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Well, of course it's about my life and stuff I think about. Just like a quadzillionbazillion other bloggers. I'm obsessed with God. I love beauty, enjoy absurdity, dance with despair, seek silence, and think everyone is goofy. Here's my world and what I think of it....
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2011
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March
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- Step Away From the Keyboard....
- Ukelele Awesomeness!
- Orthograph #125 - Input/Output
- Orthograph # 124 - Less is More
- Orthograph # 123 - Whodathunkit?
- Fake Lent
- Lenten Rock Star
- Curmdgeophan on Homilies
- Yes... Yes.... I Admit It.... I Ate at Burger King...
- The Parking Lot of Chalcedon Elementary School
- The Second Week of Lent
- An Orthodox View of Salvation
- Your Brain on Lent
- And the winner is......
- CURMUDGEOPHAN'S CAPTION CONTEST
- Orthograph #122 - SNL
- Leave me alone!
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23 comments:
The person that is struggling to the best of his abilities, who has no desire to live a disorderly life, but who, in the course of the struggle for faith and life, falls and rises again and again, God will never abandon. And if he has the slightest will not to grieve God, he will go to Paradise with his shoes on. The benevolent God will, surprisingly, push him into Paradise. God will insure that he take him at his best, in repentance. He may have to struggle all his life, but God will not abandon him; He will take him at his best possible time. Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain
Thank you!
Thank God.
-wifie
Thank you. If anything, this cartoon is even better than the video--not that a comparison is necessary. It made me laugh with holy joy.
Gary, my comment wasn't directed toward you. Part of what I wrote didn't post. In full: Thank God. (teary-eyed, deep breath, grateful sigh, smile)
-wifie
I have to admit, I cried a little (which rhymes with "snot") at this. There are many days when this is my only hope. May it be so.
Thank you, Father.
Yes!!
Yes, I certainly pray this is the case.
I confess that due to my LONG background as a devout Lutheran then Anglican, I still have a hard time balancing this with "No man cometh to the Father but by me."
I wouldn't want to bet my life on your cartoon being true, but for my son's sake, I certainly hope it is! He is struggling so much - brought up in a Christian home, went to college with the intention of becoming a youth minister, then lost his faith in God and belief that Jesus is God the Son. He calls himself a Christian agnostic now. I can tell he really WANTS to believe. I don't know what is stopping him. That horrible Hebrews passage keeps coming to my mind, too.
His wife, the daughter of a minister, believes the same way. Thankfully, they all live close to the other grandparents who are "evanglizing" the little grandchildren.
Yes, I pray this is the way it is!!!!
Please pray for Dan and his family!
What The Poor Blogger said.
wifie -- i agree
Thank s-p for posting and thank God for his mercy!
Thank you!
What the Poor Blogger said too.
"O Christ my Savior: save me whether I want it or not! Come quickly, hurry, for I perish!"
I sure needed this now!
I still have a hard time balancing this with "No man cometh to the Father but by me."
There's no problem squaring Steve's cartoon with "No man cometh to the Father but by me." Who do you think that Guy shoving the poor, miserable sinner (dear Lord, let that be me!) into the Kingdom is? Check out His hands and feet.
Maybe that is exactly what "coming to the Father by Christ" looks like.
If salvation is that easy, can I start eating steak n' eggs?
This is Great!!!
I really love how the Elders words bind with the drawing...!!
Brilliant!!!
@ingemar
Elder Porfyry answers:
You don’t become holy by fighting evil. Let evil be. Look towards Christ and that will save you. What makes a person saintly is love – the adoration of Christ which cannot be expressed, which is beyond expression, which is beyond … And such a person attempts to undertake ascetic exercises and to do things to cause himself to suffer for the love of God. [ note: in a similar way, one who is in love likes to suffer for his/her Lover]
No monk [Christian] became holy without ascetic exercises. No one can ascend to spirituality without exercising himself. These things must be done. Ascetic exercises are such things as prostrations, vigils and so on, but done without force. All are done with joy. What is important is not the prostrations we will make or the prayers, but the act of self-giving, the passionate love for Christ and for spiritual things. There are many people who do these things, not for God, but for the sake of exercise, in order to reap physical benefit. But spiritual people do them in order to reap spiritual benefit; they do them for God. At the same time, however, the body is greatly benefited and doesn’t fall ill. Many good things flow from them.
(Taken from the Book: Wounded by Love: the Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios )
This cartoon got mentioned in another blog that had a round-up of recent Evangelical conversation (and kerfuffle) about universalism (a la Bell). The implication in that post was that Steve's comic was indication of Orthodoxy's universalistic tendencies, or something like that.
Meanwhile, over at Desertseeker, I read a post about the Orthodox response to doctrine of eternal security. It was a sobering caution about apostasy, and the need to persevere in the faith.
Somehow we need to hold the two truths at the same time: both the real and terrible possibility of falling away, and the wonderful assurance of God's persistent mercy.
There are those who simply go to church self-assured of their own salvation. But it will be those who struggled, often feeling lost and alone, who find themselves comforted on the last day. This will be a a surprise to both. Luke 18:13
Some people don't understand a joke when they see it.
In other news, I had wonderful home cooked shrimp last night with some fried (no olive oil) Indonesian noodles. Is it OK to eat foods labeled "halal" for Lent?
@Ingemar
... I thought it might be a joke, but I saw it as an opportunity to share this beautifull text from elder Porphyry, hope you liked it anyway...
P.S.
I envy you because you can fast, this year I cannot, because of a medical condition (Well, O.k., I might have paid the doctor to say I can't fast...)
Alexander:
You can eat shrimp and olive oil-free noodles (really, you shouldn't use olive oil for any Asian cuisine) and still not fast. I note of course those who complain about gaining weight during Lent.
I ate some cookies during week one (mainly to get rid of them w/o throwing them away) which I didn't eat earlier because I had a terrible fever (and consequently failed the Cheesefare semi-fast when a worried aunt bought me some food). I also ate items that had that demonic substance, WHEY, in it. And a pizza (albeit a small one, at a party I was invited to, and I didn't realize it was a pizza (seriously) until it was too late).
Am I worried? No. I am an Orthodox Christian, not a Muslim. There is some pithy Pauline quote about food that I can mention but I forget it at the moment. The thing that matters is putting away the old man, a process that will take a few more Lents.
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