Widget has emerged!

Mom & baby are doing fine. The wee boy is only waiting on a final selection from the short list of names!

(ssshhhh, it's a double post)

Raising Men

I found this wonderful wonderful post at Wittingshire.

When my boys were three and four, they spent a good bit of time patrolling the perimeter of the back yard with stick guns. One day they were making particularly gruesome sound effects and my feminine squeamishness, which I try to keep tamped down while mothering boys, got away from me. "I really don't like you pretending to shoot people," I told them.

"We're not pretending to shoot people," my older son said. "We're shooting pretend people. Dangerous ones."

Oh.

As one who has both boy and girl children, I can tell you they're different from birth. My daughter is something of a tomboy, and still she's nothing like her brothers. She has never hit anyone over the head with a zucchini, for one thing. She has never knocked her father's legs out from under him and laughed when he fell on her with bone-crushing weight. She has never lost a toenail or fingernail, climbed higher in a tree than the cats will go, picked up unidentified insects with her bare hands, or picked them up again after being bitten the first time. She has never captured a big black spider in my good Tupperware and left it for me to find unexpectedly while putting away leftovers.

My boys--sweet and well-behaved as they truly are--do those things regularly.

My job as mother is to keep my mouth shut unless death or dismemberment is imminent. "They're boys," Jonathan says, when I come to him worried about their latest escapade. "That's what boys do."

Now, my boys memorize poetry. They clean up the supper dishes, with a little reminding. They tell their sister that they love her, and they prickle with indignation when other boys talk about girl germs. They're not Neanderthals. They're going to be good men, strong and tender, trustworthy, confident, brave.

They aren't learning this from me (except by my refusal to squelch it). They're learning it from their father, grandfathers, uncles; from the men at church who greet them with outstretched hand and expect them to answer audibly and shake firmly, from the men who lead worship; from the male friends who take them up in cherry-pickers, bulldozers, fire engines, and out in boats, who stop by to show them a new motorcycle, who talk to them with great seriousness about dinosaurs, asteroids, and snakes. Thanks to these men, my boys are going to know how to be men--not bullies, not henpicked eunuchs, but men.

Unfortunately, they have many friends who won't know how to be men, who are already less than confident in their maleness.

Some of these are boys whose mothers watch anxiously the whole time they're playing lest they hurt themselves, who forbid toy guns and swords and urge their sons to play "games everybody wins," which to a boy means a game nobody wins, that has no point.

Some are boys whose fathers are gone and who carry the weight of guilt not their own, who feel somehow complicit in other men's abandonments, other men's unreliability, other men's cruelty.
Some are boys whose energy is treated by teachers and parents as a curse, whose enthusiasm is treated as naivety, whose curiosity is treated as a distraction.

It's almost as if some people don't like little boys.

I do. I like their energy, their toughness. I like their forthrightness, their ruthless logic, their dislike of cant. I like their natural gallantry, their instinctive desire to protect those who are smaller and weaker. And I like that they include me in that group, though I am yet, for another few years, larger and stronger than they.

So I sympathize with Russell Moore, who "is aiming to raise up violent sons." Moore is being deliberately inflammatory, of course, but in a very real sense he means what he says:

I am not seeking to raise sons who are violent in the amoral, pagan sense of contemporary teenagers playing Grand Theft Auto video games or carjacking motorists. I want them to be more violent than that.

I want them to understand that the Christian life is not a Hallmark Channel version of baptized sentimentality. Instead, it is a cosmic battle between an evil dragon and the child of the woman, an ancient warfare that now includes all who belong to the Child of the Promise (Rev 12). I want them to forgive their enemies, not because they are good boys, but because they understand that vengeance against the Serpent comes not from their hand, but from that of the anointed Warrior-King (Rev 19), whose blood-soaked garments don’t often transfer to the imagery of a Precious Moments wall-hanging. And I want them to exercise self-control of their passions, not because it is polite, but because they are called to struggle against the Evil One, even to the point of cutting off their own limbs rather than succumb to devices.

And as Gary of Both Worlds says:

Men are in the image of God. And our need to prove ourselves on some field of combat, to confront danger and, yes, to win a beauty, reflect a side of God which few hymns uplift. Men and boys are often bored in church because many churches have become overloaded with feminine sensibilities and sensations.

So men and boys light out, like Huck down the Mississippi--not irresponsibly, but in search of something. Into the unknown, or the backyard, we go, Aslan at our sides. There be wild things here, and adventures to be had.

Tell their stories!

Aaron is making a doucumentary, for school. Its about Icons, or more specifically, people telling stories of their patron saints. He wants to film people with the icon of their own patron saint, telling their stories and maybe your relation to them. Basically to share these amazing stories with people that might not have a clue about them.

He will need around three people, and will film you in your home (or outside of your home, it dosen't really matter as long as there is enough light). Kids are welcome to participate as well!

So, if you're interested contact either one of us.

Thanks!

Concert on Rompost TV!

I just saw the little segment about the "Give Rest O Christ" concert on Rompost Romanian Language TV. They put it at the top of the broadcast, and it was great-- they cut in a few pictures from St. Arseny Camp, and let our people speak about the choirs and about the camp. Everyone looked great, and we even got to hear a little of that fabulous music again!


You can catch a re-broadcast this week

Wednesday at 9 AM or

Saturday at 1 PM

on Channel M Multicultural TV, Shaw cable Channel 8.

reality TV

oh man, amen.

oh man, amen., originally uploaded by pasivirta.

One of the 9 bazillion pics I took on saturday. thank you to all who helped, Victoria for your safe and serene driving, and to Stephanie for the hot food and warm dry house after the wet cold day on the mountain.

Take a bow!

The Debut of the Kenosis Male Chorus and the mixed voice Resonance Singers!

It was beautiful-- and best of all, if you missed it last night, the concert will be repeated tonight at 8pm at St. Mark's College, UBC Vancouver. PLUS all proceeds go to the St. Arseny Orthodox Youth Camp.

There are a couple more photos on my FlickR account here.

Hi Everyone,

I was just talking with my mother and she told me that my 38-year-old
cousin, Chrissy went in for a hysterectomy and now, today, there are
some very serious complications. Her wounds opened up and she's
hemouageing (?). They are 'redoing' the operation. It looks like it may have
been botched. Last year, she just got married, her dad - my uncle Charles -
had a very serious stroke, and her mom - my Aunt Sally - had a heart attack.
My Aunt takes care of my Uncle full time, now this...

Whew! They seem to have a target on them these days. Please pray for
them, but particularly for my cousin Chrissy, who is in surgery as I write
this...

Thanks Guys,
Sandy

Hey Look, a picture of snowshoeing. Go to Saplings or check your email for details about the youth group trip!

about the New Blogger

I've switched to the customized template for my Refreshment blog, and it's great-- finally, no more messing around with cut and paste for links! Plus, the drag and drop editing for the layout is wonderful.

I did however lose my LibraryThing and FlickR links on my main blog. I'm sure there's a way to get them back again, but if you make the switch, be aware this may happen to your blog as well.

Est is Best

Hello.
I was in the parish/mission in Kingston last Sunday
and I was talking to this guy.
I mentioned I was from the Ouest
and he said
"Oh, are you from that church that everybody comes from?"
I said
"Yes."
What I didn't mention is that some people actually seem to stay.

In other news
I am apparently moving to Halifax after Pascha.
Maybe pray that God won't send me any farther
Est
because I'm not a very good swimmer.

But I may be tempted to come back
Ouest
for camp
if it's not too late
in the summer.
How about
it?
When is camp?
And can it make use of a geographically challenged
fellow
such as I?

best to all,
Jesse.

PS: I think my French is coming along nicely.

Into Great Silence -- monks on the big screen!

Hope no one minds if I re-post this from my blog:

- - -


I've been awfully busy lately, but I thought I'd give a heads-up to anyone in the Vancouver area who might be interested in Philip Gröning's Die Große Stille (2005), AKA Into Great Silence. The film, a mostly silent documentation of the prayers, services and chores performed by the monks of the Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps, is playing at the VanCity Theatre next week, but only on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights.

FWIW, I watched this film on a screener in anticipation of last year's film festival, and I suspect its long, long passages of silent introspection and ritualistic chant would work a lot better in a darkened theatre -- not unlike, say, the meditative, don't-munch- the-popcorn-too-loud experience that I had watching James Benning's 13 Lakes -- but like I say, I'm awfully busy these days.

Then again, that's exactly why we need retreats like these, no?

Methinks they meant "scoured".

This is too funny.

I got an advance copy of the "definitive edition" of The Passion of the Christ, which comes out on DVD in a couple weeks, and it includes a text commentary of "footnotes" -- one of which has a most amusing typo:



Now why am I imagining this actress vandalizing museums -- and maybe libraries! -- as part of her research for her role?

Churching...

God grant you many years Parson family!

the Blessing of the Waters part 2

the Blessing of the Waters

Bless it all!

...that's what Orthodoxy does!

This year I was so excited about our very first time blessing the Fraser River that I forgot to give you all the heads up in the newsletter and announcement sheet about another important Blessing at this time of year-- the customary annual blessing of homes in the Theophany season. I only suddenly remembered this during the first singing of the Tropar at Theophany vespers last night, because that tropar is also sung at a Theophany home blessing as the priest goes from room to room sprinkling holy water.

This is a briefer rite than the one we do to bless a home for the first time, and a great start to the New Year. If you want your home blessed, please call Fr. Lawrence or Fr. Justin and make an appointment (Fr. Justin's hours are limited because of his day job, and St. John's people get first dibs on him, but you can try if you want! ;-) When the weekend is over, I'll post an article from Fr. Lawrence about the items needed, how to prepare, and what to expect at your home blessing.

Troparion - Tone 1 (same tune as "O Lord Save Your People"--easy to sing, we will do it at church tomorrow, and the priest will bring copies to your home for the blessing too!)

O Lord, when You were baptized in the Jordan
The worship of the Trinity was made manifest
For the voice of the Father bore witness to You
And called You His beloved Son.
And the Spirit, in the form of a dove,
Confirmed the truthfulness of His word.
O Christ, our God, You have revealed Yourself
And have enlightened the world, glory to You!

Gotta start training them young

Theophany Celebrations at St. Herman's

Friday Jan 5th, 7 pm: Vigil and blessing of waters. Bring your bottles to take holy water home

Saturday Jan 6th, 9 am: (note early time!)

Liturgy . If you aren't at vigil lFriday night, remember a bottle Saturday morning to carry home holy water. After liturgy we will go to bless the Fraser River at Derby Reach Park, just a short drive away from the church. (note we will not be doing the Greek custom of throwing a cross in the water for retrieval as the Fraser waters flow dangerously fast. Please watch your kids carefully at the waterside. )

Park Map and Directions here if you want to download them, we will have more copies at the church.

I haven't heard of breakfast/lunch plans-- I suppose we are just coming back to the church afterward as on Sundays? If people were feeling ambitious I suppose we could make pancakes or something.....(not volunteering myself, mind you-- I'm not that into pancakes and don't cook them very well!) Weather forecast is for "Variable cloudiness", but a high of 9 degrees might be a touch cool for a picnic...;-)

ADDENDUM: For those in Vancouver, St. John of Shanghai is also having a Theophany liturgy, 10 AM Sat. Jan. 6th at Dunbar Lutheran. There is a potluck celebration at the Chois' home in the afternoon/evening, but I am not sure of the time, if you know for sure, please add that info to the comments.

New Years Breakfast at the Jordan Household