Temporarily Lutheran.


Well when visiting my folks this last Christmas I became Lutheran for a day. Basically to spend time with my brothers, nephew and niece.


And unlike the testimony on this thread.

"Coptic to Lutheran"
http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php?topic=4579.0


The Coptic church isn't in any danger of having another defector to that denomination.


The service wasn't bad. The candel light Christmas ones were actually the few ones I liked growing up. But being gone, and going Orthodox, boy do you really notice things.


1) Like the way organ music blares, and drowns out singing. And the very faint singing you hear just doesn't have the gusto of an Orthodox parish, where singing is thee main form of music. We Copts use the hand cymbals and triangle. But we are just about accepelo.


2) A relaxed atmosphere to the point of being sedate. Actually "Sedentary" the related word comes to mind. I think we actually sat through the entire service! I don't remember rising for any of the readings or hymns.

And you really noticed the difference on Bible readings. No crossing yourself before you read. Or making some grand introductory flourish like "The Gospel according to St. John the Evangelist... May his blessings be with us all Amen!" It was just straight announcement of the book, chapter and verses, and then reading it. Nothing done to really hieghten the importance. No announcement of "Wisdom! Stand and Attend!".


I would also characterize the sermon as "Reader's Digest'y" (basically very folksy, lots of contemporary pop culture refernces)


I would say some positive things. To balance out the negative connotations. The people were exceedingly friendly to their guests. The preaching has also come along way. Some of the old time pastors were about as boring as sawdust. While the newer ones, do have more going on. But I think there can be a real lack of depth even in the best sermons and ministers. I also think among a large range of Evangelicals there is kind of an attitude "It's good to be Spiritually minded but you shouldn't break a sweat over it." Outside of some Charismatics and Pentecostals who feel the opposite of that. I think that previous statement is very true and the norm, and I believe it's a big hidden impediment to peoples developement in that area.

CNN Write up

"Sweet businessPremium hot chocolate is less focused on sugar and more centered on chocolate. "The taste has more depth and more intensity. It starts in one place and ends up somewhere else," said Dana Zemack, a chocolate expert who also teaches a course on chocolate tasting. One of her favorite hot chocolates is from New Hampshire-based L.A. Burdick's, which makes hot chocolate in dark, milk or white varieties. "It's unlike anything I've ever had in my entire life. It takes me to a different place altogether," she said. Haute hot chocolate is just one segment of a luxury chocolate market that has boomed as tastes have become more discerning and consumers have become more educated about high-quality chocolate. About 10 percent of the U.S. chocolate market is regarded as premium, and the gourmet market has been growing about 20 percent every year since 2001, according to Packaged Facts, a publishing division of MarketResearch.com. That booming market reflects the growing sophistication of the American palate, Zemack said. "Good food is glamorous and fashionable, and chocolate is jumping into that category," she said. Fine drinking chocolate is really a taste for sophisticated palates, explained Michael Turback, a restaurateur and author of "Hot Chocolate," a book devoted to the classic drink. "It's like if you're a Budweiser drinker and somebody all of a sudden gives you a bottle of Guinness stout," he said. Turback recommends the chocolate from Holy Chocolate, which is made by an orthodox priest in California and comes in flavors ranging from Anise Spice to Amaretto. Most premium hot chocolates are still hard to find in your everyday grocery store, but that may change as more players break into the gourmet market.


http://money.cnn.com/2005/12/21/pf/hot_chocolate/index.htm

Coptic Reading (in English) (new thread on Orthodox Christianity.net

Well this thread is for suggestions of good Coptic books and web sites that are informative, inspirational, and more importantly in English! I think I know about the basics (A good web search will show you), but I'm always lookin to find more. And of course over the years I've been collecting some nice leads myself that I will also post.

The Submergent Church!


I've been considering the possibility of writing some kind of parody article or thread on some of the silly things that sometimes pop up in the name of "Emergent Church" this or that. I don't have any defitite ideas except that calling it "The Submergent Church" would be funny. Both for the play on words, but also because some things that I don't like can be very submergent (as in compromise in the name of "relevancy", which often looks like worldliness, hiding your light under a bushel and so forth). Besides the name, I also would have the cover(If by some great miracle I actually wrote a book, which would take a literal act of God to pull off), have a guy looking through a periscope at a Church building. I think that would work well.


Other than that, don't have any ideas. Although I can easily think of many things over the years to talk about. Lol I would probably do a thread. But I can already imagine the backlash...


Anyway that's been one of the ideas floating around the head of Addai the past few days...

Crunch time


Well We've been doing major production the last week, and into next week trying to get out as much product as possible to meet the orders (we've had two really big orders both from two churches).


And Stan and I are both looking at going to Fancy Food 2006 trade show next year.

Heaven and Hell in Orthodoxy

In light of some skeptical responses to a recent Orthodox article (that heaven and hell weren't literal places). I decided to a bit more investigation on my own online (also because buying more books right now just isn't in the budget)


So I started a discussion with my Eastern and Oriental Orthodox friends over at Orthodox Christianity.net (so feel free to join me). Which so far has been educating.

http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php?topic=7741.0


And so far have done some looking around online and found some more supporting articles

http://orthodoxeurope.org/page/10/1.aspx#53

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell#Eastern_Orthodoxy


So to my good friend James N, be of good cheer, it is basically like you said over here. I just thought you might like that confirmation. Just in case you got rattled from the other day.

http://www.neepeople.com/journeymanjames/



And for additional info check out my Coptic discussion threads at My Coptic Church.com


Hell In Coptic vs. Eastern Orthodoxy
http://www.mycopticchurch.com/ask/Messages/ViewThread.cfm?ThreadID=2551

"Toll Houses"
http://www.mycopticchurch.com/ask/Messages/ViewThread.cfm?ThreadID=2554

Congradultions are in order.We are on now on both Amazon and Target.com (Holy Chocolate).


http://www.amazon.com


http://www.target.com