A few days off

So here I am ensconced at my parent's house, with Onchu, enjoying life. I have watched Nuns on the Run and one episode of Band of Brothers. Don't why I just like Nuns on the Run it is a fun movie.

Tonight is an episode of Big Brother and other stuff. Tomorrow I plan, well nothing planned just relaxing and will be back in the office on Tuesday. I continue to track Gustav and keep praying.

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Decision 2008

I promised in an earlier post that I would post links to the two Presidential Campaigns on the side bar, well there they are. I only linked to the Republican and the Democrat and not all of the other parties.

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Republican Convention

I would not want to be the organizers of this years convention. What to do? With Gustav bearing down on the US do they keep going as planned or scale things back. Man what a tough decision.

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Gustav Part II

So my post yesterday on Gustav brought in a comment that I did not let through. I thought only informed intelligent people read my blog I guess the puny brains stop by from time to time.

The person who left the comment, and I will have to commend him because he actually left his name, said that Katrina hit the Gulf Coast because God wanted it too. Now I am simplifying his argument, and believe me that is hard to do!

I am glad him and I do not share the same God. My God is not a vengeful God that wipes out people because of their sins. My God sent his only begotten Son to redeem this world and show us the path to salvation and not damn us all to hell! My God stretched out his arms on the cross not in hate but in love, love for whom, us the very people the reader thinks should be destroyed.

I am not sure what his religious background is but I think he needs to go back and read his Bible a little more and perhaps seek out some spiritual guidance.

Anyway let us continue to pray for the people literally who will be in the eye of the storm and those called in to help after.

I am following several blogs written by people in the area including the Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana. I will try and keep you updated over the next few days.

UPDATE: Fr. Jerry Kramer Blogs from Annunciation Parish in New Orleans, and Episcopal Parish. He is updating as the storm continues. You can follow his blog posts here. And Bishop Charles Jenkins of New Orleans, Episcopal, is also blogging here.

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Gustav

BREAKING NEWS: FEMA says Gustav is now a Category 5 storm. Let us pray for all of those in harms way and all those that will be called upon to assist.

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A Political/Spiritual Experiment

Author and blogger Carl McColman has started an experiment during this election season. Do check out what he is trying to do on his blog called Anamchara.

I plan to try and follow his suggestions. Give it a read and let me know if you plan to follow as well.

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Radical Living

I started this blog a few years ago to explore what I called urban monasticism where people from all walks of life would live under one roof, married, single, gay, straight, man, woman, dog, cat, etc. and live the radical message of the gospel.

Now I am usually a little slow on the uptake here and I have just stumbled across this website of a community in Brooklyn doing just what I was thinking about. We need more of this type of community in our cities and we need more radical Christians to strike out and take our world back.

Check out Radical Living.

UPDATE: I just found another group called the New Monasticism.

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Welcome New Blogger

I wish to welcome Fr. Vasili to the world of blogging. You can read his posts here. It is nice to see another Orthodox priest blogging.

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Doctor

If you follow me on twitter you know I went to the doctor yesterday for a follow up to my stay in hospital. You also were able to follow the fact that I waited 2 yes 2 hours to see the doctor. Talk about stress!

Well my cholesterol is up, way up, and I am what is called pre-diabetic. So I have some life style changes to make. Some I have already made and I will be making more. I have been put on medication to bring my level down because it was so high. I have already made changes to my diet and will be making more. I will be exercising more and maybe even get back to running. Yes I used to be a runner. I spent 12 1/2 years in the military how could I not run. It seemed we ran everywhere.

So that is the update. I am thinking of doing a series of podcasts and articles on clergy health and what we do to relax, if anything. So any of you clergy out there who read this, would you like to participate? If so drop me a line.

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Gentlemen

Last night I watched Barack Obama give his acceptance speech in Colorado. Next week I will watch John McCain do the same thing. From an oratory prospective I think he did a good job. He did lay out some of his vision but we need to understand that he will not reveal all. Remember the George Bush Read My Lips thing. It was also not as what's the word I am looking for, flashy as I thought it was going to be. Now, I have not listened to any of the so called spin doctors or the fair and balanced people, I am Self-Ruled, and make up my own mind. If you search around the internet you can find the speech and read it for yourself without anyone else telling you what it said.

I thought it was nice that Obama thanked McCain for his service and really did not slam him as I thought he was going to do. And when it was all over McCain released an ad congratulating him. WOW! Maybe we are going to see a civil campaign season ahead of us. That would be nice.

We have a big decision to make in November and one that we need to study and think about. I will say this again. Read the words of the candidates and not what someone else says they said. Make up your own mind and do not let anyone who is fair and balanced or not make it up for you. It only takes a few minutes to read their own words.

I will put links on the side bar to both candidates official webpages and make it easy for you to find them. So surf on over there and read for yourself.

So now we wait for the big announcement today on who McCain is going to pick as his VP. I hope he makes a choice not so much to help him win but one that will help him govern. The other thing we need keep in mind no matter who wins in November he will be President and we need to support him and give him a chance. Remember they are only human and they, like us, are flawed and will make mistakes.

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Obama

You may not like his politics but I could not help but get a tear in my eye when Sen. Obama was nominated by the democrat party yesterday. The camera panned around the room to all of the people of color and they were very emotional. You know it was not that long ago that someone like Sen. Obama could not drink from the same water fountain as I could. America we have come a long way! Not matter what happens in November we have made history.

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Last Few Days

The last few days have been busier than normal around here. It seems that things run in a cycle and I am in the busy one right now. Meetings, small trips, writing and the like have all seemed to come together to steal my time away.

Today I have a follow up doctors appointment and then a meeting. The afternoon looks a little free so maybe I can sneak outside again and read as I did yesterday. I also need to get some work done in the church that needs to be done before the weekend. And I need a haircut! So we shall see what happens.

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New Orleans

As we approach the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on Friday it seem wild that another hurricane is on its way to the area. Let us remember the people of the Gulf Coast on our prayers this weekend as they prepare for what could be another devastation. Let us also remember those who are still trying to clean up from Katrina.

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Shepherd of Souls Episode #25

Episode # 25 is now online and in the feed. Hope you enjoy!

PODCAST

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The Waushakum Live Steamers

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of attending a one of a kind event. The Waushakum Live Steamers meet in Holliston, Massachusetts.

These guys, and gals, have built to scale steam engines that you ride on! It was fantastic! Check out their website for pictures of what they do.

I was invited by Fr. Jay Finelli, aka the iPadre and I am glad I made the trip. I took Onchu with me and we rode the trains.

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Church 2.0

If you are reading this post then you have some idea of what Church 2.0 is all about. This is the concept of the church using what has been called the new media, blogs, podcasts, etc. Any internet search will bring many examples of this including this blog. My question is this, why is it that the orthodox church has taken part in this new media?

Okay we have the Orthodox Christian Network and Ancient Faith Radio and some priests do have blogs, but I do not believe that one of our bishops has any sort of out reach at all into the internet and this needs to change! Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston was the first blogging cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church and if he can do it, as busy as he is, then our bishops can find time to do. Now don't get me wrong, I don't picture Cardinal Sean blogging away as I am now but he ha someone who publishes his posts for him.

The generation coming of age right now is called the wired generation. We need to be able to reach them and the best format is to use the internet as they all do. I am surprised at the number of Orthodox Parishes that do not even have web pages! As Fr. Vasiliy Vasileivich, contributor to the Onion Dome would say, IS OUTRAGE!

I have said this before and I will say it again and again, if we are to be relevant we need to be relevant! Our clergy are not that busy that they cannot find time to post their homilies. For $125 one can purchase a recording device and record your homilies and post them on iTunes or on the web. We are loosing and need to regain ground that we have lost. This is not hard stuff!

All of the jurisdictions have website and each should have links to their parishes websites. If the parish does not have a website, the diocese should create one with nothing more than a picture of the church, the priests name, and service times so, God forbid, people might be able to find us!

Website design is very simple. I am sure there are teens in the church that could teach us. Reach out into your community and find someone who can do it for you. There are also the social networking sites like Facebook, twitter, plurk, ping and the like. These can be used for ministry purposes and they are FREE, an orthodox dream!

The church needs to use whatever tools it can to reach the generation that will be the leaders in the church. We need to keep them coming and keep them interested and involved. Yes it takes work but it needs to be done. Come on and admit it we are not that busy. We like to think we are but we have five minutes a day to post something like this. Okay it has taken me 10 because I ramble on.

Just do it!

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Facing East #26

Episode #26 is now online and in the feed. I hope you enjoy!

PODCAST

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Here I am

Well almost a week has gone by without a blog post, it was not intentional just nothing to say really. So I took the week off from blogging but I had time for other stuff.

It has been a beautiful week here and I have been watching a tree across the parking lot from the Rectory starting to change color. I have heard that we are going to have great color this fall so I feel some trips will be taken.

Many of you know I have a pop up or tent trailer and this year all I seem to do is move it from one place in the yard to another. Well I am going to plan some trips. I began work yesterday taking care of all the seams and securing any leaks so my head does not get wet when I sleep. I also needed to get a new part welded on. That task has been completed and I have a few more seams to seal and then we are ready. I have a few places I would like to visit and my plan is to take two days in the middle of the week and head off somewhere. So stay tuned you never know where I might turn up.

So another Sunday is upon us and soon Liturgy will begin. Last week was the Gospel passage about Jesus walking on water. I did not preach on that passage and it is one of my favorites so I think I will preach on that one today. I guess we will be a week behind.

This afternoon I am off on an excursion to try and get an interview for the Shepherd of Souls Podcast. More on that if it happens. If you follow me on twitter you will be able to keep up with my movements.

Pleasant day to all. Get out side and breath the fresh air!

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Monday, Monday, La la

So here it is another Monday and another week ahead to accomplish all sorts of things.

Yesterday after Liturgy and coffee hour I rolled on down to Raynham, Massachusetts for the Annual St. Andrew's Society of Massachusetts Scottish Picnic. A nice event too bad more people don't show up but anyway it was fun. I am president of the Society and it is nice to see the board members that I have not seen all summer. A few years back the board decided not to meet during the summer months as not much is going on, and it is festival season. So we chatted a bit about our trip to Loon Mountain in September for the Highland Festival. This is always a great time.

Today I am at my parents house for a day off. One resolution I made after my stay at hospital is to take a day off each week and go somewhere away from the rectory and clear my head. So here I am. I have some reading to do and I need to get a final exam ready for my class on Tuesday night. So I have a little work to do as well as some rest. We have a parish council meeting tonight so I will be back in the Village before the end of the afternoon.

I want to take a moment to welcome the new readers to the blog. It seems that readership has increased, well the comments have increased anyway. I am not sure where you all are from as I took the site meter off a few weeks back because it was causing some problems with the blog. But welcome, it is nice to have you here.

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9th Sunday of Matthew

The Reading is from Matthew 14:22-34

At that time, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."

And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they entered the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.

This has to be one of my favorite passages from Scripture. I love the image that we see here. We have all of the apostles in the boat and the weather gets bad. Jesus comes along and straight away everyone thinks he is a ghost. Let us not forget he has healed the sick, raised the dead, etc. why not walk on water?

So then we see my hero Peter. I love Peter, he is what it is all about. When I went into Monastery years ago I choose the name Peter as my name in religion. My given name is Michael. The abbot asked me why I chose Peter and I said, well his name day is my birthday, and he always seemed to be putting his foot in his mouth. I love Peter!

So Peter steps out of the boat and does fine for awhile, then he figures out where he is and gets scared and starts to sink, so Jesus saves him and brings his back to the boat.

Peter is a symbol of the church in this passage as well as many others. Peter is the church, the church steps out in faith at the call of Jesus. Then we start to want to do it on our own, and what happened to Peter, he started to sink, and that is what is happening to the church. We have taken our eyes off of Jesus and we are sinking!

We need to focus on what we are supposed to be focused on. Jesus will guide us and save us if we but follow Him. So what about the ones left in the boat? They are the ones that are afraid to step out and make a difference. There are some that like to stay out of the wind and rain and just go on with life and don't bother anyone. I am sorry but Christians are supposed to bother people. We are the light that is supposed to shine in the dark places. We are the ones that are supposed to say, HEY that's not right, and work to change things. We can no longer hide in the boat. To stay withe fishing theme, it is time to fish or cut bait!

Step out of the boat. Step out of your comfort zone, but don't do it alone, do it with Jesus and you too will walk on water!

Icon and Gospel Passage from www.goarch.org

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Saved?

For a few weeks now I have been picking away at the book A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren. Just so you know it has nothing to do with the Orthodox Church.

So far I like what he is writing, I don't always agree with everything but he has a nice way about his style and I like what I have read. I have two other books by him so I have some reading to do.

In this particular book he speaks of his own life and why he is what he is. I am not going to give too much away in case you want to read the book, and I will post a review once I have finished it. In one particular chapter he speaks about the word saved. How many times have you been asked, are you saved? How does one answer this question? Let me quote from the book:

Let's start simply. In the Bible, save means "rescue" or "heal". It emphatically does not automatically mean "save from hell" or "give eternal life after death," as many preachers seem to imply in sermon after sermon. Rather its meaning varies from passage to passage, but in general, in any context, save means "get out of trouble." The trouble could be sickness, war, political intrigue, oppression, poverty, imprisonment, or any kind of danger or evil. (pg 93)

Okay let's unpack this a little. Rescue or heal, I like that and how that sounds. God will rescue me in times of trouble and he will heal me when I am sick. "Get out of trouble," man we need this! How man times have we been in a place in our life that we would rather not be in and ask for God's help. So with this definition in mind then we are all saved! We are all in the process of being saved everyday. There really is no end as there is no end to the mercy and love of God. Every time we fall, He picks us up, he saves us.

Let us look further at this term saved:

God, throughout the Hebrew Bible, repeatedly saves from danger and evil, so to say that God saves means that God intervenes to rescue. God compassionately and miraculously steps in, gets involved, intervenes, and protects his people from their enemies and themselves. (pg 93)

I like this. This is the image of the shepherd that Jesus will pick up in the Christian Scriptures. God intervenes to rescue. He will do this, but we have to ask for it. We have to ask for Him to help us and to save us he will not just do it on His own. His hand is always there before us all we have to do is reach out and take it. The last part of that quote is great, protects his people from their enemies and themselves. He will protect us from ourselves. Nice.

McLaren goes on to say that God saves in three ways; judging, forgiving, and teaching. This is nice as well. Judgement in the sense of bringing truth and justice into our deceived and oppressed world. God forgives, I have spoken of this in the past so I wont bore you again. And He teaches.

...because we are so often ignorantly wrong and stupid, Jesus comes with saving teaching, profound yet amazingly compact: Love God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, Jesus says, and love your neighbor as yourself, and that is enough. (pg 97)

That sums up the life of a Christian very well. If we worked on that for awhile I am sure things would get better and God would save us from ourselves. We need to stop hitting each other over the head and start working together. But aside what we disagree about and focus on what we agree about. Stop being arrogant and say we have the only way, and get on with the work of the church! It's that simple, get on with the work of the church.

So are we saved? Have we been saved today? Have you saved anyone today? Think about it, love your God, love yourself, and love your neighbor.

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Peace Prayer

Peace between neighbors,
Peace between kindred,
Peace between lovers,
In love of the King of Life.

Peace between person and person,
Peace between wife and husband,
Peace between woman and children,
The peace of Christ above all peace.

Bless, O Christ, my face,
Let my face bless everything;
Bless, O Christ, mine eye,
Let mine eye bless all it sees.

Alexander Charmichael, Carmina Gadelica, Hymns and Incatations Sphere: Related Content

Must See TV

Pastor Rick Warren author of the "Purpose Driven Life" will be interviewing Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday evening (tonight) at 8:00pm on the Fox News network. Rick is Pastor of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. Questions will be on faith and values. This should be interesting.

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More on Jurisdictions

I am trying to get this post in before I have to dash off to a faculty meeting so it may not be complete.

My friend Huw has commented on my post about the jurisidicitonal squabble going on in the Orthodox Church. He makes this point toward the end of his posting:

And yes, I think the internet needs to keep holding the mirror up: and if we can’t start acting like adults… then we deserve to be grilled about it on judgement day.

I cannot agree with him more! What I was trying to do was point out that we are as crazy as everyone else. We are very arrogant as Orthodox and we need to understand that we are just like the rest of the crazy people known as Christians, and you know what, that is okay! It's okay to be a little off but it is not okay to think we are somehow pure whilst everyone else is not.

Bishops power grab, yes we have gay clergy and dare I say a gay bishop or two, women read the Epistle and chant, I know they do at my church, and we are just broken people in search of something. That something is the love of Jesus Christ and that is all we need to be concerned about.

As I have said before if we can just love one another all the rest of this crap will work itself out. Put down the catechism and just love your neighbor!

Okay off to the meeting!

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Thought for the Day

"Let's continue to be God's people and let God worry about the Church"

Bishop Gene Robinson
Bishop of New Hampshire

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Met. PHILIP Responds to the Jerusalem Patriarchate Transfer

If I live to be 100 years old I will never understand our wonderful pastoral Hierarchs in the Orthodox Church here in the United States. So we have excommunicated another bunch of our own. Wonderful!

A few observations: What is the deal with all of this Self-Ruled none sense? Can some one explain why it is necessary to call themselves Self-ruled?

And what about titles? Metropolitan Philip refers to himself as Metropolitan of All North America. The Most Blessed Herman of the OCA styles himself Metropolitan of All America and Canada. I am confused who is the head of America?

And we wonder why the Orthodox Church is less than 1% of the people in the US!

Comments in red are mine.

August 7th, 2008

To: The Esteemed Hierarchs, Members of The Archdiocese Board of Trustees, Clergy and Faithftil of the Self-Ruled (I always thought God ruled the Church) Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America:

On August 5, 2008, The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America issued a press release which established a vicariate with the name 'Vicariate for Palestinian/Jordanian Communities in the USA'. The membership of this vicariate will consist of those communities in the USA which were originally part of the Patriarchate of Antioch, but most recently (since1993) were uncanonically claimed by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. (So all will be well if the churches are returned to your self rule?) From an historical perspective, it has been clear since the disintegration of Orthodox unity which existed in North America until 1917, that the Arabic-speaking Orthodox people in North America have been exclusively under the pastoral care of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. Similarly, the Greek-speaking Orthodox people (e.g. Cypriot, Greek, Egyptian, Turkish, etc.) have always been under the pastoral care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. What reaction would occur if the Antiochian Archdiocese were to establish a vicariate for Greek communities which separate themselves from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese?! (no need for the exclamation point here by the way)

These former "Jerusalem Patriarchate" communities separated themselves from the Antiochian Archdiocese without canonical releases, and in some cases are served by priests who are under canonical suspension. It is important to point out that since this separation occurred in 1993 we have taken extraordinary measures to reconcile these communities with The Antiochian Archdiocese and have appealed to both the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Patriarchate of Antioch as well as others
for their assistance. Unfortunately, none of our numerous appeals for intervention were answered.

As such, our directive of May 2, 2003 remains in force. To emphasize the main point or that directive, the clergy of The Antiochian Archdiocese (Where is the Self-Ruled or is this another Archdiocese) are still forbidden from communing and/or concelebrating with any clergy who are a part of this newly-formed "Vicariate far Palestinian/Jordanian Communities in the USA" of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, whether in our parishes, their parishes, or as a part of pan-Orthodox gatherings. (That will restore unity for sure)

We lament this action by the Ecumenical Patriarchate which further complicates the already uncanonical jurisdictional situation (Like two or more bishops claiming the same territory and the same title?) here and continues to undermine the efforts of all Orthodox hierarchs of SCOBA to achieve administrative unity and canonical normalcy in North America.

Praying that this urgent situation will be resolved in a spirit of peace, harmony and love, we remain

Yours In Christ,
Metropolitan PHILIP
Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America

Copy
to:
His Beadtude IGNATIUS IV, Patriarch of Antioch and All The East
His Holiness ALEXY, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
His All-Holiness BARTHOLOMEW, Patriarch or Constantinople
His Beatitude THEOPHILOS, patriarch of Jerusalem
All Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox
Bishopsin America (SCOBA)

Hat Tip Western Orthodoxy Sphere: Related Content

St. John Chrysostom on Holy Communion

“Let us not, I beg you, slay ourselves by our irreverence, but with awe and purity draw near to it; and when you see it set before you, say to yourself: ‘Because of this Body am I no longer earth and ashes, no longer a prisoner, but free: because of this I hope for heaven, and to receive the good things therein, immortal life, the portion of angels, to converse with Christ’.”

Hat Tip: Fr. Z Sphere: Related Content

Where have I been?

Well this was a weekend to forget for sure. If you follow me on twitter you know that I was in hospital Sunday and Monday. I was taken by Ambulance, from the church, Sunday morning before Liturgy. I was having a little cardiac issue and thought I should go and have it checked out. Don't want to mess with the old ticker!

So off I went and was stuck with all sorts of needles and had all sorts of tests only to discover that I am under stress. Well I could have told you that, what priest is not under stress? So I need to find ways to deal with the stress and not let it bother me. I also need to lose weight and exercise more. Talk about stress! Just thinking about exercise makes me want to go back to hospital.

So I have been home since Monday afternoon and have been laying low, well sort of low. I had a full day yesterday but managed to enjoy myself along the way. We have a golf tournament coming up and I was running some errands for that as well as a few hospital visits.

I went to see the daughter of a parishioner of mine who just had a baby boy. The amazing thing about this is that it is the first birth since I have been here. The other amazing thing is that he begins the fifth generation of people in the church. Five generations... WOW!

So I am on this smoothie kick now. I have just discovered this wonderful thing. Seems like I am always the last to figure this stuff out but none the less I am blending all sorts of things now. It seems a bit strange to have the blender out and not have any rum around. Well maybe latter on tonight I will who knows what the day holds.

I also went to the farm stand yesterday and purchased all sorts of things that grow out of the ground. So I am trying to eat healthier and we shall see how long that lasts.

Well on with the day.

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Church says relic of saint stolen

LOWELL - When the Rev. Demetri Costarakis returned to church last Monday afternoon, he was immediately drawn to the front of the chapel. Something was different, wrong, out of place. The garments that usually sit atop a small, gold-plated chalice were on a shelf. The chalice was gone. Then Costarakis's heart sank.

He immediately looked to the left, his eyes drawn to the mantel on a wooden shrine where a small, elaborately-decorated silver box containing a small piece of bone believed to be a 2,000-year-old fragment of the remains of St. Andrew, had sat on display.

The Rest of the Story

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Reading for the Day

Romans 14:17-19

The kingdom of God does not mean eating or drinking this or that, it means righteousness and peace and joy brought by the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ in this way you will please God and be respected by men. So let us adopt any custom that leads to peace and our mutual improvement.

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Hospital

Well if you follow me on twitter, plurk, or Facebook you know that I spent a few hours in hospital yesterday. I had a little heart thing going on and I don't like to mess with that stuff so I checked in to see what was going on. All is well and I am wearing a heart monitor for the day.

I guess this is what happens when when gets older. Although I was just talking to my mother and she told my that my father, who is 75, is no longer on any medication. A year ago he was diagnosed with diabetes and he went nuts and lost all kinds of weight and really looks good. And now, no medication. Keep up the good work Dad!

So I am thinking of some sort of exercise program. I think we can all be in better shape then most of us are and I think we all can do a little something, walking maybe or anything. I will give this some thought and maybe we can do something together.

Oh well on with the day!

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Shepherd of Souls #24

Episode #24 is now online and in the feed.

PODCAST

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Lambeth 2008

I assume, and maybe I should not, that most of my readers are of the Eastern Orthodox variety and therefore have no clue what Lambeth is. Well Lambeth is the once very 10 years conference of all of the Anglican Bishops in the Anglican Communion who are invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury to come to Lambeth England to talk about the Communion. This conference has just concluded, and because I am such a church geek I have followed the news of the conference these last two and half weeks. There is a lot of information on the web about the conference and a simple Google search will keep you busy for most of the day.

During the conference the bishops gathered together for Bible Study in groups of eight and then in larger groups, called Indaba, for discussions on certain topics. It is these Indadba groups that I will comment on.

First off the word is pronounced in DAH ba and is a South African concept of listening to the others in the group in an attempt to reach consensus on the issue being discussed. The main word in that phrase is listening. How often do we really listen to one another without any preconceived notions about the other person. Some of the bishops have commented that they have learned so much from their counterparts in other parts of the world during this process and others hope that this process will continue even after the conference is over. I think it is very easy to complain about someone or something if you do not know who or what they are!

One of the more challenging things of pastoral ministry is listening. Ministers all called to be good, no great, listeners. People want someone to talk to and to be listened not preached at or told what to do. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all.

In my short time in the ministry I have often found that if you just let the person talk they will figure it out all on their own in their own way with their own words. We need to do more listening in the church. We need to really listen to one another and not pre judge a situation or a person.

Listening requires giving up something as well and also it makes us vulnerable to what we might learn in the process. As humans we are so quick to judge one another for all sorts of reasons and that is not right. If we take a step back and listen to the other person, really listen, to their wants, needs, hurts, joys, desires, then maybe, just maybe, we could really minster to them and to our world.

Stop preaching and start listening I guess is what I am trying to say. Also stop judging and start listening. You might just learn something.

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An Interview with the Most Revd. Metroplitan Kallistos Ware of Diokleia

This interview was conducted at the end of Lambeth Conference in England. This is the first time I have read the words of an Orthodox Bishop so clear on our need to listen and understand where society is going and where the church fits in. His words on women's ordination and homosexuality are very new words to me from an Orthodox Bishop.

Okay put the cross and the gasoline away! He is not saying that we are going to do this but we need to understand why we don't! That's the point understanding.

Read the interview here.

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When We Fast

I have just finished an essay called When We Fast... In this little essay I take up the topic of not ow to fast but why we fast. I have saved it as a pdf rather than just posting the entire thing here, it is four pages. If you are having trouble let me know.

When we Fast...

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Pesto Recipe

Here is another fasting recipe that I tried out yesterday. I think you need a food processor to make this little gem. I cannot imagine chopping up 2 cups of basil!

The basic recipe is from the book When We Fast

2 Cups Fresh Basil

2 to 4 garlic cloves

1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil

Salt to taste

pepper to taste

2 to 6 tbl spoons of pine nuts

Pu the basil and garlic in the food processor and with the machine running drizzle in the olive oil until a creamy consistency is achieved. (You have to figure this out for yourself) Make sure you stop from time to time to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

This is a great sauce to use with pasta. Last night I made up some pene and put some of this in it and it was FABULOUS!

Pesto can be frozen. Put it in ice cube trays and freeze then pop it out and put the green cubes in a zip lock freezer bag. Make sure to take most of the air out of the bag. When needed use one or two cubes. This same process can be followed with different types of stock as well. The key is to make sure as much of the air as possible is removed from the bag.

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Welcome a New Blogger

I want to welcome Fr. Ernesto Obregon to the Orthoblog world. Fr. has posted comments in the past and has joined us in this little world. Fr. is a Cuban American from Florida and an Orthodox Priest very cool. Read his blog OrthoCuban here.

Welcome Fr. Ernesto!

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Blog Problem

Hat Tip to Fr. Z for this information. It seems that the site meter was causing the blog to crash. I have removed the offending code and hope all is back on track.

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Hummus Recipe

Okay I just bought a food processor and made this quick and easy recipe. The original recipes comes from the book, When We Fast. This is a great recipe book and also has a list of what one should have in their pantry for the season. Here is the recipe. I will add some comments at the end.

1 15 oz can of chick peas (drain and reserve water)

1 to 4 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp lemon juice

Fit the food processor with the metal blade. With the machine running drop the garlic cloves in. (I did not do this step I cheated and bought already minced up) Stop the machine and add the chick peas. Process for a minute or two then add the salt and lemon juice. Add the reserved water until the desired consistency is reached. Put the in fridge and chill for one hour before serving.

Now I used olive oil and it has a very different taste. If you are fasting from oil use the bean water in place of the oil.

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