Just A Brief Thought

Have you ever noticed how some Orthodox blogs major on the words and teachings of the saints rather than the words of the Christ the saints worshiped? Is it any wonder that the heterodox think we are guilty of saint worship? Don't tell me what a saint says until you first tell me what Jesus said. Not orthodox enough for you? Maybe not, but it is Christianity 101!

When Ecumenism Is Not A Bad Word

In support of the Coptic people and the peace of Egypt. This is when ecumenism is not a bad word:

As for me, as an American, let me offer my deepest support for the healing of your nation and the ousting of those individuals and factions who would bring a satanic oppression under religious zealots. Let me also offer my sincere regret and apology that my government has had a role in the interference of the Egyptian people to govern their own lives as they see fit. Please know that the American government does not always represent the will of the American people. Like you, we stand against an ever increasing tyrannical government that oppresses its people and replaces liberty with dictates. Pray for us also.

Are You Finished Yet?

When you are finished reading all the saints and the early church fathers and dissecting who said what and when and how it all relates to the church and the jurisdictions and who is right and wrong and who is Christian or truly orthodox and who is in pretest or deception a heretic, apostate, deceived, or who only has partial salvation, what priest did this and what Bishop is authentic and who is not and, well, when you are finished with all of that, try reading the words of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You just might remember something, like the pureness of the faith and your first love. Remember Jesus? Lord, restore unto us the JOY of thy salvation!

Matthew 5

King James Version (KJV)

5 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

31 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Rocky Top Pictures LLC

For several several months, we have been laying the foundation for an Independent Film Production Company through which we will produce feature films and documentaries. As of January 1, 2013, Rocky Top Pictures LLC is up and running. Pray that we may be instruments of His peace and will fulfill the vision to produce projects that include the lives of the saints and other projects relevant to the human condition and the redemption of man. Click on the logo to see the RTP website. If you are one who feels an inclination to invest in the projects, go to the CONTACT page and let us know of your interest. We will give you access to view the RTP Prospectus and our initial projects. Most of all...Pray for us!

My New Year Resolution

No matter what calender you follow, it is a good time of the year to reassess your heart to see how you might better pursue holiness in the year to come. For me, the Epistle of Galatians contains the gauge of my heart, hope, and indeed my repentance in that regard:

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Only when this fruit becomes consistently evident in your life, only when you have a friendship with the Holy Spirit, only when your relationship with your living Lord is more important than any dogma, doctrine, or debate, can you know that you are truly orthodox.

Frankly, I was not very fruity in 2012. Perhaps 2013 will be peachy.

Saint Joseph- Fact and Fiction

How old was Joseph, the Husband of Mary?

 FACT: He was an elderly widower and the caretaker of a Temple Virgin.

FICTION: He was the young star-crossed husband of an average girl and had to wait for her to birth the Son of God before he could get on with having sex with her.

See the historical account: HERE

Orthodox Christian Film Makers- UPDATE: 9/1/14

As a film producer and an Orthodox Christian, I am pleased to recommend a Facebook page designed to create a community for Orthodox Christians who are involved in the film industry. The FB page, called Orthodox Christian Film Makers, states:

"This group is for all Orthodox Christians who are professional or amateur film makers. Writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, actors, etc., join and share your work."

[UPDATE: 9/1/14: Although I still see value in this FB Group, I have left it because it did not adhere to the above statement. The administrator decided to allow non-orthodox members. It became difficult to discuss the orthodox mind and how it applies to film making while having to view an Evangelicals's rapture movie shot on a camcorder. I also found myself having to discern who was Orthodox and who was not. I have many non-orthodox relationships in the film industry and I value them all, but,  it was the exclusivity of this Group that made it appealing. It lost that appeal.]

You can find the FB page HERE. As of this post, the page membership consists of 9 merry men and one fair maiden. Come and join us! There is plenty of room!

Early in my Journey to Orthodoxy I was subjected, on an "orthodox internet forum", to some arrogant and negative confrontations by a few filmmakers, who, apparently, deemed the presence of another filmmaker as competition. I was also challenged by my uninformed priest who told me to get out of the film industry lest my soul suffer destruction. Needless to say, I am no longer part of that internet forum nor part of that priest's parish. UPDATE: 3/5/15 ...that priest is also no longer a priest.

I hope and pray that this simple FB page will be an encouragement to all filmmakers who understand that Christ's commission to "Go into all the world" includes the film industry. Could there be a more "worldly" place? I also hope and pray that those who are not in the film industry will pray fervently for all of us who are.

Spiritual Guruism

(Excerpt from: Jelena Calija's article, When The Spiritual Father Makes Himself The Criterion, posted on Again and Again, the blog of Fr. Milovan Katanic, via his translation. Originally appeared in Politika, Serbia’s premier paper.)

"The faithful, in their battles with temptations, turn to their spiritual fathers, the clergy and monastics, but they too can fall under temptation in abusing their call and from a spiritual father they become totalitarian spiritual leaders who seek unquestioning obedience. When such a priest or monk places themselves – instead of God – as the measure or criterion; when they bring the faithful in constant dependence on themselves, when they begin to involve themselves in every detail of their lives and tell them when to sleep, eat, live, then they cease being spiritual fathers and become gurus, says Bishop Porfirije, Vicar Bishop of Jerag. “Instead of this he should spiritually lead and teach the faithful to be father, friend and brother to them, someone who, above all, has love towards the faithful and spiritual children, attempts to support the freedom of the faithful so that, in going to Christ they become that which they are. A spiritual father should lead the faithful to God, and not attempt to lead the faithful to himself leading them to a completely slavish, subordinate tie to his own person, blocking the image of Christ. Such spiritual fathers have a guru mentality and abuse the authentic, healthy and sincere need of every person’s yearning towards God, for the mystical, the metaphysical,” says Bishop Porfirije..." (Read Full Article HERE.)

My family and I have experienced this type of controlling personality, as past protestants, and even, tragically, as Orthodox believers. What the article does not cover is the fact that, often, such a personality is not necessarily malevolent in their intent. The perpetrator may actually think they are fulfilling their spiritual role. In the case of an experienced spiritual father, clergy, or monastic, the personality and willingness of the recipient also comes into play, paving the way for a pattern of control. This type of codependency may evolve slowly, making it much more difficult to fully recognize what is occurring or the ramifications in one's life. A pattern may evolve where a person may make the spiritual father, clergy or monastic, the surrogate for the Holy Spirit in his life. This is an unnatural and unbalanced authority. A spiritual authority leads by counsel and example not by coercion and enslavement.

This control may also be exhibited by inexperienced, young clergy who are placed in an instant role of authority over parishioners. In their desire to please their bishop, they may show a heightened sense of urgency toward their parishoner's personal lives and conduct. Where pastoral patience may be the better way to lead an individual to righteousness, the young clergy resorts to coercing or making demands or warnings. The letter of the law becomes the standard and grace is sparse. If the parishioner acquiesces to such control, they become dependent. If the parishioner resists such methods, the young clergy may feel a sense of losing control and fear of losing face with his bishop. In his insecurities, the clergy may press in even harder on the parishioner creating an unacceptable environment. To add further pain to the situation, the parishioner who, as a last resort, decides to break free from such a controlling clergy, may be accused of "rebellion" or church hopping. In fact, the parishoner has not left the faith, rather, he has separated himself from an errant spiritual authority who is outside of his scriptural or traditional mandate.

My wife and I experienced this kind of guruism in a protestant church as we watched one pastor, over a two year period, take more and more control over the personal lives of his individual parishioners Strict requirements to participate in a minimum of 20 hours-a-week of services and activities, the forbidding of being away on weekends, even to vacation or visit relatives, were accompanied by guilt tactics such as being singled out publicly in sermons, for "lack of commitment". Such unchecked gurusim leads to deception. This particular pastor began claiming he had new revelation, never before heard, inferring that he was a unique messenger of God and that we were uniquely chosen to follow him into God's revelation. There was also the inference that only he knew how to interpret the scriptures. Would one say we were "in rebellion" to remove ourselves from there? Would one suggest that we should get the pastor's "blessing" to leave? 

The same questions could be asked in the orthodox setting. Early in our Journey To Orthodoxy we discovered that we had entered a World Orthodox jurisdiction that did not think it necessary for a convert to be baptized. Neither the priests nor many of the parishioners had been baptized and we also were not required to be. Once we realized the heresy of this practice, did we have a responsibility to ask permission or get the priest's "blessing" to leave? To have submitted to the mercy or permission of the errant pastor or priest would have been guruism. I also once had a brief encounter with a priest in which we discussed how God speaks to us. At one point I quoted the words of our Lord, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me." The priest actually replied, "Well I wouldn't trust that. You might be deceived." This same priest would advocate that I follow his spiritual authority and trust him as spiritual father, but not trust that our Lord Jesus, the Christ, can be trusted in the same manner. This is spiritual guruism. 

What of a priest who, if you display any understanding of doctrine, repeatedly reminds you that he is the priest, that only he fully understands the faith, and that you, being a convert or a mere layman, will never know as much as he? What if he tells you that one cannot have a "friendship with the Holy Spirit", that you are not spiritual enough to hear or understand God's will and that the priest, as your spiritual father, is the voice of God in your life? What of a young priest, newly ordained, who, in his fervency, rather than lead and teach in humility, places demands and requirements, not only on you but on your family? What of a priest who usurps the husbands authority over your wife and children? What of a priest who gives you a written list of demands to which you must comply, such as where to or not to work, how to speak, what your wife and daughters can and cannot wear in your home, what kind of music you can sing and what you can and cannot blog. What if, in these circumstances, you want to send a letter of appeal to the Bishop, but the priest demands that he approve the letter first, or he tries to dissuade you from sending it by telling you that the bishop is busy or doesn't respond personally to parishioners? Would one say we were "in rebellion" to remove ourselves from this priest? Would one still suggest that we have to get the priest's "blessing" to leave? If an individual or family has faced this tragic circumstance more than once, and has been forced to find another jurisdiction or priest who does not demand a guru-like submission, would we call him a "church hopper"?

Spiritual guruism is spiritually destructive. Christ is the head of the church. Christ is the ONLY head of the church. Yes, His bishops and priests have been given rule over us and we do walk in submission to them, however, if such leaders fall into the heresy of guruism, and you have exhausted the search for remedy, flee to a place of peace, lest you also fall. 

How The Jezebel Spirit Makes Eunuchs

Sometimes the Protestants get it right, as is the case of this man, who talks about how an individual, controlled by the Spirit of Jezebel, creates and manipulates people into becoming her servants, her eunuchs.  Take a look below and also look at the previous JTO posts on this subject.

Search other JTO articles on the subject HERE.

Go to Hell Hamas