It happened today. I'm a strange one sometimes. My wife used to think me vain, because she would see me looking into the mirror, almost anytime there was one nearby. I still do. But now she knows it's not vanity I am pursuing in these adventures in reflection. Rather, it is curiosity and awe.
You see, the human body is a strange chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1085779618854873942004-05-28T14:13:00.000-07:002004-06-25T00:22:30.176-07:00What Would That Look Like...Part 2
In my last entry, I asked the question, "What would the life of a "saint unknown look like?" It is in looking around at the people I know that the question began to form in my mind. I'll explain.
I've noticed, in my experience, many children in the Orthodox Church, that were raised in the Church, and are...let see how shall I put this...a little different chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1085693387907922312004-05-27T14:19:00.000-07:002004-05-27T17:53:23.410-07:00What Would That Look Like?
Been thinking lately about the saints. In pondering their saintliness, I've noticed the abundance of what in my mind are akin to "Super-saints". By my definition these would be the clergy and monastic Saints.
Now granted, my knowledge of the panacea of Orthodox Saints is extremely limited, and I am sure there are some that would fall into my other category of "chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1085532590482585172004-05-25T17:46:00.000-07:002004-05-25T17:49:50.483-07:00Please Excuse the Mess, Under Construction
If things look funny or don't load the way you're used to, please be aware that I am attempting to work on my template and I know absolutely nothing about HTML. I'm just tinkering, trying to make this all a little easier on the eye ( White backgrounds are painful on my eyes).chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1085457839723235072004-05-24T20:53:00.000-07:002004-05-24T21:05:21.296-07:00I Exist
No, this is not some sort of conclusive statement about the reality of my being. I’m quite secure there (though I’m not telling you which way).
But upon some serious self-reflection recently, I’ve begun to notice a pattern, a theme, a consistent but curious state of be-ing. It hit me like two tons of cinderblocks (my weak attempt at avoiding cliché) while reading an excellent article chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1084997886342912292004-05-19T13:11:00.000-07:002004-05-19T17:33:44.376-07:00Last Night and Sleepers
I had an interesting night last night. On the one hand it was quite enjoyable. Cyb and I spent it with two couples, both of whom I have known since Jr. High School (the male portions of them anyway), and both of whom I have been musically involved with at various times in my life. There is a lot of history there.
As with most people you know for any extended period ofchancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1084567717645949992004-05-14T13:38:00.000-07:002004-05-14T16:13:07.136-07:00Click....Click....Click...
James’ post has got me thinking about my own past. I hesitate to even write about it, as invariably there will be people who don’t like what I say, probably on both side of the spectrum. So let me throw out my disclaimer, “These are just my thoughts. They may not be Orthodox, and to the extent that they are not, I need reproving”.
Many of you know I was raised inchancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1084394299099557822004-05-12T13:34:00.000-07:002004-05-12T13:38:19.100-07:00I’ve been struggling…
This struggling takes on many different dimensions. I’m not specifically meaning here the struggle against sins (though I have that daily as well), but more a struggle for my own personhood. If this is sounding vague and unintelligible, just you wait till I get started, and then it will be completely incomprehensible.
I liken it to that state of numb semi-shock the body chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1084211148134021842004-05-10T10:30:00.000-07:002004-05-10T10:47:57.770-07:00My Own Fall in the garden of Eden
Something that got me thinking lately. On Saturday I went to Life Giving Spring Bookstore, an Orthodox bookstore in Glendale. We went there for a few reasons, one of which was to talk to Anastasia, the owner. We got to talking about life in Greece, comparing and contrasting life in a small village with that in the larger cities.
I suppose in some senses, thechancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1083949130382285572004-05-07T09:58:00.000-07:002004-05-07T10:03:10.810-07:00Sunday Night Joy (Part 2)
Like I said, after On the Incarnation, we started working through St. John Climacus’ Ladder of Divine Ascent. This was a tough book. It wasn’t tough to read per se, but tough sometimes to assimilate. Sometimes, because the concepts were foreign, we’d have to wrestle with what was being said. But more often we wrestled because these were hard teachings.
This wasn’t chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1083871521297405262004-05-06T12:25:00.000-07:002004-05-06T12:29:41.090-07:00Sunday Night Joy (Part 1)
For those of you who don’t know (probably not many of you don’t), we have a Sunday night men’s study group. It’s not a bible study, and originally it wasn’t even Orthodox (none of us at that time were Orthodox). But now we have what is essentially a de facto Orthodox study group, as sadly we have no more non-Orthodox attendees.
Our group has, obviously, changed over chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1083724709585543492004-05-04T19:38:00.000-07:002004-05-04T19:42:47.293-07:00Crrreeeaaaak...(that's me coming out of the blogging cellar)
Well hello all. It's been six months, and for those of you masochists who kept coming back hoping to be rewarded, only to be let down....BRAVO, I say, BRAVO!!!! Your efforts have been rewarded. Now for the update.
I kinda quit blogging because there came a point where I felt my time was better served looking for work. I graduated chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1067387532625616482003-10-28T16:32:00.000-08:002003-10-28T16:32:49.606-08:00Looking For Help...
Ok, I have been presented with something at school that I am desirous of some assistance with. Please note, I an NOT looking for someone to do my assignment for me, but rather some tacts to take in its accomplishment. That said…
The assignment is in essay form. I have three essays from which to choose. The third one is somewhat intriguing, especially as I believe my chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1066897909369301772003-10-23T01:31:00.000-07:002003-10-23T01:31:49.113-07:00Many Years!!!
Today is the feast day of my God-father's Patron Saint, James the Brother of the Lord. What follows are what was sung in his honor last night at Vespers. Many Years Nuno.
Troparion in tone 4
You embraced the Gospel as a Disciple of the Lord;
As a martyr you did not betray it, O Righteous One!
As God's brother you have boldness before Him;
As a faithful Bishop it is yours to chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1066609066168956842003-10-19T17:17:00.000-07:002003-10-19T17:29:25.193-07:00Part II: Why I Haven't Been Posting Much Lately (though the title may soon become quite the piece of irony)
This started in my previous post, so if you haven't read it yet, and are wondering what this is all about, scroll down to the next post, then read the comments, then come back here. This is the response to the responders in the comment box. I thought about putting the comments I am chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1066298327393879332003-10-16T02:58:00.000-07:002003-10-16T07:06:08.256-07:00Why I Haven't Been Posting Much Lately
Okay, so it's been a while since I've posted anything besides interviews of/for either myself or someone else. Sorry about that. Life has been kinda hectic over here. I'm shopping for jobs for after I graduate (YAAAAAAAAYYY!!!!!!!) in December. I guess the fourteen year plan has some merit to it after all. But there has been something running around mychancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1065641722740740962003-10-08T12:35:00.000-07:002003-10-08T15:03:24.936-07:00My Reply to the "Bishop":
What follows is part two of my trilogy of interviews. I chose the "Bishop" because he fulfills the role of the person who doesn't really know me at all. I have never met nor spoken to him. I have only seen his blog recently. I thought it might be interesting to see what kinds of questions someone in this position might ask me, based purely on what they know of me chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1064356178773721592003-09-23T15:29:00.000-07:002003-09-23T15:29:38.653-07:00Questions for St. John the Dairy Consumer
1.You and I have at times spoken on how it was Buddhism that helped you realize that Orthodoxy was, as many have aptly put it, true Christianity. From your own experience, in what ways would you try to make inroads with a Buddhist to help him/her understand the path to this true Christianity?
2.Stemming from the assumption that "we are not what we chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1063748373794991612003-09-16T14:39:00.000-07:002003-09-16T14:39:33.683-07:00One Year Old and Potty(-mouth) Training
Well, yesterday marked the one year anniversary of my blog. What a year it has been. Much has changed in my life in that time. One year ago I was employed, I was single, I was outside the saving Ark of the Church, I lived in another city, I spent a lot more "free time" outside my home, and more germane to this blog, I was full of pride and on a mission.chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1062107844031404082003-08-28T14:57:00.000-07:002003-08-28T14:58:08.830-07:00C-Dub's in the mix…a reply
John wrote:
Mr. Whittamore has thrown his hat into the community of folks willing to share their innermost thoughts with the rest of us interloping eavesdroppers…
Should I inquire about his former "metal years"? Are they in fact - former?
Below are his questions, and below those my replies. Have fun, and comment if you want to be interviewed (read the rules at thechancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1060884376552489522003-08-14T11:06:00.000-07:002003-08-14T11:10:49.920-07:00My Journey with Mary the Theotokos (Conclusion)
0-2 years ago… At this point, I have now embraced the Church, with which come all of her teachings (you can’t take one and not the other). I remember once, when going through my first Akathist service for her, thinking to myself “Ok, so this is Mary, and this is what the Church teaches, but how does this assimilate?” We were singing “To thee, O chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1060587325801316132003-08-11T00:35:00.000-07:002003-08-11T00:35:25.700-07:00My Journey with Mary the Theotokos (Part 2)
2-3 years ago…I’d settled the Orthodox question, and Mary was good too. I still had a hard time with some of the language used, but had come to realize that this probably had more to do with my impure and unenlightened understanding than anything else. So I decided that in spite of my lingering queasiness on the Mary issue, there was more here at chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1060397843926867082003-08-08T19:57:00.000-07:002003-08-11T10:23:42.490-07:00My Journey with Mary the Theotokos (Part 1)
Well, we’re about midway through the Dormition Fast. For those of you unfamiliar with Orthodox Fasting practices, this is the time of the year where we fast for two weeks in honor of the Dormition (literally falling asleep) of the Ever-Virgin Mary. No, unlike the Roman Catholics, we do not believe that she went straight to heaven without dying. But chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1060365205492073612003-08-08T10:53:00.000-07:002003-08-08T19:35:46.243-07:00Squawkbox Hassles
Yesterday I was informed that my comments were not working. So I took a look and sure enough, Squawkbox has cancelled my account, for rather devious reasons. When I originally signed up with them, it said nothing about there being any sort of limitation to how much it can be used. To all appearances, it was just one of many free commenting sources. But alas, it now says chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1060126368105771892003-08-05T16:32:00.000-07:002003-08-05T16:32:48.093-07:00May His Memory Be Eternal
From http://www.sourozh.org/
"REPOSE OF METROPOLITAN ANTHONY OF SOUROZH
"The Diocese of Sourozh announces with sadness that its beloved founder and archpastor, His Eminence, Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, died peacefully today, Monday, 4th August, 2003, at the age of 89. Metropolitan Anthony served the Russian Orthodox Church in Great Britain for more than fifty chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1058923285495611302003-07-22T18:21:00.000-07:002003-07-22T18:22:59.296-07:00Mr. Mom (minus the kids)
Well, life over here has taken quite a few turns since my last post, and a few of you (Aaron and James) have been squeeling to know what's up in Whittamore land. A lot and not much.
On July 2nd, I was informed of my "release" from work. It really scared this newlywed, who wants to provide for his family and keep his wife home from work. I don't even have kids yet, chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1056750220726507922003-06-27T14:43:00.000-07:002003-06-27T14:43:40.616-07:00What Happened to the Mountain??!!
Well, I don’t usually post this sort of entry, but today I feel I must. I will do my durndest to keep things unemotional and civil, but it gets difficult when someone who purports to be what I am (not that I am in any way suggesting they are not), a Christian, devotes an entire issue of their ministries monthly devotional to deriding what I cherish and have chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-1056635631884990442003-06-26T06:53:00.000-07:002003-06-26T06:53:51.690-07:00Back in the Saddle Again
Well, We’ve been back for a week and a half, so I suppose it’s time to officially say my honeymoon is over, to give in to reality, and face the fact that I’m no longer in Greece. Sometimes denial really is just a river.
THE WEDDING:
WOW, what can I say? The Orthodox wedding is far beyond comparison to anything I’ve ever seen before. Experiencing it firsthand…. wellchancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-947558702003-05-22T14:41:00.000-07:002003-05-22T14:41:32.353-07:00Where Does Your Road Go?
As many of you know (many, as if I have millions of people reading this, but only two hundred thousand are in the know LOL) I am at present (checking watch) ten days, one hour, thirty one minutes and…….12 seconds away from being peacefully married. Peacefully, I know, it’s a strange word to append to in that context, so many connotations and what-not. Here’s what I chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-944722272003-05-16T14:57:00.000-07:002003-05-16T14:57:35.476-07:00A Very Tasty Cake
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about talking. Those of you that know me know I can talk. Those of you that don’t, well….that depends on your frame of reference. Some of you don’t have blogs, and so probably marvel at how much fodder rolls of my fingertips. Others post more on their blogs by 8am than I post all month, and might think me very quiet. I know a couple of chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-940673532003-05-09T12:00:00.000-07:002003-05-19T11:00:29.000-07:00COMMENT CAVE
This entry is simply for the aid of those who are unable (you know who you are, though any may post in here) to partake in any internet communication other than (strange though it may seem) blogs. Those pesky little workplace firewalls!!!!chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-934140472003-04-28T11:44:00.000-07:002003-04-28T11:44:11.080-07:00St. Paul and Familiar Smells:
Because my mind works in strange tangential ways, I found myself rapidly cycling through thoughts on my way to Church a few days ago. I smelled what seemed to be melting rubber, which got me to thinking about other strange smells, which got me to….well you get the picture. But somehow I finally arrived at this strange smell I notice from time to time, that always chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-928123022003-04-17T19:00:00.000-07:002003-04-17T19:00:07.046-07:00My First Doctor's Appointment
On Monday, I gave my life confession, part of the process leading up to my Chrismation on Saturday. The Church has many times been referred to as the hospital of the soul. Continuing in that analogy, I went and paid my first visit to the doctor and had a general physical. This is the place where healing begins.
Standing before the icons of Christ and the chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-911133302003-03-21T00:47:00.000-08:002003-03-21T00:47:28.670-08:00Liturgy
Ten years ago, if someone had asked me my preference in worship, I would have said something along the lines of "free-form where everything happens by the direction of the Holy Spirit". While perhaps there is a place for that (which is a subject I am not going to address now), I would no longer say that is "my prefered" way of worship. There are all kinds of reasons why I could give chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-909138992003-03-18T01:45:00.000-08:002003-03-18T01:47:19.000-08:00Karl, Who's reading what, and horse heads
Sometimes you just have to recognize that someone else can say something much better than you can. Go read this by Karl. Some good stuff on why the Orthodox Church practices closed communion. I'm still trying to work out my salvation, so I'll mostly keep my mouth shut for now.
On other notes, my mom informed me that she read Ware's Orthodox Church. chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-904468542003-03-10T01:12:00.000-08:002003-03-10T01:12:41.420-08:00 Forgiveness Vespers
Tonight began the great fast of Lent. It was also perhaps the most amazing service I have ever attended. The day began with our Sunday morning Divine Liturgy. Father Michael gave a homily on forgiveness. He quoted from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6:
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-903336502003-03-07T17:57:00.000-08:002003-03-07T17:57:38.280-08:00Jobs...a lesson in humility
Well, today marks the end of week one looking for a job again. The last one I had, a contract job, was supposed to be permanent, but due to some upper level machinations, only lasted two weeks. Needless to say, it was a blow to me. But here I am, trying to rest in God's provision. Cybil has been wonderful and strong in the midst of all this. She is truly a great chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-902786762003-03-06T19:30:00.000-08:002003-03-06T19:30:11.840-08:00Comments Schmomments
HOOOOOORRRAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!
After fighting my idiocy, I finally got comments to work. Hopefully I'll get my blog to look good too soon. Comment away if you like.chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-902614642003-03-06T13:52:00.000-08:002003-03-06T17:44:27.000-08:00A Pity my Piety
Well, it's been a while, but finally I'm back. Wedding plans are coming along. We had a great time meeting Jeremy and his wife Katherine last Friday. It's always wonderful to meet Orthodox people, especially converts, and to hear their stories. Wayne the brilliant was there too, and to think, as soon as I finally got to meet him in person, he'll be leaving for grad school chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-881276012003-01-27T17:07:00.000-08:002003-01-27T17:07:37.793-08:00Marriage as Happiness???
Well, it's been a while, but this is something appropriate, as I am preparing to be married. Today I was reading a great article called The Ecclesiology of St. Ignatius of Antioch by John Romanides. Now perhaps you're wondering what ecclesiology has to do with marriage. Well, it came up in the article in order to set up further points by way of example, but I liked chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-861374162002-12-16T16:17:00.000-08:002002-12-16T16:17:21.183-08:00Tell me an inch and I'll walk a mile
Well, as most of you can see, I'm not the most consistent of bloggers. This often isn't for lack of time, or even lack of desire, but in many ways (incoherent rambling alert!!) it is from lack of something to say. This is not to mean I don't have a lot of things on my mind. In fact, usually, I have a ton of things on my mind, things I would even like to chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-855053322002-12-04T14:56:00.000-08:002002-12-04T14:56:36.060-08:00Practice Makes Perfect
Today, while reading The Brothers Karamazov I came across this line spoken by the feeble-bodied and sickly Elder Zosima, apparently just before his death (he hasn't died yet in my reading, but it seems imminent).
"So many years have I taught you and, therefore, so many years have I spoken aloud, that I have almost acquired a habit of speaking, and of speaking in order to chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-852487962002-11-29T02:46:00.000-08:002002-11-29T02:46:35.673-08:00Catching Up
Well, over a month has gone by, and I've been pretty quiet here. My apologies to those of you who wonder what's been going on in my life. I could offer lots of excuses, and all of them would be valid to one degree or another, but in the scheme of things, this has not been a real high priority for me. I've had school and planning a wedding to take up most of my spare time.
So I'm chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-833240712002-10-21T17:20:00.000-07:002002-10-22T10:52:54.000-07:00How Do I Love Thee...
Well, I've been doing some thinking on something that perhaps I've always sorta known internally, but never really thought through in a concrete manner. Love is something learned. We live in world now, however, where it is rarely taught. Is it any wonder that we have SOOOO many crazy notions of love floating around? Is it any wonder that we often end up doing harm in chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-831244702002-10-17T09:52:00.000-07:002002-10-17T10:16:03.000-07:00On Bishops and Conciliarity
Well, it's been over a week, and I apologize to all three of you who actually care enough to see what's up in my life for the absence. I've been quite busy with school, anthropology to be specific. Now on to the interesting stuff.
We had the distinct pleasure of welcoming to our Parish the missionary Bishop of Ghana. WOW. It was overwhelming to be in the presencechancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-827197282002-10-08T19:34:00.000-07:002002-10-08T19:34:02.666-07:00My Big Fat Greek........MOUTH
Well, it’s been almost a week since the last post. Hope I haven't made all two of you wonder if I had dropped this project of mine altogether. It's just that my mother taught me, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all." So I, for once, have taken those words to heart. This begs the question though, of what is good speech. So often, I chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-824405682002-10-02T16:59:00.000-07:002002-10-03T16:18:14.000-07:00The pursuit of holiness.
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about this. So far I have come up with one thing that I can stand firmly upon in this regard. I am utterly unholy. But here's the really strange part. The more I struggle against my sin, the more I realize how utterly sinful I am, how pervasively I have allowed sin to mar and taint my being.
And yet, Christ told us "Be chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-823051882002-09-30T01:46:00.000-07:002002-09-30T01:46:27.780-07:00Tonight I was sitting discussing Orthodoxy with some friends of mine. During the course of it, one of my friends asked me, "What do you now think about what you used to believe? Were you wrong?" Now this is somewhat of a tricky question, not because this person was trying to be tricky, but because how I answer it can have a lot of possible implications, because she goes to the church I used to chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-820867232002-09-25T02:10:00.000-07:002002-09-26T10:44:42.000-07:00My mother called me the other day to see if I wanted some pictures of my family. I got them yesterday, and as I looked at them, these pictures of my grandfather, whom I never met, of my grandmother whom I still maintain is the Godliest woman I have ever personally known, these people who have helped shape me into the person I am today, I pondered them with adoration.
Yesterday I took a picture chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-820357812002-09-24T01:11:00.000-07:002002-09-24T01:32:38.000-07:00Today, my priest Fr. Wayne, sent out an encouragement. It resonated with me in a way that I sent him a response thanking him. It was from St. John Chrysostom, and reads as follows.
"When I was driven from the city, I felt no anxiety, but said to myself: If the empress wishes to banish me, let her do so; the earth is the Lord's. If she wants to have me sawn in sunder, I have Isaiah for an chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-819800372002-09-22T21:56:00.000-07:002002-09-22T21:56:44.683-07:00Sometimes, in our passion for the truth, we forget that part of the truth is recognizing that you don't know it all, nor will you ever. This is a lesson I have to learn time and time again. I so frequently see how completely far I fall short of the truth. And so it comes again that I have to humbly beg the forgiveness of anyone who may be reading this.
You see, I know the dark secrets of my chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-818884312002-09-20T14:17:00.000-07:002002-09-20T14:17:36.360-07:00Well, it's been a few days, and to be honest, I have enjoyed doing not much at all. I say this not so you can all be jealous; on the contrary, I say it to bring up a point about communion that is often minimalized. HONESTY...
Now some might say, you just talked about that a few days ago, so why bring it up again? Because if we are going to attempt to have a relationship (yes I did say attemptchancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-816815332002-09-16T11:02:00.000-07:002002-09-16T11:03:29.000-07:00Well, this morning, I was in a minor fender bender. It was my fault; I rear ended this guy. Now my natural reaction at the point of impact was to start thinking thoughts like, "What can I do to get out of this?" Now the easy way to combat this kind of thinking is to look at the ten commandment and remember that we're not supposed to lie (I didn't by the way.) There are a lot of things that chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3785208.post-816506182002-09-15T18:44:00.000-07:002002-09-15T19:01:10.000-07:00Welcome to In Communion. As noted in the description, living in communion was what mankind was created for. At creation, God and man had a unique relationship that was intimate and beautiful. At the introduction of sin, the nature of our relationship was forever changed, as our ability to commune with a Holy God was marred, because sin, by definition, is that which damages the intimate chancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11692220137170158825noreply@blogger.com0