Month: April 2007
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A Link to Father John Parker
One of my dear friends, Fr. John Parker, pastor of Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. (Charleston), has recently had an article published in Touchstone. You can read the article here. I have also added his Blog, Holy Ascension Blog, to my Blogroll. Fr. John is a former Anglican priest, an excellent writer,…
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Twenty Years Ago Today
Twenty years ago today, I witnessed the birth of our third child, our son, James. Always a joy to our heart and those of others he has become a young man of whom I am proud and whose company is a delight. He was ten years old when I announced to the complete family that…
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Solidarity and the Christian Life
I commend the collection The Inner Kingdom, volume 1 of Bishop Kallistos Ware’s collected works. Writing in essay on martyrdom, Bishop Kallistos, offers the following observation and stories: This notion of exchange, of solidarity in suffering, forms one of the master-themes of Martin Buber’s Tales of the Hasidim. It is said of one of the…
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On the Other Hand
On the other hand – irony is probably too much to ask of youth. If I can remember myself in my college years, the most I could muster was sarcasm. Irony required more insight. There is a deep need for the appreciation of irony to sustain a Christian life. Our world is filled with contradiction.…
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Ironic and Sardonic
I am the father of two children who still (for at least the next day or so) measure their lives in numbers that fall in the “teens.” My son turns 20 on Monday. Be that as it may, I still qualify as the father of teenagers. They certainly hear plenty from me about God, about…
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Reminder – I Am an Ignorant Man
Last January I posted a note on Ignorance and God. It has since been translated and posted in both Romanian and French. My first thought was, “Great. My first taste of international recognition will be because I am an ignorant man.” That, of course, is a kindness from God. I would be in danger should…
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Saint Silouan and the Wisdom of a Married Man
Following such interesting discussion of the necessity of monasticism, I offer a small story from the life of St. Silouan of Mt. Athos in which he comments on the spiritual wisdom of his peasant father (a married man). Truly, we are all called to different stations in life, but in every place, those who love…
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The Necessity of Monastics
A month or so ago I received an email from a young protestant who wondered: “What good is monasticism?” His arguments and observations were pretty similar to others I’ve heard over the years. I recall my older brother once asking me, “If a hermit is in the desert and is very holy, what good does…
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Pardon Our Mess
I am working on some cosmetic changes for Glory to God for All Things. So if you see changes over the next few days, please be patient. I would also appreciate feedback if you find any changes to be improvements or bothersome. As I’m learning a little more about how wordpress works, I am looking…
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The Choices We Make
Our culture celebrates the ability we have to choose – and so we think a lot about choices. We are told every four years that we get to “choose” our leaders (though the choices given to us might not be suitable in either direction). As I look back and think of my preaching over the…
This is a wonderful conversation! Father, thank you for your reply; it is beautiful. I’ll add that I IM’d you…