Back To Worship
I missed Divine Liturgy last week because I had to bid goodbye to my wife’s aunt, who just moved North. Maybe it was that longing for worship that I had missed that made this piece by Zac Settle about discovering Orthodoxy so appealing to me, but there was a lot that resonated.
The chanters might be intoning away during Orthros while the priest is hearing confessions while the altar staff are replacing candles or tidying up while the greeters are setting baked goods in the hands and laps of visitors, setting chairs aright in an imperceptibly off-kilter row, or setting candles in front of the iconostasis, the row of icon panels between the altar and the sanctuary. The choir is upstairs rehearsing, an elderly parishioner wheels in or a child in a chair is wheeled in, and a half-dozen candle-bearers trickle down for the half-hour or so before Divine Liturgy begins. There’s whispering in confession, lines read at the altar, chanting to the right, chattering among those in the nave, and greetings among the worshippers who are standing about. Somewhere, someone has lighted that incense. A father brings his young children to kiss the icons and tell them their stories. Nobody seems to be on their phone, but that can’t be true.
Pastors With Sneakers
Wild garlic via The Library of Congress
Jake Meador from Mere Orthodoxy recently wrote a piece titled The Importance of Not Caring about Mark Driscoll for Mere Orthodoxy. I am newly subscribed to Mere Orthodoxy (eagerly awaiting my first print edition of the publication) but this was also shared by my friend Roger on his blog.
Noble Oak - Eveningstar
Recently, a friend on Mastodon asked followers about their first cassette purchase. I had no trouble recollecting getting Starship’s Knee Deep In The Hoopla when I was in the fourth grade as my introduction to the world of music on tape. I wore that tape out playing the all-too radio friendly songs like “We Built This City” (some might say the song was pandering — the shoutout to all the cities hasn’t aged well). Following that popular anthem in the track sequencing was “Sara,” a ballad at a time when that was almost a separate genre within a genre. Rock bands used to touring arenas had their slower, more romantic songs interspersed with the more upbeat anthemic fare on their records.
The rocker vs. the ballad dynamic was perhaps never more obvious than on hair metal albums. The rockers were dangerous, lecherous and debauched while the ballads were tender and romantic. The ballads were always fewer in number, but reminded fans — especially those of the female variety — that even the baddest boys (the ones with most Aqua Net and makeup) had a softer side.
One Actress And A Melon
The creative forces behind Ginger Root have a concept for a show featuring one actress (it’s all they had the budget for). Their Japanese protagonist changes looks and activities often to keep people of the world glued to their sets. In the end, it seems, what suits her best is rockin’ out.
The song “There Was A Time” itself has a breezy 70s feel, with a healthy dose of tropicalia in the mix and a smidgen of psychedelia. There is a warped cassette haze on the whole track that wouldn’t sound out of place in the heyday of chillwave a little over a decade ago (this could be due to the Toro Y Moi influence). Ginger Root’s mastermind, Cameron Lew, describes the project as “aggressive elevator soul.” “There Was A Time” is a fun listen and matches the rest of the currently available tracks from the upcoming Shinbangumi in style.
Dormition Fast
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, we are currently observing the Dormition Fast. I wanted to understand more about this part of the liturgical calendar, so I searched the term “Dormition Fast” in DuckDuckGo. I was pleasantly surprised that, after the Wikipedia entry, the Greek Archdiocese of America page and the OCA page, the fourth search result was a blog post from my priest’s wife, Khouria Destinie. The post is a resource guide to the fast. As part of her explanation of the fast, Khouria Destinie includes a quote from St. John Chrysostom.
“… the eye and the ear and the feet and the hands and all the members of our bodies. Let the hands fast, by being free of avarice. Let the feet fast, by ceasing to run after sin. Let the eyes fast, by disciplining them not to glare at that which is sinful. Let the ear fast, by not listening to evil talk and gossip. Let the mouth fast from foul words and unjust criticism.
For what good is it if we abstain from birds and fishes, but bite and devour our brothers?”
Movies Kids Should Watch
Jason Keil from Lifehacker writes about the 25 movies every kid should see before age 13. Since my youngest is close to being on the cusp of that cutoff age, I am interested in the list.
There’s no reason adults can’t watch (and love) movies intended to entertain children, but it’s almost inevitable that they will lose a little bit of their magic when not viewed through young eyes—sometimes a sense of childlike wonder is that special sauce that takes a film from good to great.