Testing...

In the past few weeks I had questions about my conversion to Orthodoxy, so I looked this blog up again and am considering starting to write again.

New Orthodox Mission in Cape Girardeau, MO

Glory be to God!
While we were down visiting through the midsouth and midwest we learned that there's now an Orthodox mission started in Cape Girardeau, MO: St. John the Theologian. The foundation was laid about six months after we moved to Nebraska to be closer to an Orthodox parish. Ironic?
So, any friends of mine still in the area who periodically check out this blog should visit with the folks at St. John. I'm sure I don't know any of them.

Pilgrimage this past fall

Back in October our parish hosted a Diocesan Pilgrimage.
You can click here to check out pictures and the description.

Hello more than a year later

It has been more than a year since I last posted. Some might be interested to hear what is going on with me.
In December of 2007 I graduated from SEMO. We then moved to Nebraska. Here, I work for the state in a youth rehab and treatment center. I'm kind of a security guard.
We are part of St. George Orthodox Christian Church here. We finally live about 5 minutes from work for me and about 8 minutes from church. The kids are in second grade and kindergarten in the neighborhood elementary school 3 blocks from our house. Amy is working at a cookie store in the local mall, mostly she's just really good at decorating cakes/cookies. She plans to start back to school in the fall when our residency is thoroughly ironed out and we have a second car again.
I am currently learning to chant in our church. I think I'm doing okay, but I still stumble a lot. Maybe someday I'll go to seminary. We'll see. Right now, I'm pretty busy just trying to live a Christian life while working my secular job.

Monastery Trip

Hopefully I will shortly post a photo from our trip to Holy Presentation Monastery in Marshfield, MO. Three of us from Nativity and 1 man from St. Nicholas made the trip down to spend some time working in the yard.
The monastery is fairly new, so there is lots of work to do down there, if anyone has time or expertise to offer.
Our group had no expertise to offer, just sweat. So, we spent a few hours spreading wood chips on what will be reflection/walking trails. The area is naturally beautiful, and peaceful. One of my friends commented on the way back that it felt like we were on 'holy ground.' We were.
The Springfield, MO area will be blessed for many years with the presence of these women living lives of prayer in their vicinity.
I'm looking forward to taking my family down to the monastery within the next few months, hopefully after the chapel is completed.

Sola Scriptura/ Holy Tradition

My friend, Daniel, is blogging about Scripture and Tradition over here. I've commented some --too many times, because Daniel and I have been having an ongoing conversation about this topic.

Working

This fall as Amy and I realize how broke we are I also happen to have Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays off from classes. I still work evenings at UPS, but I'm home all day on those days. So, I'm already on the substitute teacher list at Jackson Middle School through High School, and I'm applying at Cape schools and sent my resume to Notre Dame (a giant regional Catholic high school) yesterday. I really need to sub at least one day a week through the end of the semester. More days would mean more money (which is good, I hear).

For the future, Amy and I are starting to seriously look towards our move back to Nebraska. Kearney, Nebraska, to be exact. How strange is that that we have a town in Nebraska picked out that is around 4 hours from her parents', has a university where she can finish her bachelor's and has an Orthodox church? Too cool.

So, now I am searching in earnest for a job in Kearney. One where having BA will help me make more money, but probably one where a BA in Philosophy and Religion doesn't much matter. The point really isn't to get into a Philosophy career, but to get plugged into a church and grow until I can go to seminary.

So, anybody out there, if you pray, pray for me to find a job.

Orthodox Missions and Evangelism Conference

A while ago I mentioned my desire to attend the Orthodox Conference on Missions and Evangelism over this Labor Day weekend in PA at the Antiochian Village.
Well, as it turns out our finances were a bit tighter than we'd imagined going into my last semester at SEMO, so I opted to stay home. However, after trying for the past six months to find mp3 files of last year's conference in Colorado Springs, I was excited to find that the Conciliar Press/Ancient Faith Radio strategic merger has yielded the fantastic result of all the main sessions being pod-casted. Absolutely great!
So, yesterday, last night, and today I have listened to all the talk that are up already over here.

I especially like Fr. Kevin Scherer's talk about sharing your Orthodox faith with your Protestant friends. He made a distinction between sharing with Modernist and Postmodernist Evangelicals. As you could probably tell from my journey I find myself somewhere in the middle between the group wanting Biblical proofs for the faith and the group searching for 'authentic community.'
It is exciting to think more about ministry in an Orthodox context. I can totally see myself 10 years from now in a campus ministry setting, Lord willing, when and if I make to seminary and beyond to ordination.

My biggest goal for the next 6-9 months is to move closer to an Orthodox parish, so that it won't break us financially to be more involved in the parish, and then, to begin to ease back into ministry opportunities.

Pray for me.

classes

My classes started yesterday. I was laughing at how easy my last semester will be with 3 100-level courses in the same semester. Each class requires (amond other things) a 3 page *gasp* research paper. If there's one thing my philosophy major has prepared me for it is writing papers. And 3 pages ain't much.
Work was not so fun last night. I've been getting home late lately.
On a positive note I have my graduation application in and now I have all of my missing requirements waived or met with the current semester. Graduation here I come. I really will get my bachelor's degree before my thirtieth birthday.