Friday, December 31, 2010

Looking For a Church As Old As Christianity

I would love to introduce to you " Looking For a Church As Old As Christianity" Facebook page.
Here is the link for New Year's Resolution article:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/looking-for-a-church-as-old-as-christianity/early-church-and-new-year-resolution/143093822410498

Blessed 2011!
+Sh

Do We Need New Year Resolutions?

By: Victor Beshir

Before year end, many people write resolutions for the New Year to achieve certain goals that could lead to personal satisfactions. Yet, after the New Year starts, these resolutions gradually disappear and life never changes to better.

Behavioral psychology set the rules to change a habit or to start a new habit. Briefly, you need to practice or repeat the new habit for six months at certain times. Afterwards, this new behavior becomes a habit. Same rules were discovered 1500 years ago by the Desert Fathers who insist on concentrating on applying only one new habit a year. As one of the Fathers says, "Let's learn this year humbleness or meekness, or whatever you need to master." Then, they establish a disciplined daily routine to enforce daily repetitions regardless of mode, conditions, or even health status. This is how our Fathers became masters in all spiritual virtues.

Where to start? The Fathers say, "A person without prayers is a dead person." So, the beginning of spiritual life is a continuation of a prayful life. To make prayer a part of your daily routine, establish a time to pray regardless of your physical condition and give it priority number one for that time. Start by reading from the Bible to meditate in a few verses, following by a touching hymn, then pray. It is a great idea to add Agpya to your prayer. The best way to establish the habit of praying with Agpya is to start small and once it becomes a habit add more psalms.
Happy Blessed New Year.
In Christ,
Victor Beshir

Friday, December 24, 2010

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!

By Father John Abdalah

As Orthodox Christians, we greet one another with this confident exclamation during the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord. With this seasonal greeting we affirm that Jesus, who took on flesh and was born into our world, is indeed the Christ, and worthy of glorification.

This greeting is unlike other seasonal greetings about being merry (Christmas), glad (tidings), or happy (holidays). Not that I have any trouble with being merry, glad or even happy. I enjoy a spiked eggnog or a traditional Christmas shot of whiskey or arak as much as the next guy. But there is more to the preparation and celebration of Christmas than that. In this feast we celebrate our salvation through the good news of our Savior’s advent. When we greet each other with the news of Christ’s birth, we seize the opportunity to glorify the new born Savior. This greeting carries within it the promise of salvation, and the very meaning of life.

We will not escape the secularization of this feast. We will not change the marketing of goods, the office parties and the exchange of gifts. We will not avoid the need to spend money we may not have, eat too much or party ourselves silly. But with a little work to understand God’s revealed truth, we can transcend and baptize the now secular images to bring us deeper meaning. I offer the following examples of what I mean: Let every twinkling light on every bush and window remind us that Christ is the Light that brings us from darkness into light. Every light can bring us to him who is Light, just like the star that guided the Magi. Every light can remind us of the Christ child who enlightens us with Divine truth. This is the truth that sets us free. He is our light and our resurrection, the light of truth that will guide us from the manger to the empty tomb. This season of Christ’s birth is ultimately the season of salvation.

Let every sale in every department store remind us of how God loves us more than the world can understand. The retailers draw us in with sales so that we will come and shop with them. How much more does Christ draw us close? Christ took on flesh to call us home to Him. He suffered at the hands of his own creation, humiliated and murdered. This is the epitome of love. Every retailer, every jingle, every commercial can remind us of God’s own love for us.

Let every seasonal party remind us of the Joy of Salvation. To save us Jesus voluntarily came to take on flesh and suffer in his body. His sacrifice and his gift are reasons to celebrate. When we celebrate, we can remember all that God accomplished for us. We can remember His nature of love and mercy.

Let every Santa on the street collecting money, or posing for photos with children, remind us of the gifts God has given us and the opportunities God gives us to share with others. Think too of the example of St. Nicholas who taught us to fast, share our resources and love God with fervor.

Let every gift we present to one another remind us of the gift of life that Christ is for us. Christ gives us life as we are born anew into Him. Remember also that the Eucharist is life-giving and is given in his name.

Let every snowman, made of ice or styrofoam, remind us of how cold the world can be and how we need the warmth of our Savior. The world needs your example, your love and your witness in order for it to be warmed by God’s love.

Let every ribbon and bow on every package remind us how Christ has put Satan in bonds and freed us to love him and stay with Him. He who was born in a manger is He who could not die and defeated Satan in Hades.

Let every Christmas carol and seasonal song, remind us that we are called to praise God from the depths of our beings. Our soul wants to call out to Him who created us and who comes to us in this feast as a baby. Sing out, and let God hear your voice. Sing out and let others hear your testimony God has taken on flesh and dwelt with us as the prophets foretold. This is a time to sing out!

Perhaps you could add to my list and share your illustrations with our readers. Take a few moments to write down some secular images that you think can be given new meaning and send them to The WORD. By reading them next year, others may find practical ways to use secular images to be less distracted, and to focus more on the real meaning of this Holy Season.

Christmas comes at the end of the secular calendar. It is for us more than the end of one year and the beginning of a new year, and now a new century. It is for us a call to rededicate ourselves as we make God our Lord, and call him our Savior. Rededicated to Christ, let us charge boldly into the next century. Let us not be ashamed to proclaim that Christ is Born! Glorify Him! He is our God and we are His people.

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!


From: this site

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Christmas Wine!


Stop worrying, and start doing.
It is more important to enjoy drinking the wine, than it is to know the etiquette of how to drink wine.

Celebrating Christmas, the born of Christ, is much more important than worrying about which greeting people use (Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays), or why people celebrate (Salvation of Christ vs secular customs), or right spending of money (Charity vs gifts)... let us start celebrating true Christmas ourselves!

Christ is born! Glorify Him!

Monday, December 6, 2010

$10 for old bird cage

I received this story this morning.

Enjoy!

+Sh

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There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak....

"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.

I stopped the lad and asked, "What do you have there, son?"
"Just some old birds," came the reply.
"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.
"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."
"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?"
"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."
The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"
"Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister.
They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!"
"How much?" the pastor asked again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"
The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story:

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait
I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.
Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"
"And what will you do when you are done with them?"
Jesus asked. "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!"
"How much? He asked again.
Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life."
Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
The pastor picked up the cage and walked from the pulpit.

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The Title of the story: God's Grace!

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