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Bycicles, old memories, and new experiences

Recently I decided that I needed to lose weight. Well, several million Americans and I decided that, since that happens on any given week. However, I had become increasingly concerned both about my health and about my Orthodox witness. It is somewhat hard to preach on self-control if you can look down and see the top of your belly. I was also influenced by another priest in our parish who has done... [Read more]

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Scouting and ghost stories

OK, how many of you can remember going on a Boy Scout or Girl Scout or Campfire Girls or Royal Ambassadors campout when you were a child and hearing ghost stories around the campfire? If the tale teller was very good, he or she would have you precisely in the condition pictured above. Of course, that could always cause some serious problems later in the night. Adult leaders quickly learned to be very... [Read more]

“Organic” chicken soup — ugh

This particular comic brings back some memories. We, in USA, do not tend to eat a large variety of meat animals, and even then we do not eat all parts of a meat animal. Well, yes, there are some subcultures in our country where a larger variety is eaten, but they are small segments. But there are many areas of the world in which they do eat most of an animal. When we were missionaries, we were sent... [Read more]

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The CDC gives advice on possible zombie apocalypse

Besides being a priest, Father Orthoduck is a published medical professional. (No, he is not a physician.) So, he is quite aware of how often people do not pay attention to medical warnings or medical directions. For instance, there is a regular problem with people returning with an infection that has not been cured. Often, a physician will simply prescribe another antibiotic, and the infection will... [Read more]

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Atheists cash in on possible rapture??

Father Orthoduck read an odd news story today. As many of you know, one group of Evangelicals is forecasting that the Rapture will happen this Saturday, 21 May. The forecast is being strong pushed by Family Radio, which is on radio stations in every state in the Union, as well as having a presence in Canada and in other countries. But, what surprised Father Orthoduck was to find out that there are... [Read more]

Weird Lenten musings

On Friday, after the Liturgy, our parish had a Lenten supper to commemorate the end of Lent, and the beginning of Holy Week the next day with the celebration of Lazarus Saturday. The service and the dinner was actually poorly attended because the tornadoes that rolled through the South that day chose to go very very near our area right before the Liturgy was due to begin. Thus, many people chose to... [Read more]

Cell phone fail

I had to adopt the practice of making sure to leave my cell phone in the sacristy, even though I had had it on vibrate. You see, back when I had not realized that the buzzing of vibrate could actually be heard through a cassock. And, it is no the least bit helpful if during a church service, one’s cassock begins to emit a certain buzzing sound. It is difficult to maintain a straight face or... [Read more]

A comic that explains free will

One of the persistent charges against God is that he should have been able to design a better system. That is, one of the charges against God is that he must somehow ought to have been able to design a system in which people do not suffer. The arguments over that proposition have gone on for centuries. So, look at the comic above and see the way in which the author defines free will. Notice that free... [Read more]

Peta, Pets, and Patristrics

Father Orthoduck saw the following story on CNN: PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is calling for a more animal-friendly update to the Bible. The group is asking translators of the New International Version (NIV) to remove what it calls “speciesist” language and refer to animals as “he” or “she” instead of “it.” … PETA is hoping... [Read more]

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Dem bones, dem bones, dem ossuary bones

As you know, one of Father Orthoduck’s favorite authors is Pithless Thoughts. So, the humorous photograph to the right certainly had Father Orthoduck laughing. But, this brings up the opportunity for me to ask some trivia questions. What is an ossuary? How old is the practice of using an ossuary in Judeo-Christian circles? Are ossuaries still used? Can you point to a Biblical phrase that assumes... [Read more]