Today is the 40th day! Your marathon journey has come to an end! Axios!

I want to thank everyone for participating. I’ve been reading your blogs, and I must say, I’m impressed with your work and the incredible labor that went into it. We will repeat this exercise next year, starting (once again) on Nov. 15th.

In the meantime, I want to especially congratulation some especially distinguished and new bloggers:

Fr. Matthew Thurman, of St. Luke’s Mission in Solon, OH, and his blog “30 Days.”

Fr. David Eynon of Annunciation Church in Decatur, IL, and his blog “Shine Within Our Hearts.”

Fr. Seraphim Holland of St. Nicholas Church in McKinney, TX, and his blog “Redeeming the Time.”

Finally, Fr. Athanasios Haros, of  Transfiguration Church, Florence, SC, who is the author of the “Be Transfigured” blog. He blogged every single day of our 40 Day Challenge. Fr. Athanasios also blogged on the New Testament Challenge, not an easy thing to do with a full pastoral schedule, let alone to blog on. Frankly, it was a herculean feat!

I want to thank our most experienced bloggers, Fr. James Coles and Fr. Peter Michael Preble, who are very experienced and outstanding bloggers. You added some great inspiration, not only to blogging, but to preaching. More than once I have ‘borrowed’ material from your blogs for my sermons.

In fact, I’ve done that with all our bloggers. Thank you for helping me preach with more excellence.

Most of all, congratulations to all! See you next Nativity Fast!

© 2009, Preachers Institute. All rights reserved. On republishing this, please provide a link to the original post.

For those going on to the full 40 Days of Blogging, you have only ten days to go.

For those who are stopping here, we salute you on a job well done.

For those of you who would like to see what our bloggers have been up to, go to our online Forum, and see what the bloggers have been blogging about.

With only ten days before Nativity, it’s clutch time. If you have not regularly blogged before, you’re in the home stretch. Blog and blog well, and know that we are in your corner.

From all of us at Preachers Institute, good blogging!

© 2009, Preachers Institute. All rights reserved. On republishing this, please provide a link to the original post.

Well, friends, it is that time in our exercise. There’s no shame in it. Blogging has become difficult. We’re hitting ‘the wall’ in this marathon.

Runners know what ‘the wall’ is. It’s that wonderful experience you just have to push through. It’s tough. It’s all will power. Now for those of you who took up the challenge of the 30 (40) Days of Blogging, first let me congratulate you for takinng the challenge.

Second, for those blogging only the first 30 days, we are only a day away from the finish line, so blog on anything, but just blog.

For those of you going all the way to 40 Days of Blogging, it is a unique crucible, and one that has required some real effort.

I’d also like to say that it is precisely your willingness to – at this very busy season in the priesthood – put aside time for this exercise that will benefit you.

Remember, the purpose of this exercise is not simply to see “if you could do it.” Of that, I have no doubt whatsoever. The real prize to this exercise is what benefit it will provide you in your preaching.

As preachers, especially at Christmas, we have a real chance to preach the Gospel in a heightened way, using a more solemn and exalted tone or voice. This is a special event in the Church, to be sure, but it is prominent in our culture, too. People do expect something else, something different, something exalted.

This is a good expectation for us to try and meet, nay, exceed.  The prize of our hearer’s repentance, reconciliation with God and their fellows, and a return to some kind of healing normalcy; these are the dashed hopes of many of our hearers. They come expecting Sunday fare, or worse, a trip to a theological McDonalds. Give them a taste  of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.

Slogging through these final days of blogging is a bit time consuming, but take a moment and recall why we are doing it. Look through some of the early articles on Blogging here at Preachers Institute. Reignite the purpose of blogging as a tool for better preaching.

After all, blogging is a kind of preaching, isn’t it? And the Lord Jesus Christ has called, chosen, and ordained us to preach “in season and out.”

We started strong. We can finish strong, for if no other reason than the Lord Himself is strong.

© 2009, Preachers Institute. All rights reserved. On republishing this, please provide a link to the original post.

It’s really not all that challenging, but for someone who has never read the entire New Testament before, it is an excellent time for just such an exercise.

• If you begin on Nov. 15th, you will do the 40 day schedule.
• If you begin on Dec. 1, you will do the 25 day schedule.
• Both schedules complete their readings on Christmas day.

This makes the entire Nativity Fast a time of real devoted ascetic effort and spiritual growth. It is especially appropriate (in my opinion) as the term Advent, basically implies a preparation and anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ. Notice, on Christmas Day, one is finishing Revelation!

Now, you may say “Who is honestly going to read half – or the entire – book of Revelation on Christmas?” Well, that’s what the 12 Days of Christmas are for!

In any event, if you want some activity for parishioners to do together to count down the days of the Nativity Fast, some spiritual exercise for them to stay accountable to, and some endeavor for you to present alongside their efforts, the New Testament Challenge is my offering to you.

The New Testament Challenge Checklist

You can download the form in PDF format by clicking the image above.

This is a great exercise, and I find that often it gets folks who have desired for many years to read the New Testament on target to doing so for the first time. It’s a great fellowship builder also, as I try to get those who are reading together during our Fellowship Hour on Sunday, so they know they aren’t alone, and to provide a little impetus to keep on schedule.

It doesn’t matter to me if they finish – though that is the goal. The truth is, I want them to start.

You may have heard the old Irish saying,

“Well begun is half done.”

and this is no more true in blogging than it is in reading Scripture.

You can actually blog about the entire experience yourself.

You’ll get a more attentive audience, I can guarantee you, if they know you are reading along with them, noting (ahead of time, of course, so you can blog about it) impressions and spiritual dimensions of the readings they will be with you every step of the way. Beginning such an enterprise takes commitment and devotion, but if you really aren’t sure what to blog about, and you just can’t figure out what to do – the New Testament Challenge is an excellent blogging exercise for you, and your fellow NT readers.

Be sure to announce in your weekly bulletin AND from the pulpit that you will be doing this, so that your people will know what you are doing, and so they can join you on this journey. Be sure to pass out copies at Church.

And join you they will.

There is an Old Testament Challenge also, but that’s for another time, and is far more intense.

Fr. John A. Peck is the priest of the St. George Church in Prescott, AZ, and is the Director of the Preachers Institute.

© 2009, Preachers Institute. All rights reserved. On republishing this, please provide a link to the original post.

When I am teaching my parishioners or catechumens to read the Bible, few actually ask how one does this in the Orthodox way, but I believe this is an important idea, and in the spirit of giving, I always offer it to them.

I believe that the Orthodox Christian way of reading the Scriptures can be summed up as follows:

AAA

That’s it – A A A – the triple As.

This stands for:

ALOUD – Read it aloud;

APPLY it to yourself;

ACT on it immediately.

Let’s have a brief look at each of these.

ALOUD.

Read it aloud. The Scriptures are literature, and literature, believe it or not, is written to be read aloud. Try reading Shakespeare or Milton aloud and you’ll discover things which you missed before. Likewise, the Scriptures were written to be read aloud, to inspire faith in the listener, not the reader. After all,

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” -Romans 10:17

And indeed, comes with a blessing;

“Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” – Rev. 1:3

Whenever you are reading Scripture, read aloud. Gain what you can from it, but in reading it and hearing it yourself, you will not only retain it better, but it will have a more profound impact on you. This is what God wants. This is the Orthodox way.

APPLY it to yourself.

When you read the Scriptures, it is very important to heed the words of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Who said,

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear..”

- Matt. 11:15, 13:9; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8, 14:35; Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29, etc.

and also

“First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” - Matt. 7:5

That’s us. Jesus often spoke to His hearers rather bluntly.

If you who are evil, know how to give good things to your children..

- Matt. 7:11; Luke 11:13

So when we are perusing the Holy Bible, whenever we come across a comparison, we should apply both to ourselves only. After all, we are sinners. A good example of this is the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee.

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

- Luke 18:10-14

In this parable we see two men; a Pharisee and a Publican/tax collector. How do we actually apply both to ourselves?

This is a great example, actually, and simple to apply.

We should compare ourselves with the Pharisee, and realize that in many ways he was far more righteous than we are. This man fasted faithfully, according to the Jewish tradition, he tithed from everything he received from God – even the herbs of his garden! He did what he was supposed to do. He is better than we are. He is more faithful. He is more of a believer. He really is.

We should also compare ourselves with the Publican, he wasn’t just a sinner – he was a traitor, a blood-sucking leech who lived on the misery of his own people, his own neighbors. Yet, in spite of this, he still comes to the Temple, and in great repentance, does not present the Lord with a laundry list, but only begs for mercy for himself. He already knows two things – one, God looks with mercy on the truly heartfelt confession of sin and repentance, from the bottom of his soul. After all, he would not even lift up his eyes to heaven. Second, God will not answer any other prayers for him until he repents. He is not only a better believer, he is wiser than we are. He really is.

When applying the Bible verses you read only to yourself, you will find plenty to work with, and open the doors of repentance and love of your own heart. This is what God wants. This is the Orthodox way.

Act on it immediately

The third part of this trinity of Bible reading, is to take action. The Lord says,

“Behold, now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation.” – 2 Cor. 6:2

There is no other time, but now. The Lord gave His name to Moses saying, “I AM.” That should be enough for anyone to see that God is eternally present.

“I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” – Matt. 22:32

The Lord is the God of the Living. He is the God of the moment. When you are reading the Holy Scriptures, you are encountering God at that moment. That is the moment to act on it. Many of the saints have advanced in holiness by reading the Scriptures, but the difference between us and them is that when they read the Bible, they put what they read into literal action at that moment. Everything else which followed was a flood of God’s grace. This is what God wants. This is the Orthodox way.

Conclusion

Friends, every Christian must take the time to read the Scriptures daily. During this year’s New Testament Challenge, we have a unique opportunity to read the Bible in the Orthodox way. Should we read them any other way?

I offer to you what I offer all those who attend my Bible study classes.

It is easy to learn. It is easy to remember. It is the Bible in spiritual color, as opposed to parables and moral lessons on ink and paper. Try reading the Bible the Orthodox way. If you are participating in the New Testament Challenge, you won’t recognize yourself at the end. You will be transfigured.

This is what God wants.

This is the Orthodox way.

Fr. John A. Peck is the pastor of St. George Church in Prescott, AZ, and is the director of the Preachers Institute.

© 2009, Preachers Institute. All rights reserved. On republishing this, please provide a link to the original post.

We have been getting ready for a solid 30 (40) Days of Blogging and today is the day we begin.

Let me begin by wishing you all a blessed and fruitful Nativity Fast. This is a busy time for pastors, but it is also a time laden with unexpected opportunities. Many souls are seeking answers that only Christ can give. It is a time of evangelism! The goal of our 30 (40) Days of Blogging is to encourage and assist bloggers to blog daily for 30 days (ending Dec. 15th) and/or then to go on to a full 40 days (all completing the exercise on Dec. 25th – Christmas Day!).

As you know, the Christmas season is a time of personal reflection for most people, whether or not they are believers. During the days approaching Nativity, many people – though surrounded by festive decorations, ornaments, music and friends – feel the most depressed at this time of year. Why is that?

I believe that there is a pervasive, overwhelming feeling of disappointment, a giant let down, occurring for these souls at this time of year.

Ads on TV and other media show happy people gleefully consuming and buying (which, of course, makes them happier) and leads to a sense of mania. I also believe that many people know that this is a farce, and rather than seek some soulful cheer at Walmart (nothing against Walmart, by the way), they turn toward spiritual things.

The radio is generally worthless, as no amount of listening to “Jingle Bell Rock,” or “Frosty the Snowman” will lift the cloudy ceiling which descends on them.

Church is usually a disappointment. It’s too cardboard and stiff or too casual and loose. Are we doing something important here, or what? Where is the joy? Where is the majesty we are promised when listening to Handel’s Messiah?

Where is the glory of God?

It is precisely this ‘touch of glory’ which, I believe, the soul yearns for at Christmas. Something objectively beautiful. Something objectively holy.

When you are blogging during this time of year, your readers are looking for the anticipation of something holy, some little glimpse or taste of the glory of God. Something objectively different – and markedly so.

I know that many times before I became Orthodox, I would attend a Christmas Eve service or midnight mass only to be massively disappointed. Why? It was just another service, just another anemic message, just another recitation of platitudes that meant about as much to me as advice from Peter Pan on growing up. I invariably came away with disappointment, and even a little anger at times – though I could not put my finger on that until much later.

I came to worship the Christ child. I came to adore the manifest glory of God. I came dressed in my best clothes, with all the hopes and dreams of my heart in my hand. I wanted a taste of heaven on earth right then. I wasn’t demanding – just hoping. I was hoping to see the same in the place I was visiting. I wanted to see the ‘best’ they had to offer, so to speak. I admit, I wanted to hear the best sermon of the year, the best music within the choir’s repertoire, the finest vestments for worshiping the Creator of the Universe, become a little child.

I don’t need to tell you how that almost always ended up.

Your blog readers, one way or another, will find disappointment this Advent. It may not bother, them, it may hinder them, it may smother them.

I say that your blog is a chance to prepare them.

Nativity Fast is a time for sober reflection and self-control; a time of watchfulness, including watching one’s own heart.

Remind them to celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas – and not to do all their celebrating of Christmas before Christmas Day! It is the time of preparation. It is the time of anticipation. It is the time to begin our journey towards the cave in Bethlehem, and it is a journey.  Prepare them for the journey, prepare them for the arrival.

To paraphrase, and with apologies to, St. Paul,

Behold, now is the appointed time for – blogging.

Blog bountifully as we approach Nativity, and you will bring hope, light and illumination to whomever you can.

And don’t forget, the Forum now has a 30 (40) Days of Blogging Group. Join in the discussion and help out your brother bloggers, too.

© 2009, Preachers Institute. All rights reserved. On republishing this, please provide a link to the original post.

Blogging can seem intimidating at first, and even more so when you come to realize that a few people are regularly looking at what you have posted.  It really isn’t all that different from preaching, however. Blogging requires you to prepare and organize your thoughts, prepare to articulate your ideas, and finally deliver them with excellence and spirit.

During the 30 (40) Days of Blogging, we’ll be checking your blogs daily, and offering additional helps.

We’ll also have a section in the Forum, just for you and feedback for you. Be excellent to one another, as I know you will.

This is a good exercise, for new bloggers, and experienced bloggers. The path to the Lord’s Nativity is precisely the time to begin such an exercise, and offer the best we have to the King of Kings – feeding his sheep, as we have been commanded.

Happy Blogging, and a blessed and fruitful Nativity Fast to you all!

© 2009, Preachers Institute. All rights reserved. On republishing this, please provide a link to the original post.

In truth, I selected it because I found it uncategorizable. That is, it doesn’t fit into any clearly defined category.

Now, I’m not even certain that uncategorizable is a word. Actually, I’m pretty sure it isn’t, so please don’t write me about it

As human beings, especially as men of the West, we have a propensity to draw contrasts and comparisons in order to categorize things by distinction. This is normal, it’s good science, and adds to the breadth and depth of human knowledge.

Interestingly, we often come across things that don’t neatly fit into pre-made categories. These are important moments, I believe, because at such moments we have a choice. We can either adjust an existing category, and slide our new experience into it, OR we can stop categorizing for a moment, and peacefully contemplate what we are experiencing.

Sometimes we have just such an experience, and aren’t sure how to proceed. After all, if we don’t know what it means, how could we possibly attempt to blog on it? I think experiences like this are excellent for bloggers. How can that be?

First of all, it presents an experience, not a lesson. A raw experience is sometimes more instructive to a reader than any moralizing will do.

Secondly, it’s real. When you write about something that is just plain real, you end up writing literature.

Finally, it gives your reader something real to share. You don’t necessarily need to tie it up neatly at the end, because life doesn’t always tie up neatly at the end – at least, not in the ways we expect.

It is just such uncategorizable vignettes that offer readers a window into a new world, and chance to share your experience without you getting in the way. I also believe that because thoughts, ideas, experiences and bits of information which are hard to categorize, hard to place into distinct ideological slots, those open ended anecdotes that give the reader pause, and allow them to carry the idea throughout the day – like a tune you know, but didn’t hear the last few notes. I don’t know about you, but I can have those banging around in my head for hours.

I’m sure, like me, you recall Freshman English class in high school reading Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game.” This is a classic example of such an ending. We talked about it for days, even weeks. One way or another, we had to finish it, and it was in working about the ending that we worked through it, discovered its deeper meanings and learned its lesson.

You see, we try to make sense of things which don’t add up. We inadvertently try to finish thoughts and ideas that haven’t been finished.

When you have one of these experiences, don’t worry too much about how you are going to ‘blog’ about it. Just write it down. Let the reader complete the thought. Let the reader finish the sentence. Let the reader write the ending themselves.

Don’t be too quick to assign a mental category to your writing.

Just tell the truth, and be sure to blog about it.

© 2009, Preachers Institute. All rights reserved. On republishing this, please provide a link to the original post.

First, the writings of the Fathers are a treasury of theology, truth, wisdom, instruction, and just plain old fashioned good advice. They offer to the reader a chance to see a reflection of the Gospel teachings as expressed in different ages, in different struggles. Readers will see that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The condition of man hasn’t changed. The condition of the Church hasn’t changed. The condition of Christians in, but not of, the world is still the same.

Second, the writings of the Fathers are good sources for supplementing Scriptural instruction. The Fathers knew the Bible very well in its proper context, and used it to teach important truths about our Lord Jesus Christ, and His Holy Church, to compare and contrast with false, fashionable or novel ideas about faith, life and salvation were rampant – just as they are today.

Third, the Fathers are loaded with great one-liners.Consider blogging on the layers of meaning and the powerful truths contained in these little gems;

“We must be super-conservative in preserving the orthodox faith, and super-modern in propagating it.” ~St. Nikolai Velimerovich

“From this day forth, from this hour, from this minute, let us love God above all, and strive to do His holy will.”  - St. Herman of Alaska

“We have been given this life for repentance. Do not waste it in vain pursuits.” - St. Isaac the Syrian

“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ, and knowledge of it is knowledge of Him.” - St. Jerome

“Do not approach the mysterious words in the Scriptures without prayer and without asking help from God, saying: Lord, grant me to perceive the power that is in them. Deem prayer as the key to the insight of truth in Scripture.” – St. Isaac the Syrian

“The stomach is a greedy kitchen dog, addicted to barking.”  - St. John Climacus

“I was born to love people. It doesn’t concern me if he is a Turk, black, or white. I see in the face of each person the image of God. And for this image of God I am willing to sacrifice everything.” – Elder Amphilochios Makris of Patmos

The quote from St. Nikolai Velimerovich is a favorite here at the Preachers Institute (for obvious reasons). The quote from St. John Climacus is especially memorable during the holiday season.

The Fathers are a storehouse of great proverbs, sayings and truths. Pick one, reflect on it, share it and inspire your readers with it.

Fourth, there is a great deal of ignorance regarding the Fathers – what they taught, what they knew or didn’t know, whether or not they were trying to be creative, etc. While it may take a little more reading, we all remember patristics class in seminary, and all the things we wanted to read, and why!  Share those nuggets of gold with your readers. They don’t have time to look it all up, but if you do the work, and offer them the fruits of it, you will have readers return to you for more again and again.

Finally, the writings of the Fathers are the patrimony of all Christians. The Fathers are the inheritance they never heard of. Much of what your readers are struggling with is given help an healing by their words. These Spirit-inspired testimonies need to be heard.

Sure, there are probably too many Patristics scholars in Orthodoxy in America, but that is no reason not to share the riches of this magnificent feast with everyone you can!

And be sure to blog about your own experiences with your favorite patristic teachers.

© 2009, Preachers Institute. All rights reserved. On republishing this, please provide a link to the original post.

A news story, an opinion piece, an excellent essay, a pensive reflection, a timely article: all these make excellent blog entries. It is a snap to rewrite the title, provide a link to the original story and offer some thoughtful commentary on your blog.

Consider a few timely topics:

• The Fall of the Berlin Wall, and all the related happenings about it;
• The Fort Hood Massacre, fear and forgiveness in the news;
• The Origin of the Thanksgiving Day holiday;
• New Religions, as repackaged old ones, especially as we approach Nativity;
• Light and Darkness – candles, votives, oil lamps, Christmas lights;
• The Real Santa Claus, and how St. Nicholas continues to emerge as holy archpastor;
• Being the Star of Bethlehem – indicating Christ in life for those seeking him;
• Peace and Polarization – the Christmas message and reality in society;
• Social Networking Media as a vehicle for Christian outreach;
• Veterans Day, and what service means, etc.
• How December 25th really became Christmas (contrary to popular belief), etc.

These are just a few ideas.

Aggregate blogging is just providing your readers with something you have seen.  You may write about it, reflect on it, comment on it, or critique it, or not. You can just post a segment of it with a link to the original post.

A good example of this is the American Orthodox Institute Blog, one of my favorite websites.

Now, it doesn’t mean that you have to become the Orthodox Drudge Report (though that would not necessarily be a bad thing!), but it is very common to comment on something which you have seen, heard, or read yourself that would benefit the spiritual life of your readers/parishioners.

One final note about Aggregate Blogging – this takes the pressure off of having to come up with ‘something fresh’ from your own well of ideas. There is nothing wrong with this kind of post, and offers some good clues to readers about how you, as a clergyman/preacher/evangelist/blogger, actually read and interpret such things.

Give yourself a break and repost a blog entry from time to time.

Blog away!

© 2009, Preachers Institute. All rights reserved. On republishing this, please provide a link to the original post.