Have you ever wonder why...

[kamikat]

some people seem obsessed with discovering God's Truth and others aren't? I'm not talking about lukewarm Christians, but one's that love the Lord, but are just plugging away, doing their thing, living their life. For example, I have a good friend who, belongs to a church that we'd all agree wouold not be a good one (lesbian minister), but she truly loves the Lord and the love of Christ shines through her. She works hard for her church, teaching Sunday school, working in the office, ect, ect. She feels she's doing God's work there. She isn't really interested in seeking out a more "serious" church or learning history or whatever. Part of me thinks that "searching" is part of a specific personality type, part of me think the Holy Spirit initiates the search. If it's all from the Holy Spirit, why do some get the nudge and not others?

[PrincessMommy]

yes, I have. But its usually "What is the matter with me that I am so obsessed with this???" :D

I do wonder sometimes if it is a certain personality type. Maybe they're more aware of what I've heard called "The God hole" in their life.

[Asinner]

Some of us hunger and thirst for righteousness. Others of us are meek, still others are peacemakers, have pure hearts, are merciful, persecuted . . . each of these will enable us into His Kingdom.

God Bless :)

[ClementofRome]

I have been thinking a lot about OCD recently.....and I have concluded that IT IS GREAT! Kami, I think that there is some of both of what you suggest. Yes it is the Holy Spirit and yes it is a personality trait (which also cometh from God).

I liken it to a blood hound. The blood hound gets a hint of the trail and off he goes. But at the same time, I have heard the Holy Spirit referred to as "The Hound of Heaven" in pursing individuals (again, my reformed roots are showing). :)

[ThePosterFormerlyKnownAs]

My wife would fall into this category. I think it's less that she is not concerned but more that she has a simpler view of Who God is and is not an intellectual. That is not to say that she isn't smart, she just isn't into doing a lot of studying and searching historical texts and comparisons and commentaries, etc. She'd rather just say her prayers and when a question arises for her, she asks someone who would know.

There have been several times when the simplicity of her faith has led her to say something very profound that brought tears to my eyes.

[ClementofRome]

My wife would fall into this category. I think it's less that she is not concerned but more that she has a simpler view of Who God is and is not an intellectual. That is not to say that she isn't smart, she just isn't into doing a lot of studying and searching historical texts and comparisons and commentaries, etc. She'd rather just say her prayers and when a question arises for her, she asks someone who would know.

There have been several times when the simplicity of her faith has led her to say something very profound that brought tears to my eyes.

Are we married to the same woman? ;)

[NyssaTheHobbit]

I'd say I'm the bloodhound tracking down Truth, while my hubby just listens to whatever I find out. :) He prefers a simpler faith. I have an Orthodox friend who has a wife like my husband, while my friend is like me. I found a lot of my Orthodox info sites through him. :) He, like me, went through different denominations.

[Akathist]

There was an inquireing couple a while back at my parish where the guy was really into reading and finding out more about the Early church history and about the beliefs of the EOC. The wife on the other hand even said that she did not like to read and was thinking that converting was not possible because she just didn't want to get into all of the theology stuff. She didn't mind talking about it but she hated reading about it.

My Priest said to her that since young children can be Orthodox, then surely it is not a faith that requires that one be an intellectual or be well read. He encouraged her to just attend services and the inquirer sessions and to ask any of us whatever questions she had rather than thinking that she had to read this or that.

I don't know what happened to them as they stopped coming to services after a while. But the situation really stuck in my head. One does not need to be an intellectual to convert to the EOC.

But also, one does not need to be an intellectual "seeker" sort of person to be a good Christian either, imo.

At different phases in my life, I was like that. I would go for many years just happily attending services at a protestant church. I was not interested in study or research.

[DonVA]

I think the Holy Spirit does nudge us all. Some of us just don't understand what it is until the nudges nearly knock us down. And there are still some who wouldn't get it even after falling down.

I like XR's post regarding having to become some sort of theologian in order to be in the EOC. For me, the reading I do and the research I do is simply so I fully understand the faith this time around.

There are others in my church who have a much simpler view of Orthodoxy, which sometimes makes me feel like I'm overdoing it, but I also want to be prepared to answer questions my son--who is brand new to all of this--will ask when there's not a book or a computer around!

[Jacob4707]

I have been thinking a lot about OCD recently.....and I have concluded that IT IS GREAT! Kami, I think that there is some of both of what you suggest. Yes it is the Holy Spirit and yes it is a personality trait (which also cometh from God).

I liken it to a blood hound. The blood hound gets a hint of the trail and off he goes. But at the same time, I have heard the Holy Spirit referred to as "The Hound of Heaven" in pursing individuals (again, my reformed roots are showing). :)

I think you meant to write OGD - Obsessive God Disorder. :)

[ThePosterFormerlyKnownAs]

I wish I could get into the theology a lot more. At first I did a lot of reading but it's like I reached a saturation point and trying to read more was wasted effort because it just doesn't sink in. I read many of the posts on here and the depth of the theology and the aptitude many here show for understanding deep things makes me realize to some degree how spiritually retarded I am.

I know God, in His grace, connects with people on my level because I experience it all the time during the Liturgy and in my prayers but sometimes, I'd like to be able to study and discuss the really deep things. I can start reading some threads and see how involved and deep the discussions are and how much study is involved and I feel like crying because I can't reach that level of understanding. It's like really wanting to be a physicist and finding out you have no aptitude for math.

[Jacob4707]

I wish I could get into the theology a lot more. At first I did a lot of reading but it's like I reached a saturation point and trying to read more was wasted effort because it just doesn't sink in. I read many of the posts on here and the depth of the theology and the aptitude many here show for understanding deep things makes me realize to some degree how spiritually retarded I am.

I know God, in His grace, connects with people on my level because I experience it all the time during the Liturgy and in my prayers but sometimes, I'd like to be able to study and discuss the really deep things. I can start reading some threads and see how involved and deep the discussions are and how much study is involved and I feel like crying because I can't reach that level of understanding. It's like really wanting to be a physicist and finding out you have no aptitude for math.

I read anecdotally that Lutheran/Christian scholar Jaroslav Pelikan converted to Orthodoxy after reading the Cappadocian Fathers several times in the original Greek.

Hopefully we won't all have to do that to be penetrated by Orthodoxy.

[MariaRegina]

Who wrote The Hound of Heaven?

[PrincessMommy]

Who wrote The Hound of Heaven?

Francis Thompson
http://www2.bc.edu/~anderso/sr/ft.html

I claim no great knowledge - I just googled :thumbsup:

[Knowledge3]

I am always wondering why? as the ultimate philosophical question to the way things are.

[kamikat]

I read many of the posts on here and the depth of the theology and the aptitude many here show for understanding deep things makes me realize to some degree how spiritually retarded I am.

I know God, in His grace, connects with people on my level because I experience it all the time during the Liturgy and in my prayers but sometimes, I'd like to be able to study and discuss the really deep things. I can start reading some threads and see how involved and deep the discussions are and how much study is involved and I feel like crying because I can't reach that level of understanding. It's like really wanting to be a physicist and finding out you have no aptitude for math.

Ya know, I feel the same way quite frequently. I came to the truth of Orthodoxy through experiencing Great Lent, not because of anything I read. I've tried reading some of the "greats" and the often-recommended books and I just can't do it. I'll read the same passage over and over and just not get it. But when I go to DL, I get it!

[ThePosterFormerlyKnownAs]

That's one of the things I love about On the Incarnation. It is so amazingly deep and yet so simple and easy to understand.

[eoe]

Everyone gets the nudge. Some ignore it. He stands at the door and knocks. Some people just turn the music up and wonder why no one ever visits.

[eoe]

That's one of the things I love about On the Incarnation. It is so amazingly deep and yet so simple and easy to understand.
What other book will someone pay you in blessings to read? (up to 1200 blessings now)

[Orthocat]

Some people just turn the music up and wonder why no one ever visits.


(Soft knocks at the door)
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: It's me, Dave. Open up, man, I got the stuff.
(More knocks)
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: It's me, Dave, man. Open up, I got the stuff.
CHONG: Who?
CHEECH: It's, Dave, man. Open up, I think the cops saw me come in here.
(More knocks)
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: It's, Dave, man. Will you open up, I got the stuff with me.
CHONG: Who?
CHEECH: Dave, man. Open up.
CHONG: Dave?
CHEECH: Yeah, Dave. C'mon, man, open up, I think the cops saw me.
CHONG: Dave's not here.
CHEECH: No, man, I'm Dave, man.
(Sharp knocks at the door)
CHEECH: Hey, c'mon, man.
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: It's Dave, man. Will you open up? I got the stuff with me.
CHONG: Who?
CHEECH: Dave, man. Open up.
CHONG: Dave?
CHEECH: Yeah, Dave.
CHONG: Dave's not here.
CHEECH: What the? No, man, I am Dave, man. Will you...
(More knocks)
CHEECH: C'mon! Open up the door, will you? I got the stuff with me, I think the cops saw me.
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: Oh, what the...c'mon. Open up the door! It's Dave!
CHONG: Who?
CHEECH: Dave! D-A-V-E! Will you open up the door!
CHONG: Dave?
CHEECH: Yeah, Dave!
CHONG: Dave?
CHEECH: Right, man. Dave. Now will you open up the door?
CHONG: Dave's not here.

[ClementofRome]

(Soft knocks at the door)
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: It's me, Dave. Open up, man, I got the stuff.
(More knocks)
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: It's me, Dave, man. Open up, I got the stuff.
CHONG: Who?
CHEECH: It's, Dave, man. Open up, I think the cops saw me come in here.
(More knocks)
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: It's, Dave, man. Will you open up, I got the stuff with me.
CHONG: Who?
CHEECH: Dave, man. Open up.
CHONG: Dave?
CHEECH: Yeah, Dave. C'mon, man, open up, I think the cops saw me.
CHONG: Dave's not here.
CHEECH: No, man, I'm Dave, man.
(Sharp knocks at the door)
CHEECH: Hey, c'mon, man.
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: It's Dave, man. Will you open up? I got the stuff with me.
CHONG: Who?
CHEECH: Dave, man. Open up.
CHONG: Dave?
CHEECH: Yeah, Dave.
CHONG: Dave's not here.
CHEECH: What the? No, man, I am Dave, man. Will you...
(More knocks)
CHEECH: C'mon! Open up the door, will you? I got the stuff with me, I think the cops saw me.
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: Oh, what the...c'mon. Open up the door! It's Dave!
CHONG: Who?
CHEECH: Dave! D-A-V-E! Will you open up the door!
CHONG: Dave?
CHEECH: Yeah, Dave!
CHONG: Dave?
CHEECH: Right, man. Dave. Now will you open up the door?
CHONG: Dave's not here.

A classic indeed. In fact, I was reminded of this scene last week when a student of mine was wearing a t-shirt with Cheech & Chong on the front and the back of the shirt said, "Dave's not here!" :thumbsup:

[Orthocat]

A classic indeed. In fact, I was reminded of this scene last week when a student of mine was wearing a t-shirt with Cheech & Chong on the front and the back of the shirt said, "Dave's not here!" :thumbsup:

the scene was edited of course :)

[ClementofRome]

the scene was edited of course :)

of course! ;)

[Asinner]

the scene was edited of course :)


. . . for our protection. ^_^

[ThePosterFormerlyKnownAs]

Personally, I prefer "Trippin' in Court." :P

[ClementofRome]

Kami, why do your threads always turn out to have hippy-trippy endings? :) :) :) Maybe it is that "steal your face" avatar! (which, by the way, is very cool!)

Forgive me!!!!! No, really!

[Knowledge3]

Who knows?

[Saint_Rita]

Don't have a real good answer, however I sometimes wish I was one to be content with what I've always believed instead of constantly questioning everything. My life would be much easier.

[ClementofRome]

Don't have a real good answer, however I sometimes wish I was one to be content with what I've always believed instead of constantly questioning everything. My life would be much easier.


Yes, easier....but not better! Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Just maybe he was correct.

[The Prokeimenon!]

Kamikat-

I have always been the obsessive type myself, and directing my obsession towards God and His Church seems pretty natural.

To give you an illustration of my obsessiveness: ever since I read your user title "just don't tell them you know me", I've been on an obsessive Garcia/Dead kick. I haven't gotten Sugaree out of my head for days! :) This will continue to be the case until somebody again mentions Pink Floyd, at which time I'll be obsessed with them for a month again. (I'm not only obsessive, but I'm suggestable- a great combination :D)

Rdr Moses

[kamikat]

I'm so glad you recognized the user title. I've had people pm me to ask me what it means