ORTHODIXIE ... Southern, Orthodox, Convert, Etc.

Four years ago, the Huneycutts -- freshly situated in the Republic of Texas -- ventured to Guadalupe River State Park for our first, post North Carolina, camping trip. Last week, November 25-28, 2009 we were back in the same park (all of us, a whole lot of me ... older).

Forgive the personal pics, but hoping you all had a happy Thanksgiving -- enjoy!



See that? Sweet, innocent ... WAIT! Compare the pic above, from four years ago, to the one at the top of this post. What happened?!



Aha! There's the difference! Hammock Man, we'll call him Ham for short, got behind the camera.



He took, or directed, many of these pics.



See?



"Mom! Mom! Can I borrow the camera and take it down to the river? There's lots of fog -- and it looks really creepy!"






"Mom! I swear! I was just trying to take a picture of a fish, when ... !"



Knots on a log (or as one of the middle one's teachers would say: "Don't just sit there like bumps on a pickle!")



1) I wonder what I'll be when I grow up ...
2) You better not post this on the Internet ...
(Having celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary on the trip, thanks God, she hasn't killed me yet!)



Back then the caption read: "Seven reads to three. Life don't get no better."



Four years later, he's 11 and she's 7, the caption reads: "Please! Follow the directions! Just take four giant steps backwards ..."



... or be eaten by this tree.



"Arrgh! This pic better not wind up on the Internet!" (Oh, wait.) Ham hits the magic elixir: instant hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows; Scruffy hits the water. And, yes, for the purists out there, this is the official priest's 'I'm camping with the family' outfit.



Teen contemplates the water ...



Mr Ham directs Miss Ham ...



(I have no idea ... I just liked the pic.)



From us to y'all ...

Happy Thanksgiving!
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In our last episode: a Roman Catholic Priest, two Orthodox clergymen, a Baptist boy and an Episcopalian gal, along with a Greek layman -- unexpectedly -- share a Thanksgiving campfire.

In the end, I asked: "What do you think happens?"

This week, an answer (provided almost entirely from AFR listeners).

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.
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Four things ...

1) Read the Manhattan Declaration - HERE.


2) If so inclined, you may add your signature - HERE.


3) I have received some worthy script entries toward the second part of the Orthodixie Podcast "THANKSGIVING - The 8th Ecumenical Campfire". Listen - HERE.


4) If so inclined, send me your script ideas - orthodixie at aol dot com

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It was said concerning Abba Agathon that some monks came to find him having heard tell of his great discernment.

Wanting to see if he would lose his temper they said to him, "Aren't you that Agathon who is said to be a fornicator and a proud man?"

"Yes, it is very true," he answered.

They resumed, "Aren't you that Agathon who is always talking nonsense?"

"I am."

Again they said, "Aren't you Agathon the heretic?"

But at that he replied, "I am not a heretic."

So they asked him, "Tell us why you accepted everything we cast at you, but repudiated this last insult?"

He replied, "The first accusations I take to myself, for that is good for my soul. But heresy is separation from God. Now I have no wish to be separated from God."

At this saying they were astonished at his discernment and returned edified.

The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetic Collection, "Agathon," # 5, Benedicta Ward (ed. tr.), pp. 20, 21.

Stolen from DYNAMIS.
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Most stories about the history of Thanksgiving concern the harvest celebration of the pilgrims and the Indians that took place way back in the autumn of 1621.

The one I’m about to relate is being told for the first time and concerns the Thanksgiving of 2012.

And ... I’m gonna need your help to complete this one – listen for details at the end of this episode.

Anyway, this Thanksgiving story involves a Russian deacon, an Antiochian priest, a Greek layman, an Episcopalian laywoman, a Roman Catholic priest, and a Baptist.

I know what you’re thinking: How in the world did such a gathering come about?

Well, that’s the story I’m here to begin (and, with your help, end).

It all took place in the rolling hills of Southern Oklahoma just before Thanksgiving in the year 2012. The Catholic priest, Fr O’Malley, was traveling alone on his way north, to Norman, to see his mother for the holiday.

The Episcopalian woman was dating a nice looking Baptist fellow and was traveling to Stillwater to introduce him to the family. They were hoping to get married just before she entered seminary in 2013 to study toward the priesthood.

The Russian deacon had befriended the Antiochian priest and the Greek layman on Facebook, and they were traveling to a clandestine meeting of "traditional-minded Orthodox Christians" in Oklahoma City.

You never know who you might meet on the highway, especially in an early ice storm the day before Thanksgiving. That’s right, believe it or not, Interstate 35 was covered with ice. The highway patrol had put out a bulletin advising folks not to travel unless absolutely necessary. But, as you might imagine, the Episcopalian gal and her Baptist beau were on a mission – as were the Greek, Antiochian, and Russian churchmen!

Fr O’Malley? He’d not seen his mother in two years and her health was failing.

Needless to say, these people were heedless. They all, in one way or another, believed they were on a Mission from God.

Well, friends, at first glance it might seem that God had other plans. The roads were slick, the travel hazardous and ...

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

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As many Orthodox Christians begin the Nativity Fast, these words from Archimandrite Damian (of Blessed Memory):

Orthodox Christians spend a large portion of the year fasting. If all of the fasting days and periods are observed and kept, we fast for about half of each year. By fasting, we mean abstaining from any and all animal or dairy products and eating only one meal a day.

Our society today is not in any way conducive to supporting such an activity; it suggests to us in many ways and on various levels that we satisfy our appetites and that we indulge ourselves to one end: to enjoy ourselves for the sole purpose of comfort and pleasure. It is indeed that rare exception for anyone to indulge just one appetite. If one is gluttonous in one appetite, then in all likelihood, he will indulge (or over-indulge) all of his appetites. Furthermore, the Tradition teaches us that appetite and passions are closely related.

Foremost is the fact that fasting is above all a spiritual exercise, and as such, it needs to be supported by our private prayers, our public worship, and our regular confessions and partaking of the Sanctified Gifts of the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the reason for the tradition that fasting should be done with the advice and direction of a confessor or spiritual father. Fasting is a response of the soul to the desire for God, and it is developed over a long period of time. Fasting is not something which is simply entered into lightly without any thought or preparation.

The reason that fasting should be undertaken with direction is simple. The fasting regulations and rules of the Orthodox Church are strenuous. We must follow Saint Paul who tells us that we must first take milk before we can eat meat; and this is true of any spiritual exercise or discipline. If one attempts to acquire a spiritual exercise without the proper preparation, direction, and support, he runs the definite risk of biting off more than he can chew--literally and figuratively. In such a condition, he becomes discouraged and drops the whole activity. It is, therefore, imperative that fasting be supported by our spiritual life and be directed by our confessor.

But why do we fast? What is the point? Certainly we do not fast for health, beauty, or long life! It has already been stated that fasting is a response of the soul in its desire for God. In addition to the stirring within the soul for God, we fast in imitation of the example of our Savior. After Christ's Baptism and before His earthly ministry began, Saint Matthew tells us that He fasted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness, while being tempted by Satan.

We fast, as again Saint Matthew relates, because our Savior Himself instructed us to fast and to pray. Prayer and fasting go together hand in hand. One complements the other. We cannot engage in one without engaging in the other if we are to follow the evangelical precepts.

We fast because Saint Paul instructs us that we must keep our bodies under subjection. We are to rule our bodies and not let our bodies rule us. We grow in grace as we give ourselves to worship, prayer, study, and meditation until every aspect of life is governed and permeated by the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. And God the Holy Spirit will dwell in us only if our hearts are a fit dwelling place for Him.

We fast to prepare ourselves for the Kingdom of Heaven, as we receive it upon this earth, that our souls may be saved, and that we may partake of God's Kingdom fully in the life to come.

-- Archimandrite Damian (Hart), October 1984

Thanks to Hierodeacon David for text FWD and pic (Fr Damian, Christmas 2008).
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"The source of the word 'humorist' is one who regards human beings in terms of their humors — you know, whether they're sanguine or full of yellow bile, or whatever the four classical humors are. You stand back from people and regard them as types. And one finds, especially by the time one reaches one's fifties, that there are a limited number of types of people in the world, and you went to high school with every single one of them. You can visit the Eskimos, you can visit the Bushmen in the Kalahari, you can go to Israel, you can go to Egypt, but everybody you meet is going to be somebody you went to high school with."

-- P.J. O'Rourke (Source)
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The Lighter Side of Orthodoxy in America
by Fr. Joseph Huneycutt

From the publisher:

Based on his popular blog and Ancient Faith Radio podcast, Orthodixie, Fr. Joseph Huneycutt presents a humorous look at the pluses, minuses, joys, pitfalls, and struggles of perpetual conversion within an Orthodox Christian worldview.

Within these pages you’ll find all those familiar characters you’ve encountered in exploring American Orthodoxy -- but with a hilarious twist: the Orthodox Christian Anarchist, the Orthodox White Boy, and that incomparable superhero, Ortho-Man.

You’ll be introduced to the lighter side of fasting, theosis, living a holy life in a secular world, and the struggle to understand those on the other side of the cradle/convert divide.

For those days when acquiring the mind of Christ seems impossibly serious and, well, just plain impossible, a quick dip into We Came, We Saw, We Converted will restore your sense of humor and help you get up and try again.

COMING IN EARLY DECEMBER!

Place your pre-order now, and we will ship it to you for arrival before Christmas (for customers in the Continental U.S.).


PRE-ORDERS BEING ACCEPTED.
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Helmsman: Blest be the boat.

Crew: God the Father bless her.

Helmsman: Blest be the boat.

Crew: God the Son bless her.

Helmsman: Blest be the boat.

Crew: God the Spirit bless her.

All: God the Father,
God the Son,
God the Spirit,
Bless the boat.

Helmsman: What can befall you
And God the Father with you?

Crew: No harm can befall us.

Helmsman: What can befall you
And God the Son with you?

Crew: No harm can befall us.

Helmsman: What can befall you
And God the Spirit with you?

Crew: No harm can befall us.

All: God the Father,
God the Son,
God the Spirit,
With us eternally.

Helmsman: What can cause you anxiety
And the God of the elements over you?

Crew: No anxiety can be ours.

Helmsman: What can cause you anxiety
And the King of the elements over you?

Crew: No anxiety can be ours.

Helmsman: What can cause you anxiety
And the Spirit of the elements over you?

All: The God of the elements,
The King of the elements,
The Spirit of the elements,
Close over us,
Ever eternally.

-- Anonymous, translated by Alexander Carmichael of Lismore, from Carmina Gadelica.

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A re-post from 2005
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It's not often that one gets scalped by a Christian, rarer still is when a priest willingly airs his failures (of "Biblical proportion").

Protestants may cheer this episode as much as the Orthodox, but with both sides on differing sides.

This episode of the Orthodixie podcast eavesdrops on some arguments concerning Scripture and Tradition at St Michael's in Beaumont, Texas.

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

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The Lord will protect your soul so long as you hold your tongue. Do not say more than necessary; much talking drives away the Holy Spirit.

Learning to be silent is a great undertaking. In remaining silent, you emulate our Lord, Who “… answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled…” (Mark 15:5).

-- Elder Andronicus of Glinsk

You need to strive more to be silent. Vacuous people talk a great deal. If you say little, people will listen to your words. When older people speak, hear them out, without interruption. Afterwards, you may respond, politely and meekly.

-- Elder John of Glinsk

Taken from the parish newsletter of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St John the Baptist. Image Source
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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Jim Stevens said he's not particularly religious and is clueless about why an image resembling Jesus Christ keeps appearing on his pickup.

Stevens, of Jonesborough, said nearly every morning, an image that looks to him like the face of Jesus Christ has appeared in the condensation on the driver's side window of his Isuzu truck. A Johnson City Press photo of the truck showed a facial image.

Stevens said when he first saw the image, he figured it would evaporate and not return. But it kept reappearing for two weeks now.

Stevens said folks at the grocery store he goes to were amazed to see the image.

He said he isn't going to wash the truck for a while.

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How many utopias, radical movements, revolutionary programs, and the like the world has seen, the leaders and participants of which have wanted to attain human “happiness” without God and against God, relying on their fallen reason. History maintains the sad and tragic memory of this. Individuals, too, blinded by unbelief, wanting to fulfill intentions that seemed good to them, have often caused evil and pain to those around them.

Faith is necessary, but it must be correct faith. Error and delusions can be many, but truth is always one. People who are motivated by mistaken religious doctrine are certain that their intentions are good, but their false spirituality leads them to ruin. All religious falsehoods are performed with the participation of demonic forces.

Taken from, and more, HERE.

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Those of you who have been involved in various Charismatic groups will appreciate the above video; those who have suffered among the Frozen Chosen will enjoy the classic, below:



Thanks to Matushka Anne for forwarding the former; the Huneycutts own the Mr Bean one on video cassette!
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Moving this posting back up top ... for All Saints pics: click.

From time to time a matter of serious import derails the normally bizarre nature of the Orthodixie Podcast. This episode addresses one of those occasions.

Recently, Pope Benedict the 16th caused no small stir in ecclesiastical waters, which rippled into much electronic chatter on the Internet.

The Vatican recently announced that Pope Benedict is setting up special provision for Anglicans, including married clergy, who want to convert to Rome together, preserving aspects of Anglican liturgy. They will be given their own pastoral supervision, according to this press release from the Vatican:

“In this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony.”

The original brief notice went on to say: "This is clearly a historic gesture by Pope Benedict which will encourage thousands of disaffected Anglicans to become Roman Catholics."

As a 48 year old man, but only a sixteen year old Orthodox Christian, I’m forced to think back to my days of doubt -- back when I was an Episcopalian seminarian wondering what to do about my place in the Anglican Communion.

Specifically, would such a proclamation by the Pope of Rome have influenced my decision about where to run to when …

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.
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THIS IS THE HEAD ...


Hello everybody!


The Lord and Saints ... (it's the annual "All Saints Party" at St George).


And this, so I hear, is a 70s Guitar Man ...


Of course, pie eating contest ...


St George attacks a dragon ...


This pie ... attacks this guy.


"What? You think that's funny?"


"I thought it was pretty funny ... then I had to make a pit stop."


Texas is pretty this time of year.


This, ladies and gentlemen, is the pie-eating winner!


The first man on Mars ... followed by the owner of the spaceship.


Earlier, herself in make-up ...


This guy's make-up needed a cover-up ...


Ah yes ... one of the joys of adulthood: sitting.


... and eating.


And smiling because this is "Your House" tonight! (Vivian's in charge of All Saints.)


"But, I'm in charge on all other days ..."


Where are the parents, here? These men are making their own cookies & cakes!


... and voila! This fellow came into the party a mere tike, ate up a bunch of goodies -- now look at him!


Appalachian State ... meets Texas.


Lady Bugs have their moments, too ...


Amy Oakley?


The Dynamic Trio.


(I had to sneak into the darkened church to get something ... couldn't resist.)


Oh my!


Fr John ... You ARE my father!


...


Word has it there's a bug going around ...


We made sure to have a doctor on hand.


I think these guys went trick-or-treating early on ...


Some say peppers will cure what ails ya ...


"It's like this: Find an electric socket and, using these two fingers, you ..."


"Yikes! Watch out for the Kung Fu Guy!"


...


"No fair! I wanted to be the Kung Fu Guy!"


Honest to goodness, these folks told me they were supposed to be Raggedy Ann & Andy -- I thought it was Wendy & Waldo!


Very nice. (She won the contest in her age group ... I mean, who's gonna vote against Her?)


Miss E and Miss Susie ...


My goodness! This is actually a Miss, too (I think).


Whooooooooo -- whooooooooooooo!


"Who's gonna deal with the pirate?"


"What pirate?"


"Stand back, ladies!"


Whoop-eeeesh!


"Arrrrrrrrrgh!" cries Venom, having been dealt a lethal blow by Indie.


"Humph ... boys."


And these ...


ladies and gentlemen ...


are ...



THE FEET!
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