Personal Time Management - A New Year's Resolution

 As we embark upon another year, I recalled a worship I offered last year to a group of fellow clergy. I thought it might be helpful for those whose New Year's Resolutions include better time management. With some minor alterations under "Professional", this might be a blessing for you this New Year, by God's grace. The last section is designed for clergy, but a a fine reminder for anyone who is in a position of guiding others, such as psychologist and counselors etc. Happy New Year.

I.                   Prayer at the center of life – Reference to a life of prayer both in the Old Testament and the New Testament should make clear that our life must center on prayer. Prayer must become not just a private event when we feel the call to prayer, but should be incorporated into our daily schedule as a “Non-Negotiable” appointment.

II.                Priorities – We must learn to set and balance our priorities before we can begin to manage our time and appointment books. These are in four categories:

A.                Personal – examples include: prayer, exercise, prayer, study, retreat, sleep, eat, etc
B.                 Family – examples include: mealtime, fun time, date nights, homework time, bed time with the kids, etc
C.                 Professional – examples include: meetings, classes, study, development, pastoral, etc
D.                Friends – examples include: birthdays, anniversaries, class reunions, etc

III.             Art of Creating (and maintaining) my schedule

A.                Materials – day timer, outlook, smart phone, etc
B.                 Establish basic patterns for regular events per week or month
C.                 Work the Schedule – once you have created a “standard” weekly schedule you can react as unexpected events such as funerals and hospital calls occur. You will often be called upon to amend your schedule for an emergency, but with a well made schedule you will be able to identify what has to be shuffled around rather than ignored.
1.                  Personal and Family – determine “non-negotiables” ie: home for dinner, story time with the kids, etc
2.                  Professional – determine “non-negotiables” ie: Sunday worship schedule, bible studies, classes, etc
3.                  Family and Personal – locate “random” events – ie: school programs, date nights, etc.
4.                  Professional – locate “random” events – ie: sermon prep, letter writing, blogging, etc.

IV.             Difference between working and being “on-call” 24 hours – Just because we (especially clergy) might be “on-call” that doesn’t mean we should be always working. It is imperative that we take time EVERY DAY with our families and spend days on excursions, etc. This is especially important for clergy who might be counseling young families. How can we advise real estate agents to go home for dinner with their family if we don’t? It lends to integrity, but it also honors God.

On the Seventh Day of Christmas – The Leavetaking of Christmas

The term “leavetaking” refers to the day when the Church closes one Feast and begins the cycle of another. There are nuances in the services of the Church which can assist you in understanding how this plays out. For example, in the dismissal prayer of the Church services, when the Priest stands at the Royal Gate at the end of Divine Liturgy (or any service) he offers a prayer which begins “May Christ our true God, Who…” (on Sundays –  is risen from the dead).  After Christmas the Priest says, “May Christ our true God, who was born in a cave and laid in a manger for salvation, through the intercession of the Theotokos, etc.” The “Who is” portion of the prayer reflects the Festal period, which lasts from the Feast until the Leavetaking, the Church is currently celebrating. So, today is the final day the prayer will include a reference to Christmas. Tonight during Great Vespers, the Church will switch to references to the Circumcision of Christ, which is celebrated on January 1^st.

You might be wondering then, if today is the Leavetaking of Christmas, why does the Church have the 12 Days of Christmas? This is an important question to understanding the calendar of the Church. For the first 300 or so years of Christianity, Christmas wasn’t celebrated like it is today. The Church celebrated Theophany, or the Lord’s Baptism, as the main feast of the “coming” of God into the world since this was the first public revelation of His presence. It was later that the Church began to focus also on His actual birth, but the two were intimately linked. When the Church “links” events you can also understand the connection in the hymns of the Church.

For example at the Royal Hours of Christmas (celebrated normally on Christmas Eve morning, or the Friday morning before Christmas if Christmas falls on a Sunday or Monday) the Church prays the hymn:

Today is born of a Virgin, he who holds creation in the hollow of his hand (three times). As a mortal he is wrapped in swaddling rags, he who in his being cannot be handled. God lies in a manger, who of old established the heavens in the beginning. He is nourished with milk from the breast, he who rained Manna on the People in the desert. He summons Magi, the Bridegroom of the Church. He accepts their gifts, the Son of the Virgin. We worship your birth, O Christ (three times). Show us also your divine Theophany.

This hymn is sung in the same fashion as “Today is hung upon the Tree…” from Holy Friday. The Church links the two events (Christmas to Theophany) by directing our attention from one event toward the other. From the hymns, we see the emphasis of the Church: the PURPOSE of celebrating Christmas is to LEAD us to Theophany, just as the purpose of celebrating the Crucifixion leads us to the Resurrection. This is why we refer to the 12 Days of Christmas, even though we stop saying Christ is Born after today. This is also why the Church DOES NOT FAST during these days until January 5th, the Eve of Theophany.

So, for one last time, Christ is Born; Glorify Him!

On the Sixth Day of Christmas – A New Normal

Is your life back to normal since Christmas? I hope not! When the Magi departed from their visit to Christ, they were warned by an angel to “return another way” since Herod was secretly trying to kill Christ. “Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way” (Matthew 2.12) As the first week of Christmas approaches an end, we should take the same advice, and return to life “another way,” the way of repentance.

Just as Herod sought to destroy Christ, many today still attempt daily to destroy His Church and lead believers away from Him. With the New Year just around the corner, many of us makes New Year’s Resolutions to live a better life; to quit smoking, lose weight, travel to faraway places, or spending more time with family. This year, make a resolution to establish a “new normal” in your relationship with Christ.

Make a resolution to:

Prayer more…

Fast more…

Attend Church services more…

Help the needy more…

Receive the Sacraments of the Church more….

Read the Bible more…

Read the Fathers more….

Read about the Saints more…

Live more!

On the Fifth Day of Christmas – When Will the Suffering End?

According to the 12 Days of Christmas SONG, today is the day we expect five golden rings. Instead of gifts today, the Church offers us instead a somber reminder of the suffering at the hands of King Herod. In his rage against God, he slaughtered thousands of innocent infants, trying to kill the new-born Jesus. The world is still raging against God, with the killing of millions of babies by abortion and tens of thousands of others at the hands of terrorists in the Middle East.

The terror continues against God’s people, not because they (we) have done anything against them, but because any hint of the love of Christ creates anger and resentment in the devil and those whom he controls.

America kills more than one million innocent babies by abortion each year, EACH YEAR! And most of us just sit idle and watch from the sidelines. It is up to us to protect those who cannot protect themselves. We cannot sit quietly by as millions continue to be offered on the altar of individualism. We must pray for the elimination of all innocent killing by abortion, and any other indiscriminate killing sanctioned by our nation.

In case you’re wondering, I am also against capital punishment. For Orthodox Christianity, ALL human life is sacred and must be protected. 

On the Fourth Day of Christmas

By now, your children have played with every toy, eaten every piece of Christmas candy, and have almost forgotten they were in school just over a week ago. The days following Christmas are traditionally spent enjoying time together after the busyness of the holidays. Depending upon the weather conditions in your area, you may want to go out and get some fresh air today. Choose something to get your blood flowing if you’re feeling the Christmas blues.

Whether you go outside today or not, don’t forget tomorrow is Sunday and there is Divine Liturgy in your Church. A “tradition” I am NOT AT ALL comfortable with is the idea that the Sunday after Christmas is a day off from Church, as if going to Church midweek somehow takes the place of tomorrow’s Liturgy. The same thing happens every year the Sunday after Pascha. I never could understand why people felt this way.

The only reason I can think of, is that people normally DON’T WANT to be in Church. If they HAVE to come to Church on a Wednesday ‘just because’ it’s Christmas, that allows for a free pass on Sunday. If you think about it, this is understandable. We will do our best to avoid things we don’t like, so any opportunity to miss Church is welcomed….that is, of course, if you don’t like being in Church.

So how do you make yourself “like” being in Church? Begin with understanding the Liturgy and how you can participate. I have found the number one reason people don’t like being in Church is; they are disconnected to what is happening.

Here is a two-part video of a class I held several years ago about the Divine Liturgy and How to Live it. Maybe this will help…

On the Third Day of Christmas

This year the Third Day of Christmas falls on a Friday, and that means….FAST FREE FRIDAY! I don’t know about you, but I like fast free Fridays, not ‘just’ because I can enjoy a juicy hamburger, but because it allows me to experience a glimpse of the coming Kingdom. When we fast according to the guidance of the Church, we appreciate the ‘small things in life’ like not fasting on a Friday. There are only a few fast free Fridays throughout the year.

Fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays is one of the oldest sacred Traditions of our Church established by the Holy Apostles. You can read about this in the Didache of the Holy Apostles to the Nations. While the main emphasis of fasting is a spiritual discipline, for me at least, it also provides an eternal lesson.

When we struggle HERE, we will be comforted THERE (in Heaven), so when we allow ourselves to struggle by fasting, we can enjoy a fast free Friday when it comes along. IF, on the other hand, you don’t fast, then today is no different from any other Friday, so there is nothing for you to enjoy today. Similarly, if you don’t struggle HERE, you won’t notice the comfort offered to you THERE (in Heaven).

Just a different point of view about fasting. 

On the Second Day of Christmas

The Church has a wonderful tradition of celebrating “main characters” of Feasts the day after major feast days. The day after Christmas, the Church celebrates the Theotokos. We shouldn’t look at this chance as a way to recognize “those left out” in the shuffle, since we NEVER consider the Panagia as one who has been left out of any celebration. In fact the Church insists on linking her to Christ as a way to keep the focus on Him.

It seems to me a popular trend, albeit not a healthy trend is to consider our friends and relatives on their feast days sometimes to the exclusion of the saint. For example, on the Feast of Saint George, many will call their brothers, cousins, and friends, but won’t go to Church to thank God for the Saint the Church actually is honoring that day.

So, how many Christians do you think “celebrated” Christmas without actually going to Church to thank Him? Maybe you are one of them.  If you ask me, Christmas without Church is just another day with dinner and presents. Of course, I understand some people in positions like police, firefighters, hospitals, etc., are sometimes unable to attend Church for Christmas. I’m not thinking about those who are UNABLE to attend Church.

I suppose our secular society has commandeered the celebration of Christmas. We are told by so-called celebrities that Christmas is about families putting aside their differences and coming together. Christmas includes giving gifts, decorating homes, listening to Christmas carols, and even having a HUGE feast with family and friends. But where does the Church – you know the place where God actually dwells on Earth – fit into our celebration? I know of several families who “couldn’t come to Church” because their families were visiting from out of town. If you ask me, that isn’t Christmas without Church!

Living a new life in Christ includes having Christ in your life. It includes attending Church to thank God for blessings He has given you, whether you recognize those blessing or not. It includes honoring those who have lived their lives dedicated to Him and His Church. It includes dinner with family and friends, giving gifts, decorating your house, listening to Christmas carols, but it ALSO includes singing Christian hymns, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, Holy Confession, attending Divine Liturgy and the other Church services.

Which Christmas did YOU celebrate?

A Sober Christmas

Christ is Born; Glorify Him! (the proper Orthodox Christian greeting for Christmas)

At the Divine Liturgy Gospel for Christmas we read of King Herod’s response to hearing the news of Jesus’ birth.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'" Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also." When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. (Matthew 2.1-12)

In the midst of our Christmas celebration, the Church has found a way to remind us that we must remain always vigilant and sober in our Faith and celebrations. When Herod heard of the birth of a “new king,” he pretended to want to “come and worship Him,” but rather planned to kill Him. To remain faithful to Jesus, the Magi, after worshiping Him, went home “another way” rather than returning to their old way.

We should welcome this reminder after worshiping God at His birth, and depart from Church following a different way. This different way is the way of repentance. Rather than returning to a way of life in which our Lord is betrayed, it is up to us to follow a different course.

Just as in Jesus’ time, there are many in the world that pretend to honor God, but are determined to remove Him from a place of influence in our society. Just as the Magi did not directly engage Herod, but went home another way, we should consider following another way and refuse to engage others in their attempt to discredit the Church.

When you choose to be transfigured and live a new life in Christ, you can choose to dedicate your life to honoring God, while avoiding unnecessary conflicts. You cannot control how others will respond to Jesus, but you can control how you respond. The Magi chose the path of repentance; will you?

Christ is Born; Glorify Him!

Christ is Born; Glorify Him!

May Christ our true God, Who was born in a cave and lay in a manger for our salvation,  bless you and keep you!

Church – It’s Where Christmas Is

Orthodox Christianity has a long-tested and Sacred Tradition of worshipping God in the same fashion as the ancient People of God. According to God’s commands, the Temple (which is unquestionably the prototype for Orthodox Churches  to this day) was the location where the People of God encountered Him as their Creator. In the same way, we encounter God in the Church for Divine Liturgy. If we desire to encounter God at His birth, the only logical place would be in His House. Just as we would encounter any newborn child in his home with his mother, we encounter God in His House, the Church.

Today, we begin the celebration of Christmas with the Great Hours of Christmas. This evening we will celebrate the Vespers Liturgy of Christmas and tomorrow, the Feast of the Nativity in the Flesh of Christ, our Lord and Savior. Want to encounter Him? Go to Church!

This sermon (on our old camera) was from Christmas 2011. Please excuse the poor sound quality. Our new camera is MUCH better...

                                              

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

God’s Guest List

There is a great banquet coming and you have been invited. Will you make excuses as did those in the Gospel of Luke, or will you answer the invitation and enter into the banquet. The Banquet is the Church and Heaven. The Divine Liturgy is the taste of what is to come in Heaven. Are you prepared to enjoy the Feast of Heaven or is your soul dirty and filled with sin? Don’t find yourself on the outside of Heaven wondering who all the strangers are on the inside. Prepare yourself and come to the banquet. And while you’re at it….bring a friend.

iTunes Audio Subscribe https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/be-transfigured!/id483295178?mt=2

2013 New Testament Challenge – Day 39 (Reflections on Revelation 1-11)

Every year I participate in a special effort called the New Testament Challenge sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.

If you’ve been a follower of my blog for any length of time, you already know I don’t make it a habit of publicly preaching/blogging about Revelations. It is the ONLY New Testament book not publicly read aloud in the Lectionary of the Church. (meaning the chanter doesn’t read it during the services in the same way the other New Testament books are read) It is only excerpted by including certain verses in prayers, hymns and Holy Icons. You will find some people preach/teach about it, but I have found that if the Church’s wisdom proves correct, there is a good reason it isn’t read publicly any longer in the Church. The basic reason for this, by the way, is to avoid its abuse. There was a time (and it seems to be here again with certain Churches) that Christians attempted to predict the return of Christ, or even to frighten Christians into submission. Since it is a book of prophesy and allegory, it isn’t possible to predict its outcome, especially since Christ said we wouldn’t know when He was returning. He even said,

Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. …the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of.” (Matthew 24.4-50)

So if Christ won’t tell, why should we try? Don’t be deceived by ANYONE (Orthodox or not) who tries to convince you that he knows the time of Christ’s return.

So today I just want to remind you of the ancient Holy Tradition of the Church – BE READY! What we can definitely understand from Revelation is that Christ IS returning, and He WILL judge the entire creation. And since we don’t know exactly WHEN….let’s just be ready NOW so we don’t have to worry about it. That’s the emphasis we can understand.

Until tomorrow…..Remember being prepared for Christmas is just a hint of what we are REALLY preparing for.

"Comfort, yes, comfort My people!" Says your God. (Isaiah 40.1)

When I read the topic for today’s blog for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge, I was looking forward to a blog that I have wanted to write for a while. When we hear the word comfort, ‘most’ of us think of a state of emotion much where we are reassured by words such as, “That’s ok.” We also conjure up thoughts of being wrapped in our mother’s arms during the thunderstorm. I suppose I want to focus on our mother’s arms for the moment.

When we are hurt, anxious, sick, lost, confused, tired, depressed, and broken, what we need most isn’t “That’s OK,” but “I know it’s painful, but it will be better.” If our mother had told us our leg was “just fine” when in fact it was broken, instead of comfort, her words would have brought doubt. In a similar way, we need to be honest with the pain of the people we comfort, while reminding them everything will be better in the Kingdom.

This isn’t as easy as you might expect. There is a delicate balance between comfort and patronizing someone who is hurting, no matter what causes the pain. I have found true comfort rests in acknowledging the reality of the pain. I wonder sometimes if we have failed to prepare young people for failure and pain because, rather than being honest about failure, we lie to our young people allowing them to believe the world revolves around them. We have failed to be honest with the pain of our young people, who lose trust in us because they know the pain is real.

So when God commands us to comfort His people, He isn’t asking us to “sugarcoat” their pain. He wants us to acknowledge their pain. This is best by simply being with them and allowing them to express and experience their pain. I was reminded many years ago by a psychologist/counselor that I shouldn’t give a tissue to someone who was crying. It sends the message, “Don’t cry. You’re ok.” But it ISN’T ok. They ARE hurting. It’s better to have tissue nearby and allow them to reach for it or ask for it.

So why was our mother’s embrace such a comfort for us? It’s simple really. They simply hugged us until the pain wasn’t so bad, and then helped us put the pieces back together again. That’s comfort! So don’t be afraid to comfort a friend in their pain. It won’t be quick and easy, but it will be simple. In a way it’s really just like the Church. The Church acknowledges our pain and helps us pick up the pieces. At least that is how it is supposed to work.

                                              

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

Never

Never is a big word. Many times we use it with good intentions, yet with poor results. This shouldn’t surprise us, since by our own failures, we know “never” to be unachievable promise. Consider these few examples from the Scriptures.

Moses said, "You have spoken well. I will never see your face again." (Exodus 4.29) FAILED

The Apostle Peter said, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble." (Matthew 26.33) FAILED

So can we trust ANYONE to use the term? Just one…

God said, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.” (Genesis 8.21)

He also said, “Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." (Genesis 9.11)

He also said, "I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you.” (Judges 2.1)

There are many more where this came from. Just search “never” on your Bible app…God never goes back on His word. You can trust Him on that!

                                              

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

We All Come from Someone

Every year on the Sunday before Christmas, the Church tells us of the ancestry of Jesus Christ. Anyone who has been Orthodox Christian for a while can remember the Gospel. “The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac….etc” (Matthew 1.1-17) In the Gospel of Luke, the ancestry of Jesus is told even from Joseph, the betrothed of Mary, and declares Jesus, “the son of Adam, the son of God.” (Luke 3.38)

It is important to know where we come from, and what our ancestors believed. In Jesus’ case, He is from God and His human ancestors were righteous people of God. Have you ever researched your ancestors to discover your roots? We all come from someone; who are your ancestors? If you consider the ancestors of Jesus Christ listed in the Holy Scriptures, some listed a blood relatives, while the others we could say are spiritual relatives since Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus.

In the same way, YOU have blood ancestors and also spiritual relatives. You probably know your blood ancestors; your parents, their parents, their grandparents, etc, but do you know who your spiritual relatives are? They are the righteous men and women of faith we call, Saints. If you read your ancestry in the same fashion we do for Jesus Christ, it might sound like, “Saint Andrew ordained Saint Stachys, and Saint Stachys succeeded Saint Onesimos, and Saint Onesimos succeeded Saint Polycarp….” These Saints of the Church are YOUR spiritual ancestors and they are just as much a part of your family as your parents. And if you go back far enough, tracing either your blood relatives or your spiritual relatives, you will find WE ALL have a common ancestor. We are all children of God.  

Candy Canes

They come in all sorts of flavors, but the most common is peppermint. They come is all sorts of colors, but the most common is red and white stripes. They don’t really come in that many shapes. I’ve only seen them as straight or as hooks. They’re great for decorating Christmas Trees. I’m not crazy about them myself, but my son enjoys them. But they are a symbol of Christmas, so I’ll just have to swallow my pride and eat as many as I can for the Twelve Days of Christmas. Sugar coma….here I come!

                                              

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

The Truth is God

2013 New Testament Challenge – Day 36 (Reflections on John 12-21)

Every year I participate in a special effort called the New Testament Challenge sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.

I absolutely LOVE the Gospel of John. It is filled with rich theology and speaks genuinely of the love of God for us. It described how much God loves us in allowing (as I mentioned yesterday) us to depart from Him, but it also shows how much His disciples loved Him. They followed Him loyally until the time of His death on the Cross. They even sat in fear after His death when they thought “all was lost” and that He wasn’t the Messiah they had expected.

Is God EVER what WE expect Him to be? Our expectations are filled with selfish desire. Our understanding is most times limited to by how “truth” affects us. Of course truth, if it is truth, is ultimately objective. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14.6) Pilate asks, “What is truth?” (John 18.38) If Pilate had asked, “WHO is truth,” maybe he would have recognized Jesus.

Saint John Chrysostom said, “The reason we comment on Scripture is not only for you to get to know Scripture but for you to correct your behavior.” So, if we are to read the Gospel of John, we must ask ourselves, “Do we know WHO the truth is?”  Well….do you? Find an Orthodox Christian Church and find out!

Until tomorrow…..The truth is not relevant. It cannot be altered to suit your needs. You must alter YOURSELF to suit the truth. The TRUTH is God.

Hats

My wife keeps telling to me wear a hat when I go outside. It isn’t a fashion statement, but (she claims) a safety issue. You can see from my profile picture I’m losing my hair. It doesn’t bother me in the least to be going bald, since that’s what men do when the get older. But as far as my wife is concerned, I need to start wearing a hat so I don’t get skin cancer now that I don’t have enough hair to protect my scalp. I should be more obedient to my wife on this issue.

Of course, now that I live in the south, there is almost no need for a hat (except for a few short weeks in January) for me to worry about a hat even in the winter months. Today is supposed to be in the low 70’s. If you’re jealous, maybe consider a move to South Carolina!

Here are a couple of fashion pictures of me wearing a hat…

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

No Greater Gift on Christmas

Christmas isn’t about presents, but it is about gifts, one gift really. The gift of eternal life from God is freely given to each and every person who believes in their heart and confesses with their mouth that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son and Word of God. But as with any gift given to us, we must receive it before we fully understand what affect the gift will have for our life.

When we receive a new phone for Christmas, we know what affect it will have on our life.

When we receive a new outfit for Christmas, we know what affect it will have on our life.

But when we receive the gift of eternal, do we really know what affect it will have in our life?

The gift of eternal life, made possible because the Son of God was born of a virgin and laid in a manger for our salvation, has a greater affect on our life than any other gift we could ever imagine.

When we receive the gift of eternal life, we know that the suffering of this world is temporary.

When we receive the gift of eternal life, we know that God’s peace will fill our heart.

When we receive the gift of eternal life, we know that we can be forgiven for our all our weaknesses.

When we receive the gift of eternal life, we know that there is no greater gift on Christmas than Christ.

2013 New Testament Challenge – Day 35 (Reflections on John 1-11)

Every year I participate in a special effort called the New Testament Challenge sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.

Today’s reading bring many thoughts to my mind, but two I wanted to share with you. First,

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. "Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (John  6.66-69)

When the teaching of Jesus Christ become too hard to bear, some believers choose to leave rather than remain within the Church. And what is Christ’s response? He allowed them to depart freely. That’s how much God loves us. If we want to walk away, while He desires us to remain, He allows us to depart. What that means for us today is that Jesus wants us to freely follow Him, without forcing us and without trickery. This was one reason He didn’t reveal Himself with power to the multitudes, as He will when He returns riding on a cloud, so that people would be able to freely accept Him with their own will.

If God doesn’t force people to follow Him, why do we Christians still try to force people to love Him and His Church? Not only is not productive, it also does not express the freedom that God grants. That same freedom, we are not permitted to take away from others.

Another thought came to my mind while I was reading today. When Jesus heals on the Sabbath, while this is technically breaking the Law, Jesus reminds us that the Law is for a purpose – to do the will of God, which is love. The religious elite had no difficulty doing work on the Sabbath if it was something such as circumcision.

Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." (John 7.21-24)

We each choose every day which “rules” of the Church we think are important to follow, while rejecting others. Then we turn around and speak badly of others who choose, based upon what THEY think, different “rules” of the Church to follow. Who is correct? Maybe both are correct, depending upon the circumstances, or maybe both are incorrect.

Sin is sin, and every time we look at the sin of others and declare THEM sinners, while holding our chin up high, we are no better than the religious elite who rejected the compassionate healing Jesus did on the Sabbath. Shame on us!

Until tomorrow…..Consider where you have acted as one of the religious elite rather than showing compassion on your brothers and sisters.

Chinese Gift Exchange: Strange or Little Known Christmas Traditions from Around the World

The 40 Days of Blogging Challenge has assigned quite the topic today. I don’t know many strange Christmas traditions from around the world, but I did learn of a tradition unknown TO ME a few years ago. Chinese Gift Exchange which I have since learned can be played a variety of ways, includes the ability for people to “swap” gifts within a group “during their turn” but they risk the gift being swapped by someone else on “their turn.” You end up not even knowing which gift you will receive with until the very end. When I saw it played in a close-knit family, I enjoyed watching the bargaining and maneuvering from one cousin to another.

Traditions can be fun and normally are associated with joyous memories. But there IS one Christmas tradition that is strange and not filled with joy whatsoever. It seems to have become a media tradition to air “Special Reports” on the possibility of “new and possibly faith shattering” information about Jesus Christ or the ancient Church. Funny part is, the Orthodox Church in the vast majority of cases was already aware of this so-called damaging evidence, and had already investigated it, and had already declared it bologna CENTURIES ago.

So we are only a few days away from Christmas…..get ready for the annual traditional shocking revelation by the media about Jesus Christ and the Church. I wonder what it will be this year. Maybe they will discover that Saint Athanasios, you know…the guy who gave the world the Creed and the Scripture Canon, was exiled by the Empire, and this will “prove” the Church that eventually agreed with him was covering something up…..It’s kind of like Chinese Gift Exchange, you never what you get until it’s all over!

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

2013 New Testament Challenge – Day 34 (Reflections on 1, 2, 3 John, Jude, and Hebrews)

Every year I participate in a special effort called the New Testament Challenge sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.

Greed is a very old passion. It must have been, because Saint Paul was often reminding the faithful to

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13.5)

It is a good reminder this season for us to keep focused on what matters most in life, we are called to be children of God.

Until tomorrow…..Saint Paul’s advice is worth keeping!

Log Cabins

I remember traveling to Walden Pond when I was living in Boston, where Henry David Thoreau lived two years, after which he wrote his how famous thoughts about simplistic living. Seeking to leave the patterns of life, he unfortunately discovered he had created his own patterns. Since I have been asked to write about log cabins, I thought of my visit ten years ago, and our daily struggle as Orthodox Christians to live simply in a often chaotic society.

In our busy world, we are driven by unforgiving schedules, hard-paved roads, imitation nightlights, foods out of season from far away places, instant chat through the internet with family and friends on opposite sides of the world. There are theories that this way of life, considered by many to be a sign of superior human development, might be one cause, among others, of cancer. Whether it is or not, I don’t know, but I do know this hectic way of life is not health spiritually speaking.

We have exchanged family dinners with take out and drive through.

We have exchanged personal conversation with rapid text messages.

We have exchanged spending time reading the Holy Fathers and Holy Scriptures with 30 second sound bites of cable news networks.

We have exchanged going to Church with going shopping.

We have in fact exchanged God with the world.

Maybe it’s time for us to follow Thoreau into the wilderness and rediscover our true humanity.

Maybe it’s time for us to enter the forest and listen to God’s creation which was originally meant to assist in finding Him.

Maybe it’s time for us to allow the Church calendar and schedule of services to shape our daily and weekly routine.

Maybe it’s time for us to stand in front of our family altar (if we even have one) and converse with God.

Maybe it’s time for us to embrace prayer, fasting, and almsgiving and follow Christ.

It’s a thought anyway…..

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

2013 New Testament Challenge – Day 33 (Reflections on Philippians and Colossians)

Every year I participate in a special effort called the New Testament Challenge sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.

Saint Paul was a thoughtful and compassionate Church leader. His letters are filled with words of encouragement and advice to live a committed life in Christ. His letters are filled with logical arguments on the “uselessness” [my word] of remaining entrenched in the fleshly life.

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (Colossians 3.5-13)

Until tomorrow…..Saint Paul’s advice is worth keeping!

Nog, Glog, Grog

I must admit that when I read the topic for today’s 40 Days of Blogging Challenge, I was a bit nervous. I LOVE eggnog; I’ve NEVER had grog; and I had NO idea was glog even was! These three winter season beverages have one thing in common: ALCOHOL! It always interested me to learn of regional and cultural traditions that seemed to link the world’s cultures together.

Have you ever noticed, EVERY culture has some sort of “sandwich” type meal?

Taco

Gyro

Panini

Sandwich

Eggroll

Etc

There are many common themes across cultures, so I shouldn’t be surprised when drinks such as nog, glog, and grog share a winter theme. It just goes to show you how much we all have in common.

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

2013 New Testament Challenge – Day 32 (Reflections on Luke 17-24)

Every year I participate in a special effort called the New Testament Challenge sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.

“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21.36)

When you hear of Biblical Signs, the temptation can be to read them as future telling, but a Biblical Sign is much deeper than just reading the future. When Jesus outlines the many things to look for so they can understand the “end times” and His return, He is planting an image for us, so that when we witness them happening, we will remember His promise. And why does He do this? Because we are weak. He knows we will grow impatient and begin to doubt His return. He knows we will fall to temptation and become lazy, comforting ourselves by believing He is delayed. He also knows that sometimes we need a firm reminder about the things that really matter.

Many believe we are currently living in the “end times” based upon the decline of morality. I’m not sure I disagree based upon what Jesus said.

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. (Luke 17.26-30)

There is little doubt our society is experiencing a moral decline. We human beings seem to have a pattern of decline. Noah, Lot, the Jews at the time of Christ….and as Saint Paul teaches in Romans. “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the hosts of their hearts.” (Romans 1.24) Really only one question remains. If God has rescued His people just in time to save us from total destruction, beginning in the Garden, just how much further must we decline this last time before He returns? I’m not sure I want to find out.

Until tomorrow…..I suppose I’ll settle for trying to be as ready as I can, just in case it happens tonight.

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Accountability

When God created humanity, He created TWO people, man and woman, to help each other. Some think of the help only in human terms; cooking, cleaning, sewing, you get the idea. BUT what was really taking place was a system of accountability that human beings would need in order to find Christ. Of course, Jesus Christ reveals Himself to us, rather than us finding Him. However, if left to our own devices, we imperfect human beings fall to temptation. Eve was alone with she fell to the devil’s temptation. Cain was alone when he killed his brother and hid from God. And most of us are alone when we sin, or at least momentarily not accountable.

There is an old Greek saying, “The celibate priest has his abbot, and the married priest, his Presvytera.” We are only truly human IN RELATIONSHIP with another human being. In this way we help each other remain faithful to Jesus Christ. If only Eve had remained at Adam’s side, things might be different.

As Orthodox Christians, accountability is taken seriously through the practice of a Spiritual Father, who through a relationship of accountability guides us in our spiritual life toward God. The Church, in her wisdom has established the practice of Holy Confession not only for the forgiveness of sins, but for the guidance of each member of the Church toward God. Jesus Christ appointed His Holy Apostles as Overseers (Bishops) of the Church to keep the People of God accountable. The Holy Apostles kept each other accountable by requiring ALL doctrine to be confirmed by the Church. The Clergy is accountable to the Laity, and the Laity to the Clergy. Priests are accountable to the Hierarchy. The Hierarchs are accountable to the Synod. The Synod is accountable to the global Church. The global Church is accountable to God. To whom are you accountable?

Before it’s too late, find a spiritual father who can guide your journey toward God.

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

2013 New Testament Challenge – Day 31 (Catch Up! Part 2)

Every year I participate in a special effort called the New Testament Challenge sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.

I continued with my “catch-up” today.

Day 26 – Romans 1-8

Saint Paul couldn’t make it any clearer for us. Our new life in Christ shouldn’t be a slave to our former passions, but united to a Godly life free of sin. Of course, since we are never truly without  sin, obviously Saint Paul is talking about the attempt to live a sinless life as he said.

Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7.13-25)

How can we give up so easily? It seems like we throw in the towel when it comes to our sinful passions. But Saint Paul’s advice is to challenge and comfort us at the same time. Since God came, “while we were yet still sinners” and we each are warring against sin not always successfully, then we should be comforted to know that God will forgive us. He already HAS forgiven us if we accept His forgiveness. And since He has forgiveness us, how can we not try harder to live as He desires for us to live? I’m sure you feel this same battle in your life, so we can all join Saint Paul’s words of praise, “I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Yes indeed.

Day 27 – Romans 9-16

Building on his advice to live a new life in Christ, Saint Paul reminds us that if we fail to live as we should, we will face the same judgment as the Jews. As they witnessed the Church being taken away from the, we will see the Church depart from us, although in actuality it will WE who have departed from the Church. We shouldn’t be so smug that we are members of the Church.

You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? (Romans 11-19-24)

I find this to be a problem in many “cradle” Orthodox raised in the Faith. As the Jews felt certain superiority because they were the “chosen ones” and the People of God, they failed to understand His intent to save the world. Likewise since we are already comfortable inside the Church as members, we often forget that our mission is to continue Christ’s saving work. But if we’re not careful, we will (as today’s Gospel reading during Liturgy pointed out – Luke 14.16-24) find ourselves OUTSIDE the Church.

Saint Paul thought it was God Himself who hardened the hearts of the Jews, so that the Gentiles could come into the Church. I sometimes wonder if the same thing is happening today with the cradle Orthodox Christians. If our Churches were full, which they unfortunately are not, there might not be an urgency to reach out and bring new people into the Church. Jesus said He wanted His Church full, so maybe He sends some away to make room for more. And if, as Saint Paul suggests, it is God who does the sending away, then His mercy is sufficient.

Day 28 – Luke 1-7

It never ceases – my awe of the Holy Scriptures. At this time in my life, age 44, I guess I have read the entire New Testament more than a couple dozen times, either from the pulpit during services, or in person as I am for the New Testament Challenge. YET, each passage STILL reaches me with profound respect.

Take for example, the opening verses of the Gospel of Luke,

Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. (Luke 1.1-4)

Not only does he write with complete certainty, but he writes for clarity’s sake. We know the Gospel of Mark had already been written, and Luke traveled with Saint Paul, so he was well versed with the Gospel. But being a physician, he desired for us to have clarity. He must have known that confusion leads to doubt, and doubt leads to faithlessness, and faithlessness leads to despondency, and despondency leads to death.

But the Gospel is for life, eternal life! And I am given new life every time I pick up the Holy Scriptures. Thank you Saint Luke; and thank you God.

Day 29 – Luke 8-16

Some people are just hard-headed. No matter how many miracles Jesus performed (and they witnessed), no matter how many times Jesus revealed their most inner thoughts; many could not bring themselves to accept Him as the Christ. I think the same thing happens nowadays. I wonder sometimes what WE would do if we were blessed to witness the things they witnessed. Jesus taught and healed PUBLICLY in the Temple and Synagogues and in the marketplaces. Some believed, while others refused to believe. And why did they not believe?

The only way for them to accept the Christ was to deny their own comfort and prestige. This was the basis for the challenge Christ offers,

Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it --  "lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, "saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' "Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? "Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14.25-33)

So…..do you believe?

Until tomorrow…..I’m finally caught up. Tomorrow we finish the Gospel of Luke.