Life Takes A Holiday

FROM THE UK TELEGRAPH
Last Updated: 2:03am GMT 22/02/2008

An artist killed herself after aborting her twins when she was eight weeks pregnant, leaving a note saying: "I should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a good mum."

Emma Beck was found hanging at her home in Helston, Cornwall, on Feb 1 2007. She was declared dead early the following day - her 31st birthday.

Her suicide note read: "I told everyone I didn't want to do it, even at the hospital. I was frightened, now it is too late. I died when my babies died. I want to be with my babies: they need me, no-one else does."

The inquest at Truro City Hall heard that Miss Beck had split up with her boyfriend, referred to as "Ben" after he "reacted badly" to the pregnancy.

She saw her GP before the termination, but missed an appointment at a hospital in Penzance. She then cancelled, but later turned up to an appointment at a clinic at Royal Cornwall Hospital in Treliske. The counsellor was on holiday so a doctor referred Miss Beck to a pregnancy counselling telephone service eight days before carrying out the abortion when she was eight weeks pregnant, the inquest heard.

The coroner, Dr Emma Carlyon, ordered that the identities of the doctor who performed the abortion and her lead consultant be kept secret.

The inquest heard that Sylvia Beck, the victim's mother, wrote to the hospital after her daughter's death, saying: "I want to know why she was not given the opportunity to see a counsellor.

"She was only going ahead with the abortion because her boyfriend did not want the twins.

"I believe this is what led Emma to take her own life - she could not live with what she had done."

The doctor said: "I discussed Emma's situation with her, and wrote on the form, 'Unsupported, lives alone, ex-partner aware'.

"It is normal practice to give a woman the number for telephone counselling when a counsellor is not available.

"I am satisfied that everything was done to make sure that Emma consented to the operation.

She added: "We have since appointed more counsellors so there is more holiday cover."

Katie Gibbs, Miss Beck's GP, told the hearing: "She was extremely distressed by the abortion procedure, and I didn't think she ever came to terms with it.

"She had a long history of anxiety and depression. Despite my best efforts, she was not willing to see a counsellor after the termination."

Her boss at the clinic, said: "The time that can be given to a woman by a counsellor is limited in a busy hospital.

"I am satisfied everything was done to make sure Emma was consenting to surgery. I don't feel there was any gap in the counselling service.

"There were lots of individuals who would be alert to any doubts. The comments made by Emma's mother are not about a doctor I recognise."

Mrs Beck told the court: "Emma was considered a talented artist, and sold a number of paintings.

"She was pleased when she became pregnant, but Ben reacted badly to the news."

Recording a verdict of suicide, Dr Carlyon said: "It is clear that a termination can have a profound effect on a woman's life.

"But I am reassured by the evidence of the doctors here."

A Motion Picture For Life

If you have not had the opportunity to thread the needle of the blogging world you may not know that I am a film producer. I am the Executive Producer of Kingdom Film, Inc. That may sound impressive, but in actuality KFI is one of thousands of such independent film companies across the world. The uniqueness of KFI however is the creed that guides our artistic endeavors and the fact that, although I am an Orthodox Christian, KFI is NOT a "Christian Film Company." What is a Christian Film anyway? Does that mean that if it dies at the box office it goes to heaven? I am a Christian who makes films. I do not make Christian films. I have seen Christian films and most are not a pretty sight.

In the grand scheme of things, KFI seems to be filling the void that exists because of the lack of vision the Church has had in communicating the mind and will of God through the art form of film making. In fact, the Orthodox Church has barely discovered the technology called television. So, alas, we artistic types, realizing that we too are called to, "Go into all the world to preach the gospel to every creature..." , find ourselves in the wild world of the film industry surrounded by peculiar creatures indeed. Many of our Christian brethren do not like the fact that we are sitting at the table of the publicans and the sinners, but Christ does because He did. We eat their food, drink their beverages and smoke their leaves (at least the legal ones). We have become all things to all people so that we might win a few, while holding to the tenant, "being in the world but not of it...". We love people into the Kingdom by accepting them as the King does. No guilt, no condemnation, no judgment. The Love of God is shed abroad...to all people.

To display the Love of God to the world in which we live, KFI chooses projects that speak to the spiritual and physical needs of all mankind. One such project is the true story of several thousand aborted fetuses found in a rented trash container. This pro-life look at the abortion industry is seen through the eyes of an investigative reporter. Without divulging the title or the book on which the film is based, let me invite you to support KFI and its producers in this valuable effort. Such a film is missions 101. The film project is non-religious, void of demagoguery, and designed to be a cutting edge message to all fabrics of society. With the new open environment to "faith based films", this KFI feature film project is positioned to be controversial and poignant in a way that will rally ticket buyers on both sides of the abortion issue.

KFI welcomes qualified investors to participate financially in bringing this film to the screen. http://www.kingdomfilmsinc.com/ will provide you info on my company and a couple of our endeavors. You can contact KFI at that site. There has never been a better time than right now for such a project.

[Update: Kingdom Films Inc. has been dissolved. Current projects by Nathan Lee Lewis can be seen at http://www.nathanleeelwis.com/]

I look forward to hearing from you.

Letter From A BLOG Reader Down Under

Greetings to my Brother in Christ,

I am so pleased to discover that I have not been alone in finding the Church of Christ as contained in Orthodoxy from a Baptist background.

Allow me to tell you a bit about myself. I do not come from a Christian family. In fact, I was originally a pagan who worshiped false gods before accepting Christ as the Way, Truth and Life. I was originally a follower of these Eastern religions: Buddhism (Theravada school); Hinduism and Taoism. God was patient with me despite my wanderings and opposition to him by allowing me to go to Christian schools as well as a Christian Sunday school. (Oddly enough, this was introduced to me through my non-Christian family who wanted me to get some religion. God was merciful in allowing a Christian friend of the family to introduce me and my sister to Christian Sunday School). In the beginning, due to some very bad examples shown to me in "Christian" schools (in this case, Seventh Day Adventist in the beginning), I was opposed to Christianity. As time passed, I was sent to a different school, where I encountered at least some semblance of orthodox Christianity, and was beginning to be challenged to consider the Bible and Jesus Christ as true or not. My faith in Christianity was not finalised until 2 events occured in my life. The first was a coma caused by my chronic asthma condition. This shook me up since I was actually at the door of death and made me consider that there is more to this physical world than we see it. This made me consider and practice the above mentioned religions. It made me read all the different scriptures of the different religions. It left me with one certainty: these religions have some elements of truth but have tainted error into it. What was now certain was that there had to be one God who is true, the question is who is He?

This led to the second point in my life: a visit to a Christian friend's house. When I entered that afternoon, I was treated to lunch and also some interesting Christian literature. In fact, it was a box filled with comic tracts by Jack Chick. Being someone who had searched through every religion (including the monotheistic religions that are not Christian.ie Islam and Judaism as well as Zoroastrianism), it intrigued me to devour the contents thereof. After going through every tract in the box, God brought this truth home: Jesus Christ is God and He is the Only One who can save you from hell and a sin filled life. I thus fully believed and accepted Jesus Christ as my salvation that day and expressed my willingness to follow Him further by going back to the church I was first introduced to with renewed vigour to study and follow the Scriptures. (The church was a Evangelical Anglican church).

However, it does not end here. After this, I experienced many waverings in the faith by getting involved with both Roman Catholicism and neo-evangalicalism as well as Charismaticism. After being confronted by the actual pitfalls they would lead a Christian into, I investigated further and thoroughly rejected both and decided to leave my environment to start a new Christian life based on unchanging truth without compromise. This led me to encounter a Fundamental Baptist Church. I thought I was home. They had come to the same conclusions that I had come to but with much more Biblical knowledge. I thus became a fully involved Fundamental Baptist and got baptised in a Fundamental Baptist Church. We opposed the same things: Roman Catholicism; Masonry; Islam; ecumenism; left-wingers and homosexual rights groups; Charismaticism; Calvinism; all the cults (Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Christadelphians, Seventh Day Adventists, etc.); modern-day 'bibles'; neo-evangelicalism;Communism and humanism;evolution and loved what was good and right. However, there was another pitfall. Whilst the Biblical knowledge and teaching was for the most part accurate, and our conclusions were there, yet hypocrisies and quasi- denials of sin occuring within our camp was evident.

In the midst of that time, I had unexpectedly come into contact with the Orthodox faith through a Jewish friend in university! Prior to that, as a strong-headed Fundamental Baptist, I was not intent on even considering the prospect of converting to Orthodoxy. However, before that meeting, I had just been listening to a set of lectures by a Croatian atheist on the Orthodox Faith, since I was doing a course on the history of Russia. Irony of ironies indeed if one was not enough! As a strong headed Baptist, I was skeptical of Orthodoxy as "another form of Roman Catholicism". However, after listening to this atheist professor present lectures on Orthodoxy as well as talk with my Orthodox friend of a Jewish friend, I came away thinking: "It seems Orthodoxy and Fundamental Baptist teaching are more agreeable than disagreeable on many issues."

After establishing a friendship with this Orthodox friend, I decided to go to an Orthodox Bookshop. As I entered the store, I was warmly greeted and sat down to explain my situation to the workers. They recommended me to go to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia rather than the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, even though they were Greeks themselves. The reason being the purity of the faith generally retained by ROCOR as opposed to the involvement with ecumenism and World Council of Churches on the part of GOA. I even arranged to speak with the Archbishop of Australia, His Grace, Hilarion.

After much discussion and investigation into Orthodoxy, I came to the conclusion (in conjunction with the Church Fathers) that the Church of Christ Visible is One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church retained in Orthodoxy. What also helped in my search at the time was the life and works of Father Seraphim Rose, whom I felt I had a lot more in common with. I have got involved with ROCOR, whilst not being a blind zealot. (I dislike strongly the anti-Jewishness and Israel-bashing stance taken by a number of both laymen and clergymen in ROCOR. I also believe that whilst there are many genuine converts, there are a number of converts who are still humanistic through and through with not one wit whole). Orthodoxy is the way of unchanging conviction in Christ being lived out in an ever-changing world.

It is a blessing that I have come across your blog. You share many of the heart felt issues I share and I do hope to hear from you.

As the Church of Christ, it is better we wash out our dirty laundry than to let the stench stink to the nostrils of heaven. We can deal with our dirty laundry much better than the Protestants and Roman Catholics can.

In the heart of every hardcore Fundamentalist is someone who is truly Orthodox. They just do not know it yet.

God bless and hope to hear from you soon.

Timotheos Kwoh

A Blight On Christianity

As the world watches, the self appointed "Reverend" Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church continues to drive people away from the gates of heaven through his hatred for those God loves. This time he plans to protest at actor Heath Ledger's memorial service. As Orthodox Christians we are to pray for the soul of Heath and for his family who grieves. The old adage is missed by Phelps that we are to love the sinner but hate the sin. How dare Jesus eat with the publicans and sinners! Phelps is not the face of Christianity. His is the face of an arrogant, maniacal pharisee. But Phelps' own estranged son Mark, says it best:

"I believe in God and the Bible, and my father's behavior doesn't fit the description of behavior that would show in the life of one who loves God; behavior characteristics such as Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. Instead, my father's behavior characterizes, I believe, Hate, Outbursts of Wrath, Contention, Jealousy, Vengefulness, Misery, Harshness, and Selfish ambition. He mis-states the truth about his own behavior, about others, about the Bible, with apparent ease and regularity. He behaves with a viciousness the likes of which I have never seen. He accepts no genuine accountability in his life and is subject to no one. His lifestyle betrays the sacred trust of what a pastor, husband, father and grandfather should be. I suppose if a comparison were made between the life of Jesus Christ and my father, there would not be much to compare.I believe that Topekans are making a good effort to try and stop him and should continue to do so. He can seem very intimidating. He can use foul language and come across with a booming voice to the community, but the truth is, like the Wizard of Oz, when Toto pulls the curtain back, instead of this big powerful individual, it's only a small, pathetic old man. I feel sorry for my father as I would for anyone who displays this kind of hate and evil viciousness. These can only be the manifestations of tortured, injured and agonizing souls."

Former Charismatic Epicscopal Churches Continue Their Journey

I was thrilled to hear today from my former CEC priest Father Denzil Roland. Father Denzil is now Father John Denzil and priest of St's Peter and Paul Orthodox Church (Western Rite) in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Father John reports that there are three to four other CEC churches about to come into the Orthodox faith through the Western Rite. This multiple movement of individual churches is unprecedented on this continent. Pray for those who are coming and those who will come. Pray for the Nashville Tennessee area, that a Western Presence will be established here as well.

Who Was Ole Saint Nick?

Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas was a real person who lived in a real time. He was a Bishop of the Church. Have a Merry Christmas as you read about him HERE.

Southern Baptists Endorse The Use Of Icons!

The Southern Baptist Convention finally gets it. Orthodox don't worship images! The Southern Baptist's icon of Billy Graham stands outside the Lifeway Headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. Lifeway is the main educational materials publisher for the SBC and the former Baptist Bookstore. The icon of Billy Graham is appropriate. Should we accuse Southern Baptists of idol worship? Of course not. The image of Billy Graham is to remind us of a life spent in servitude to the things of God and in the SBC's own words is a "tribute" to him. Perhaps now the SBC can make the historic connection and not think it so strange to see our Orthodox icons used in a very similar manner. Orthodox are just a bit more cognizant of the fact that the people whom the images represent are not dead but worship around the throne of God in the Great Liturgy as we do here on earth. Therefore, we can ask the real life subject of the icons to pray for us. Orthodox also have been around about 1800 years longer than the SBC so we have a larger collection.

Trendy Faith- The "New" Evangelical

ABC had to fulfill its obligation to its viewers today by doing a religion segment. They chose a young evangelical and his hip approach to church. The fact that he was a former staffer with Falwell was mentioned in contrast to his non-negative approach to the gospel. The core of the expose' was the fact that such a personal, store front, non-political church is the new trend away from the Mega Church which takes a societal stand. "We preach for something and not against something..." That sounds good on its face but is Politically Correct pablum and, in essence' anti-Christ. Christ preached against a lot of things. So did the forerunner, John the Baptist, for which he lost his head. The Apostles died martyr's deaths as have millions of Christians since then because they said a few things to which others took great exception. "If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything", comes to mind. Doesn't the very discovery of truth require discarding falsehoods? The Ten Commandments were not suggestions and Christ said He didn't come to abolish the Law and the Prophets.

God bless the young man and his endeavor to "win the lost", but to what is he winning them? It is a Trendy Faith, not the faith of our Fathers. The "new" Evangelical is not new at all, but in a long line of those who have discarded the Apostolic Traditions as passe'. Holiness, altars, reverence, clear doctrine, and the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, have been replaced by relativism, t-shirts, big screens and poor grammar. (The young pastor actually said "People could have went to church...") The Great Liturgies such as Saint John Chrysostom and Saint Gregory have been replaced with psychobabble, feel-good lectures, laced with ""whassup", "how's everybody doing today", "we're gonna have an exciting time today", while accompanied by a live band, big screen TV, and audio headsets.


This is the extreme evolution of Sola Fide' and Sola Scriptura. Much of Westernized Christianity has evolved to the extent that it has become foreign matter. As Orthodox Christians we do not judge the ultimate salvation of an individual or a Christian community, but we still look for a family resemblance to find our relatives. To the New Evangelical, if it's old- it's bad. To the Orthodox if it's new- it's is a good sign we aren't related.

The Root Of Bitterness

I won't attempt a theological treatment of the Root of Bitterness, our inability to forgive, our tendency to hold grudges toward those who have done us ill. I am, however an experiential expert on the subject. I have held bitterness toward another. The most difficult kind of bitterness to uproot is that which involves someone for whom you have or had deep love and trust- an emotional bond. The difficulty lies in the fact that they usually are to blame. They did it- whatever it is they did. They were indeed at fault.

My first cousin, a doctor of counseling, once pointed out to me that there is no such thing as an inferiority complex. Instead, people who deal with these issues suffer from self-centeredness and pride. Their feelings are based in the desire to feel better about themselves and propelled by the habit of comparing themselves to others. "Pride comes before the fall" and they live in a perpetual state of fallen image. The same is true of those who are bitter at another. The Root of Bitterness is based in the belief that you deserved better treatment. The person who hurt you took from you the rights you feel you deserve. Again, the feelings are based in self-centeredness and pride.

I learned log ago that the person with bitterness suffers more than the perpetrator. The one who hurt you has long since gone on. Many times they don't even know you are bitter or at least can't remember what they did to hurt you. For you it is as if it was yesterday, when in reality you wake up to find years have passed. You have spent so much emotion and effort trying to pay them back for what they did but find that you continue to work for your own emotional destruction. You denounce them. You talk about them. You replay the scenes of the infraction. You gather those around you who will agree with you. You ironically become the hurter rather than the hurtee. The reason it is called a "root" is because it goes deep, having taken over your life, controlling your responses and relationships. Neither the death of the person nor their sincere remorse will uproot the bitterness. Because- pride nourishes the root. Stop the pride and the root will die.

In any case you have a decision to make. You must decide how you want to feel. You must decide not to let what that person did control you any longer. Forgiveness is not just for the sake of the perpetrator but for your sake. You must forgive in order to live, to be happy. Forgive, even though they don't deserve it. Forgiveness. There is no other way.

Sometimes It Helps To Seek Help

This post appears on "Stranger In Love" BLOG. It is from a fellow Journeyer and friend. His honesty is refreshing and his endeavor real. It is inspiring.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

I had a good day today. I got to see a friend today that I consider to be a spiritual guide of sorts. Some background info. He was a former Baptist preacher that has now come to the side of good and is involved with the Eastern Orthodoxy. We have had some fantastic discussions when it comes to spirituality and religion and God.

My faith in God, or more so the belief in God was never suspect, but my belief and faith in religion has wained. Wained so that I have left the church, and although I do tell other that I am catholic I am not affiliated with any church.

After talking and reading his blog over the last few months, the Orthodoxy religion has taken a hold of me. The doctrine, the belief and the whole idea draws me back to religion.

So I talked to him today, about my issues and finally, I broke down and cry. Not a single tear, but a deluge of tears. I sometimes forget that I am human and there is no shame to cry.

He said I need to become one with God, to submit to his power, to allow myself to have him, 100 percent in my life. I needed to build a framework and start really having a relationship with God.

As we were talking, this song from U2...one started playing. It was like it was scripted in a film.

I went to my moms home and talked with her. Not even looking, I saw my old prayer book from high school.

I know that now, now that I am submitting my life and taking this journey together with the woman I love, all will be good.

U2-One

Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same
Will it make it easier on you now
You got someone to blame
You say...

One love
One life
When it's one need
In the night
One love
We get to share it
Leaves you baby if you
Don't care for it

Did I disappoint you
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well it's...

Too late
Tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other
One...

Have you come here for forgiveness
Have you come to raise the dead
Have you come here to play Jesus
To the lepers in your head

Did I ask too much
More than a lot
You gave me nothing
Now it's all I got
We're one
But we're not the same
Well we
Hurt each other
Then we do it again
You say
Love is a temple
Love a higher law
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other

One...life

One

JF