A Sunday Like No Other

On this Sunday morning I am headed to Liturgy at St. Ignatius. I have participated in the Liturgy many times but today is special. Nathan and Lily are here-my grandchildren. Nathan is 4 and Lily is 2. Of course their mommy and daddy are here as well, but they don't get much attention anymore. There are priorities, you know. My daughter and son-in-law gave us the privilege of keeping their children for a few days while they went on a much needed vacation as a couple. One of the days was just a grandpa-Nathan-Lily day. We went for a walk and went to the candy store as is obligatory, but the most special time was saying morning prayers with them. They took so quickly to the candles, incense, and veneration of the icons. The incorporation of the senses in worship is so easily grasped by children. It is we adults who must shake our cultural religious norms on the Journey to Orthodoxy. It was inspiring to watch them cross themselves, touch the ground at the altar and kiss the icons. We had morning prayers just once, but when Mom and Dad came home, Nathan and Lily remembered how to do it and took exception with the fact that they had not yet venerated the icons. Oh, for a childlike approach. Isn't that what Jesus the Christ advocated, "Except you come as little children..."? We all get to go to "big church" together in the Orthodox faith. There is no little church. The children are part of the whole from birth. "Permit the little children to come to me and forbid them not.." Life is good.

Abortion - Infanticide The Orthodox Canon

Here is the Orthodox View of Infanticide

2270 Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person -- among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.(71)

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. (72)

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth .(73)

2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law:

You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish .(74)

God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.(75)

2272 Formal co-operation in an abortion constitutes a grave offence. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. 'A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae' (76) 'by the very commission of the offence', (77) and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law . (78) The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

2273 The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation:

'The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin. Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being's right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death.'(79)

'The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection which civil legislation ought to accord them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law. When the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined. . . As a consequence of the respect and protection which must be ensured for the unborn child from the moment of conception, the law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child's rights.' (80)

2274 Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.

Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, 'if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human foetus and is directed toward its safeguarding or healing as an individual... It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent of a death sentence.' (81)

2275 'One must hold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not involve disproportionate risks for it, but are directed toward its healing, the improvement of its condition of health, or its individual survival.' (82)

'It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological material.' (83)

'Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not therapeutic but are aimed at producing human beings selected according to sex or other predetermined qualities. Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of the human being and his integrity and identity' (84) which are unique and unrepeatable.

"Solid Locked To Fight"- A Letter From A Soldier

Number four in a series of letters from SGT Daniel Nuoffer

Dear Mr. Lewis

Well another mission comes to an end; our team has really come together and we all know our place with out a second thought, smooth and fast. On the road we know where each truck goes and what to do if there is a problem, I am proud of my soldiers it has been hard to deal with some of the tasked that we have to do, but, they have pulled through and made it happen. I have had some issues back home as always they weigh heavy on your heart especially when you are 10,000 miles away and can't fix the problem first hand; but I am holding it together trying to keep a level head. All I can do is listen when I hear about the problems back home, however right now I have to close off my mind to what is going on in the rear and focuses on the mission and the well being of my soldiers. It seems however that everyday that I don't deal with the problem they get that much bigger. I ask for your prayers.

I'm sitting on my truck reflecting on the mission that we have just completed, I think of all that we do to prepare for an enemy's attack. At my disposal I have three small arms, a heavy machine gun, and a 40 mm grenade launcher all to combat anything the enemy throws at me. Countless hours of training and practice to make sure I am ready for anything. My personal gear consists of a heavy frag vest, a combat helmet, my nomex gloves and my personal 9mm side arm. In my truck I have a radio to call for help and a computer that tells me where all my friends are; as well as two combat life saver bags and a casualty extraction and litter kit. I am solid locked to fight against the enemy.

As we roll out the gate I make a final check of each one of my guys to make sure they have their gear and that it is put on the right way; everyone needs to be on the same sheet of music, and what the mission will require them to have, in that way we can do our job as a team. It is important to have this equipment ready and serviceable, because when we roll out of a FOB it is game time, the time for pre-preparation is over.

As Christians we need to do kinda the same thing. I have watched people come into a church chewed up by the enemy; shocked and shaken thinking how could this happen to them. But on the same hand I watch them walk right back out the door of the FOB or Church, half cocked and untrained. They have their weapon all jacked up, no ammo, no vest or if they do it¢s slung over one shoulder, the enemy beats the crap out of them before they make it to the first stop light. My words can be confusing at times because I have a military frame of mind, I read in Ephesians 6:11 and it says put on the full armor of God. I agree and I say not only put on the armor, but know how to use it as well. Don't roll out the gate ready to fight with your helmet on backwards and your gun jacked up. Make sure when you set foot on the battle field you are ready for a fight. Help others, band together, and make a united front against the enemy. Walking out that gate with no weapon and no armor is a quick way to get sent home in a box.

I love all of you. Thank you for you prayers and your love. God bless you all and I hope to see you when I come home. Please keep my soldiers in your prayers it keeps us safe and in his hand.

Sgt Nuoffer

Note: Sgt Daniel Nuoffer is on his second tour in Iraq. His duty is to command the lead gunnery vehicle that guides our troops in convoy down treacherous roads from Kuwait into Bagdad. He will be gone for 15 months. His new wife awaits his safe return as do we all. Send him your love and support. You may e-mail him at chemicalninja@yahoo.com.

(minor edits by JTO)

Spirit of Anti-Christ- Coming To America?

"...More especially have mercy upon your servants who are under persecution for Your sake and for the sake of the Orthodox Faith at the hands of heathen nations, of apostates and of heretics: remember them, visit and strengthen, keep and comfort them, and make haste to grant them, by Your power, relief, freedom, and deliverance."

Below are Muslim terrorists in Bosnia desecrating an Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Christian Church-Since 33 A.D. "In the world but not of it."

"Because I Said So!"

"Because I said so" are the four most dreaded words to any child. Almost every child had that standard confront them at one time or another. To a child, those words are unreasonable. In fact, the very supposition demanded that we forego our self-applied prerequisite to understand before we obey. The Age of Reason, akin to the Age of Enlightenment, has heavily influenced the way modern man discovers and applies truth. All cultures have been so influenced, but western thought has been particularly impacted. The western mind says, I will understand it then I will believe it. The Eastern mind says I will believe it then I will understand it. Christianity is Eastern. Our parents were the standard of truth and living for us as children. So our Heavenly Father and the Mother church is our standard. Why do we obey our parents? Because their reasoning is beyond ours. As we mature, we understand and we find that their standard of reasoning was our protection. So is the way of Christianity. The greatest obstacle to the theosis of man is the elevation of his intellect above that of his Creator. A God-given intellect, void of proper alignment, is assurance of spiritual death. Jesus said, "Blessed is he who does not see and yet believes." The most pivotal epiphany I have experienced on my Journey To Orthodoxy was the realignment of my intellect. When I trusted the reasoning of the Father and discovered that all protective truth is contained in the bosom of the Mother church, my theosis began. Then, and only then, could my intellect digest the precepts of God. One must first believe the truth, then set out to understand it. This is the way of the the Kingdom of God for it is within and not without.

Realigning Relationships

The further I step into the bosom of the Church the more I am confronted with the need to realign relationships. I fully expected that there would be an adjustment with my immediate family members and even cousins, uncles and aunts, who knew me as a good protestant minister. What could not be foreseen is that relationships with friends, and other evangelical acquaintances would change and in some cases dissolve. Of course the Church does not require such a divide as a practice, but as the commonality of belief, ethos, world view, doctrines and the very definitions of "church" becomes more glaringly uncommon, I find my links to these relationships less important and less fulfilling. Some have run their own course and ended of their own accord. Others, I have had to speak to or lend energy to redirect the course. Neither option is without pain and loss.

My wife and I recently had a 20 year friendship with another couple end at their request. Certainly with 20 years of history there are many elements involved in such a divide and I am not without fault, but the common thread of unity between all people of faith is made strong only in the Church. Without that commonality there is no firm foundation of belief, practice or friendship. A friendship based on anything other is destined for polarization. It is only from the other side of that relationship that we can more fully see the inherent fragility of its structure. We believed in the Visible Church, they did not, to the extent that they committed themselves to none (a very common and accepted evangelical charismatic practice-love God but loath the "church"). They were given to worldliness and vulgarities and though we also have that propensity to sin, we are convicted in heart to not do so and chastised severely of the Spirit when we do. We see now that we were not included in their entire circle of friends because our conservatism and desire for righteousness would throw cold water on the party. We are very leery of any belief or practice that does not have its origin in the life of the Church. They embraced spiritualism to the extent that they denounced catholics and embraced the mysticism of the Native American religions while living their life following signs and visions and chasing after individual prophetic words given them by charismatic prophets.

God forbid that any should read this as a comparison of who is the more righteous, for I am sure anyone knowing me will be able to list my sins with a fair amount of accuracy. The point here is the existence of the lack of commonality of the desire to adhere to the faith of our Fathers. When that assessment is accurately made, the need for realignment of relationships becomes profound.

Today I had another breech and realignment. This one was at my request. A dear, committed friend who heads up a valuable ministry in the marketplace, recently made clear to me that realignment of our relationship was imminent. Though I addressed it with her previously, provoking a less than kind response, she did not seem to understand the gulf that exists between those who have as their desire the building up of the Church of the Apostles, and those who proactively seek its destruction. Unfortunately, I recognized that she had joined the later ideology. As a result, I sent her the following letter:

Sandra (not her real name),
I am grateful for your phone call today I recognize and appreciate the wonderful things you do for the souls of men. It is important for me to express however, that our relationship has changed from the time we first met on the phone. Our season of mutual prayer and similar goals for the marketplace quickly ebbed away after we had our confrontation over "tearing down the old structures." If you will recall, I told you that I could not support the idea that you were writing, speaking and promoting an "Invisible Church" and advocating the demise of the very thing I was trying to build up- The Visible Church and the return of all believers to the historic faith, doctrines and practices of the Church of the Apostles - the Orthodox Church. You reacted very strongly to my words. I was surprised after that when you called as if nothing had happened. Knowing your heart for God, I cannot consider you an enemy nor hold any contempt for you, but the fact is I am not comfortable with future phone calls where you ask me to "give you a report." I will continue to hope for the very best of God's will for you and will invite you to follow my journey at www.journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com, as I make my way out of the maze and mire of the evangelical charismatic world, which is the modern day equivalent of the heretical Montanists and Gnostics. I am and will forever be grateful for your kindness to me and and prayers for me and my family. I will still look forward to the day when we might meet face to face. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.
Your Brother in Christ,
Nathan

The realignment of relationships requires that some change and others go away. But I am reminded of the scripture of promise to all who will follow Christ in the bosom of the Orthodox Faith. It gives me hope even now and I pray it will you as well while you make your Journey to Orthodoxy.

"So Jesus answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sister or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time-houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions-and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first shall be last and the last first'."

"I Have My Rights!"

"I have my rights!" Foreign as it may seem to the Western mind, the idea of personal rights is not a heavy emphasis in Christianity. In fact, the opposite is true. As Christians we are to give up our rights. We are to die to self. We are to become servants of God and of man. The Western culture breeds an attitude of independence and individual rights. This is at odds with the Orthodox faith and results in conflict in the body of Christ.

Thank God for the United States of America. We should pray and work to preserve the freedoms that we know. The very purpose, however, of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights is to allow Christians to be servants to all and to advance the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of heaven is within not without. In essence, the advancement of the individual stands opposed to theosis of his soul. "He must increase and I must decrease", said Saint John the Baptist. When Christ comes on the scene He becomes preeminent. This goes against the grain of this society, but it is the very grain of Christianity. Herein should be the mantra for all who follow Christ. "Jesus is Lord and I have no rights." When one is able to say that, theosis has only just begun.

Cream of the Crop

Although I am not sure my priest will appreciate being referred to as the cream of the crop, that description serves him well. I am sure he will not appreciate any accolades, especially public ones, but such an attitude is indicative of his heart. Father Steven Rogers was a writer and a print journalist before becoming an Orthodox priest. He and I also have in common the fact that we are both good Southern Baptist boys. He is not only a humble, well reasoned individual, but a dynamic speaker and passionate pastor. What most do not understand about the commitment of an Orthodox priest is that they are devoted body and soul to the welfare of our souls. Father Steven physically and spiritually stands at the altar in the temple many times a week in prayer and at regular hours. He stands on our behalf in the temple when people are present and when there is no one there but God. He has a demeanor of good humor, meekness and strength. His ministry reaches beyond the acreage on which St. Ignatius sits. He is mission minded having assisted in the development of other bodies, most recently the establishment of a new parish in a neighboring town. He did so knowing that some of his own parish members would be leaving his own flock to join there. His lack of feeling threatened or fear of someone encroaching upon his territory shows his heart's attitude that it is God's church, not his, and the goal is men's souls. When you ask Father Steven a question, bring your notepad, for the answer will be thorough. You may find, however, that your notepad remains empty as your soul is activated rather than your mind. To become Orthodox, he will say, is not mental gymnastics. It is not the type of Liturgy used, and it is definitely not Western in thought or philosophy. The main challenge Father Steven gives to all who will hear is that Orthodoxy is not shapes and forms but the renewing of your mind and the changing of your soul. For the Western man this is a greater challenge. Father Steven understands that challenge. With him there will be no quick or easy answers, because the soul and mind of man is not quickly or easily changed. It is said that if there is a longer way to do something the Orthodox will find it. Father Steven's own life reflects this perspective. He actually is a marathon runner. May my days under the pastorate of Father Steven be long, slow, and exhaustive, and may God give me the grace to hear with my soul what God would say through him.

[Note: Father Steven Rogers is priest of
Saint Ignatius Orthodox Church in
Franklin, TN]

Be Nice

One of the great mysteries of my life is the fact that I have often been referred to as "nice". This may come as quite a shock to some who would not consider me such. I have discovered along the way a propensity in some to take advantage of nice people. There is something inherent in them that smells blood around a nice person as they set out to pounce on them. I have found this to be true in business and interpersonal-relationships. Such people who have pounced on me for various reasons have discovered that their understanding of nice may be flawed. They are the same who confuse meekness with weakness. Christ was meek but he wasn't weak. He could be the lamb and the lion. Such is the case with the Christian. A case in point right now on the national scene is Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee. He is being called "nice." Some would use it against him and call him "too nice." But, watch him for a while and you see the fire in his eyes, the resolve in his voice and the determination of a man who walks in integrity. Cross that and you won't think him so nice.

My lack of niceness is usually displayed when I see someone hurt by another. I also become a lion when I am confronted with unrighteousness by another. Christ took up the whip and turned over tables. It is that same indignation we should have within us when we see the innocent being wounded. Our whips are our words and our tables are our actions to confront such. I am certain that those in the Temple that day did not consider Jesus very nice, but in that was His righteousness displayed and so should ours.

To be fully like Christ, we must also be longsuffering and slow to anger. That means to be nice as long as possible. But, the greatest challenge is to be very slow or even void to take up your own defense. Christ didn't slap back when he was slapped. He didn't spit back when spat upon. He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set him free from the cross, but he didn't. Herein he was meek, not weak.

If you have lived at all you know what it is to have enemies. I especially know what it is to have enemies for righteousness sake. Love those who persecute you and pray for those who despitefully use you. It is anything but easy to suffer as Christ did, but lest we forget, we have been crucified with Christ, yet nevertheless we live. Yet it is not we who live but Christ who lives in us.

Be the lamb and be the lion but all in all just try to be nice.