Colorado Bound!

We are Moving!

While this is maybe a surprise to many, this decision has been in the making for the past year and a half. Given that Carrie and I have been in the midst of this decision for so long now, it is somewhat surreal to be talking about this publicly. It is also notable that since we have in essence made the decision to move a long time ago, the reality that we are moving in 3 months is just beginning to sink in…

We have begun to recognize things as the “the last time we will….”, and that has a sobering affect. We are completing a chapter in our lives, and the next is yet to be written…but as Father Andrew reminded us as we entered the Lenten Season this year, “You are not leaving yet and there is Great Spiritual Work to be done before that time.” There is so much truth in that reality of living in this moment…Today is the day of Salvation!

So for the few who may wander upon this blog whom we have shared our lives with and may appreciate this journey, I offer this as a reflection of the journey to this decision.

(A picture of Carrie and I at Sr. Teen Camp my freshmen and Carrie's Sophmore year of High School. Little did we know 7 years later we would be considering marriage!!)

In 1999 Carrie and I answered a call of ministry. Throughout 1998 I felt the Lord very directly placing a burden on my life to pursue him, and honestly, Like Jonah I was running away. But, the Lord got a hold of me through the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and I had to face God’s calling with “Simple Obedience”, as Bonhoeffer put it. So I/We said, Yes! Not anticipating anything tangible, but 6 months later in May of 1999 we were moving across country with a Uhaul Trailer to Washington State, and Warm Beach Camp and Conference Center. Christian Camping had an impact on Carrie and my life in a very positive way, and something “Big” surrounded this desire to serve God in the capacity of Christian Camping….but this idea was being shaped by our attempt at obedience and we soon realized that our hearts were more geared towards something “longer” than a week at camp.

(Minutes before leaving for Washington....without Sami...that was hard!)

(Weekly Bible Study with the Warm Beach Camp Staff.....we miss you guys!)

We realized that the environment of camp had an impact on the lives of many youth, but the transformation of lives, habits, disciplines, and hardeness of heart takes time! Our hearts began to lean towards the possibility of a Long Term Camp focused on discipleship and focused on the most critical stage of our young adult lives…Post High School to Post College (18 – 30 years old). So many things are decided during this time period, for good or bad, which affect the rest of our lives so the idea of having a program that might last from 3 months to 1 year to hopefully ground young adults in the faith, learn discipline, begin to crack the hardness of heart, and begin a life of earnest repentance and pursuit of God….well, we desired it for ourselves.

This idea began to take shape and was continually molded through our years in Indianapolis, IN, where I served as Youth Pastor at West Morris Street Free Methodist Church. It was here in Indianapolis, that I met people from a church community called the Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC), who became my dear friends and the collision of our lives paths has proven to be a divine encounter. To the many in this community, we will forever be indebted.

(WEMO Youth Group in Seattle, WA.....can you guess the location?)

(Cory Gliege (EOC Youth Pastor in 2001), "Weasel", and myself following joint youth group with EOC and the West Morris Youth Group (WEMO). Cory and I often had breakfast together to discuss God, Guns, and Rock-n-Roll....hey, I should write a book about that...wait Ted Nugent already did? Darn!)

As I was in pursuit of becoming a good “Wesleyan” and seeking to understand the historical significance of John Wesley and the faith of which I was born and raised, I desired to understand what was known as the “Cornerstone Doctrine” of Wesleyanism….Entire Sanctification. Although the Wesleyan Theology Syllabus suggested this as being uniquely Wesleyan, I knew that if this belief of Salvation was True it had to be True at all Times, and must have had it’s roots in the early church. It was through my research of Wesleyan Scholars that I discovered this link with Wesley and the Early Church, through St. Macarius of Egypt.

At the same time I was in the midst of my journey, the Evangelical Orthodox Church of West Indianapolis was in the midst of coming home to the historic “Early Church”, which is today known as the Eastern Orthodox, or Holy Orthodox Church.

There is enough details for a book at this stage, but nevertheless, the Holy Orthodox Faith began to further transform our vision of this ministry that we felt called to pursue, and the next 6 years in Greenville, IL would be the most significant formational years of our spiritual lives and vision of the ministry that we were being called to as we are ourselves journeyed back to the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

In 2003 and 2004 we held what became known as "The Ranch Council". In 2003 we met in Seattle, WA, and 2004 in Greenville, IL. The purpose of doing this was to soldify if this "vision" of a discipleship ministry was of God....or of ourselves. We felt led to press on after 2003 and had a great meeting in 2004 as well, however our "becoming Orthodox" was having a bigger affect on the vision of this "Ranch" than we ever realized. As Orthodoxy was shaping Carrie and I, it was subsequently shaping our vision of the Ranch, and we soon decide to forgo future "Ranch Councils". There was a sense that we (Carrie and I) were forcing something that was not ready, and we realized that we had more immediate work to do before we could begin thinking about the "Ranch" again.

We informally became catechumen's over the next year and a half. Our good friends the Beechams moved in with us, and we began doing Reader's services in our house. We began alternating months between us going to Indianapolis for services and catechism, and members of St. John's Orthodox Church coming to Greenville for the same reason. St. Paul's Free Methodist Church even allowed us space to perform services and on 2 occasions we held Vesper's services followed by Question and Answer Time. One of these services was featured in an Orthodox Publication in Indiana.

(Fr. Joseph censing those in attendance during one of our "Living Room Services". This was followed by a Catechism Lesson.)

A group of college student's became regular attenders that year and even attended the Forgiveness Vesper's service at the beginning of Lent in Indianapolis. In 2005 we attended Pascha(Orthodox Easter) for the first time. In hindsight I am glad that we did not attend Pascha back in 2000 or 2001 when we first started journeying in this direction, because we may have just quit and become Orthodox on the spot..jk! However, any excuses we still held onto we let go of, and on Bright Monday we spoke with Fr. Joseph Gibson about being received as catechumens....officially. Pentecost of 2005 we became catechumens, and a little over a year later on September 17th, 2006 (The Feast Day of St. Sophia), we were received into the Holy Orthodox Church.

(Wyatt being Chrismated....picture says the rest...wow)

In October of 2006, while journaling from my Tree Stand during bow season in Illinois, I felt the Lord opening a window of time to be open to this calling we first began pursuing back in 1998. I journaled, “….These years in Greenville have taught me “presence” as well and I am learning to be present and tuned into what he is doing in our midst…at this moment…….These past two years I have been given a short period to consider the Ranch (discipleship ministry) and whether or not it was time…….the answer was clearly, NO……….this year’s answer maybe the same, but for a short time I will re-visit this in prayer and pay attention.”

The result of that prayer was a trip to Colorado Springs in February of 2007 in which a good friend, Luke Beecham and I went to speak with a Fr. Anthony Karbo, of Holy Theophany Orthodox Church in Colorado Springs. I wanted Luke, a dear friend and Christian Brother of mine, to come and help discern this time together.

(Luke, Shelby and I on February 2007 Trip...prior to meeting with Fr. Anthony)

This trip opened a door to a trip to California in May, which also was life changing trip for me. During this trip I was part of the early development of a similar ministry to the one we had begun pursuing many years ago.

Fr. Damian Kuolt invited me out, and I had the gift of being able to visit the tomb of St. John Maximovitch, St Herman of Alaska Monastery, and St. John Maximovitch Monastery….all in California. So much happened on this trip and I am forever grateful for Fr. Damian arranging this trip to include me.

(picture with Bishop Benjamin of the Western Diocese OCA, following meeting together)

(picture with Fr. Damian and his wife following meeting about ministry with Bishop Benjamin. In front of Raphael House)

(Fr. Damian, Abbot Jonah, and Abbot Gerasim surveying land for possible ministry location)

(meeting with Fr. Damian, Steve Robinson, and myself about ministry)

The significance of this trip ultimately resulted in the affirmation of us to continue moving ahead with the leading we had felt in February of 2007, to move to Colorado Springs the Summer of 2008.

Our family visited the church community in September of 2007 and the doors continued to open. It was also becoming clear at this point that my current job may continue as the growth in our family business was allowing the possibility to continue my labors for the company and make this step as well…..we were quickly running out of excuses to pursue with faith and obedience.

(Sophia and I on our trip to Colorado in September of 2007. Carrie, Wyatt, and Emmy flew out and met us in Denver.)

In January of 2008, we sealed our decision as we purchased a lot and moved ahead with the construction of a new home…..yes, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

(Lot where are new home in Colorado Springs is being built)

Our anticipated move date depends on the completion of the home, but somewhere between July 1st and August 18th, 2008.

This is another small step of faith in the direction of the Lord's leading. There is nothing tangible in terms of a camp or ministry yet, but this is the step we are being called to take right now. Our first steps will be getting established in the church community of Holy Theophany Orthodox Church, learning my job from a remote location, and beginning home schooling with Wyatt in the fall.

I am certain if we could see further down the road we might not be able to handle it! Lord Have Mercy!

More could be told, but I think this serves the purpose of a reflection.

Please pray for us as we try to be obedient to the step we believe the Lord is asking us to take!

Also, please write or call us if you want to know more.....thanks for reading!

God's Blessings!

Wilderness Pilgrimage

These pictures are a month overdue, but before any more time slips away I want to post these pictures. Also, these will hopefully be shortly followed by pictures from Italy. My wife and I just returned from our 10th Anniversary trip, and have many pictures to share!

These pictures are from the Muzzleloader Season in Colorado, where my good friend Shelby Wadsworth and I spent 10 days in the West Elk Wilderness at 10,000 feet, hunting the elusive Wapiti!



These 2 pictures are an overview of the meadow and our camp at 10,000 feet. The meadow still had very good grass for the horses to graze and we were at the source of a spring which provide very cold and good water. These pics are of our horses nicely grazing once we figured out the best system for keeping them "hobbled".

This land was incredibly rugged...the most rugged I have hunted. Lack of oxygen, plus steep and rocky, made for exhausting days! This is a picture of Shelby leading the team of horses with our gear on the way in to camp the first night. This rock slide is typical of the West Elk Wilderness terrain, flowing down from the mountain like a river. Rumored to have been caused by an ancient Volcanic eruption....or God just created it that way to keep us guessing. I was just in awe!



We erected a small chapel behind our tent complete with icons and aspen hewn cross. The first day we appropriately prayed the Akathist of Thanksgiving, before beginning the assembly of our camp or preparing to hunt. Shelby and his family recently became catechumens in Delta, Colorado, and it was a special time to be able to share this new "bond" with and old friend!




The views speak for themselves...sorry I got in the way of this second view!!

Podvig

After some troubling news it tends to make me contemplate my own journey of salvation. Too often it is once I have removed myself from the self-righteous attitude of "what were they thinking" or "I can't believe they would do such things", to get down to the reality of...."I have had those thoughts" and "I have contemplated such things".

I have been bombarded recently with troubling news of "falls" and my soul is very heavy.

Today is the feast of St. Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons who was a disciple of St Polycarp of Smyrna who was an disciple of Apostle John the Theologian.

The first quote I heard of St. Irenaeus, I must admit was not from Orthodox sources but from John Eldredge's book, "Wild at Heart". The quote, "The Glory of God is man fully alive", has stuck with me just like Elrond's words to Aragorn, "Put aside the ranger. Become who you were born to be!". (Any "Orthodorks" out there who know the source of the Irenaeus quote please let me know")

This "putting off" of the "Old Man" or the "false self", and living out of that deep calling of who God called us to be is a great mystery, but even a greater reality.

Fr. Hopko quoted a church father(I will try to find out who), who said, "He who see's himself as he truly is has seen a miracle greater than raising the dead. In fact he who see's himself as he truly is has in fact been raised from the dead".

This is the great struggle to which we have all been called, and to which we will all give account. Some much of the journey is in accepting the struggle as the path of salvation.

So badly the world wants Christianity to be a message of health, wealth, and happiness detached from struggle, perserverance, suffering, and even martyrdom.

What do we do with these following quotes if not to accept that the true path of salvation is in fact guaranteed to be filled with pain, suffering, and difficulty.....for our salvation.

27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:27 (New International Version)


" The endurance required from one who climbs a mountain physically is required likewise from those who would ascend the mountain of God."

- Bishop Kallistos Ware


" God demands everything from a man--his mind, his reason, all his actions...Do you wish to be saved when you die? Go and exhaust yourself; go and labour; go, seek and you shall find; watch and knock, and it shall be opened to you."

- The Sayings of the Desert Fathers



Abba Anthony said to Abba Poemen, 'this is the great work of a man: always to take the blame for his own sins before God and to expect temptation to his last breath.'



-4th saying of St. Anthony of Egypt



He also said, 'Whoever has not experienced temptation cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. 'He even added, 'Without temptations no-one can be saved.'



-5th saying of St. Anthony of Egypt

17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Corinthians 4:17 (New International Version)



10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:10-11 (New King James Version)

33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 16:33 (New International Version)

I have no credibility to speak because I myself am a sinner, and yet I must speak that which is a groaning of my heart.....KEEP FIGHTING! Do Not Give Up! Do not believe the Lies! Do not fall prey to Delusion! If you fall...get back up. If you fall again....get back up. Yes, even if you fall again....get back up! You must...for your own salvation, and for those around you! Do not think yourself greater than you are, but accept yourself a sinner Loved by God, and keep struggling. Pick up your cross daily and follow! Do not think you are free from temptation, but humble yourself! Do not trust in your own wisdom, but lean on the scriptures, the mind of the Fathers, the very wisdom of God. DO NOT QUIT FIGHTING!!

Live radically in opposition to the world! Pray for discernment that we do not confuse the message of the world with the message of the Kingdom! Do it now....now is the time of salvation!

I say these things having failed myself so many times at what I am crying out for, but we must keep fighting...we can't give up...we must die to this world and reject it lies! We must love those around us so much that we choose this path, so that maybe...just maybe, they will see in us a little glimpse...a small spark...a small light that will open their eyes to the Kingdom of Heaven and give courage and hope.

Lord Jesus Christ, Have Mercy on me a sinner!

The Arena

Our Priest, Fr. Andrew, is very intentional about preparing us for the lenten season. What I may have at first perceived as a little strict, I can now see as essential, and what he is doing is for our salvation.

Among the specific things he encourages during the lenten season is to free some time in your day and pick a book on the spiritual life, or lent, by a Father of the Church.

I have picked, The Arena, by Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov. Fr. Thomas Hopko made a statement in a talk in regards to this book saying, "The Bible, The Arena, and 38 sayings of St. Anthony of Egypt, that's all you need. (This is my recollection of his quote)" His premise was that these 3 "say it all".

Last night we had a great discussion in men's group about spiritual battle and being able to discern the reality of the battle and to fight, versus the ever tempting draw to escape reality...put back on the blinders and find a drug of choice to soothe the pain.

I was reading in the Arena this morning, and I thought this passage appropriate:

If you deny yourself and constantly renounce your own opinions, your own will, your own righteousness, or what amounts to the same thing, the knowledge, understanding, will and righteousness of fallen nature, in order to plant within you the knowledge of God, the will of God, and the righteousness of God taught us in the holy Gospel by God Himself, then fallen nature will open fire within you and declare a savage war against the Gospel and against God. Fallen spirits will come to the help of fallen nature.

Do not fall into despondency on this account. By your firmness in the struggle show the tenacity of your purpose and the stability of your free-will. When thrown down, get up. When duped and disarmed, re-arm yourself afresh. When defeated, again rush to the fight. It is extremely good for you to see within yourself both your own fall and the fall of the whole of mankind. It is essential for you to recognize and study this fall in your own experience, in your heart and mind. It is essential for you to see the infirmity of your knowledge and intellect, and the weakness of your will.

The vision of one's fall is a spiritual vision. The vision of one's infirmity and weakness is a spiritual vision. In this matter the spectator is the mind. The vision is obtained by grace, which is planted in us by baptism. By the action of grace the blindness of the mind is dispelled, and it begins to see clearly in the arena of its struggle what hitherto it has not seen through being outside this arena. It discovers the existence of what it did not even suspect.

Archimandrite Sophrony

I honestly cannot remember where I stumbled across this quote, however I do know Archimandrite Sophrony, is one of my Parish Priest's favorites. This is very hard stuff, but so crucial.

I know the hardness of heart from negative thoughts of others. Lord grant mercy that I might see your "beloved".

"Everything that you gain in your inner battles will be reflected in your life in God. Struggle against every passion which arouses in you critical thoughts about others. Do not accept what the enemy suggests to you against someone who is unjust towards you. Whether you are alone in your room or in company, every critical thought, every negative inner movement, create a crack in your spiritual fortress and in that of your community. No thought is born or passes without consequence. With good thoughts, you will be able to see in every person that you meet someone very beloved. With negative thoughts, on the contrary, your facial expression and your psychological energies will spoil your relationships and affect the environment around you. When grace is with us, we do not see the defects of others; we only see the sufferings and the love of our brethren."

Archimandrite Sophrony

Happy Birthday Carrie!!

To my wonderful wife of nearly 10 years, mother of our children, and my best friend.....Happy 32nd birthday!!

I Love You!

Life in Every Breath

When you find there’s nothing special,
about that big hole in your heart.
Cause everybody’s got one;
With precious little time to talk about it


Bill Mallonee – excerpt from Nothing like a Train

Every time I hear this song I can relate to this verse. Every time I hear this song I hate the fact that I can relate to this verse.

I’ve been reading C.S. Lewis’s, The Abolition of Man, these last couple weeks, and listening to some talks by Father Thomas Hopko dealing with the book and post-modern culture.

Lewis talks about the Tao in Man. Hopko calls this the “Image of God in Man”.

Both deal with the loss of that “something” that is core to our very being.

The ultimate end….Lewis says we become “Men without Chests”…..Hopko says, “we become nothing more than a calculator and a copulator.”

We become less than human. We deny the very image in ourselves, albeit slowly over time, through reductions, compromises, and agreements.

I've noticed as I moved beyond the honeymoon years of young adulthood that the chasm between the idealism and hope of youth get washed away in a series of calculations, investments, computations, scheduling, strategizing, positioning, retirement planning, healthcare planning, etc.

I at times accept this as "normal", which perhaps is the agreement.....this is "merely" this stage of life, and this is "merely" normal....

The "putting down roots" stage of life, as is perceived from culture, seems far from Paul's call of learning to be content in all situations and stages of life, RATHER an "acceptance" of this world's plan of salvation!

Invest wisely, plan for your future, get what you deserve - privilege, power, possessions, guarantee consumption power in your golden years.....guarantee copulation power in your golden years (thanks viagra).....guarantee health, promise freedom from pain, and live as long as you possibly can with the best medication and healthcare facilities in the world..............for what?

We reduce to being "merely" human, and in so doing deny the very essence of who we are.....

Perhaps this is the battle….to become TRULY human.

Culture calls to calculate, consume, copulate…..castrate...

I am struggling to know life in every breath….to find time to “talk about it”....to become human...Lord, Have Mercy!

My daughter stills knows life in every breath!!

"The Son of God became man, that we might become god."

- St. Athanasius

Baptism and Chrismations

I am too close to this weekend still to talk about it, and honestly a little exhausted from the weekend festivities, but what a wonderful weekend. For those of you close to us in this journey, you know this has been a long time coming, and yet came at precisely the right time....more to say in the future, but pictures often tell the story better than words anyway.

Thanks to my good friend Joshua Coolman, we have some great pictures of the weekend. You can see those pictures HERE...Enjoy!

Vespers

Orthodox Vespers Service
Saturday, September 9th, at 5pm
at
St. Paul’s Free Methodist Church
with the community of
St. John the Forerunner Orthodox Church

EVERYONE WELCOME TO ATTEND

Please join us for prayer, fellowship, and a time of discussion.
Following the liturgy will be a potluck meal, and
Father Joseph Gibson—Rector of St. John’s Church— will be giving a talk on
Iconography. Time will also be available for general questions.
If you have questions or would like to help with food preparation or singing in the choir,please contact:

Eric Jewett: 618-322-8762 / ericjewett@yahoo.com
Rick McPeak: 618-567-7620 / rick.mcpeak@greenville.edu
John Massena: 618-580-6612 / john.massena@greenville.edu

Emmy Joy Jewett

Saturday morning at 3:47 am, we were blessed with the safe arrival of a little girl, Emmy Joy Jewett. She weighed in at 7lbs 5oz, 21 inches long, and had a full head of black hair. She is wonderful, and the kids are loving being big brother and big sister. Here are some sneak peaks.....Glory to Jesus Christ!

The Cowboy in Me!

I read an article today that I had to share....1) because I love the West, and would love to be a Rancher someday, and 2) despite my own love of technology, I have my own "luddite" tendencies, and this article spoke to this side of me....enjoy.

If You Own A Calf Table, Break Out A Cutting Torch

I've been known to rant against four-wheelers, though I admit I own one. Now, I'm commencing to take a shot at calf tables, which I also admit to owning.

You might think I have a vendetta against iron, but I don't. So when I preach dismantling your calf table, it's not about the equipment but what it symbolizes.

I was delivering bulls earlier this year and stopped at one of those truly great ranches, arriving just as the day wrapped up. Several of us sat down by the saddle barn under a big shade tree and swapped stories for a while.

The rancher and a couple of neighbors had just returned from another neighbor's branding and were planning to brand the rancher's calves the next morning. In our musings, the ranch owner scornfully mentioned another rancher who'd purchased a calf table. After a little reflection, I think I agree with him.

Let me give you some background. The rancher said 26 family members -- kids, spouses and grandchildren -- were going to be at his branding. It was to be a grand family get-together, with even the kids who'd left the ranch returning to take part in the annual ritual.

Where I grew up in Wyoming, these were the brandings I knew. The whole community came to help, with great food and stories. Then everyone would go to the next guy's branding. It was a system that made it a whole lot easier on everyone.

There was an unofficial code governing the conduct and duties at these brandings. The owner did the branding, and maybe one or two of his closest friends if there were enough cattle. The older/mature friends who couldn't rope were given a crash course on vaccination techniques, a syringe and a bottle. And a good hand or two was put in charge of cutting bull calves, while the younger generation served as the flanking crew.

As a kid, it was a great honor to be asked to rope a few calves at the end of the day -- a signal to the world you were growing up. There were usually a few older ranchers around who essentially had retired from branding-crew duty and taken on supervisory roles. If you were under 20, you waited for directions; if under 30, it was ok to take initiative; if you were over 40, you commanded respect as a wise veteran; and anyone more than 60 years old was just plain revered.

Brandings were as much about community, friends and family as working calves. I learned a lot at those brandings and now realize it wasn't so much about riding or working cattle as helping neighbors and enjoying a good time together. In fact, a lot of the things you learn at these gatherings you don't even realize you were learning until years later.

Today, because of devices like calf tables and other equipment we use, we can get along without as much help, but it doesn't mean we should. I once read a line in an article about the modern world we live in. It said communities, and even families, have become collections of intimate strangers.

I guess that's why I detest the calf cradle. It's a whole lot more fun to be on horseback than tipping a cradle all day. I think the world would be a whole lot better if every calf table had a cutting torch taken to it.
-- Troy Marshall

Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist

Troparion - Tone 4

Prophet and Forerunner of the coming of Christ,
although we cannot praise you worthily,
we honor you in love at your nativity,
for by it you ended your father's silence and your mother's barrenness,
proclaiming to the world the incarnation of the Son of God!

Kontakion - Tone 3

Today the formerly barren woman gives birth to Christ¹s Forerunner,
who is the fulfillment of every prophecy;
for in the Jordan,
when he laid his hand on the One foretold by the prophets,
he was revealed as Prophet, Herald, and Forerunner of God the Word.

All Saints Day

I can remember several years ago at a Jewett Family Reunion, listening to my Uncle Russ Carlson speak about this "Great Cloud of Witness" mentioned in Hebrews 12. Certainly I had heard it before, for I was in College, but never had I experienced it like I did that day. He spoke as one who was giving account...testifying to what was and is, in words and with conviction that spoke to me on a level beyond the words he was saying. The Kingdom of Heaven was breaking through...in that moment, and I remember catching a glimpse of a reality beyond the senses or intellect..... "since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses...."

Today is a victorious day! A day of remembering and paying tribute to those upon whose shoulders we know stand. A day of gratitude and celebration, because these who have gone before are not dead, but are Alive, and surround us know as we still fight in the flesh...running this race with perserverance.....keeping our eyes fixed upon Jesus.....who for the joy set before him endured the cross....consider Him.....so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Here is today's Scripture Lesson:

Hebrews 11:33-12:2 (Epistle)

33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!

Children and Church

One of the big transitions as parents coming into the Orthodox Church was the fact that our kids come to church too!

Prior to Orthodoxy we came to church, dropped off our kids within a couple minutes of entering the building, and then picked them up a couple of minutes before leaving......it was beautiful! I have no idea what they were doing during these 2 -3 hours at the church, but I didn't care....I was able to worship!

At first it was no big deal as we were making the transition. Wyatt was just a baby and pretty content, but as the kids grew older this became more difficult. I remember being angry that I had to hold my kids for the 2 hours of Divine Liturgy on Sundays, and loathing the priest when he came to the part, "let us complete our prayer unto the Lord", because I knew we were still looking at 30-40 minutes of "completing our prayers", and I had already taken the kids out for spankings 3 times.

Don't get me wrong, I still get upset with my kids during service when they act like kids, and often I wish "completing our prayers" was a little quicker, but I am realizing more and more, that it is not so much that my kids need to change, or for that matter that the Orthodox church needs to change, but that I Need to Change!

The other day I had put Sophia down to bed and 5 minutes later still heard her talking/singing in her bedroom. She was singing the "Our Father" prayer....which.....I must confess....was the prayer I had told her we didn't have time for a few minutes earlier, after we had prayed half the trisagion, and their desire to pray was cutting into my desire to finish my projects. She is 2!

Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.

Last year at Pascha, I had to take my then 3 year old boy with me to Prothesis, the service of preparation for the eucharist prior to Divine Liturgy. Regardless, I was nervous because I was afraid Wyatt was going to act up during this sacred preparation and I really wanted to participate and observe this time. I was overcome by how "reverent" my 3 year old was during this time. I am certain he was aware of the fact, organically, that this was a Holy moment, and he just observed in utter silence and awe. He still astounds me at how he just "gets" certain things at a level I can only hope to!

Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.

Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemman, was a key influence in our journey to Orthodoxy, and this writing of His has challenged my thinking once again.

I offer this as wisdom that I struggle to disagree with, and wisdom that will force me to change my life.

Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann

Children and Church

As a general rule, children like attending Church, and this instinctive attraction to and interest in Church services is the foundation on which we must build our religious education. When parents worry that children will get tired because services are long and are sorry for them, they usually subconsciously express their concern not for their children but for themselves. Children penetrate more easily than do adults into the world of ritual, of liturgical symbolism. They feel and appreciate the atmosphere of our Church services. The experience of Holiness, the sense of encounter with Someone Who is beyond daily life, that mysterium tremendum that is at the root of all religion and is the core of our services is more accessible to our children than it is to us. "Except ye become as little children," these words apply to the receptivity, the open-mindedness, the naturalness, which we lose when we grow out of childhood. How many men have devoted their lives to the service of God and consecrated themselves to the Church because from childhood they have kept their love for the house of worship and the joy of liturgical experience! Therefore, the first duty of parents and educators is to "suffer little children and forbid them not" (Matt. 19:14) to attend Church. It is in Church before every place else that children must hear the word of God. In a classroom the word is difficult to understand, it remains abstract, but in church it is in its own element. In childhood we have the capacity to understand, not intellectually, but with our whole being, that there is no greater joy on earth than to be in Church, to participate in Church services, to breathe the fragrance of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is "the joy and peace of the Holy Spirit."

Church attendance should be complemented from the earliest days of childhood by the home atmosphere, which precedes and prolongs the mood of the Church. Let us take Sunday morning. How can a child sense the holiness of that morning and of that which he will see in Church if the home is full of the blare of radio and TV, the parents are smoking and reading the papers, and there reigns a generally profane atmosphere? Church attendance should be preceded by a sense of being gathered in, a quiet, a certain solemnity. The lighting of vigil lights before the icons, the reading of the Scripture lessons, clean and fresh clothes, the festively tidied-up rooms – so frequently parents do not realize how all these things shape the religious consciousness of the child, make an imprint which no later tribulations will ever efface. On the eve and on the day of Sundays and Church feasts, during Lent, on the days when we prepare ourselves for Confession and Communion, the home must reflect the Church, must be illuminated by the light that we bring back from worship.

And now let us speak of the school. It seems self-evident to me that to organize so-called "Sunday School" lessons during Divine Liturgy is in deep contradiction with the spirit of Orthodoxy. The Sunday Liturgy is a joyful gathering of the Church community, and the child must know and experience this long before he is able to understand the deep meaning of this gathering. It seems to me that the choice of Sunday for church school is not a very good one. Sunday is primarily a liturgical day; therefore, it should be Church-centered and Liturgy-centered. It would be far better to have church school on Saturdays before the Vigil or Vespers service. The argument that parents cannot and will not bring children to church twice a week is merely admitting indolence and sinful negligence of what is important to our children. Saturday evening is the beginning of Sunday and should be liturgically sanctified just as much as Sunday morning. Why, in all Orthodox churches the world over Vespers or the Vigil is served on the eve of Feasts and Sundays. There is no reason why we too cannot arrange our church life according to principle: School—Vespers—Liturgy, where School would be for children the essential preparation and introduction to the Day of the Lord, His resurrection.

Jack David Jewett

This weekend our family has taken on some new titles...Uncle, Aunt, and Cousins! My brother and sister-in-law, gave birth to their firstborn son at 12:48am on Saturday morning. Jack was 7lbs 1oz, and 19 inches long, and has strawberry blonde hair. God Grant You Many Years little Jack!'

30 Years

This post is a little late in coming, but here are some pictures of the 30th birthday celebration my wife through for me last weekend. Enjoy!