They sure the heck are. I'm glad I checked this forum out. Generally I stay away from the religious threads, cause my big fat mouth tends to get me in trouble
Sad news to report Very sad news to report and a prayer request. Last night one of my across the street neighbors went to mee the Lord. Maritza Llamas passed away after a major stroke. She was a sweet devoted Catholic and loved her Mass every Sunday & Wednesday morning. She also was a helpful & loving neighbor who went out of her way to help others. Please pray for her son Roberto & daughter Marelisa and their families in their time of loss.
Thanks for sharing that PMZQ, and please always remember God is all about Grace, and Mercy, through His Son, Jesus Christ, who taught us not condemnation but rather love. And that our heavenly Father is Love, and Light, and in Him is NO darkness. We love you Brother, and thank you for sharing your journey with us.
PhinsRock, its been a long journey and of course its never over until we meet the Lord. I still have certain issues, and I try to pray and work them out. I have a lot of problems with envy and jealousy. Trust is another one. I am very distrustful of most people outside of my immediate group. But daily prayer helps and the prayer from you guys.
Well don't feel you're alone on THAT for sure, jealousy, pride, lust, anger, are all constant battles for me, every day. Thankfully we have a Father in Heaven who is greater than the adversary who bombards us with these petty distractions. Just keep spending as much time as you can dining at the Master's table (in prayer), and there is nohing that can overcome you. Oh yeah, and we've got your back in prayer too. God bless.
Wanted to share these videos of the Russian Orthodox Pascha (Easter) service. Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJEIIq_sI64&NR=1 Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQgdqfCZO2c&feature=related This is from St. John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Mayfield, PA.
On that you can count. I hope I can share some of God's meals with others in my Circle of Friends. I have one in particular that I care for that has never accepted the Lord as his Savior and it pains me a great deal. I ask for prayers to help me & the Lord to enter his heart. His name is Frank and he is also a big DolFan. He grew up a practicing Catholic but has since rejected the Lord and the Church. Today he is a truck driver and is rarely home. Pray for him on the road too. Thanks everyone, especially you PhinsRock.
Remember Me by Mark Schultz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTyStPuiKLQ One of my favorite contemporary Christian classics.
My prayers are with the family and you. I love that song too. But Mercy Me is my all time favorite. Their songs just say it all. Luv, Debby
As mentioned in our PM exchange, my prayers go out to your neighbor, her family, and indeed your whole neighborhood. Folks like that are indeed embodied prayers! As an aside, are you Orthodox? No one does liturgy like the Orthodox and for those of us who get lost into the timeless rythems of a liturgy the Pascha is the ultimate. Thanks for sharing.
Oh yes....Word of God Speak, is another of my all time favorites. Debs, you got good taste Anyone remember "Thank You for Giving to the Lord" by Ray Boltz from about 1989 or 1990 ? That is also a great one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzhFyNp3Ja8 I want to say THANK YOU to all of you guys for giving to the Lord, his reward for you will be umatchable by anything we can have on this Earth !
Yes Pastor, I am Orthodox ! I was Chrismated into the OCA (Orthodox Church in America) in 1999. The OCA is one of the Orthodox communities in united fellowship with the Greater Orthodox communities around the world. Many of the folks in our parish are of Russian origin, or are emigrés to Miami from Russia that we tend to do part of our litergy on Sundays in Russian & English (mostly in English). Overall most of the Church members live in Alaska and are of Native Alaskan origin, but also there are a number of Church members in the Ohio & Pennsylvania area of the Mid-West. I invite all of you when you are in Miami to join us on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am for Divine Litergy with Father Alex. Here is a link to the Parish website : http://www.oca.org/DIRlisting.asp?SID=9&KEY=OCA-SO-MIASPP Our Church used to be a home and was the 1st Mayor of Miami's home in the very late 1920's. I too love the Pascal Liturgy too, its different than the Liturgy said all year (St John's) and has a totally different feel. All the tones used just blend together magically. I also love the Orthodox greeting for the at Pascha (Easter) with "Christ has Risen" and the response "He has Risen Indeed". And then there is the Pascal Feast, after all the fasting before during Lent. I love me some Pascal Bread !!! Oops, sorry guys I hope I didn't say too much its just I get carried away when talking about the Lord
We have a parish in our county. The priest is a delightful fellow with a great sense of humor. It is the result of a disagreement many years ago within a Byzantine Catholic parish and whether or not a Slovak priest could keep his wife (Eastern Rite). Both parishes, the Byzantine Catholic and the Orthodox have their own congregations today but co-operate well on ethnic celebrations.
We did "Thank You" for our pastor on pastor appreciation day. He was so moved by it. Mercy Me just blesses me. I gotten all their cds. I just listen and feel the spirit moving in me. There's a lot of comtemporary music that I like, but none like them.
In America we typically understand the classic historical divisions of Christianity to be Catholic and Protestant and then the various threads of the Protestant movement as they divided. But historically, the Orthodox are indeed the "first" Christians and are still the major expression of the faith in Greece, Russia, Serbia, Rumania, and points east. There is a smokey (lots of incense), misty, interesting devotional piety which is part and parcel of that tradition. If you enjoy contemplative stuff, check out some of the early Church fathers. They are available in most good libraries. We in the west while we think we disagree over issues, have no idea how much we owe the early Orthodox, whose councils gave us the canon of the New Testament, the understanding of the Trinity, the two natures of Christ, the Creeds, liturgy, and much more. They were the ones who fought the fights over all those questions on which we in the west now largely agree. The great schism is still a scandel the Christian Faith is trying to come to grips with even after a thousand years!
Thank you. I'm a Baptist, I think I already told you that. I just love my Jesus and all he's done for me. I think it's wonderful that we can all come here and share, no matter what faith we have. GB
Orthodoxy is different and is closer to the original church service.....one like the Early Church Fathers created. From what I understand, no major changes in the worship service have occured in more than 1700 years.
Our common religion is Christianity, our faith is in and through Jesus Christ. Your tradition is Baptist, mine Lutheran, and PMZQ's is Orthodox. Those distinctions are important but not not as important as our oneness in Christ!
In the case of the Syrian Orthodox Church, the language, Aramaic, hasn't changed since the time of Christ (it was the language he likely spoke regularly) and may well precede the written New Testament.
Debby, I think the best thing about a thread like this is, and I think the Rev & Pastor Keith will back me on this, Christians of all sects can come together under the loving arm of Christ. These days its harder and harder to be a Christian, with the many distractions and temptations we have before us. We need to lean on each other, to keep us all steady and going forward as Christians.
okaaaay... have you even seen the 1936 movie; The Green Pastures ? I find it totally fascinating. An all black production full of stereotypes that will make one cringe, BUT, the "take" on the bible is different than what "I" was brought up on. Here is the wikipedia version; IMD has some stuff too.. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027700/#comment
The movie was required viewing for a class on Gospel and culture while I was in seminary. I loved the original.
"We are brothers and sisters with one Father above. We all love another. That is what's keeping us strong." (song from some friends of mine). We are all part of the Body of Christ. Everything else is just denominational.
A dear friend of mine who is a Roman Catholic priest (he preached the funeral service for my first wife so it tells you of our closeness) says those things on which we disagree make us distinctive but do not divide us. How can we divide that which Christ has put together?! I think that is a great sentiment. The doctrinal values which bind us as Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, Orthodox, etc. are important and we do them a disservice if we say they are not, but they can not ultimately divide the indivisible God!
Yeah, but Father Jim's quotes are funnier and more memorable! Seriously, yes I do and you are a fine representative of your tradition! ps. PMZQ, love the Icon in your sig. I know it is the Christus, but does the icon have a name or place of origin? Do you know who wrote it? It is a beautiful piece.
Pastor, I am not sure who painted this one. I found this one online and enjoyed it, and it also was the right size to post up Sorry I'm not really sure sir !
