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 Sometimes after a particularly rough day juggling ministry and work, my good friend (and former pastor) and I used to joke about bagging church leadership and becoming monks.
We so desperately wanted more time to hang out with Jesus and study the Bible…time that never seemed to be found…so we would joke and laugh about leaving everything behind and becoming hermits or joining a monastery – then slap each other on the back and go about our daily lives.
The thing was that that we really didn’t know much about monks or hermits beyond the standard cultural stereotype. You know the one – older man dressed in a robe walking the old stone halls of an ancient monastery canting a pray as he walked….totally separated from the world and material desires.
Because of this background, I found myself excited to read Herman Middleton’s book “Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit: The Lives and Counsels of Contemporary Elders of Greece.”
Published by Protecting Veil Press (don’t you just love that name?), this book introduces the reader to eight different Eastern Orthodox monks who lived in Greece over the last hundred years. After each biographical section, Middleton includes selected quotes or counsels from that elder – allowing the reader to get a ‘feel’ for these ‘precious vessels.’
The crazy thing was no matter how much these monks wanted to retreat in the vast quietness of the Holy Mountain (Mt. Athos), God would not left them along. He continued to send people to them so that they could teach His people and help them along the journey towards Jesus.
Continue reading Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit
“The goal of reading is the application, in our lives, of what we read. Not to learn it by heart, but to take it to heart. Not to practice using our tongues, but to be able to receive the tongues of fie and to live the mysteries of God.
FYI – Brambonius, a fellow believer and Vineyardite (is that a word?) in Belgium, just posted a great article about finding treasures within the theology and practice of the Eastern Orthodox.
“So my proposal is to learn from non-modern christian traditions to find back what we’ve lost with the blind spots of our modern [...]
 Have you ever wondered why some churches included the phrase “we believe in the one, holy, invisible universal church” in their statement of faith or confession?
Well, I’m glad you asked. 
The reason is that for a few hundred – no, make that a thousand or so – years a lot of believes believed that there was one, universal visible “church.” Like a lot of things, this visible church started out united, but became fragmented over the years leading to the development of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, the Coptic Church, the Nestorian Church and, eventually, the Protestant Church (or, should I say, churches).
Unfortunately, this fragmentation did little to change the view that there was one ‘visible church’. Instead, folks simply assumed that THEIR church was the ONE, and everyone else was not. (sigh)
Sometime during the 1500’s this view (thankfully) began to change – as noted in the Westminster Confession of 1646 which states:
The catholic or universal Church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the Head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fulness of Him that fills all in all. (Ch. XXV)
However, this was not to be the end of the debate (double sigh).
Continue reading One, Holy, Invisible Universal Church
 String cheese. Brie. Cheddar. Sharp or Mild. Aged or Not. Mozzarella. Colby-Jack. Provel. Swiss. Cream. Monterey Jack. Pepperjack. Brick. Shredded. Wheel or Pie Wedge. Sliced or Sandwich. Goat cheese. Cow cheese. Not head cheese.
Some folks say, “Cheese is cheese; they are all the same.”
Others disagree claiming that the flavor of a two year-old aged sharp white Cheddar is all the rage.
Those holding wine glasses yell, “Don’t forget the Brie and Triscuits!”
Don’t forget the people holding their nose and running from the sight of cured milk.
Very few people enjoy the breadth of them all.
Yet, each cheese is made with for certain purpose. A fine Brie is not struggling to be a Peperjack; Nor is the sliced Monterey Jack trying to be a Mozzaralla cheese stick.
Why then do we try to paint all Christian movements as the same?
Continue reading A Plethora of Cheeses
 The Orthodox Way by Bishop Kallistos Ware has been a joy to read – I would even go as far as to call it a spring of fresh water in the land of sureties. For so much of my life, I have been taught that God could be understood by our minds – we just had to study the Bible, pray a lot and bingo, we could figure everything out.
And yes, if you pushed these same folks would say that it is impossible to fully understand God…yet, their actions did not follow that line of reasoning. Their actions said that people with the right education could come up with the right theology which would explain God, His actions, and the world around us.
This book offered a different route.
Continue reading Embracing The Mystery Of God
 Four years ago during a systematic theology class through Vineyard Leadership Institute, I started to question the doctrine of original sin. Specifically, I started asking the question, “Is original sin was genetic or social?”
This questioning lead to a two part blog series in which I talked about Augustine and Pelagius view on original sin (Augustine – genetic; Pelagius – social). The end result of the series was to grudgingly follow Wayne Grudem’s conclusions, which was the best view I had heard at the time.
Fast forward a few years.
Yesterday I was reading about the Creator God in the book The Orthodox Way by Bishop Ware. This is an Eastern Orthodox theology book which has really watered my soul over the last few weeks.
In this selection, Bishop Ware talks a bit about original sin and the Eastern Orthodox view on it. As I read it, my heart jumped because it was very close to the view that I had to hold over the last four years. This, however, was the first time I have ever seen it written down – hence the excitement of my heart. Continue reading Original Sin: Revisted
There is only one means of discovering the true nature of Christianity. We must step out upon this path, commit ourselves to this way of life, and then we shall begin to see for ourselves. So long as we remain outside, we cannot properly understand.
Certainly we need to be given directions before we [...]
Icon of St. Dimitri of Rostov
Come, my Light, and illumine my darkness.
Come, my Life, and revive me from death.
Come, my Physician, and heal my wounds.
Come, Flame of divine love, and burn up the thorns of my sins, kindling my heart with the flame of thy love.
Come, my King, [...]
 It was time.
Countless hours was spend over the last year or so reading and studying about the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was now time to visit a church and see how they do things – time to move from theology to practical application.
God also provided us with the perfect opportunity to visit such a church. Namely, we didn’t have any church responsibilities due to our son’s birth – yet, at the same time, he was taking his sweet time coming our of the womb.
So we had a “free” day in the Valley to visit the local Greek Orthodox Church. 
First Impressions
We arrived at 10:30 am to the Divine Liturgy – a little timid and unsure about what to expect. Walking into the chapel, we slipped into the back pew and looked around. The first thing I noticed was the lack of people (only about 7 or 10 people – all in the back of the chapel).
The second thing was the chapel itself. In a word, it was beautiful! Full of wonderful icons and candles with a glorious wooden wall separating the congregation from the ‘holy’ stage – my words for the part of the chapel housing all the religious items used during the service (i.e. crosses, candles, bells, bread, wine, Bible, etc). Continue reading My Visit To A Greek Orthodox Church
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Who Writes This Mess? My name is Joshua Hopping and I am a Son of the Most High journeying through a foreign land following the Wild Goose (i.e. the Holy Spirit) one step at a time.
As I journey along the Way, I have the privilege of serving as the bi-vocational pastor of the Payette River Vineyard Christian Fellowship. I am also a voracious reader who loves studying church history, theology, and world missions.
This blog, "Requisite Danger", is a record of what God is teaching and showing me as I try to follow Him wherever He leads as well as occasional random thoughts. I pray that you will join me in this journey through online/offline interaction as this life is lived in community.
May His grace and peace be upon you.
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