Most days that I work I either have an eat everything in sight day or,like Saturday,a granola bar and coffee in the morning and nothing else til I get home,type of day.
Sunday morning several of my nurses aides informed me they had started diets.
Some on Jenny Craig and some on Weight Watchers.
They all decided on Friday to try and make an attempt to rein in their weight issues.
Well like most diets its always easier to decide on Friday after a big supper then to follow through on Sunday,after two days of what feels like you'll never put another pleasing piece of food in your mouth again.
Each person told me exactly what they could and could not eat,how many food points they were allowed and how once they lost the weight they planned never to be heavy again.
One girl even told me she and her husband were on their weight lose paths together and they had decided how they would eat during week days,so on Friday night they could get take out from their favorite restaurant,Longhorns,allowing their selves ribs and baked potato night.
As the day went on each person told me how deprived they felt,it wasn't that they were hungry,it was more that they missed not being able to eat what they wanted and liked and seemed to spend a great deal of time thinking about what they could not have and how meager the choice were becoming as their diet days were progressing.
This Sunday in our Orthodox faith,started what we call Meat Fare.
After Sunday we start on our journey of fasting by first giving up meat.
Now I know your saying "What Lent has already started,did I miss it?"
No you did not.
We,as Orthodox Christians sometime like to over achieve and start things,I guess just for practice.
After Liturgy on Sunday,our church,St.Micheal,had what we call an extended coffee hour where every one brought in food to be offered to all,as a sort of good bye to pleasure and abundance day and a hello to fasting.
My husband,being the good and loving man he is,brought a container of these delicacies to work for me, so I could also partake.
Of course several of my dieting friends walked by and told me how good my food looked,but they had already had lunch and did not choose to have any of my pleasures.
At present they were committed to weight lose.
When I got home Vic and I went out to Chili's,and as a kind of a farewell tribute to meat,I ordered a hamburger,with bacon and cheddar cheese,which,if I follow the fast correctly,will not be mine to taste again for more then a month.
This morning has I looked over the face book section on my Internet,I came across a posting called "A list of thing to have in ones pantry during fasting times."
I went to the site and read about half of said list then thought to myself "for something that is suppose to be a discipline there is an awful lot of pre-thought to this whole fasting thing."
"Food,food,food!" I wanted to scream out. "Enough with the food already!"
We seem to spend an awful lot of time thinking about what we are suppose to be forgetting about and that is the enslavement to our stomachs.
Fasting,as I understand it,is a way of disconnecting our selves from the driven need to eat,our physical pleasures,and turning more to our spiritual and Christian hungers and attempting to fill them.
The past two years I have tried to make it my aim not to feel deprived of food during fast periods,focusing instead,on the fact that to eat better,more healthy foods,during Lent,is a way of making my body,my temple,more in tuned with the needs of God and those around me.
Stopping my desire for junky foods and life style and moving more toward a purer link with God.
Fr.Peter always says if you follow all the fasting rules but have not changed in any way then you may has well eat the hamburger,or in my case the bacon cheddar cheese burger, because you missed the whole point.
To much emphasis on food and not enough on how you plan to spiritually change,over the up coming fasting period is just has much the work of the devil has committing sin.
If your mind is wrapped up on food all the time then you've lost sight of being wrapped up in God.
Now don't get me wrong fasting,like dieting is allot of work but it is also suppose to be a change in attitude as well as a change in diet.
At this time of year I try at every meal to center my self on eating healthy for the next 40 plus days.
Yes each day is a struggle but it should be no more of a struggle then finding true harmony and peace with our spiritual side.
Supposedly as we grow farther from our physical being and needs we are to grow closer to our brothers and sisters around us in an attempt to be more Christ like.
Food,food,food.
Like dieting,our main objective is to take our growing hunger to fill our mouths and stomachs with excess and transfer it to a new growing need to fill our souls and spirits.
In the end we want to take this new found weight loss and grow it into continued maintenance of our daily lives in Christ.
Fasting should not be allot of pre thought on how our kitchen cupboards are set up,it's emphasis should be on how our spiritual cupboards are set up.
If we fill our kitchen but not our souls then we may as well have the hamburger and forget the fasting.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Cell Phones May Alter Brain Activity
Yesterday while reading the Worcester Telegram and Gazette,I came across an article on radiation and cell phones.
Researches from the National Institutes of Health have found that less then one hour of cell phone use can speed up brain activity in the area closest to the phone antenna.Once again raising new questions about effects of low level radiation emitted from cell phones.
The researcher led by Dr.Volkow,director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse,
urged caution in interpreting these new finding because its not known if the changes seen in brain scans have any meaningful effect on a person overall heath.
According to a published study found Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association,is among the the first and largest to document that the weak radio frequency signals from cell phone alter brains activity.
The study is important because it documents that the human brain is sensitive to the electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by cell phones.
It also high lights the importance of doing studies to address the question of whether,or not,long lasting consequences of repeated stimulation over a 5,10 or 15 year period is important.
A few observational studies have suggested a link between heavy cell phone use and rare brain tumors,but the bulk of the available scientific evidence shows no added risk.
This study does not enlighten us in terms of whether this is detrimental or could even be beneficial,Dr.Volkow says it just tells us that even though these are weak signals the human brain is activated by them.
The researchers used brain scans to directly measure how the electromagnetic radiation emitted from cell phones affected brain activity.
Although an increase in brain glucose metabolism happens during normal brain function,the question is whether repeated artificial stimulation as a result of exposer to electromagnetic radiation might have a detrimental effect.
So whats the answer? Seems the former director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center and prominent neurosurgeons urge people to use headsets as a precaution.
You never can be to safe when it comes to your brain.
Researches from the National Institutes of Health have found that less then one hour of cell phone use can speed up brain activity in the area closest to the phone antenna.Once again raising new questions about effects of low level radiation emitted from cell phones.
The researcher led by Dr.Volkow,director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse,
urged caution in interpreting these new finding because its not known if the changes seen in brain scans have any meaningful effect on a person overall heath.
According to a published study found Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association,is among the the first and largest to document that the weak radio frequency signals from cell phone alter brains activity.
The study is important because it documents that the human brain is sensitive to the electromagnetic radiation that is emitted by cell phones.
It also high lights the importance of doing studies to address the question of whether,or not,long lasting consequences of repeated stimulation over a 5,10 or 15 year period is important.
A few observational studies have suggested a link between heavy cell phone use and rare brain tumors,but the bulk of the available scientific evidence shows no added risk.
This study does not enlighten us in terms of whether this is detrimental or could even be beneficial,Dr.Volkow says it just tells us that even though these are weak signals the human brain is activated by them.
The researchers used brain scans to directly measure how the electromagnetic radiation emitted from cell phones affected brain activity.
Although an increase in brain glucose metabolism happens during normal brain function,the question is whether repeated artificial stimulation as a result of exposer to electromagnetic radiation might have a detrimental effect.
So whats the answer? Seems the former director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center and prominent neurosurgeons urge people to use headsets as a precaution.
You never can be to safe when it comes to your brain.
Love Your Brother/Love Your Self
What is the real meaning of Jesus teachings?
Believe it or not all God desires from us is one little word "LOVE".
Seems simple doesn't it?
Not so,love has to be one of the hardest things we can do.
In our minds,love of self always seems to take over any desire we may have to love others.
Call it self preservation or maybe an underlying need for our own glorification,but loving others just seems,at times, to get in the way of our need to be number one,on our love scale.
Now when the Bible speaks of love it defines it has agape,or brotherly love.
It means not going out of my way to hurt others,but wanting to respect and be kind when possible,a sort of do no harm law.
We are basically carnal in nature wanting for lustful things like money,power,fame or the physical bodies of others.
Our interpretation of the word love in our society is rather loose at best.
We love cars,boats,food,clothes,jewelry and so on,we can even love a hamburger,just ask McDonald's,because there "lovin it",at least according to their advertisements.
Jesus talks about loving our neighbors has your self.
But in order to love in this way you have to,first of all,love or at least like your self.
You can't treat someone well when you don't even understand how to treat your self with respect.
I firmly believe that God wants good for his children all the time.
The problem is we do not want good for ourselves,so how can we possibly want good for the rest of the world.
I have heard that what comes out of a person mouth is what is in their hearts.
So if you say bad things about,not only your neighbor,but also your self,then you are not right with God in his understanding of real love.
The evil one,in my own opinion,is always setting up road blocks for our failures.
When we dislike our selves we are not in God territory, but the other guys.
When you say things like I'm not good enough,everyone hates me,I could never do this or that because I'm not smart enough shows us exactly where our minds and hearts lie.
This sort of attitude can only bring condemnation to not only us but those around us.
If we see ourselves has not worthy then how can we see those around us has any better.
Believe it or not thought patterns can be changed.
How? by self determination and new habits.
When negative thoughts come to mind we must stop them in there tracks and say to our selves "I am a child of God and he wants only the best for me and I want only what he wants.God loves me,I am valuable because he made me who I am and he is my loving parent."
Say this when ever negative thoughts come to mind and after awhile you will believe what you are saying.
Has always some time spent in informal prayer everyday can also help.
I have found that in my walk with Christ if I want an answer its always better to get right to the point and say what you have to say.
Sometimes I think God doesn't like it when we beat around the bush,if its in you heart let it come out your mouth in prayer and the answers will be right in front of you.
Of course the answer may not be what we want to hear but then God sees the whole picture we do not.
Believe it or not all God desires from us is one little word "LOVE".
Seems simple doesn't it?
Not so,love has to be one of the hardest things we can do.
In our minds,love of self always seems to take over any desire we may have to love others.
Call it self preservation or maybe an underlying need for our own glorification,but loving others just seems,at times, to get in the way of our need to be number one,on our love scale.
Now when the Bible speaks of love it defines it has agape,or brotherly love.
It means not going out of my way to hurt others,but wanting to respect and be kind when possible,a sort of do no harm law.
We are basically carnal in nature wanting for lustful things like money,power,fame or the physical bodies of others.
Our interpretation of the word love in our society is rather loose at best.
We love cars,boats,food,clothes,jewelry and so on,we can even love a hamburger,just ask McDonald's,because there "lovin it",at least according to their advertisements.
Jesus talks about loving our neighbors has your self.
But in order to love in this way you have to,first of all,love or at least like your self.
You can't treat someone well when you don't even understand how to treat your self with respect.
I firmly believe that God wants good for his children all the time.
The problem is we do not want good for ourselves,so how can we possibly want good for the rest of the world.
I have heard that what comes out of a person mouth is what is in their hearts.
So if you say bad things about,not only your neighbor,but also your self,then you are not right with God in his understanding of real love.
The evil one,in my own opinion,is always setting up road blocks for our failures.
When we dislike our selves we are not in God territory, but the other guys.
When you say things like I'm not good enough,everyone hates me,I could never do this or that because I'm not smart enough shows us exactly where our minds and hearts lie.
This sort of attitude can only bring condemnation to not only us but those around us.
If we see ourselves has not worthy then how can we see those around us has any better.
Believe it or not thought patterns can be changed.
How? by self determination and new habits.
When negative thoughts come to mind we must stop them in there tracks and say to our selves "I am a child of God and he wants only the best for me and I want only what he wants.God loves me,I am valuable because he made me who I am and he is my loving parent."
Say this when ever negative thoughts come to mind and after awhile you will believe what you are saying.
Has always some time spent in informal prayer everyday can also help.
I have found that in my walk with Christ if I want an answer its always better to get right to the point and say what you have to say.
Sometimes I think God doesn't like it when we beat around the bush,if its in you heart let it come out your mouth in prayer and the answers will be right in front of you.
Of course the answer may not be what we want to hear but then God sees the whole picture we do not.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Closer Walk
For the past 6 years I have tried to become a more spiritual and serious minded Christian.
What this means is I try to practice more time in prayer,bible reading,studies, meditation and church attendance when possible.
You can not be close to God if you stay far away from him and his teachings.
Change has to occur in your life,even if its just small amounts at a time.
When you choose to become serious in your walk with God it requires you to listen and pay attention in order to truly follow Jesus teachings.
If no man is an island then no true Christian is one either.
As I have tried to journey ever closer to God I have found myself trying to understand Jesus on a more personal level.
For many months now it has become my aim to study the basics of Jewish beliefs,I want to know and understand what Jesus daily life was like,what he understood and why.
Up until now I have not been able to understand my drive for this knowledge but I think it has been made clear to me that like a close relationship the more you know and understand the other person the closer you become to them.
When my husband and I were first dating I wanted to know everything I could about him,where he went to school,what his family life was like,his likes and dislikes.
Because he was someone so special and I loved him so much any thing in his past was all relevant to my life.
It gave me the ability to brag about him,defend him,please him and in the end just grow so much closer to him.
The Bible says that when we marry the two shall become as one.
In our walk with God we also need to become one with him in our understanding and love.
The more we learn and understand the closer we can become,helping us to become more one with God and his will for us and our lives.
What this means is I try to practice more time in prayer,bible reading,studies, meditation and church attendance when possible.
You can not be close to God if you stay far away from him and his teachings.
Change has to occur in your life,even if its just small amounts at a time.
When you choose to become serious in your walk with God it requires you to listen and pay attention in order to truly follow Jesus teachings.
If no man is an island then no true Christian is one either.
As I have tried to journey ever closer to God I have found myself trying to understand Jesus on a more personal level.
For many months now it has become my aim to study the basics of Jewish beliefs,I want to know and understand what Jesus daily life was like,what he understood and why.
Up until now I have not been able to understand my drive for this knowledge but I think it has been made clear to me that like a close relationship the more you know and understand the other person the closer you become to them.
When my husband and I were first dating I wanted to know everything I could about him,where he went to school,what his family life was like,his likes and dislikes.
Because he was someone so special and I loved him so much any thing in his past was all relevant to my life.
It gave me the ability to brag about him,defend him,please him and in the end just grow so much closer to him.
The Bible says that when we marry the two shall become as one.
In our walk with God we also need to become one with him in our understanding and love.
The more we learn and understand the closer we can become,helping us to become more one with God and his will for us and our lives.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
God's Presence
I believe that all prayers are answered,some answers are yes and some are no.
That's alright with me because like a good parent,God gives us what we need not what we desire.
Prayer can seem very repetitive some days,even a little dry on others,but persistence needs to be the goal and at some point our conversations with God can be enlightening to say the least.
Talking to God should be as natural has talking to a well respected and loved family member and friend,but many times the conversation gets one sided,with us saying everything and God not getting a word in edge wise.
I have times,when not so rushed,that I pause during prayer to await God's ever small voice,but because of my racing internalism I can not settle long enough to hear what the Master is trying to say to me.
Even still I believe God talks to me in other forms like when a friend speaks to me about something I was pondering over earlier in my day or I see something that touches my heart or possibly my soul.
Just the other morning I felt in doubt and confusion about where my religious life was headed.Was I on the right track with the right people around me to help me,or am I simply alone and just plain stuck.
Now this is not uncommon for me to doubt and question such things,I tend to do it often especially this time of year.
After praying for some time I felt a great white light engulf me from the top of my head to my eyes.A brightness,that even with my eyes closed,made me squint inside.
The shades in my bedroom,rolled down tight,allowing little light to enter through the bottom.
After coming out of my feelings of wonder and gratitude,I went down stairs to see what sort of weather we were having and as I opened the front door a small chubby little bird landed on the rail near me.
To me these are were all signs from God letting me know that I am in his presence.
Although my confusion still exist I understand that I am never alone and all my problems are heard.
Sometimes God is not a small voice he can also be light,breeze,water,animals and maybe flowers.
He is ever present always near but in touching beautiful visions of daily life.
We get so hurried in our day to day existence filled with worry and self centeredness we forget that God speaks to us always and is around us everywhere.
Our job in the end is to open our eyes and not only see the loveliness around us but become a part of it and feel it,admire it and enjoy it.
God wants us to live in joy and joy is not just one simple feeling it is an entire body experience.
Understand that God is everywhere not just in our prayers and mindset but in the world around us all day long.
Our job is to stop and recognise him,then we will see our issues are not so big after all.
That's alright with me because like a good parent,God gives us what we need not what we desire.
Prayer can seem very repetitive some days,even a little dry on others,but persistence needs to be the goal and at some point our conversations with God can be enlightening to say the least.
Talking to God should be as natural has talking to a well respected and loved family member and friend,but many times the conversation gets one sided,with us saying everything and God not getting a word in edge wise.
I have times,when not so rushed,that I pause during prayer to await God's ever small voice,but because of my racing internalism I can not settle long enough to hear what the Master is trying to say to me.
Even still I believe God talks to me in other forms like when a friend speaks to me about something I was pondering over earlier in my day or I see something that touches my heart or possibly my soul.
Just the other morning I felt in doubt and confusion about where my religious life was headed.Was I on the right track with the right people around me to help me,or am I simply alone and just plain stuck.
Now this is not uncommon for me to doubt and question such things,I tend to do it often especially this time of year.
After praying for some time I felt a great white light engulf me from the top of my head to my eyes.A brightness,that even with my eyes closed,made me squint inside.
The shades in my bedroom,rolled down tight,allowing little light to enter through the bottom.
After coming out of my feelings of wonder and gratitude,I went down stairs to see what sort of weather we were having and as I opened the front door a small chubby little bird landed on the rail near me.
To me these are were all signs from God letting me know that I am in his presence.
Although my confusion still exist I understand that I am never alone and all my problems are heard.
Sometimes God is not a small voice he can also be light,breeze,water,animals and maybe flowers.
He is ever present always near but in touching beautiful visions of daily life.
We get so hurried in our day to day existence filled with worry and self centeredness we forget that God speaks to us always and is around us everywhere.
Our job in the end is to open our eyes and not only see the loveliness around us but become a part of it and feel it,admire it and enjoy it.
God wants us to live in joy and joy is not just one simple feeling it is an entire body experience.
Understand that God is everywhere not just in our prayers and mindset but in the world around us all day long.
Our job is to stop and recognise him,then we will see our issues are not so big after all.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Prodigal Son
Sunday reading was about the prodigal son.
Now for those of you unfamiliar with this story,its about a son,whose Father had great wealth.
The young man goes to his father and says "I would like all my inheritance now so I may go out into the world".
The father agreed and the son went out into a far off land to squander all his new found wealth.
When hard times set in,a famine throughout the region,the son found him self in a bad situation.
Being hungry and poor he gets a job feeding pigs.
He began to envy the pigs their food,because he was starving and no one had offered him any.
Suddenly he came to his senses and realized that even his father's servants had much to eat,while he had none.
The time had came to go back to his father and beg his forgiveness asking him to make him a servant,since he was no longer worthy to be considered his son.
The father on seeing his son far in the distance,was overjoyed,telling his servant's to get him his best robe and ring for his finger and to kill the fatted cow,for his son was lost and now found,dead and now alive.
The older brother,returning from the fields wanted to know what was going on,a servant told him,your brother has returned.
The brother became very angry and said to his father "why do you accept him back,give him a party and even killing the fatted calf,while I who have always been loyal to you,followed all your rules and done everything you have asked of me and you have never even given me a kid,baby goat,for me and my friends to party with.
The father said "you know everything I have is yours but your brother was gone and now he is back,was dead and now he is alive".
This story is filled with many dynamics.It holds not only one meaning but many.
First the father in this story is God and the son is us.
God has given us everything then set us on this earth,our far off region.
We have choices to make we can improve our wealth with investments in God and man or we can depreciate our selves with careless living and debauchery,thus we too will also be alone and starving,wanting for better.
But if we sincerely make the attempt to come back to God,ask humbly and meaningfully for forgiveness he will joyfully take us back into his house not just as a servant,like the angles,but has his very own child.
Next we have a dimension in the story of the jealousy of the older brother,the Pharisee,who feels slighted because he has always followed the rules done everything he can to always serve his father,except forgive his brother.
They,the Pharisees,do not like Jesus because he ministers to those who are lost from God and wandering at the bottom of life,whom Jesus is helping to bring back home to his Father.
In the story,the father,tries to explain to the older son that his joy has nothing to do with following the rules it has to do with seeking forgiveness and coming to him.
The son who hit rock bottom,which is told in the story when first he feeds the pigs,a no no for a Jewish person,and then desires to eat,the food the pigs are eating,which is lower then the pigs themselves.
Jesus was sent into the world to help those who've hit the bottom,he shows love from his father in the rejoicing that will be felt in heaven when one down and out child returns home and humbly ask for forgiveness.
This story ties in with the publican and tax collector.
We can stand in the middle of the Temple,like the publican and vainly ask for forgiveness by raising our eyes up to heaven and saying "yes I'm a sinner but I follow all the rules and thank God I'm not like that tax collector in the corner."
Or we can be the tax collector who feels so much remorse for his sins he is unable to raise his head up and simply and whole heartily ask to be forgiven.
At that point we become the prodigal son and not the Pharisee.
Because in the end its not just about following the rules and laws its about understanding their meaning in our lives and the lives of others.
Now for those of you unfamiliar with this story,its about a son,whose Father had great wealth.
The young man goes to his father and says "I would like all my inheritance now so I may go out into the world".
The father agreed and the son went out into a far off land to squander all his new found wealth.
When hard times set in,a famine throughout the region,the son found him self in a bad situation.
Being hungry and poor he gets a job feeding pigs.
He began to envy the pigs their food,because he was starving and no one had offered him any.
Suddenly he came to his senses and realized that even his father's servants had much to eat,while he had none.
The time had came to go back to his father and beg his forgiveness asking him to make him a servant,since he was no longer worthy to be considered his son.
The father on seeing his son far in the distance,was overjoyed,telling his servant's to get him his best robe and ring for his finger and to kill the fatted cow,for his son was lost and now found,dead and now alive.
The older brother,returning from the fields wanted to know what was going on,a servant told him,your brother has returned.
The brother became very angry and said to his father "why do you accept him back,give him a party and even killing the fatted calf,while I who have always been loyal to you,followed all your rules and done everything you have asked of me and you have never even given me a kid,baby goat,for me and my friends to party with.
The father said "you know everything I have is yours but your brother was gone and now he is back,was dead and now he is alive".
This story is filled with many dynamics.It holds not only one meaning but many.
First the father in this story is God and the son is us.
God has given us everything then set us on this earth,our far off region.
We have choices to make we can improve our wealth with investments in God and man or we can depreciate our selves with careless living and debauchery,thus we too will also be alone and starving,wanting for better.
But if we sincerely make the attempt to come back to God,ask humbly and meaningfully for forgiveness he will joyfully take us back into his house not just as a servant,like the angles,but has his very own child.
Next we have a dimension in the story of the jealousy of the older brother,the Pharisee,who feels slighted because he has always followed the rules done everything he can to always serve his father,except forgive his brother.
They,the Pharisees,do not like Jesus because he ministers to those who are lost from God and wandering at the bottom of life,whom Jesus is helping to bring back home to his Father.
In the story,the father,tries to explain to the older son that his joy has nothing to do with following the rules it has to do with seeking forgiveness and coming to him.
The son who hit rock bottom,which is told in the story when first he feeds the pigs,a no no for a Jewish person,and then desires to eat,the food the pigs are eating,which is lower then the pigs themselves.
Jesus was sent into the world to help those who've hit the bottom,he shows love from his father in the rejoicing that will be felt in heaven when one down and out child returns home and humbly ask for forgiveness.
This story ties in with the publican and tax collector.
We can stand in the middle of the Temple,like the publican and vainly ask for forgiveness by raising our eyes up to heaven and saying "yes I'm a sinner but I follow all the rules and thank God I'm not like that tax collector in the corner."
Or we can be the tax collector who feels so much remorse for his sins he is unable to raise his head up and simply and whole heartily ask to be forgiven.
At that point we become the prodigal son and not the Pharisee.
Because in the end its not just about following the rules and laws its about understanding their meaning in our lives and the lives of others.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Luke Warm Christians/Facing The Rite
Are you a luke warm Christian?
If push came to shovel would you be able to stand up to the devil and scream with your mouth, mind,heart and soul in his very face that you believe in Jesus Christ and nothing and no one is more powerful then God,not even the devil and his legions?
Does this seem like a strange question?
Tonight a friend and I went to see the movie "The Rite" a true story about a luke warm novice who becomes an exorcist with the help of a trained priest.
This movie was very compelling indeed.
We in the Orthodox Church,as with most churches today,do not like to talk about the evil one but,as this movie points out,just because you don't speak the name of Satan does not mean he is not there.
Actually he preferes it when you don't notice his presence,evil takes root better when not spoken about.
Some churches feel he is an old subject used to scare people into submission and nothing for us true intellectuals to concern our selves with.
Really,well that's what the devil hoped you would say.
You see this evil being is not concerned about you belief systems because he knows that very few of us really have the heart to believe in God so much that we will ever truly be willing to take a stand with our entire being.
The devil knows that we are weak and to keep us down he plays on our guiltes and doubts.
Trying to make you believe your not good enough,strong enough or capable enough.
We seem to have come to a point,through our great intellect of believing demonic possession,is just some silly idea held over from the dark ages.Lets face it its always much easier to say someone may have "psychological issues",rather then realize not all mental issues are made up,some of our demons are real.
The evil one wants you to hate yourself as he says in the movie "Satan love to torture children".
How easy it is for us to be deceived and how little effort he has to put into it to make us doubt,question and blame our selves.
Can you stand up in times of fear and questioning or will you be pushed to physical or emotional self destruction.
Being a Christian requires warfare on our part.
We can not live with one foot in heaven and one in hell at some point we need to stand firm one way or the other.
I have come to the conclusion that if we are to fight the good fight we need to know who our enemy is and what his tactical ploys are.
To take on an unknown force is to ultimately lose the battle and maybe even the war.
Temptation and guilt are such sutle things ever infecting our minds and corrupting our souls.
So quietly,ever so slowly,one drop at a time until suddenly we can't distinguish what our belief systems are any longer,everything in our thought processes just seem to blur together .
We need to talk more about evil and the devil,understand who he and his legions are and how best to fight them.
No devil works alone,usually they work in multiples.
If you want to change it you need to name it,bring it to the light,but then again "he" wishes you would not get so involved with such things as titles,because lets face it,whats in a name anyways?
If push came to shovel would you be able to stand up to the devil and scream with your mouth, mind,heart and soul in his very face that you believe in Jesus Christ and nothing and no one is more powerful then God,not even the devil and his legions?
Does this seem like a strange question?
Tonight a friend and I went to see the movie "The Rite" a true story about a luke warm novice who becomes an exorcist with the help of a trained priest.
This movie was very compelling indeed.
We in the Orthodox Church,as with most churches today,do not like to talk about the evil one but,as this movie points out,just because you don't speak the name of Satan does not mean he is not there.
Actually he preferes it when you don't notice his presence,evil takes root better when not spoken about.
Some churches feel he is an old subject used to scare people into submission and nothing for us true intellectuals to concern our selves with.
Really,well that's what the devil hoped you would say.
You see this evil being is not concerned about you belief systems because he knows that very few of us really have the heart to believe in God so much that we will ever truly be willing to take a stand with our entire being.
The devil knows that we are weak and to keep us down he plays on our guiltes and doubts.
Trying to make you believe your not good enough,strong enough or capable enough.
We seem to have come to a point,through our great intellect of believing demonic possession,is just some silly idea held over from the dark ages.Lets face it its always much easier to say someone may have "psychological issues",rather then realize not all mental issues are made up,some of our demons are real.
The evil one wants you to hate yourself as he says in the movie "Satan love to torture children".
How easy it is for us to be deceived and how little effort he has to put into it to make us doubt,question and blame our selves.
Can you stand up in times of fear and questioning or will you be pushed to physical or emotional self destruction.
Being a Christian requires warfare on our part.
We can not live with one foot in heaven and one in hell at some point we need to stand firm one way or the other.
I have come to the conclusion that if we are to fight the good fight we need to know who our enemy is and what his tactical ploys are.
To take on an unknown force is to ultimately lose the battle and maybe even the war.
Temptation and guilt are such sutle things ever infecting our minds and corrupting our souls.
So quietly,ever so slowly,one drop at a time until suddenly we can't distinguish what our belief systems are any longer,everything in our thought processes just seem to blur together .
We need to talk more about evil and the devil,understand who he and his legions are and how best to fight them.
No devil works alone,usually they work in multiples.
If you want to change it you need to name it,bring it to the light,but then again "he" wishes you would not get so involved with such things as titles,because lets face it,whats in a name anyways?
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