Against Sola Scriptura

 The first in depth look we'll be taking is Sola Scriptura - or Scripture Alone.

Against the Five Solae

 

This post marks the start of a new series in which I will argue against the Five Solae (or Five Solas as is the common parlance). I cannot say when each part will be posted, as I am currently researching and typing them up as I go along - I'm hoping for at least one in this series a week.

The Sin of the Tongue

 This Lectio Divina comes from today's homily from the Prologue of Ohrid.

On the Festering of Sin

 

Today's writing comes from the Homily from the Prologue of Ohrid. I promise that there will soon be more posts than just occasional updates and Lectio Divina.

On Forgiveness

 

I apologize for the lack of updates this week. I thought that since the weather was going to stabilize that I might actually have a chance to not have migraines. How wrong I was. Any way, this post comes from this morning's lectio divina from the Prologue from Ohrid. I honestly cannot recommend this work enough to Orthodox Christians - or really any Christians. It is a wonderful work that has daily lives of the saints, reflections, contemplations, and a short homily. If your prayer rule includes a daily reading from things other than scripture, you should definitely get a copy of the Prologue. Any way, on with the post.

Weekly Update

Not that I am always going to do a weekly update, but anyhow.

Read more at my Patreon

On Repentance

 

I have written about confession before, and the need for repentance. But this goes just a bit further than receiving the sacrament of absolution.

On Useful Anger

 

On the Order of Saint George

 

I wrote back in 2019 about the Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr and I wanted to just do another update as the Order has grown a bit since then.

On Dealing with Mental Health Issues

 

For any of my real world friends, and even long time readers, y'all will probably know that I struggle with mental health issues. I was diagnosed with Depression back in 2012 or so - an actual diagnosis, and not some quirky thing I say to get more views on TwitTok or whatever. Depression sucks. Big time.

Are Boogers Fast Friendly?

 And other nonsensical questions.

On the Finding of the True Cross

On Wednesday, the 14th of September, we Orthodox (and a few other liturgical types) celebrate the finding of the True Cross by St. Helen (or Helena), the mother of St. Constantine the emperor of Rome. This feast is known as the Elevation of the Holy Cross.

 

I'm trying not to count my chickens before they hatch. I'm on to my second week of my second month of working out. My general back pain has decreased, thanks to the exercise, and to a supplement that was recommended by a friend. That being said, I still have to be careful of what I do, because it can be very easy to hurt my back (or my foot as the case was last week).

The Hail Mary is Biblical

 

Many are familiar with the Hail Mary that the Roman Catholics use. Of course many Protestants protest the use, crying idolatry to any who dare utter the prayer. I find it funny, however, that those who rely on Sola Scriptura are so against a prayer that is Biblical. Below I will lay out the case.

There was a Time

There was a time when I knew what I wanted to be. There was a time that I thought that I had life all figured out. There was a time when I didn't think that I knew everything, but that I knew enough to survive and thrive. There was a time that I was never wrong. And boy, was I wrong.

Happy New Year!

Today marks the start of the new ecclesiastical - or liturgical - year in the Orthodox Church. This is also called indiction from a Roman term for a period of 15 years that marked the reassessment of taxes. Eventually, indiction came to mean a year within that cycle, and it also became new ecclesiastical year for the Orthodox Church.

Do Jews go to Heaven?

Let me start off by saying that it is entirely up to God if anybody goes to Heaven. This post is about an often heard thing in many Protestant circles, or at least something I heard about a lot growing up in the Southern Baptist Church and attending Christian schools with a Baptist lean. And that is that the Jews are God's chosen people still.

The Gentleman Working Class

It seems to me that gentlemen are hard to find these days. Or at least in anything outside of the wealthy upper-class. But I think we all have an idea of what a gentleman is, we can usually get a kind of mental image to what we think a gentleman looks like.

Orthodox/Soldier

This is something I have been trying to articulate in my mind for quite some time. Perhaps if I type out my thoughts they will force themselves into some coherent, literate form. How does one reconcile being an Orthodox Christian and a Soldier?

Why I Like the Idea of Patreon

For those who do not know, there is a website that allows you, dear readers, to pay me to write. This website is known as Patreon. And no, this is not another plea for you to become my patron, though if you were so inclined I would be much obliged. No, this blog post is about why I like the idea of Patreon.

The OCU is Mad

 I saw this come across my feed earlier, and since I am the paragon of all things spiritual and political, I felt like I needed to weigh in. Also, I am a paragon of nothing.

The Problem with Exercising

 For some inexplicable reason, I have always had a hard time maintaining an exercise regime. I don't know why in my earlier years that I had this problem, and I wish that I had worked through it then so it wouldn't affect me so much today.

Christianity without Repercussions: Salvation pt. 2 - Theosis

 In my last post in this series on the subject of Salvation, I covered quite a lot about the faith/works paradigm. I wrote quite a fair bit about how faith and works go hand in hand with our salvation. Even from an Evangelical point of view, works are needed for salvation - thus destroying one of the Solas.

Assured Salvation?

 I have avoided writing in depth on soteriology since I started this blog. The reason for my hesitancy is that I feel like I do not have an adequate understanding to properly speak about such a topic. However, recent conversations have impressed upon me the desire to write at least whatever this post will become, so please bear with me.

The Timelessness of Worship

This past Monday during our Oblate conference call our presenter talked about anamnesis - or a rememberance. I wish we had a transcript available of these conference calls, because I am terrible at taking notes, and my memory don't member good. It was a very good presentation, and we even got a link that covered some of what was presented. What follows are my thoughts on the subject.

On Donatism - Or Are Other Sacraments Valid?

 I was chatting on Facebook the other day in one of the plethora of Orthodox groups that I am in. A person asked for patristic quotes that the sacraments outside of the Church were not valid. I pulled some quick quotes from my favorite Early Church Father, St. Ignatius, and expected a priest to maybe weigh in if I were reading things wrong.

The Classical Pronunication of Latin

This will not necessarily be a scholarly post on the Classical pronunciation of Latin, but rather a complaint with explanations of the Classical pronunciation.

Another Quick Update

 After not posting for the majority of Lent and this past month, I wanted to give a quick update on things.

Update Update Update

For the past little while I was feeling rather unwell. It was hard to wake up in the mornings, and then I was taking constant naps throughout the day. I know something was going on because even taking multiple two hour naps (or longer) I was still sleeping through the night just fine.

Pearl Hunting

I woke up this morning feeling much better than I have in a while. No aching back, no stiff neck, no lingering migraine. It actually felt good to wake up this morning. I'm not going to go bouncing around doing cartwheels and such - but I do feel better than I have for a while. This in no way ties in to what I'm about to write below, but I wanted to give y'all an update on how I am. Anyway, on to the post.

On Timeliness

I realized that I made a mistake with my dating yesterday and posted the reading from the Prologue from March 20th instead of the 21st. Indeed, it seems that with my migraine I was unable to keep up with what date it was. So I apologize to any of my readers who were confused by me posting yesterday - the 21st of March - a reading for the 20th of March. I was getting caught back up on my readings this yesterday and this morning, which is why this post is just a tad later than I typically like to post. Anyway, we are back to the Rule of St. Benedict for this one. Chapter 43:1-12

On God's Punishment

I have been unwell the last few days. Struck by a migraine yet again. It seems that anytime there is variable weather - as one gets when the seasons are changing - that my migraines flair up. This reminds me of when I was a teenager and one summer before it would rain I would get a nosebleed; the severity of the nosebleed would depend on how severe the rainstorm would be. Growing up in the Bible Belt, I had a few people suggest that possibly God was punishing me for some sin that I had committed. Thankfully, the nosebleeds only lasted that summer (though I do still get them from time to time, but not every time it rains).

On Rejecting Pride

This morning's reading comes not from the official Lectionary, but from a reading plan from the Bible app. The reading plan is "Daily Journey through Lent with the Early Church" and was made by the Coptic Orthodox Church. I've been pleasantly surprised in the use of quotes from Eastern Orthodox saints from after our schism with the Copts. On that note, the Coptic Church has also made an app called Catena which has the Greek Lectionary as well as the Coptic Lectionary, it has quotes from the saints and commentaries from various Church Fathers (you can choose from a certain set to include or exclude some), and lately they've added Bible plans (or you can make your own). I think the Catena app is an excellent Orthodox alternative than the more Protestant based Bible app. Anyway, on to the post.

On Caring for the Sick

I have been sick enough times in my life that I understand that it is no fun. In fact, I can not stand those people who think that others who have legitimate chronic illnesses are just faking being sick to get attention or to enjoy a day or two off. As someone who has been sick a lot I can tell you that there is no enjoyment in that day off. But as someone who is constantly sick, I feel like I have not done nearly enough for those who get sick in my own community.

Why I Left Freemasonry

It should be obvious by the title of this post that I will be talking about why I left the fraternity known as Freemasonry, but before we get to that I will have to talk about why I joined the Freemasons in the first place.

On Following God's Will

The first week of Lent is coming to a close (tomorrow, but I don't typically post on the weekends), and I hope it has been a blessed week for y'all as much as it has been for me. Every morning I have been waking up with stiffness and pain, but that reminds me that I am still alive and not quite done with whatever God's plan for my life is. Do I always follow God's will? No, probably not even remotely close, but I do continue to pick myself up and keep trying.

The School Bus Adventure

On February 28th, 2022 two men, and two girls, were involved in a traffic collision (we don't say accident because that implies no one was at fault). The main cause was a slow moving school bus (technically, an RV), or was it? What follows is the story of one of those men.

On Chastisement and Perseverance

We are about halfway through Clean Week, the first week of Lent. I'm not really missing many of the foods I typically eat, but again, it is only the first week. Honestly, the food aspect of Lent has always been the hardest part for me - one can only endure lentil soup and rice and beans for so long. But there is always a sense of accomplishment after Lent is over - a sense that I endured, yet again, the Great Fast.

On Trusting God

I thought that I was recovering nicely from the accident, and yet this morning I woke up a bit stiffer than I have been. Yesterday, I took no medication to help with the pain, but I did this morning. I found myself wondering why this accident happened, is there a reason that this happened? I was promised the use of my sister's van this summer to go back to Ladyminster, will I be able to still go? A lot of questions have been running through my mind, and then I did my Lectio Divina this morning and realized that I should just trust God no matter what.

Prayer and Fasting

I took some time off to recover from a car accident. Aside from some slight stiffness, I seem to be doing better. Despite that, I decided that I should get back to blogging. So, here follows a Lectio Divina.

Things Just aren't the Same

Things just aren't the same, and they probably never will be.

Review: Mountain Monk Beard Butter

From time to time I like to do a review of certain things like products, or books. I haven't actually done a review in some time, in fact I have only done one review, and that was for a book for a friend. But, the time has come for me to write another review.

On the Conflict in Ukraine

I guess that it is time for me to weigh in on what is happening across the globe, especially since it seems that Russia may already be attacking Ukraine.

Worship as Sacrifice

A while ago, I was listening to the Lord of Spirits podcast on Ancient Faith Radio, and during the episode of "His Ministers Flaming Fire", Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick said something that really stuck out to me. What he said made a lot of sense to me, and put to words what the real difference between veneration and worship is.

On Wealth and Happiness

A quick update before we get into this short post. After succumbing to a migraine that lasted a few days, my brother and I came down sick. It was not fun. I am, however, feeling better - even if the thermometer says that I'm still running a low-grade fever.

My being sick unfortunately means that I don't update my blog as much as I would like to. I am feeling better, so back to the updates.

On Despair

I am trying to get right back into posting, though I did have a few delays this morning, such as my computer needing to be restarted. Apparently my laptop does not like being left alone, suspended for a week or so.

Like so many of my other Lectio Divina posts, this one comes from the Prologue from Ohrid. And it covers a topic that I struggle with quite a lot.

A Quick Update

I just wanted to push out this quick status update since I was so quiet for most of last week. I assure you that I am still active, but life has a way of just creeping up.

On Charity

I hope that everyone had a good, and profitable weekend. This post is on a topic that I struggle with all of the time. I'm almost hesitant to post this because it gets a little personal for me, but that is kind of the point of Lectio Divina. This post is not about charity in the modern sense, but about love.

On Suppressing Our Wills

Moving right in to the Lectio Divina for the day with no sly comments or witty remarks, just straight into the post.

On Guarding Our Thoughts

I managed to get to sleep on time last night, which lead to me getting up on time this morning. I had no pressing concerns, so unless there is some failure of my computer, this post should make it out on time. I'm still writing a few articles that aren't based off my Lectio Divina, but quality posts take a bit of time to flesh out - not that I could ever be accused of writing any quality posts. Anyway...

The Contradictions of God

 This morning's Lectio Divina comes from today's Gospel reading, St. Matthew 22:35-46. Not every day can be just the Prologue from Ohrid. I also have a few articles that aren't Lectio Divina in the works currently, I just have to get my thoughts onto digital paper.

Who is Christ?

I apologize, yet again for the tardiness of this post, assuming it will be tardy - we'll see how quickly I can type without typos. Life often gets in the way of the things that we want to, or need to do. This morning, my brother was running late getting ready for work, so he asked me to make him lunch. And then my browser crashed when I went to preview the post. So, anyway, here is my musings from today's Lectio Divina.

Updates from a Different Sandbox

There are some exciting updates that I want to share with you, my dear readers. Some are about the direction this blog is heading, and others are about updates in my life.

On Raising Children

Well, this one took a turn for me. I thought I knew the direction I was going to write this morning, but instead of covering a few different topics and tying them all neatly together, this Lectio Divina just kind of stayed the course.

The Tools of the Spiritual Craft

I apologize for the tardiness of this post. It was definitely a longer one for me to write out this morning, and I already had a late start. Today's Lectio Divina comes from The Rule of Saint Benedict Chapter 4:55-78

On Correcting those in Error

Once more into the incoherent thoughts that make up my Lectio Divina. This will be a shorter post as I only used one source for my writings - this time being the Reflection section of today's reading from the Prologue from Ohrid. As usual, my paraphrase will be first, followed by my thoughts and contemplations.

Did the Early Church have Women Priests?

I was going through my Google news feed when I happened across an article by LA Book Review called Recovering the Female Clerics of the Early Church. I only read a part way in to the article when I saw errors popping up left and right, and felt a need to revisit this topic on my blog - because when we encounter error we should fix it.

Enduring Wrongdoings

Once more from my Lectio Divina. I'm using a new journal to write out these thoughts, and this entry seems longer. So this post might be a bit longer than previous posts. I'm not complaining about that; I fully expect my writing and introspection to take a longer time the more I immerse myself in the practice and study of Lectio Divina.

I Finished a Journal

I finished writing a journal yesterday. It is kind of a bittersweet thing.

On Relics

When I was reading the Prologue from Ohrid yesterday (16Jan2022), the first thing that I read was about the chains of the Apostle St. Peter. In this paragraph on St. Peter I saw a verse from Acts that I had never really considered before, and that being Acts 19:12.

On Humility, Obedience, and Freedom

 Once again, this blog post comes from my Lectio Divina. I was unable to attend church today due to a migraine, so I stayed home and read. Also, due to the migraine, this post is appearing later in the day than I typically like to post.

On looking to the Next Life

 

This is another blog post that comes from my Lectio Divina. This is once again taken from the Prologue from Ohrid for today's date (14 January) and comes specifically from the Homily. This will have a large portion of paraphrasing of the Homily before finally getting to my thoughts and reflections.

On Ukraine and Alexandria

 So, the Orthodox Times has released an article of the Archbishop of Albania talking about the issue that has recently risen in Africa. For those who are not aware, please continue reading below.

On Contentment

 This blog post comes from my morning Lectio Divina. This particular one comes from the Homily from The Prologue from Ochrid for today the 10th of January.