1.

Oh! Heart

8 April 2011

Dear Souls -

         The most vital of vital organs within the human body, the heart, is not the most complex. For  complexity, study the renal system. And the rogue of human anatomy, the brain, still confounds the most brilliant of medical professionals. We linger here in the 21st century on the frontier of neurological science... perhaps the Christopher Colombus stage of exploration for gray and white matter. But the center of our soul is the cardiovascular system.

         Please understand, I have no fancy theological knowledge to share with you. But at this point in my life the absence of theological brilliance will hardly be noticed amongst my circle of friends and relatives. I'm blessed, though, that my knowledge of the heart comes in two different forms: textbook, and not in the textbook.

          The function of your heart is to maintain the oxygenation and perfusion of your human body:

                          Cardiac Output= Heart Rate x Stroke Volume

           Your perfusion is measured by something called Cardiac Output in fancy medical terminology. There are other factors which influence your Cardiac Output. Starling's Law states that your stroke volume is determined by your end- diastolic filling pressure. With a greater filling pressure the ventricular wall stretches causing a more forceful contraction, or increased Stroke Volume. You must have an adequate Cardiac Output to perfuse your soul, so you can sit here and read about your heart . . . or think about your heart.

            The path to your heart does not require knowledge of Starling's Law or right atrial filling pressures. The more knowledge you have, the more confused you may be on this journey toward your heart. Your heart, the one perfused by the heart, is there within you. As you fiddle around in your brain, the heart is maintaining a steady Cardiac Output . . . and your heart falls asleep deep inside you. The connection between your physical body and your soul lapses into a silent feedback loop. Your heart is the neglected system within the human body . . . and it's waiting for your attention.

2.

   In the Balance

10 April 2011

Dear Souls -

         My greatest challenge in both Life and Lent never changes . . .

3.

   In the Heart

14 April 2011

Dear Souls -

     Will Americans become Orthodox Christians, or will Orthodox Christianity become American?

         There is a vast difference between the two. Within our American culture Orthodox Christianity is not a natural fit. It's not unfitting, but it's unnatural for Americans. The American heart is an efficient vital organ which circulates blood throughout the human body. And while this pump is hard at work, so is the American ego. For an American to adapt to Orthodoxy, their ego must stop working as the pump for the soul. I see a cultural mismatch between an Orthodox heart and the American ego.

          The more correct your faith, the more confident you feel, the more sure you are . . . this is the calm reassurance of a healthy ego. If you misunderstand, doubt yourself, and know you stand last, then your ego is at rest. Here is the mismatch I see between contemporary American culture and the Orthodox heart, and I cannot offer a simple remedy. Becoming Orthodox means becoming less American . . . and laying aside distinctly American traits. You must not become Greek, Russian, or Arabic to find your heart. This is not what I'm saying! But if you want to see the presence of God in your life, then you must lay aside your finely dressed ego.

           Adapting Orthodox Christianity to the American culture requires skilled navigation around trenches of determined ego. And this navigation cannot happen without the wisdom and guidance of those with heart. This heart, though, is not visible from the outside and is not always standing at the altar on Sunday. When you see this heart, you will know it in your heart . . . even in America.

4.

   A Saint's Cloak

15 April 2011

Dear Souls -

5.
Clarity

18 April 2011

Dear Souls -

         My sunglasses have scratches across the front lenses. No matter how well I rinse the sand off . . . it follows me home from the beach. The sticky sand monsters attach themselves to my sunglasses and leave deep trenches right across the smooth lenses.

         In the summer I wear my scratched sunglasses to the beach everyday and watch the surf through a landscape of scratches. It's amazing how my eyes adjust to this distorted field of vision. The deepest scratches become permanent residents in my mind and after a time, I don't see them at all.

6.
nothing to say

25 April 2011

Dear Souls -