Beginning Clean (on fasting and failing) Let the mouth also fast from disgraceful speeches and railings. For what does it profit if we abstain from fish and fowl and yet bite and devour our brothers and sisters? The evil speaker eats the flesh of his brother and bites the body of his neighbor. —St. John Chrysostom The Lenten journey is not about what you cannot eat. It’s about what you pray from…
I make lists. Some days just the act of sitting down and writing out the list feels like an accomplishment. I used to try to keep track of these things on my phone, in fact I have at least three apps plus the notepad and the calendar to keep my stuff together so to speak. It works, for a little while at least. But there’s nothing like the piece of actual paper…
Choices can be good. I like having choices. The only trouble is that some days it feels as though there are no choices. It’s all Coke or Pepsi. It’s the illusion of choice. It’s all caramel coloring and high fructose corn syrup dressed up in a different bottle, color scheme and marketing package. Now, choosing between tofu and cupcakes? That’s a choice. I don’t like tofu but I ate it anyway on…
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. -Matthew 6:14-15 In the Orthodox tradition Lent begins like wading into water. We spend time transitioning from where we’ve been to where we want to go. We spend a week preparing to remove meat from our diet, offering prayer and awareness and…
Why does everything circle back to fasting with me? Transitioning to the Orthodox practice of fasting during Advent has been a bumpy road to say the least. I sat down this weekend to make a list of the meals I prepare that my kids actually like and eat without whining and you know, every single one of them has meat in it. It’s a sad commentary really. I’ve tried all kinds of…