Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Little girl

A sparkling jewel among the stars
You laugh and I follow
a merry chase you lead
but only for those who will follow
not for you, the grumpy spirit
not for you, the cranky daddy
a light load for all who would dance with you
a merry heart for all who know you
Je t'aime patate.

My boy

I see your picture sitting on my desk little boy
and my heart pours out of my eyes in a river of sorrow

I miss you so much
I want so much to care for you,
to protect you from the sorrows and trials of life

I want so much to see you fly on your own
I ache so much for you
That you begin to be the man you will become
And that you always stay the boy you are
An exuberant shout of delight in this world of God's gifting
A hug for those who weep
A dance with the wind
and you are away
away
away
away

Monday, November 20, 2006

Ungh......

That pretty much sums this morning up. I've been at work the better part of the weekend. Thank God my work is so close to Church so I was at least able to get to vespers on Saturday and Liturgy yesterday. I'm feeling beat up by work but at least I'm not shambling into a busy crazy week without having been to the chalice.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Heretics and heresies

I am an Orthodox Christian by choice rather than by birth. In my case this means I'm Orthodox because I believe it to be the fullest expression of Christian faith. This means I also believe that deviation from this fullness is, plain and simple, heretical. So how then do I approach fellow Christians who are not Orthodox?
What is the disposition of my heart in conversation with non-Orthodox believers, people I respect, love and trust whom I believe are adhering to one or more heretical ideas about God, His Incarnation, our salvation in Him?
As I type this I wonder what would happen if I were to meditate on how poorly I have lived out what I profess. What if I were to think on these things in my heart before having that conversation where I am challenging a brother or sister to consider whether the Orthodox Church might have it right on a particular point. What if I were to repent of my failure to live out the point in question?
What if I began with the sure and certain knowledge that I am a heretic of the heart, and begged God to forgive and cleanse the weeping sores of my wickedness?
What if I removed the mote? And in removing the mote I saw that the mote's shadow, coming from my own eye, was a large part (not all, but a large part) of the beam I thought I saw lodged in someone else's eye?
What would that be like?

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Elephant Man

Just watched this movie for the first time. Very beautiful and moving. I noted that it was produced by David Lynch who also did Twin Peaks. In my view this was a much better use of Lynch's talents than Twin Peaks.