Okay, so this has nothing to do with Orthodoxy nor, truly, the season ..
Also, having a ten year old boy watch the 26 episodes with you is better than the best laugh track.
My son’s favorites were “Bunny vs the Elements” and “Bunny vs Doggy” and “Bunny vs Sauce Pan.”
Forgive me (and/or enjoy)!
Fr Moses Berry talks about the annual Ancient Christianity conference sponsored by The Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black.
May 30 – June 1, in Ash Grove/Springfield, MO.
Listen here.
The EU leadership makes laudable efforts to help immigrants from Islamic countries to embrace European values and to fully integrate into European society. An environment of tolerance is being created, whereby every person, regardless of his or her beliefs, must feel at home.
I believe, however, that secular ideologies should not be regarded as the main basis for creating a society of tolerance and mutual respect. A secular or atheist ideology cannot serve as a common denominator for all of the different world views that exist in Europe.
I also believe that tolerance should not be promoted at the expense of Christians, who continue to constitute the majority in Europe’s population. Instances of Christianophobia and of discrimination against Christians should be officially condemned. The public display of Christian symbols should nowhere in Europe be prohibited, and the celebration of Christian feasts should nowhere be discouraged in the name of falsely-understood tolerance.
One would expect from the EU authorities that they will do more to protect Europe’s Christian heritage. This relates, in particular, to the Kosovo region, where churches are being brutally destroyed, and thousands of Christians are left homeless or forced into exile. It also relates to that part of Cyprus which is still unlawfully occupied by Turkish military forces, where churches are being ruined and the remaining Christian population continues to suffer excessively.
Turkey aspires towards membership in the European Union, while at the same time continuing to neglect the needs of its Christian population. Turkey’s refusal to reopen the theological school on Halki, in spite of repeated requests from the Patriarchate of Constantinople, is but one of many examples of such neglect. This largely anti-Christian policy is presently enforced by the official denial of the atrocities committed against Christians in the past, such as the genocide of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians. I hope that the EU will use the mechanism of negotiation with Turkey in order to ensure that crimes of the past will never be repeated in the future, and that religious minorities in Turkey will be treated according to civilized standards.
— Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria
Taken from EUROPICA – The Bulletin of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions
Access this and more H E R E.
It was years ago – perhaps in another reality – but a man came up to me and asked:
Do you have what it takes?
I said, “What are you talking about?”
What It Takes … he repeated.
Then he showed me a book.
I looked down and saw the title of the book, written large in Sharpie on Duct Tape over a floppy leather cover, it read: What It Takes.
I reached out for What It Takes and he quickly put it behind his back.
I said, “Let me see it.”
He said, What?
I said, “Give me What It Takes.”
What do you mean? he said.
“What It Takes! You showed me a book, you said it was What It Takes and now you’ve hid it from me.”
Well, that’s my point, he said, you don’t have it.
“I know,” I said. “May I have it?”
You can only have it with me attached to it …
“What? “
What it takes.
“What do you mean?”
You said, he said, that you wanted What It Takes … I’m willing to give it to you …
“Well, okay! Give me What It Takes!”
Ah … not so fast, my friend, you must …
The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.
“It Takes a Gentle Hand” – Image Source
Dear Fr. Joseph,
Though I have not had the opportunity to hear your podcasts as of yet, I have read Defeating Sin. I was looking in our church bookstore one day for something to read. I came across the title and thought, “It doesn’t get much plainer than that!” So I picked up a copy.
I really appreciate all of the quotations from the Holy Fathers and your ability to explain them so simply. There were two things that greatly impacted me. First, the reminder that, no matter what the world says, THE STRUGGLE IS GOOD, which is something I tend to forget being as immersed in the world as I am. Second, the poignant reminder that grace is not unmerited favor, but a real divine energy of God bestowed upon us which we can access to help us defeat our sins and find healing in the Great Physician and Lover of our souls. Reading that in bold type with the actual explanation of grace really drove it into my heart. My soul leapt with hope. I’m a convert from Protestantism, so that old (and wrong) theological tape keeps playing in the background of my mind. This sometimes continues to inhibit my understanding of the great tools God has given us to strive for freedom (from sin) and love for him.
Thank you for the book.
And THANK YOU to all who have supported the project!
Signed copies available through the PayPal button in the side margin of this blog (at left), or multiple copies through Regina Orthodox Press.
And … on AMAZON.
Orthodixie 