And today i walk away from not only the Russian Orthodox

[Priest Siluan]

Dear Niphon:

I am praying for you and how I have told you in a PM if you need my humble help, do not doubt that you count on me

With love in Christ

Priest Siluan

[Chrysostomos]

forgive me if i attend an Orthodox church jurisdiction that you do not approve of, my intentions are not to have your approval, but to save my soul- and may god forgive me for being in the wrong Orthdox Jurisdiction, but I dont understand a whole lot, besides im more concerned with prayer and helping others ...

Dear Niphon,

Our sincere prayers are said on your behalf and I ask for your prayers as well. We are in this struggle together. The Church, is made up of it's people. We are encouraged to confess our faults one unto another, to edify one another.

I think one of the saddest things I have seen over the years on this board, is the division and seperation from the faith, by "well meaning" Orthodox brothers and sisters, who spend an inoridinate amount of time discussing who and who isn't acceptable as a "True" Orthodox Christians. Getting caught up, arguing amongst themselves, and playing musical chairs, going from one jurisdiction to another.

Is this God's will. No, it is not.

It saddens me when I think of others who have left "Orthodoxy" due to this focus on "being right" and then because they can no longer attend, or there isn't a "Traditional" Church in their area, they feel that they are lost and their is no reason to struggle, because they don't go to the right "jurisdiction".

It is Christ, and Christ alone whom you and I must follow. That is the beginning and end of all things.

St. Mary of Eygpt went out into the desert, her struggle wasn't which "jurisdiction" she was in, her struggle was life itself and she became a living Icon of Christ and manifested Him on earth by her actions.

Let us all continue to struggle together.

I end this message with the words of St. Igantius to the Ephesians:

It is better for a man to be silent and be [a Christian], than to talk and not be one. It is good to teach, if he who speaks also acts. There is then one Teacher, who spake and it was done; while even those things which He did in silence are worthy of the Father. He who possesses the word of Jesus, is truly able to hear even His very silence, that he may be perfect, and may both act as he speaks, and be recognized by his silence. There is nothing which is hid from God, but our very secrets are near to Him. Let us therefore do all things as those who have Him dwelling in us, that we may be His temples, and He may be in us as our God, which indeed He is, and will manifest Himself before our faces. Wherefore we justly love Him.

Forgive us all, Niphon, if there were times in which we, as your brothers and sisters, should have been silent, rather than talk/post and cause you to stray. Forgive us if we have pretended to teach, and yet not truly bore fruit that would indicate that we did ourselves what we "teach" others. May we learn to be more "silent" and mindful of the words that we post on this board, thinking twice before denegrating one another due to our self-induced "superiority".

Nothing is hid from God, Niphon, He and He alone truly knows your heart and your yearnings. He desires mercy, more than sacrifice.

I will pray, as well as others on this board, and you pray for us that we would:

therefore do all things as those who have Him dwelling in us, that we may be His temples, and He may be in us as our God, which indeed He is, and will manifest Himself before our faces.

Your fellow struggler in Christ,

Rd. Chrysostomos

[AndyHolland]

Dear Niphon,

You certainly are in my prayers as well and wish to beg your forgiveness for all sins I have sinned against you in anything said or not said that may have in any way distanced you from Jesus Christ the Living Word. True Orthodoxy has at its centerpiece the crucified Lord who forgave us even from the cross. Also I pray for that poor girl with the Pentagram.

andy holland
sinner

If the prayer of the righteous availeth much, then should not the prayers of sinners avail more? One expects the righteous to pray for others - but if a sinner earnestly prays for others, then shouldn't the Lord who is good and full of mercy hearken to that prayer, seeing that even a wicked sinner calls for relief for the oppressed?

[james cooper]

forget the poltics of the church that are man made retrn to christ our lord he will enter your heart and show you the way he wants you to take find your peace through praying to or lord.
yours in christ.
james a sinner
lord have mercy, lord have mercy, lord have mercy