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.