Living with—and Writing through—Regret

A Lifetime of Regrets

While visiting my wife's native Romania one summer, I learned that there had been an anti-communist insurgency there back in the 50's. It was eventually crushed in the early 60's.

I began to imagine a family in Transylvania who fought as anti-communist freedom fighters. I imagined that this family's motivation was largely in defense of the Church that the communists were suppressing. 

And in particular I found myself dwelling on the regret and disappointment such people must have experienced when their hard-fought effort came to nothing and they were forced to either flee the country or form a life within the communist system.

And so it was that I began writing the novel A Place of Brightness. It shares the saga of such a family of freedom fighters as they experience the end of the rebellion. It continues to a second generation who must unexpectedly take up the torch and face their family's enemies.

In the very first chapter, I describe how a brother and sister team have resolved that their current operation against the communists would have to be their last. They dare to share with each other dreams of the life they will fade into as they now set their rebellion aside.

But things don't go according to plan on that final mission and what follows are lives deeply and tragically wounded by the regret of what never came to pass.


What Brought Me There

Like you, so many things I had once perhaps imagined my life could include and would mean—just didn't happen as I planned.

Lofty dreams of my youth never materialized. 

More reasonable dreams of my young adulthood came true in only mixed measure.

Safer plans in my full adulthood evolved into a comfortable life. 

And then my world was turned upside down.

You see, I had a PhD in Biblical Hebrew, with a minor in Arabic. That was a safe plan, since it had followed accepting a scholarship. And I loved the study.

But then, on the evening of Tuesday, September 11th, 2001, I saw appeals on the news for people with expertise in Arabic to submit resumes to the intelligence agencies in response to what had happened.

Quick version. Submitted. Accepted. Suddenly I was an Intelligence Officer at the National Security Agency.

What followed was a whirlwind of adventure and emotion. I would serve in Iraq, for which I was awarded the Global War on Terrorism Civilian Service Medal.  I would serve in the Office of Counter Terrorism, helping to foil plots against our nation.

I served at the NSA for four years, longer than the US was in WWII. I came to a point where I was ready to move on—and to a quieter life. 

As I resigned my position and became a mild-mannered Latin teacher, I needed a way to process all that I had been through.


A Place of Brightness 

I wrote my novel for many reasons. As a boy growing up in Wisconsin, I never imagined I would ever stand in a war zone. Some of the more intense battle scenes of the novel allowed me to process the chaos and insanity of it all. 

As I look back on my life, I certainly have some regrets. The experience of going to war and working in the Top Secret world of espionage had a toll on me. A part of me wonders, with understandable regret, what my life would be had I not gone down that path.

At the same time, I would not change anything were I given the chance to do it all over. I am what I am today because of the choices I made.

My novel is primarily a story of family and faith. I come from a close family and the bonds the characters in A Place of Brightness share are real. They are practicing Christians because I would dishonor myself to write them any other way. 

But a most important matter explored in the novel is the tremendous burden the brother and sister will experience as the dreams of a future life which they hoped for on that final night—are crushed.

What do you do when everything you ever dreamed your life would mean is suddenly gone?

As you will learn in the novel, the answer is—you pick up a new dream and you move forward—in faith.

The Courageous Life of Fr. Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa

The Romanian Orthodox Church is facing a bit of a quandary today. One of their own, but one they once disowned, has turned up, well, having failed to decay after seven years. And in Catholic-Orthodox circles, that's a pretty big thing.

We're talking about Fr. Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa. 

He lived a remarkable life. For the fullest description of his journey, you can read the Washington Post article published upon his death in 2006. But I'll briefly summarize it for you as follows.

He was a medical student when the Communist regime seized control of Romania after WWII. He spoke out publicly against the Communists and went to jail for 16 years. During that confinement, he seems to have had a faith experience and when he was finally released, he secretly pursued theological education.  He was ordained a priest in 1972. The Communist government tolerated his anti-Communist preaching for five years but finally the Church itself, probably under significant pressure from the Communist government, defrocked him. 

He was jailed again and was tortured while in confinement. The US President Ronald Reagan eventually demanded his release from prison as a condition for favorable trade with Romania. The Communist government released him. 

He and his wife Adriana and their son Andrei were allowed to go into exile to America in 1985. They settled in Virginia. Having been defrocked by the Romanian Orthodox Church, he was accepted into ministry by the anti-Communist Romanian Archdiocese of the Orthodox Church in America. 

He lived to see the end of Communism in Romania. But, being defrocked by the Romanian Orthodox Church, and serving with a Church body that had described the Romanian Bishops as nothing but Secret Police lackeys, in the few trips he made to Romania after Communism, he was not allowed official recognition or access to Churches for the saying of Mass.

I want to say, that, having spent quite a bit of time in Romania and getting to know people that had to survive the brutal Communist regime, including people of the Church, I don't judge the hierarchs of the Church. I believe that they did what they thought was necessary for the survival of the Church there in Romania. And the men who defrocked Fr. Gheorghe did so out of fear, fear for their own lives, and also fear for the survival of the Church in Romania. It was what it was.

That does not make Fr. Gheorghe any less brave for the outspoken stance he took.

He fell asleep in the Lord in 2006. He had spent his twilight years serving a Romanian parish in Virginia. But his body was sent for burial to the Petru-Voda Monastery in Romania.

Now, it is routine at monasteries to disinter bodies after seven years. That's the point after which we expect to find nothing but bones.  There's a ritual for it. Monks and Nuns spend their lives looking forward to having their bones gathered into the community collection after those seven years. 

I have often kissed glass cases of hundred of monastic skulls, venerating the lives of prayer that these men and women led for the Church.

But when they disinterred Fr. Gheorghe they found something strange.

He had not decomposed. 

There is an ancient teaching in the Great Tradition (the Catholic and Orthodox Churches before they sadly split) wherein a body that does not decay is held as proof of sanctity, meaning, such a person should then be proclaimed a Saint.

So, Fr. Gheorghe presents a quandary for the Romanian Orthodox Church. He was officially sanctioned, defrocked, by the Church at a time when they were fighting for their lives.

Now, he presents himself as a candidate for sainthood. How do you canonize a defrocked priest?

The solution may be that perhaps the Orthodox Church in America could canonize him. Reciprocally all Orthodox Churches accept the canonization of each Church.

At any rate, pray for us, Fr. Gheorghe. Let me tell you, Fr. Gheorghe, the Churches in Romania today are full every Sunday. I have no doubt that leaders in the Church committed sins against other members of the Church during Communist times. You were one of many people wronged. But the Church leaders erred while trying to preserve the Church. I know that hurt you. You are before the face of God now. And I know you forgive, just as you have been forgiven. 

But, in Romania, the Church did finally win.

May God bless the Orthodox Church in Romania.

Here is a Romanian news article about the finding of his incorrupt body:

Reflections on Joseph of Arimathea and the Myrrh Bearing Women

Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women/Joseph of Arimathea

Acts 6:1-7

Mark 15:43;16:8

Today's Scripture readings in the Orthodox Church Lectionary present us with the stories of several people, Joseph of Arimathea, the Myrrh Bearing Women, and the first Deacons of the Church. And the common denominator between all of them is that these are people who couldn't do it all, but they did what they could. And when they did what they could, they became partakers in the Story of Salvation.

Joseph of Arimathea, we are told, was a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin and quite sympathetic to the teachings of Jesus. Even so, he couldn't do it all. He couldn't stop the crucifixion of Jesus. But he did what he could, and sought an audience with Pontius Pilate. Now, a Roman Procurator did not exactly grant an audience to every random person that knocked on his door. And the fact that Joseph of Arimathea even got in to see Pontius Pilate is strong evidence that Joseph was a well-known person. And so Joseph used his connections and personal wealth to give our Lord a proper burial.

The Myrrh Bearing Women set out that early Sunday morning to do what they could. They couldn't do it all. In fact, they began to discuss the fact that they could not roll the stone aside when they arrived. But upon their arrival, finding the stone rolled aside, they received the privilege of being the first witnesses to the fact of the Resurrection. And, according to the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene became the first witness of our Risen Lord himself.

In the Book of Acts, we learn that the Apostles were trying to do it all. And it wasn't working! Their attempt to pray, attend to the preaching of the Word, and perform the daily distribution of bread to the widows was apparently not succeeding. The Greeks in the Church felt they were being neglected. The Apostles meant no harm, they were just trying to do too much. And they came up with a decent solution. Delegating the food distribution to trusted and ordained helpers (Deacons) allowed them more time to devote themselves to prayer and the preaching of the Word.

And so the ultimate message for all of us today is that none of us can do it all. But we are called to do what we can. And the fact that it was Prayer that the Apostles refocused on, with the help of the Deacons, shows us that even if all you do is come to Divine Liturgy and pray for the welfare of the Church, it may be that your prayer gives strength to some missionary on the other side of the planet. And your simple prayer will bring forth fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Really...

Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update last night saw the humorous "Really!?!" bit take on the topic of Contraception and Abortion.


In the bit, Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers poke fun at the belief held by many Christians that human life begins at conception, stating that "What's next? Life begins at last call?" or "Life begins when you click 'send' on your Match.com profile?"

I accept that within a pluralistic society there will be differing views on matters pertaining to human life and liberty. And it may be that Christians should channel their energy into areas other than changing laws while so many people are philosophically at another pole. What Christians should do is continue to challenge society to explore the logical basis for differing attributions of human life, liberty, and dignity.

In this current case, it should be pointed out that the above "joke" rather facilely asserts that human life beginning at conception is ridiculous precisely because temporal points prior to conception would be even more ridiculous. The logic of this "joke" could be reapplied to any point of post- or pre-gestation. "You think human life begins at age three? What's next? Life begins at birth?"

Each one of us must ultimately have a position on when human life does finally begin. You can mock my belief that conception is the only philosophically tenable point to impart human rights, but if you disagree you must then tell me a specific point before, during, or after birth when you believe that it is officially wrong to terminate a human organism.

Nota bene, I use the term "human organism" to refer to each and every creature of the species Homo Sapiens, in every moment of its life cycle. Embryologists specializing in amphibians will inform you that a fertilized frog egg, racing to emerge as a tadpole, is a new life form, with a genetic code distinct from both of its parents. The same is true of every human organism, from the moment of conception, whether you want to grant that human organism all human rights or not.

Any biologist not trying to play politics will admit that every unhatched bald eagle in the egg is already a living organism with its own distinct genetic code. And that places us face to face with the question--when is it wrong to take the life of a bald eagle? Is it more wrong to kill a ten year old eagle than it is to smash one--in ovo--against the ground? Should it even be illegal to destroy bald eagle eggs? I mean, they aren't really eagles, are they?

And so, anyone who wants to mock my medieval view that humans are humans no matter how small, must also reciprocate, in all decency, with a thoughtful counter argument, telling me not just that I'm wrong to impute human rights so far up the gestational cycle, but informing me of a superior point on which to fix human dignity.

All but the lamest will reject the notion that natural vaginal birth can serve as this philosophical point. In any healthy situation, it would be possible to perform a Caesarian Section one day before what would have been a natural birth and the organism we take out of the uterus will grow quite unabated. So those who would mock the notion of conception as the beginning of human life will end up asserting that human life begins at some point prior to natural birth but certainly after whatever point someone might want to perform an abortion.

And so I do put the ball back in your court. Jokes aside, unless you believe killing a three year old is acceptable, tell me the specific point--and why--killing a three, two, one, less-than-one-year old is wrong. I have a view wherein no point from age three toward conception logically presents itself as an obvious point to attribute personhood. And therefore I grant all human organisms, of any gestational stage, human dignity. Christians in the public square will be the butt of jokes. But we also deserve to hear a thoughtful counterargument.

The Sounding - Orthodox Blog

The Sounding, a blog on a variety of topics, hosted on the website of the Orthodox Christian Network, has officially relaunched with a number of new contributors.

One of the new contributors is...me!

And I'm humbled to be one of the featured writers on the inaugural roll out day (February 1).

Please view a video about the relaunch here:

The Sounding Relaunch from Orthodox Christian Network on Vimeo.

Visit the site and read my essay about my travels in the Holy Land this last summer.

Visit and "Like" the Facebook page for the Sounding.

Finally, visit the website of Melinda Johnson, who is coordinating the launch and who has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of Orthodox writers and artists.

Where to Take an Old Believer Priest Out to Lunch after Theophany?

That's not exactly a question one asks themselves every day. I mean, for starters, you can only ask it once a year (well, twice, kind of). And maybe you know about Old Believers, but do you actually even know an Old Believer Priest?

So we're talking about a Perfect Storm of coincidences before one could be in that situation. And when I woke up this morning, I had no idea that I would be face-to-face with the quandary in just a few hours.

Okay, here's how the pieces begin to fall together. I was chrismated Orthodox at an OCA parish in Columbia, MD in 2003. I knew intellectually about the use of the unrevised and astronomically lagging Julian Calendar by various Slavic Orthodox. But, de gustibus...

But after I met my wife, I became a member of the parish nearest to where she lived, under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Moscow. Now, my wife is Romanian, a Revised Julian Calendar country. But it's a charming parish, and the pastor is a dear man with a heart of gold.

We attend New Calendar observances, mainly Christmas at a nearby OCA parish. But I tend to observe other feasts with the Russians.

I took a day off work today, mainly because I needed a mental health day. But since it is also Theophany on the Old Calendar, I attended Liturgy this morning.

Now, as a curious point of ecclesiastical history, some Old Believers joined ROCOR in the 1980's, when ROCOR was not in union with anyone else but Serbia. Attending our parish even before the reunion was the wife of one of these Old Believer priests who joined ROCOR. Her husband was always off serving parishes in New York, but her home was near us. It was a beautiful moment to see her finally go to communion after the reunion took place. And a while after that her husband, in his eighties, retired from active parish ministry and began coming and serving alongside our Pastor at Liturgy.

He's a very short man, maybe 5' 5", thin as a rail, bald on his head, but a long white beard and mustache.

And so, Matushka had to leave early for a doctor's appointment and asked me if I could take her husband home after Liturgy. I mean, what can you say to that? Of course, I will Matushka. I knew it would be a quiet ride home because Father Ilie speaks very little English.

I usually go through Liturgy in a sort of timeless fugue. The words wash over me as I sing them and I feel myself joined to the Cloud of Witnesses of two millennia that have also prayed those prayers. Only when Liturgy was done did I remember that a part of my mental health day was also going to be a Paleo Cheat Day at McDonalds.

And I now had a problem. The place I was going to eat was more or less on my home. But if I took Father Ilie home first, it's quite a ways back again to that restaurant. And then I realized, the real solution is to invite him to join me.

In fact, after Liturgy, he was about to eat quite a few cookies with his cup of coffee and I asked him if he would like us to stop for something to eat on our way home. He must understand English reasonably well, because he readily agreed, grabbed his coat, and off we went.

As we drove, he began to sing the Troparion for Theophany in Old Church Slavonic. And it just suddenly seemed wrong to take him to McDonalds. I mean, this is a big Feast of the Church. And this man has served God's Holy Orthodox Church with his entire life. He deserves something a step up from fast food.

But now we've really opened the controversy. Where to Take an Old Believer Priest Out to Lunch after Theophany? I also kind of wanted to get a few things done today. So I didn't really want to go to a sit down restaurant where we might end up spending as much as an hour or longer. So I was weighing various options. Chili's? Longhorn? A diner?

We were going in the direction of a number of restaurants when Father Ilie solved the problem for me. He said, Chinese Restaurant, there, I, Matushka been couple times.

Would you like to go there, Father?

Good!

I hadn't even thought of taking him there. It never occurred to me that a ninety year old Russian priest might like General Tso's Chicken.

And so we arrive and we walk in. And then, picture this scene, Father Ilie, wearing a black cassock, a silver pectoral cross, a vest coat that looks like it's straight from a film adaptation of War and Peace, he walks into the lobby of the Chinese Restaurant, and he suddenly produces a plastic bottle full of the water just blessed at the Liturgy, he takes the cap off and he starts spraying the water all around, singing the Troparion of the Day, in Slavonic, of course.

The hostess, who has likely never seen such a thing, is looking at him dumbfounded. He puts the bottle away and says, "I bless restaurant."

That you do, Father Ilie. That you do.

Author Lynette Smith

The latest Orthodox writer in Melinda Johnson's Orthodox Writers, Readers, and Artists Series is Lynette Smith, who turned a very long journey of Christian faith and just as long a time as an aspiring writer, into a recent and exciting published book.

Voyage: A Quest for God Within Orthodox Christian Tradition is a theological memoir of a journey--a struggle to "share complete and unreserved communion with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

Any writer who has "the bug" knows the agony of opening the rejection letter (I'm old enough to have done this all hard copy, with paper wounds coming in envelopes).

Lynette Smith tells the story in her post of coping with the depression that can set in and keeping life with God in perspective. Blessings to you, as you continue the Voyage and share your writing with a world hungry for ultimate Truth.

Kh. Krista West

The latest Orthodox artist featured in Melinda Johnson's Orthodox Writers, Readers, and Artists series is Khouria Krista West, an ecclesiastical tailor.

I've been delighted at how Melinda finds such different examples of how art in the broadest sense is cultivated by Orthodox Christians. Ecclesiastical vestments are certainly beautiful, but I had never thought of them as an art form until I read Kh. West's essay detailing how she views this craft as carrying on a centuries old tradition analogous to iconography. She describes the lineage of people who have toiled in this area as a Community of Joy as they strive to create beauty from within the appropriate restrictions of the traditional forms.

And it is certainly true that anything that beautifies the house of God is a part of that larger sense of the Church, in all her images, music, and literature, as an art form.

Kh. West has a website, Krista West Vestments, where she offers vestments such as the gorgeous one to the right. She also has a podcast called "The Opinioned Tailor."

God bless Kh. West for her ministry to the Church through her unique talents in this often overlooked artform.

R. Leo Olson

You must read the laugh-out-loud reflection on being an Orthodox writer by R. Leo Olson in Melinda Johnson's ongoing Orthodox Readers, Writers, and Artists series.

He describes the nitty-gritty facts of working hard, interspersed with hilarious admissions such as daydreaming in Church and, gasp, eating meat on Wednesdays (I type this while sipping red wine, not really terribly concerned with whether the Advent fast strictly forbids this. *sigh* I'm trying my best, okay?).

I'm looking forward to reading his book, Sojourning with Angels: the Rise of Zazriel, just based on his description of it in the post.

Heaven Help the Single Christian

That's the title of Thomas Ruthford's book, published by Regina Orthodox Press. It's a humorous "How-To" exploring the precarious perils of young people trying to find godly mates.

In Melinda Johnson's ongoing Orthodox Writers, Readers, and Artists series, Mr. Ruthford pens an insightful reflection on his life as a convert to the Orthodox faith and the task of figuring out how to successfully market a book.

His honesty in admitting to how frustrating it is to "break out of obscurity" is so refreshing. I'm trying to figure that out myself, Mr. Ruthford. You are in my prayers. And please pray for me.

Jane G. Meyer: Orthodox Writers, Readers, and Artists Series

Writer and editor Jane G. Meyer is featured in Melinda Johnson's ongoing series highlighting and networking creative people of many ilks from within the Orthodox World.

You must read Jane Meyer's thoughtful essay. She reflects on a life of laboring to create, but knowing that ultimately unity with Christ is the only thing worth achieving.

She's written a number of books worth checking out, such as:

To learn more about her, visit her website, as well as her blog on bread making.

The Uncreated Light of God

Orthodox believers are familiar with a movement in the last millennium in which Eastern monks claimed, after focused prayer, to be blessed with a vision of the "Uncreated Light of God" or the "Tabor Light."

St. Gregory Palamas (1296–1359) was the chief defender of this movement, which flowed from the monastic tradition known as Hesychasm, in which monks practiced rigorous inner reflection.

Now, far be it from me to state as fact that no one ever really did see the Uncreated Light of God. That said, I suggest that some of the monks may indeed have believed they were seeing something marvelous.

But what some of them were seeing was, perhaps, the natural phenomenon of the Migraine Headache Aura.

It can occur under stress. And the life of a monastic, not to mention the life of a monastic laboring under the desire to see the Uncreated Life of God, could have triggered the natural phenomenon from time to time of this vision.

I experienced it myself, at Church, a few year ago. It started as a spot in my vision which was a gray dead zone. As I puzzled over it, I saw the image spread and then around it I saw the classic zig-zag pattern of light around it. I thought at first I was having a stroke or something. But since I felt otherwise normal and I had no numbness anywhere, I watched as the zig-zag light pattern in my vision slowly widened, until it finally faded away into the periphery.

Here's a video that illustrates what it looks like This accurately depicts what I experienced:

When I got home, I googled "saw zig zag light" and I immediately learned, to my relief, that it was a known phenomenon. And I was under a lot of stress in those days, a new starting out teacher, writing a book for Wiley Publishing and under deadlines, also teaching two nights a week at a Community College.

What intrigues me about the possibility that the so-called "Uncreated Light of God" was connected to the Migraine Aura is that iconography of the Transfiguration, possibly informed by monks who reported seeing the "Tabor Light," matches the zig-zag phenomenon I saw.

Again, I'm not claiming that the fruits of Hesychasm were not true. But it is not unfaithful to reexamine the past in light of new information. Maybe some of these monks did in joy see something that was not so supernatural after all.

Sheena Hisiro: An Orthodox Illustrator

The latest creative mind featured in Melinda Johnson's series "Orthodox Writers, Readers, and Artists" is illustrator Sheena Hisiro.

She's the illustrator of a number of children's books, such as Bullying is Bad and the about to be released Marvette Made Fun of Me.

She also produces impressively expressive caricatures and features her art at Quirky Cards (a greeting card site to check out).

May God bless Sheena in her efforts to make art that beautifies our world and praises God's name.

Art, Transcendence, and Orthodoxy

Melinda Johnson's Orthodox Writers and Readers Series has again brought to our attention a beautiful and thought provoking reflection on art, this time broadly defined, and the Christian experience.

We meet the delightful and, just judging from his picture, exuberant Jonathan Kotinek, an educator, writer, and artist. He reflects on how art and beauty can be gateways to a transcendent experience of God. And he offers such excellent gems as:

The Eucharist is: "the soul-quickening, evil-vanquishing, illuminating, healing, sanctifying entrance of the body and blood of Christ into my person."

"The genius of art, I think, is that it distills a particular person’s perspective and renders it in language accessible to and resonant with others."

And Kotinek is a highly talented artist in his own right. His work can be purchased at the site FineArtAmerica. Here's a sample that shows his brilliant use of color and depth:

The Orthodox Writers and Readers Series

Writer and Orthodox Christian Melinda Johnson, who blogs at Saint Lydia's Book Club, has just launched the "Orthodox Writers and Readers Series."

This series will feature guest posts from writers, reflecting on matters of faith and their craft.

The launch features writer Molly Sabourin, whose essay explores the quest of the stressed and besieged modern Christian to calm their souls so as to celebrate the Liturgy.

It's a brilliant piece that pulses with biblical and theological allusions. Clearly Sabourin is deeply read and nurtured by the classics and primary texts of the Tradition.

She offers a vigorous, heartfelt, and refreshing defense of the institutional Church:

"I’d drift unknowingly into a comfortable lukewarm state of blasé-ness without the Church. Without the Church and Her sacraments, mystery, iconography, hymnology, antiquity, martyrs, saints to help lift my gaze up from the media-driven, materialistic mire, I’d merely pass the time instead of seizing it – making every second count."

She defines her self-understanding as a writer:

"Writing as a means of communion with the living God is my widow’s mite offered meekly in faith. That Christ can utilize my meager gift, despite my abundant weaknesses, to break through complacency or despair and pierce hearts with His mercy is nothing short of miraculous."

To read more of her reflections, visit Molly Sabourin's blog. She is also the author of Close To Home: A Quest for Patience, Peace and Perseverance.

Theology for Today (Teologie pentru azi)

When I made my first visit to Romania in 2004, I saw two young men wearing black slacks, white shirts, and ties. And I knew immediately what they were. They were Americans, to be sure. Whether they were Adventists, Mormons, or Jehovah's Witnesses was up for grabs and actually unimportant. These people were here to convert Orthodox to whatever it is they were.

I had myself been received into full communion with the Orthodox Church just a year earlier. And as an American myself, I felt a particular responsibility to help galvanize the Orthodox here in Romania against this invasion, as it were.  And so, I made a video in Romanian and I composed articles in Romanian describing the biblical texts most commonly used by Protestants against Orthodox (and Catholics for that matter), as well as biblical proofs for Orthodox teaching on points in dispute.

Looking back, I realize now that my motive in doing all that work actually had in it a touch of the same paternalistic spirit which prompts American Protestants to try to convert Orthodox over here. At that time, I thought they needed my assistance to combat this onslaught. 

Now, I have been told by many Romanian Orthodox that they have found my video and essays helpful. I thank God if they are.

But in the years since I made those materials, I have come to understand that the Romanian Orthodox Church is blessed with strong members using the latest technologies to present Orthodox Faith in a dynamic and engaging way. An example can be found in the website Theology for Today (Teologie pentru azi).

I had the deep pleasure of spending an afternoon with Father Dorin Octavian Picioruş, who runs Theology for Today (Teologie pentru azi). The subtitle of this site is significant--An Orthodox-Christian Platform for a Different Kind of Post-Modernity (O platformă creştin-ortodoxă pentru o altfel de postmodernitate). Father Picioruş is very in tune with the challenges and opportunities in articulating the ancient Christian faith to a generation yet unborn. And a visit to the site is a visually stunning and edifying experience.

Father Picioruş and his wife Preoteasa Gianina Maria-Cristina Picioruş are both sound academics, with doctorates in theology and literature. One thing that impresses me and makes us such kindred spirits, is that they have a desire to access the primary texts in their original language and for that reason have learned them.

But this site is no repository of dusty academic ideas. This is a place where, as the title states, Theology for Today comes alive.

If you would like to help them with a donation, they list their bank information to send a donation: 

Picioruş Gianina Maria Cristina

BCR

RO31RNCB0080079049010001

Even if you don't read Romanian, you'll see that this site is exactly the kind of thing that shows the bright future the Romanian Orthodox Church has, all on its own, with or without the help of Americans like me. But I count it as a blessing if I help in any way.

The Mighty Acts of God

On the first Pentecost, the multitude of nations "heard them speaking in our languages the Mighty Acts of God (Magnalia Dei; Acts 2:11). This blog is hereby dedicated to exploring the Mighty Acts of God as expressed through words. And it claims as its Patron the author of the Book of Acts, the Evangelist St. Luke.

I'm starting this blog as a place to explore topics specifically related to Christianity and Writing, as well as to highlight contemporary authors of the Orthodox tradition whose fiction writing reflects their world view.

A Christian writer must, to be credible, be a writer first. That is not to say that their faith should not be the most important thing in their lives. But writing that merely attempts to proselytize is ultimately disingenuous. Just go ahead and proselytize! There's a fine and old tradition of it. It's called evangelizing. And the most successful in our Christian history left behind no substantial body of fiction, entertaining or otherwise.

Good Christian writers include Chesterton, O'Connor, Lewis, and even Tolkien. Their fiction was thoroughly imbued with their Christian world view. But it was not just a vehicle to express and expound their Christian world view. 

And so, let the adventure begin.