Two Months and Counting!

 

It has now been almost two and a half months since I gained employment!

Are Boogers Fast Friendly?

 And other nonsensical questions.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

My Relationship with my Mother

Or lack thereof.

On the Rule of the Theotokos

I think that I mentioned before that during one of my phases of searching for "Authentic Original Christianity"™ that I stumbled upon a thing calling itself Celtic Christianity of the Orthodox flavor. It was during this time that I somehow came across a website offering free rosaries. Obviously, I ordered some.

On Ukraine

Oh boy, here we go again with another hot topic issue! Why? Page views, duh!

On Celtic Christianity pt. 2

In my last post I talked about how it is very difficult to recreate an authentic Celtic Christianity. This is due to the lack of knowledge that we have about the Celts and how they practiced Christianity. Of course we do have the resources I mentioned, such as the Stowe Missal, the Antiphonary of Bangor, and the Rule of Tallaght, with which we could recreate a version of the Culdees. But there is another resource we can use for some insight into what is still a particular form of Celtic piety.

On Drinking Tea and Smoking Pipes

It has been quite a while since I've updated my blog, just like always. I have a lot of ideas that I want to blog about, and series that I want to follow up, but life just seems so busy. But I remembered that the title of this blog is Life of an Orthodox Soldier, not Some Orthodox Convert Writes only about Religious and Political Things, and so I thought writing about my life more than just a quick update was called for.

The Rule of Saint Benedict: Chapter 43

We move now back into things dealing with the spiritual side of things. This is, after all, a Rule for monks. 

The Rule of Saint Benedict: Chapter 42

We now know the times when monks should eat - and interestingly enough I recently read an article that talked about the health benefits of skipping breakfast and doing intermittent fasting. Yes, we know when the monks should eat, but how should they conduct themselves afterward?

The Rule of Saint Benedict: Chapter 28

We have reached the end of dealing with the excommunicated. This chapter covers what to do if a monk has been excommunicated and yet still refuses to change his ways.