Ibbygirl
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Posts posted by Ibbygirl
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Alenee, when we bow to each other respectfully, we are honoring the internal icon of the other person -- the image of God imprinted into his soul. Same when we make a reverence to a bishop or priest, each of whom is a man "deputized" by God to convey the authority of Christ in our presence. Hope this is not an overly-muddled attempt to express something. . . . What you have keyed into is the difference between latreia (the adoration and worship due solely to God) and douleia (the veneration and honoring of the saints, of icons, . . .). It throws most of us initially when encountered as an unfamiliar concept and practice. If "physically honoring" an icon is right, in that the icon is but a sort of "doorway" toward a real person, so is "physically honoring" a bishop (a real person right in front of us). Again, hope this does not flummox a reader. Theologian I certainly am not!
I love this post. Thanks so much for this. :)
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And this post was also from Sunday but hours after we'd gone to the Divine Liturgy.... Thanks for reading. :)
When y'all went to the Orthodox for the church time, did you feel "haunted" afterwards by the experience? My mind just keeps replaying it over and over again. I can hear the priest chanting and the choir along with him and see the sights and smell the smells. I just keeps rolling over and over in my mind.
Did that happen to y'all too?
I think my brain is just processing it all, but it's so weird, because the peace and calm that I felt during the service is lingering with me so strongly. I just feel completely.... tranquil. :)
In my old church, experiences there were always so ratcheted up and emotionally intense, but this is just a quiet and calm peace. I really like it. I could get used to this. :)
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Milovany asked us on the FB group to duplicate post on this group as well for the benefit of you ladies who aren't over there. So you all know I've been praying and seeking about Orthodoxy and whether it would be right for me and my family. I've been reading a lot, talking with some of the ladies here and my dh told me, "Just pick a church and go!" So we did! I picked this church http://www.stdemetrios.org/ and put this question up for the group before I went... I'll paste it here. :)
Okay, In honor of my going all in Thelma and Louise style holding hands and driving straight off the cliff into Divine Liturgy this weekend, I thought it might be fun for everyone to post their "First experiences with Divine Liturgy (or the Orthodox church in general)" stories. What were your first impressions etc. I figure it could be fun for you ladies who have trod this path before me to recount your first experiences and the emotions that ensued, and it would be helpful to newbs like me as well who are going in for the first time. :) I look forward to reading your stories. :)
Feel free to add your own stories as well if you're not on the FB group. I'd love to read them. And I'll add these two posts as a follow up since we did indeed go to the church on Sunday. I'll paste my observations and experience here...
It actually went really well. I wanted to leave at 9:50 to give us plenty of time to find it (I'm directionaly challenged) and park and have plenty of time to find the sanctuary. We wound up getting there in less than 15 minutes. hehe The priest was teaching when we got there and we noticed that there were some people hanging back and didn't enter so we didn't either. I saw a little boy and his mother walk up and kiss this beautiful ornate Bible they had on a pedestal between the entryway/ lobby area and the sanctuary. I thought that was really sweet. The church is beautiful. The frescos were gorgeous and there was so much to look at. The top of the church is rounded (like the capitol building kinda) and there are small windows underneath the frescoes on the ceiling that go all the way around so there was lots of light in there and it made a pretty effect.
We weren't sure what to do, if we should go in and sit down or wait for the priest to stop his teaching and then go in so dh went over to someone and just asked them and they told us to just go on in. We found an empty pew and sat together.
The place was packed!! People had to go upstairs to a balcony area because there were no more seats down below. The younger priest was the one who did the service today. The older one was travelling he said. His name was Father John.
They had an organist and a choir up in the balcony area on the side near where the altar was down below. Most of the hymns they sang were in Greek, but they sang some in English as well. I didn't know a single one of them though. I did recite the Lord's Prayer though when they did it. That was the extent of my participation though besides the standing, sitting and kneeling.
It was interesting to take it all in and watch everything that was going on. The priest was chanting in Greek and in English. I actually recognized 5 words in the Greek. He offered prayers for the country, our leaders, the church, the troops overseas and many other people. He prayed for peace and many other things and was swinging the incense holder.
It was all very nice and I was just taking it all in. It was completely foreign and I realized after it was all over that the Bible teaching/sermon was what we walked in on when we arrived, I kept waiting for it to be during the Divine Liturgy. hehe It was confusing to me because on the church's webpage it listed the 10am as "adult Bible study" and I was thinking it was a class or something so decided to just do the Divine Liturgy at 10:30am, but we realized after the fact that that was the actual teaching part of it. lol
Oh well! We'll know better for when we go back next week.
I waited til after the service was over and everyone had left and we went up to go say hello to the priest and introduce ourselves. He was super nice and gave us a genuine and friendly welcome. He talked to us a bit, asked us where we were from and what church we went to. We told him our city and told him that we came from a Protestant background but that we felt we needed a change and that we were praying and seeking about Orthodoxy. He was like, "great! We welcome you and if there's anything we can do to help you just let us know." Then he called someone over and introduced us to him and told him we were new and asked him to take us to the coffee hall and show us around. His name was John too! hehe He gave us free admission tickets to the Greek festival that they are having in a few weeks and chatted us up a bit while walking us to the hall. He showed us around the hall and pointed where everything was and he even went and found us some seats at a table. I sat next to a 94 year old woman named Mary. She was fun. There were two other people at the table who were visiting from Canada and we just basically socialized and talked about our kids.
All in all it was a really good first visit. I didn't feel the peace that I though I would (I thought it would be like a really profound kind of peace) but I definitely felt very calm and a peace. I'm sure when I learn more and can participate, I'll delve into that peace more deeply.
The service was really beautiful. I loved how everything was presented to the Lord like an offering and I loved the reverence that they showed and the honor and respect for God. That really stood out to me and spoke to me. In my old church, they treat Jesus more like a buddy or a cosmic friend, but don't show the same reverence and respect for him as LORD. I really liked how the priest approached the altar and how he just presented himself and everything he did as a sort of offering to the Lord.
This is going to turn out to be a novel, sorry for talking so long, let me sum up. hehe
The kids did great. Dd likes it a lot and wants to go back. Ds did really good. No squawking at all and he even smiled and laughed a couple of times.
Dh knew about the little bench thingy that you kneel down on (he remembered it from his youth when he went to the Catholic church). I didn't even notice it. hehe He flipped it down for us when it was time to kneel. Since I couldn't really participate and was just a spectator, I spent the time just taking it all in and praying and it was very nice.
So yeah, that was my first impression. Dh enjoyed it too he just didn't understand the Greek parts. hehe
DD tried doing the crossing when the Communion came through, then she took ds's hand and tried to make him do it. hehe I didn't cross myself though since I knew I was coming just to observe and not really participate.
We'll be going back next week but this time we'll go at 10am so we can get the teaching too before the Divine Liturgy.
I'm really glad that I bought a dress though, just about all of the women were wearing a dress, I only saw one woman wearing dress slacks and a teenager wearing pants, but everyone else was dressed very nicely so I'm glad that we did too.
So yeah, I think that's about it. Sorry to make it so long.
Two questions though if you've read this far and don't mind. For myself I wanted to know if y'all could explain the incense to me. Is it meant to be an offering to God like in the Jewish sense to be a fragrant offering to Him or is it for another reason??
My second question was my husband's. He noticed that in the pews the Bible they had there was the New Testament and Psalms only and he wanted to know if they teach out of the Old Testament in the church too?
So thanks for reading this novella and for taking the time. Oh and it wasn't Thelma and Louise-y at all. No cliff, just nice.
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This board includes self-ed, right? So where are the moms who want to improve themselves in order to provide a richer learning environment for their children? Can we truly discuss self-ed topics here? I know, though I was always in the "gifted" program K-12, I have some incredible gaps in my education. While I love the high school home-ed threads, I want to see some threads about moms trying to fill in the gaps of their own education. So can the self-ed moms get a little support here?
I have determined to read as many classics as I can and to start there. I don't have any other formal plan of study at the moment than that. There are just so many books to read and I've read so few of them, I will be busy for a long time just trying to do that. :)
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Good q. They do NOT count wholesale clubs as regular grocery stores. Hat would be cool, though!
Ah bummer. Thanks for getting back to me. :)
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We have had our Amex Blue forever, and love it because we get cash back every purchase--3% on groceries, 2% on gas, and 1% on everything else. Just found out about their preferrd card which offers SIX PERCENT back on groceries with no limit and we are approved! :party: we pay our credit card every month, so the rate is not a factor, but wow. I am a happy camper.
Cool! One question though. Do you know if they count wholesale clubs as supermarkets getting the 6% cash back or would that be considered an "other" at 1%?? I do most of my shopping at the wholesale club. Thanks. :)
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Last week our leaves started turning, and a few days ago we got snow on the mountains. I had to turn the heat on this morning and it's getting pretty crisp outside.
This is the view from our front door:
Beautiful. I would love to see Alaska some day. :)
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I'm so glad you're finally getting somewhere. Praying for a clear MRI. :grouphug: :grouphug:
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Fall weather on its way here! A cold front's coming in tonight, which is expected to drop the temps a good ten degrees ... into the mid-nineties.
:lol::lol::lol:
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I am almost always right about people. I once warned a friend about a *pastor*, she came back much later and said she should have listened.
My mom was once at a mall on a Sunday morning. Her intuition started telling her, "danger! Get out!" She tried to shake it off because it was just the mall on a Sunday morning with families and people waiting to eat. She could not shake it and left. A woman was kidnapped and murdered from that mall that day.
Yikes!! How awful. Thank God your mom listened to her intuition. How sad for the poor woman who was killed. :crying: I imagine it shook your mom up. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:
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Unfortunately I thought I had a very, very good intuition for people until about 3 years ago. We had a series of people prove me very, very wrong. One of them stole about $35,000 from us and I would have told you he would have never done such a thing. Now, I have no idea. It's pretty disconcerting to be 40 years old and realize you actually have NO idea who to trust. :(
:svengo: Oh my gosh!! I'm so sorry that happened to you! How awful. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:
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Georgia is your cool-weather retreat? You have issues.
Georgia is where my mother lives. I don't have a cool weather retreat. I usually visit her in the summer, but now that my son is home schooled too we decided this year to go in the fall so we could see the leaves change. The kids have never seen it either. :)
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It's hard to say because there are some situations that I've avoided because my gut was telling me something was wrong and I'll never know if my gut was right or wrong. I really don't know how often it's right. Often enough I guess. ;)
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Never seen the fall leaves or snow????
We should swap houses from October to March :D
LOL We actually do get many Canadians down here from October through April. Many come down in a rv, many have second homes here for the winter.
Yep, I truly have never seen snow or the change of the leaves, but at least the latter I will get to cross off my bucket list after this October. :)
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I'm a native Floridian, I have come to the conclusion that one just has to be born here to tolerate the heat. It doesn't bother me. I'm used to it. I am super excited though that I am going to North Georgia this October to see the changing of the leaves. I've never seen it before (snow either) and I'm really excited about going. My first real Autumn. Woot! :) :hurray:
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:party: Congratulations!!!!!! Looks way more awesome than paying a water bill :tongue_smilie:
:lol::lol::lol: Yeah, you can cross that one off your "to do " list. :D
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what are your opinions of graphic novels (not for required school reading, but just free time reading)?? I can't decide if I like them or not...does it dumb down books that come in regular form, making them (the "regular" book) not as appealing...or are they a good introduction? Please share all thoughts...good, bad or indifferent. thanks.
I like them. The artwork in many of them is really really good. My dd actually writes graphic novels. I see her working on them and the amount of time she puts in to the drawing is incredible. If one looks at it from a strictly literary perspective it will probably fall short, but if the artistic element is considered I think it has a rightful place of it's own. :)
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Congratulations!!! :hurray: I see you decided to wear makeup after all! :D
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:svengo: YUM! Guess we all know how I'm brewing the coffee tomorrow morning! Thanks, Ibby!
Oh my pleasure. :) Just make sure you use a big enough pot because it boils up quick and can spill over. I usually measure the milk in my mug and then add some water after that. I boil it so that just the water evaporates and the milk remains. Make sure to stir it too, don't boil it on high. When the color of the milk/water is the right strength that you prefer your coffee, take it off the burner and pass it through the cheese cloth or whatever you have. Let it cool a bit and enjoy. I only add about an inch long piece of cinnamon if I make it that way, some fresh nutmeg is good too, but just a little goes a long way. :)
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Neither dh nor I really drink regular coffee (I drink Cafe Bustelo and have a stovetop Cafetera for that purpose-I agree that it is a Cuban thing, my Cuban friend in Germany got me hooked on the process, military lives are so complicated), so I buy a variety pack of k-cups when we have visitors. Seems better than half a bag of coffee going to waste. *shrug*
I did use cloth diapers, but I don't see Bill jumping all over someone every time they mention diapers. Did you use cloth, Bill?
Mrs. Mungo have you ever tried cafe Pilon? That one is really good too, it's not as bitter as Bustelo.
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I really loved my 1930s one, until my husband blew it up. Sigh.
Bummer! :(
I knew my great grandfather. He lived until I was about 6. I have a memory of him boiling coffee grounds with water on the stove and then straining it in to a cup :lol:Oh, I make it like that sometimes too. I strain it through a cloth. I make it like that if I want to add cinnamon or another spice flavor. I boil it in half milk half water with the coffee grounds and whatever else I want in there including the sugar and then pass the whole thing through a cloth into the cup and it's yum! :)
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You have refreshed my memory (:D) on the boiling issue. Thank you and sorry. It has been a long time since I've owned one.
Pshaw! No apology is necessary.:)
The coffee you choose really makes the difference with the bitterness, but there's no doubt that the cafetera makes it strong. :)Still I think is is fair to say this method makes a cup that is strong and bitter relative to other methods. I happen to like my coffee strong and bitter, but I think that is a minority opinion.
hehehe Sure! I'd gladly make you a cafe con leche or a cafe cubano if you prefer. :)If you offered me a cup of cafetera brewed coffee right now I'd happily imbibe :001_smile:Bill
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Well, if the price comes down at least we won't mind as much when our ILs abscond with them...:D
:lol::lol::lol:
SOCIAL GROUP: Exploring the Orthodox Church
in Exploring Orthodox Christianity
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I'm glad that your sil is okay, but oh, what a tragedy. What sad times we live in. :(