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AdonaiUplifts
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Name: Jeremy
Country: United States
State: Missouri
Metro: St. Louis
Gender: Male
Interests: +Worship+Learning + Theosis - transforming to the image of Messiah; uniting the heart and mind and body, finding their center and communion in worship in Spirit and in Truth +Making meals and desserts for friends +Housing guests + http://www.ourlifeinchrist.com/+ http://www.ancientfaithradio.com/ + http://www.frederica.com /+ http://www.rzim.org/+ http://www.gatewaylindyhop.com/
Expertise: being uninformed of major world events
Occupation: Personal Banker
Industry: Banking
Message: message meEmail: email me
AIM:  JerBear1124
Member Since:
9/9/2005
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| From the comments of "I Am Not My Sin". . . Intimacy is what the human being is created for. Sexuality is subsumed
to that and CAN be an aspect of intimacy and yes, it feels good and
makes us feel close, but it does not define intimacy, and in fact often
is a barrier to true intimacy even within OSA relationships. That fact
is well documented within psychological research of marital issues. We
are ALL looking for "love" and often settle for sex. And as Woody Allen
once said, "Sex without love is an empty hollow experience, but as far
as empty hollow experiences go, it's one of the best."
Click HERE for the full article with comments
Actually.... although the article is very good, the extended dialogs that develop in the comments are almost more worthwhile that the article itself. Fascinating and profound discussions to say the least.
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| "I Am Not My Sin", one Orthodox Christian's perspective on SSAHere are some excerpts of an article I came across through an email from a friend addressing the topic of same sex attraction and Christianity from one person's perspective. I thought it was interesting. Feel free to share your thoughtful responses.
The article is titled "I Am Not My Sin", by Steve Robinson. Follow the link for the whole article.
. . . The Christian faith does not give us a definitive answer in the
“nature/nurture” debate on any human frailty. Genetically caused
disabilities are as much a trait of the fallen world as weaknesses
visited upon us by lack of nurture and love. The issue for the
Christian is the fact that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God” (Rom. 3:23). What is the “glory of God”? It is living in
perfect love and communion with God and other human beings.
But
we don’t live in perfect love; we are born into corruption, futility,
and death. We are conceived by fallen flesh and born into a fallen
world. We are dealt a set of fallen DNA from conception. The moment we
leave the womb, we are placed in the arms of a broken person, then
taken home to a place where broken people are working out their
salvation with fear and trembling at best, or with no fear of God at
worst. From our first interactions, we are mishandled, neglected, and
broken in ways we did not choose and often cannot consciously identify.
The sins of the fathers are visited upon the following generations, not
as punishment but as inevitable consequence. We are all broken.
. . . Obsession with sex is the signpost for our culture’s existential
descent into loneliness, isolation, and despair. We settle for pleasure
over joy, emotion over intimacy, feelings over love, and copulation
over union. The delusion is powerful. To paraphrase a Woody Allen quip,
“Sex without love is an empty and hollow experience, but as empty,
hollow experiences go, it’s one of the best.”. . . love does not require sex. As godly as it is, sex and sexuality are not
the foundations for any relationship. There is a higher union between
human beings than mutual orgasms. Sex may fulfill and enhance a
particular relationship, but it is not essential for any relationship.
Personhood ultimately revolves around who we are in godly union with
another human being of any gender. The joy of Trinitarian intimacy
comes when we struggle against sin in order to define ourselves in
Christ rather than in another human being’s arms, no matter how
comfortable and affirming the experience feels to our deluded and
shattered hearts. . . . I asked, “How can the church help people with SSA?” because
ultimately the burden for healing SSA does not fall only on the clergy,
but on the whole church. Andrew stated, “I really haven’t thought about
how the parish could ‘help’ a gay person. I’d just want my fellow
parishioners to not think any differently of me. Treat me the same as
when you thought I was straight. They have known me for ten years. I am
active in serving my parish. What could they say to me at this point?” Gregory
issued this challenge: “In our pre-communion prayers we all confess
that we are ‘the chief of sinners.’ No one should look at another
person as if they stand on moral high ground.” I believe the
message is clear. We need to adopt the attitude that we all stand at
the foot of the cross in need of mercy. The Church is the Body of
Christ and should be the place where the pure love of God that knows no
respect of persons is found. No matter what passion someone is
struggling with, we need to be the Church, the hospital for sinners,
the place where we can be healed, find acceptance and relationships
that draw us closer to God through love and compassion. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE
These excerpts are just teasers to spark interest in reading the whole article. I'd prefer informed responses from people who actually take the time to read the whole thing. But I know that this is a sensitive topic and will provoke emotional responses, regardless. All I ask is that you keep your response courteous. I assure you the author of the article casts no condemnations, and his intent is not to insult or offend, but is written with the utmost respect for every human being regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Just read the comments on the original article to see what I mean.
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| a belated, blessed Nativity to allTHIS is beautiful 
Christ is born;
Glorify Him!
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| Iconographer's PrayerSome time ago, I wrote a little spiel called the "Tyranny of Images". Since becoming Orthodox, a deeper understanding of holy images (which I began to hint at int "The Tyranny of Images") has been given to me. Over the next couple of posts, I'm going to try to flesh out an Orthodox perspective on holy images. As with anything, and depending on each person's own disposition, some things can lead them down a path away from God, and other things toward Him. So it is with images. Some of them can arrest our imagination, limiting it in a bad way, altering it in a way that can be difficult to break free from; others can free the eyes of our heart to see reality as it truly is. I propose holy icons comprise the latter category.
To begin, I wanted to post a copy of one of the prayers an iconographer prays before writing an icon, to give us a beginning of an understanding of how we as Orthodox view holy images.
Iconographer's Prayer
Teach me, Lord, to use wisely the time
which You have given me and to work well
without wasting a second.
Teach me to profit from my past mistakes
without falling into a gnawing doubt.
Teach me to anticipate the project without worry,
to imagine the work without despair
if it should turn out differently.
Teach me to unite haste and slowness,
serenity and ardor, zeal and peace.
Help me at the beginning of the work
when I am the weakest.
Help me in the middle of the work
when my attention must be sustained.
And especially fill all the emptiness of my work with Your Presence.
Lord, in all the work of my hands,
bestow Your Grace so that it can speak to others
and my mistake can speak to me alone.
Keep me in the hope of perfection,
without which I would lose heart,
yet keep me from achieving perfection,
for surely I would be lost in arrogance.
Purify my sight when I am doing poorly,
for one is never sure that the work will turn out badly;
Yet when I am doing well, one is never sure
that the work will turn out well.
Lord, let me never forget
that all knowledge is in vain unless there is work.
And all work is empty unless there is love.
And all love is hollow unless it binds me
both to others and to You.
Lord, teach me to pray with my hands, my arms, and all my strength.
Remind me that the work of my hands belongs to You
and that it is fitting to return this gift to You.
Yet, if I work for the pleasure of others,
like a flowering plant in the evening
I will wither.
But if I work for the love of goodness,
I will remain in goodness.
And the time to work for goodness and for Your Glory is now.
from: http://puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/icons/seminars.html
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| The Strange TeacherIt just crossed my mind how strange a Teacher God is.
But then another thought dealt an immediate riposte:
It is not God Who is the strange Teacher. It is I who am the strange learner.
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