I Did Not Sleep with that [Canaanite] Woman

It all started when Earl “Constantinos” Smith walked into my office and said, “Father, I got troubles, can we talk?”

I said, “Sure, Earl, have a seat. What’s buggin’ ya?”

He said, “Father, I’m havin’ trouble sleepin’ these says … and when I do sleep, I dream the most confusing dreams. Why, the other night I dreamed I was a teepee.”

A teepee?

“You heard right, Abouna. I dreamed I was a teepee. Not only that, the following night I dreamt I was a wigwam.”

A wig-wam?

Yep. One night I dreamed I was a teepee, the next thing ya know I’m a wigwam … and …”

Earl?

“Yes, Father?”

I believe you’re too tense.

Ha! Get it? You’re two tents!

Heh heh!

Earl looked all confused for a second; he squinted his eyes and studied me.

When …

Y’all, let me tell ya … ol’ Earl ain’t got much of a sense of humour. That big ol’ boy bounded right outta that chair, lifted me up against the wall and said, “Listen here preacher man, I ain’t scared o’ you, I been to jail. Why, I oughta knock some silliness outta that noggin’ a yours!”

Then, he started calling me “Honey” …

Honey?!

He said, “Honey …

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

Or, just listen right here.

“The Lockhorns” by Bill and Bunny Hoest – Source

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Orthodox Houston Podcasts …

Fr James Early, of St Joseph Antiochian Orthodox Church, offers the latest update to Orthodox Houston’s growing list of podcasts. His talk was delivered in the parish of St Jonah of Manchuria during their annual Icon Exhibit. His is an excellent and entertaining story of his journey to Orthodoxy: From Baptist to Bosnia to Byzantium.

Click here to listen — or here to view the complete list of Houston area podcasts!

Orthodox Houston is a Pan-Orthodox ministry of the The Orthodox Clergy Association of Southeast Texas.

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Longing for Lent (this side of it, of course)

On the Obligation for All Christians to Keep Great Lent.

On all days and seasons dearly-beloved, some marks of the Divine goodness are set, and no part of the year is destitute of sacred mysteries … but all that is bestowed on the restoration of human souls in the divers works and gifts of grace is put before us now more clearly and abundantly in Lent … for as the Easter festival approaches, the greatest and most binding of fasts is kept, and its observance is imposed on all the faithful without exception; because no one is so holy that he ought not to be holier, nor so devout that he might not be devouter….

Who is there who would not wish for additions to his virtue, or removal of his vice?

— St Leo the Great

Taken from Fr Josiah’s blog.
Stained glass window in St Leo’s Catholic Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Source

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Comin’ to See YAL

Blog updates have been nonexistent of late due to travels.

God willing, I’ll be speaking this weekend (Friday & Saturday) at the

26th Annual Young Adult (YAL) Ministries Conference

sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago.

Hope to see y’all there!

Image Source

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The Great Awakening

Some say it all started when Bill Gates admitted that the term icons — which are windows into heaven — and thus, Windows, are really trademarked by the Orthodox Church; not to mention when Steve Jobs and others finally came clean about that Apple design going back thousands of years to the very Genesis of man.

Yep, after those two saw the light the money really started rolling in!

Now some of our churches have icon screens that offer flat panel LED displays of Saints – you can even change them from time to time with downloads and, since they are lighted like a TV image, there’s no need for all those candles.

It also didn’t hurt when Tom Hanks began promoting his new found faith … the Steelers started wearing Three Bar Crosses on their helmets, and Taco Bell started boasting of its Wednesday, Friday, and Fasting menus.

Then there was Jeremiah Riddle who owned an old bubble gum factory. His was the bright idea to produce Saints cards, like they used to do the ol’ baseball cards, and stick one in each pack of bubble gum. Now that idea took off like hot cakes!

Ever had Rose Water flavored gum? Not bad!

Speaking of hot cakes …

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

Or, just listen right here.

Orthodoxy is often called “America’s Best Kept Secret,” but what would it look like if it was embraced by all — including “the world”? This is an encore presentation from October ’07.

Image Source

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