text:
Scandals must come (Matt. 18:7).
These are the words of Christ. He tells us that scandals are not only likely to happen – but that they will happen. They are necessary (ἀνάγκη).
Most readers will marvel that this is a quote from Jesus. The reason is simple: the Greek (ἀνάγκη γάρ ἐστιν ἐλθεῖν τὰ σκάνδαλα) is rarely translated in such a manner. "Stumbling blocks," or "offenses," is the more common way to render the word skandala (σκάνδαλα). But the Greek has a very simple cognate in English: scandal.
Why would Christ tell his disciples that scandals must come? It is a description of the nature of things in this world. The entrance of the Kingdom of God and its dwelling among men is not such that men will cease to be broken or evil. Christ warned His disciples that he himself would be betrayed – not by strangers – but by one of them!
And this has ever been the case. From the earliest days of the faith, disciples have been betrayed, misled, robbed, deceived, cheated, taught falsely, raped and abused. There has never been an idyllic season of the Church when such scandals have been absent. In Western Europe where various reform movements have remade Christianity repeatedly – circumstances have presented scandals needing attention – but reforms have never succeeded in ending them. Christ's words remain true regardless.
Of course, no religious group is free of scandal – I am not as familiar with those of others as I am of our own – but everybody's got them. And the non-religious are as scandal-ridden as the religious. Hypocrisy is equal opportunity. The problem does not lie within religion or its absence – it is an inherent part of the human condition.
What of Christ's words? Are scandals part of some Divine Plan? I think that would take his words in the wrong way. The passage begins with the warning, "Woe to the world because of scandals!" and concludes, "Woe to that man by whom the scandal comes!" Of course, the great scandal, is the "falling away," warned of by Christ and the apostles.
[Christ, speaking of the time of great troubles] And then many will be scandalized, and will betray one another, and will hate one another (Matt. 24:10).
And St. Paul:
[speaking of the coming of Christ] Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first… (2 Thess. 2:3)
We can speculate about the internal nature of the great scandal or the falling away. But there is no New Testament version of the Christian faith that does not contain this aspect. It is part of the most primitive layer of Apostolic Tradition. It is part of Christ's own teaching.
My experience as a Christian has been that everything "rhymes" with the larger picture of the faith. We can speak about the "last days," and waste time speculating about such things. But Christian history has been replete with days that fit the pattern offered for those times. There is no Christian journey that is without scandal and a falling away. If we do not fall away, it is not because it never crossed our mind. Everyman in the course of a lifetime has the chance to be Peter or Judas.
If there is an inner necessity to the scandal, it is not within the scandal itself. The inner necessity is within us. The temptation that accompanies scandal is something that must be faced and overcome. Apparently, we cannot enter the kingdom of God without it.
Scandal (a "cause of stumbling") comes in many forms. It can be as bold as corruption in the hierarchy, or moral turpitude within a priest. It can also be a prayer that we perceive to have been unanswered or God's strange absence when we thought we could count on him. Anything that causes us to lose heart, to quit, to abandon the journey qualifies as scandal.
We admire the great martyrs and the courage of their suffering. But in most lives, suffering has a very banal quality: it offers us little chance to play the hero. I am very fond of the books on the life and work of Father Arseny. His stories are those of a saint in the Soviet Gulag. Some of the stories are quite miraculous, but most are born of the grace-filled ability to bear the innumerable indignities of a single hour, day after day. Such martyrdom over a period of decades is frightfully boring and tedious. And it is the boredom and tedium that become the scandal that he endured.
Scandal tests and proves the life of the heart. A life lived in the mind (thoughts and emotions) will endure scandal only with the greatest difficulty. Whatever the insult created by an actual scandal, the mind and the emotions will magnify it, rehearse it, argue with it, judge it, replay it repeatedly, become angry and despondent. The work of the mind is much harder to bear than the scandal itself. We are scandalized by our own passions.
The heart does not seek to judge. It understands the nature of righteousness and is not surprised by the presence of sin.
However, I take heart that Christ's warning concerning the scandal that must come offers no condemnation for those who fall. His truly serious warning is for the one through whom the scandal comes. We all fall (at least everyone I know falls). I pray that when I stumble, I take no one with me. God give us grace.
I find these two prayers (from Orthodox Daily Prayers) to be of great help:
Save, Lord, and have mercy on those whom I have caused to stumble, turning them away from the path of salvation and leading them to evil and unseemly deeds. Return them to the path of salvation by Thy Divine Providence.
Save, Lord, and have mercy on those who hate and offend me, and do me harm. Do not let them perish because of me.
Author comments have a tan color background for you to easily identify the posts author in the comments
Amen. Living through suffering as a Church, suffering brought by the sins of our own, is redemptive. In taking up our cross and embracing the humility that suffering brings, the Church is reborn anew. Let us pray for a gracious response to the suffering that comes.
Fr. Stephen,
I think your post is much more helpful than something I read a few months ago:
"The second reason which reveals the responsibility which those who are scandalized have is that in some way those who are in these circumstances have a psychological need to be scandalized."
By Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpaktos
I will refrain from saying not-nice things about this man.
"Everyman in the course of a lifetime has the chance to be Peter or Judas…We are scandalized by our own passions."
Touche', Fr. Stephen! And thank you
"Woe to the world because of scandals!" and "Woe to that man by whom the scandal comes!"
I do not understand the word "woe" in this context. Can you expound? On a scale from "Bummer dude" to "You're going straight to Hell", where does this fall? I could understand an interpretation of "Woe to that man by whom…" being some kind of punishment. But what of those who were not part of the scandal and were hurt by it? Does the same kind of "woe" apply? Or is the hurt itself the actual woe?
"…those who are in these circumstances have a psychological need to be scandalized."
I was once told by a dear friend that being disillusioned is a good thing because it strips away our illusions.
There are people in the world who do feel the need to be scandalized and victimized. (There is a large part of me that embraces the ideas in the Eagles' song "Get over it.")
I am not saying that a priest having an affair with a parishioner's wife (for example) isn't scandalous
but how we view it is important. Is there enough love in the church community to bring about reconciliation on all sides? That's the important question, to my mind. When the hierarchy in the church tries to cover up abuses, that is far more scandalous. But can we find a way to correct the guilty without hating them or clinging to the hurt they have caused? That, again, is the real question. More importantly, can we make a distinction between the messenger and the message? If the messenger fails in some way, does that diminish the message of the gospels?
I am not a big fan of the "woe unto" mentality. To me, it seems a to set people up for failure. Rather, to my way of thinking, the better message is, "You're gonna screw up but that's OK. Get back up and keep trying." If Jesus had said something like, "the message that I am giving to you is not dependent on your perfection level" would have been more reasonable, IMHO.
Link, have you? I don't think you are reading that right, but without context it is hard to know. And frankly, it is true that some folks have a need, as John Shores noted above, to be victimized or scandalized. Not everyone, of course, but many. I would even be so bold as to say the previous sentence has characterized me as well at times.
John Shores:
I don't know where I first read it, but I found it posted on the Handmaid's site:
I think he means well, he just says it in a terribly insensitive manner.
I am glad you posted this Fr Stephen because I had to look up the passage and to see what other versions had to say: besides offences, there was temptations, stumbling blocks and stumbling. In one of the definitions of skandalon there was any person or thing by which one is entrapped–drawn into error or sin.
Last night I read this on Habitual Sin…when we give into the temptations of the devil repeatedly, those ways of reacting become ingrained habits and then no devil is necessary to continue to entice us, we entice ourselves. This is an important notion for each of us to ponder. There is a precious period of time before giving into sin when our will inclines either in the seemingly easy direction of the temptation or in the Gospel´s seemingly more arduous call to virtue. If we are not constantly struggling to root out sinful habits, if we are not watchful over our will, that period time decreases until the moment seems to vanish altogether. …we enslave ourselves by our own bad habits and our own proclivity toward habitual sin.
All I could say was "Amen"!
SteveL says:
I do not think you are reading this correctly either:
"the responsibility which those who are scandalized have is that in some way those who are in these circumstances have a psychological need to be scandalized."
It is an allusion to "the pure shall see God" even where the impure see sin.
An appropriate example is Saint Nonos:
Saint Nonos, upon seeing saint Pelagia in her former attire – she was the most famous, scandalous "gorgeous" prostitute in her previous life, before she repented- did not look away, as all his other fellow priests did – in order to not be scandalised- but kept looking at her and his immediate reaction was: "if only I had such zeal to adorn myself in order to by liked by the Lord as this woman has in order to be admired by men"…
Another example is of a remarkably simple and pure monk who went to Athens for a particular assignment after fifty years in the desert of Mount Athos and saw a young couple sitting on a bench kissing (this was in the 60's when that would have been considered particularly scandalous in Greece) and his immediate reaction was: "look at what pure love this brother and sister have, I wish I could be so pure"…
Sounds crazy to our super experienced and accustomed to scandal minds.
I have seen extremely experienced and erudite Fathers who do not have this kind of 'simpleton' reaction and clearly know "what is going on" in such situations, yet still do not see 'scandal'.
Seeing one's own true infirmity is key to that purity which makes one shock-proof and scandal proof.
I have also witnessed many times (and admired deeply) the fabulous ability that holy Elders have to find excuses for the most 'inexcusable' -in our eyes- sins of others… It springs from their deep knowledge of human frailty acquired through true repentance.
It would seem that there are sometimes circumstances in which one can be legitimately scandalized. Part of the reason why liturgical abuse in the Catholic Church got so bad in the Catholic Church is because pious, God-fearing people held their tongues in charity and gave their "progressive" brethren the benefit of the doubt. In many instances, they were rewarded with the wholesale deconstruction of the faith. During the Iconoclastic crisis, surely the orthodox were scandalized to see images of the Lord and His mother and His saints shattered and burnt … ? This does not strike me as wrong, so long as a sense of pious shock and sorrow does not ferment into bitterness and hatred. What say ye?
John Shores:
It would be wrong to define the word "Woe" as a curse of damnation. The English "woe" is the Greek "οὐαί". It is an interjection denoting pain or displeasure. It is an expression of grief or denunciation or a state of intense hardship or distress. Amos 5:16 twice uses this word for emphasis: "There shall be wailing in all streets, And they shall say in all the highways, Alas! Alas!'" Christ is warning his followers that offenses/scandals will happen & to not fall into scandal themselves. Unfortunately, even in the Church scandals do happen.
"But can we find a way to correct the guilty without hating them or clinging to the hurt they have caused?" Most definitely correction is to be done without hating nor clinging to the hurt otherwise it is not correction, but rather vengeance. As Christians I feel that we are obligated to not allow anyone to hurt another &/or to stop harm if at all possible. But we are to do this by humbly remembering that we too have caused scandal/offense to others…in essence, we too are sinners & no better than they.
I do not think that Orthodoxy has a "scale" from "Bummer dude" to "You're going straight to Hell". We are to have remorse for sin & its effects, our own first & foremost & then others. We cannot stop others from sinning, neither against us personally nor against others. What we can control though is its effects upon us & how we react to it. "Hating or clinging to hurt" are choices we make which will only compound the damage far beyond the original offense; this damage we do to ourselves. I have seen people absolutely ruin their own lives by this choice. The alternative to hate & hurt is to choose forgiveness & humility. Christ Himself uttered "Father, forgive them…" as He died.
"More importantly, can we make a distinction between the messenger and the message? If the messenger fails in some way, does that diminish the message of the gospels?" Many feel that Christianity is no better than any other religion because they fail to make this distinction. Many have even rejected all belief in God; IOW they have chosen to take hate & hurt to the extreme. But is this not like throwing the baby out with the dirty bath water? The reality of our sinfulness does not diminish nor lessen the reality of God, therefore no, the perfection of the message of the Gospels is not diminished because of the imperfections of the messenger. Others will always let us down & conversely we will always let others down…everyone is imperfect; only God is perfect.
I particularly like this selection from the Desert Fathers:
"At that time a meeting was held at Sketis about a brother who had sinned. The Fathers spoke, but Abba Pior kept silent. Later, he got up and went out. He took a sack and filled it with sand and carried it on his shoulder; then he put a little sand into a small bag that he carried in front of him. When the Fathers asked him what this meant he said, 'In this sack which contains much sand, are my sins which are many; I have put them behind me so that I might not be troubled about them and so that I might not weep. And behold, here are the little sins of my brother which are in front of me, and I spend my time judging them. This is not right. Rather, I ought to carry my sins in front of me and concern myself with them, begging God to forgive me.' The Fathers stood up and said, 'Verily, this is the way of salvation.'"
Fr. Stephen,
Your example is another of my favorites! Thank you
It is not wrong to give correction, if you can do so without sinning (hard to do). I think this is the very problem of scandal. It puts a person or even an entire church in a damned if you do damned if you don't situation.
I think this is a very important piece; obviously fit for the times, but as you mentioned, the time of scandal has always been here. I'd have to do some research, but I think it would be fair to say that we live in an era when scandal is more publicized that at any point in history (and therefore people feel as if criticizing the Church is more 'legitimate' and 'right' than ever before). Perhaps before the printing press, etc. people were more naive about the sanctity of members in the Church… but then again, as I read local histories I find peasants and townspeople quite aware about the immoral behavior of their local priests/bishops.
I wonder, Father, if these words of Christ was ever brought up when indictments of heresy were made. Through all the schism, heresy, and tragedy of the Church, I'm surprised I don't see this verse brought up and preached more often by the Patristics… Or perhaps I simply haven't found the right texts?
Concerning scandals and their 'exposure' Saint Constantine once said that if I ever see a priest sinning with my very eyes I will simply cover him with my imperial cloak, so as to hide him from others.
Yes, we "Do not put our trust in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation", and if we gaze singularly at our Lord rather than to men we will never be scandalised. We must also never honor what is not good with our attention however.
We can either choose to be like flyes -concentrating on excrement in the middle of a nice garden of flowers- or like bees -concentrating on the beautiful flowers in the middle of a putrid swamp.
I sometimes think it is the Enemy himself who inspires that idea -resplendent in pop culture- that somehow being scandalous and shocking is the best way to market yourself. This is often combined with a dubious kind of beauty and "magnetism".(I am reminded of how some pop singers market themselves) I think this because his classsic technique is to be a cheap copy of Christ, and there is no denying that Christ -the God-Man crucified yet exalted- is the most scandalous and shocking notion that humanity will ever encounter. His however, is a scandal of unsurpassed beauty and magnetism.
I agree there is a cottage industry for those aggrieved by church leaders. However I think there is a specific definition that can be found for spiritual abuse that excludes all those who are never-happy, always-upset-at-someone-or-something that precisely identifies the problem. Unfortunately some of the recent scandals appear to qualify.
I don't think it's all just griping, and I think people find themselves on those sites because they are genuinely hurting and are trying to find a way to stop hurting. I am grateful I have never had to deal with anything like that.
SteveL, I agree with you on that. It seems to me not all "cottage industry" sites are equal either. I have started out reading one thinking it was totally off-base with its "speculation." I still think there is that tendency at times with its moderator and a few commenters, but over time, a lot of the scandalous actions within the institutions of the Church that have come to light have tended to give strong evidence that those "speculations" were, sadly, well-founded.
With regard to the scandals that afflict us, I would much rather be facing them head on and working out my salvation knowing as much of the true context of what we're up against as I can, than be totally in the dark or looking through "rose-tinted glasses" and oblivious to the pain of some of my brethren who suffer more directly from abuses by those in positions of responsibility. To be in the latter position, is at least from my perspective, to risk a kind of insensitivity to others that is at odds with the full expression of God's mercy and love. I would rather be praying and speaking in solidarity with the vulnerable and oppressed as the Lord so often did, even if it takes me well out of my comfort zone and costs me in some way. I'm a long way from being able to discern exactly how to do that. The only way I know at present is to be willing to continue to pray with eyes wide open to the pain that is around me.
That said, this is an excellent and timely post. I especially appreciate the prayers posted at the end.
"The matter of spiritual abuse is rampant – though I think it is most rampant in those places where there is little tradition to guide things, where clergy are the least trained or ill-trained….There is a great crisis in our age, not centered in the Church, but from which the Church is not immune. Nothing, no one, and nowhere seems safe."
Agreed! This is one of the reasons I came to Orthodoxy. The spiritual abuse I saw before was startling & almost drove me away from faith all together. I went a decade without entering a church building. Any clergy/devout believers were viewed with suspicion & shields went up immediately. Conversations with other converts also bear this out. The incidents we discuss are abolutely horrifying. The blindness & excuses are just as horrifying.
You speak of healing & reconstruction, this is a very long & difficult process! It took me years after my Chrismation to truly feel safe once again in the Church. It took wise priests that in humility kept pointing me toward Christ rather than themselves. It took my new Church family accepting my faults, forgiving my errors & trusting me in spite of those faults & errors. All, priests & laity, were quick to ask my forgiveness as well for their faults & erros. It took the reality of the mysteries experienced through the liturgical services, cycles, writings & ascetic practices of the Church. All worked together to exemplify & manifest the reality of the love of God.
Nothing, no one, and nowhere seems safe.
Can you name a time in history when anyone actually was safe? It seems to me that once the RC was established, spiritual abuse was not foreign to its institutions. The protestants are not alone in this regard. I know virtually nothing of Orthodox history but I do know a great deal about human nature and therefore am cautious in presuming that Orthodoxy is a haven of safety either.
I would also argue that it is not merely the loss of family that makes people vulnerable but rather the loss of community. As society has moved to urbanization, that sense of community has been lost. In our schools and in the workplace we are teaching people that vying for attention is the key to success. We see this in churches as well where the most energetic and charismatic end up in positions of leadership. As I heard someone state recently, "there's no correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas."
I think there are a lot of people longing for "community" and so are willing to subject themselves to situations that are unhealthy in exchange for a feeling of belonging. (Wolves enter, stage left.)
I might add that Jesus showed up at a time when the religious establishment was victimizing the people pretty badly as well.
I believe Rhonda's: "wise priests that in humility kept pointing me toward Christ rather than themselves" is the answer to Father Stephen's: "There is a deep need for healing and reconstruction".
I have certainly witnessed this first hand and the key here is "toward Christ".
One's attention to other stuff, whatever that maybe, even 'holy' or 'loving' tasks, is inversely proportional to their attention towards Christ. I stress this point because we have not got the true power to even love others unless it is through Christ. This is one of the most common advise towards all beginners, who, through Grace have come to realise that love is the meaning of existence, yet, have not yet realised how deep our egotism runs and how "selfless" it can appear -cloaked in 'good motives' when not completely and utterly "in Christ" and through the Holy Spirit.
There's a saying that it's all good. But there is no saying that says "take up your wise priests and safe situations and follow me"
Thank you for this blog post and for these prayers you have included at the end! God bless you in all ways and always, Fr. Stephen!
"I might add that Jesus showed up at a time when the religious establishment was victimizing the people pretty badly as well."
The first century, Palestinian Jewish religious establishment gets painted with a pretty broad brush by many folks — most always in the negative. The truth is, many of the pharisees and Sadducees embraced the gospel, as the New Testament makes clear.
PJ – In reading the gospels, Jesus' harshest words are for…? Why is that, do you think? I'll even grant that most of the P&S were probably better people than the sinners who followed Jesus around. What does this tell us?
Thank you for putting these rarely heard truths into words Father!
"There is a grace being poured out on us daily for our salvation that would have raised earlier generations from the dead. It merely keeps us alive. But God's mercy endures forever."
Dino ship said:
"We can either choose to be like flys -concentrating on excrement in the middle of a nice garden of flowers- or like bees -concentrating on the beautiful flowers in the middle of a putrid swamp"
That's great! I'll definitely be using that in the future
Elder Paisios of Mount Athos has said that (many times) and I just repeated ti here…
Fr Stephen
You said: "There is a grace being poured out on us daily for our salvation that would have raised earlier generations from the dead. It merely keeps us alive. But God's mercy endures forever."
Reminded me of something else I read once from a past article here:
"The holy fathers were making predictions about the last generation. They said, "What have we ourselves done?"
One of them, the great Abba Ischyrion replied, "We ourselves have fulfilled the commandments of God."
The others replied, "And those who come after us, what will they do?"
He said, "They will struggle to achieve half our works."
They said, "And to those who come after them, what will happen?"
He said, "The men of that generation will not accomplish any works at all and temptation will come upon them; and those who will be approved in that day will be greater than either us or our fathers."
"In reading the gospels, Jesus' harshest words are for…? Why is that, do you think? I'll even grant that most of the P&S were probably better people than the sinners who followed Jesus around. What does this tell us?"
Jesus certainly reserves harsh words for those who use religion — God's revelation to man — as a cudgel. However, this disposition hardly applied to every priest and pharisee. Many followed Him, and no doubt many who did not follow Him were pious, kindly, honorable men nonetheless.
As to whether or not most priests and pharisees were "better people" than the mass of Christ's followers, I don't know. It seems impossible to know.
fatherstephen – That being the case, do you foresee a trend that could lead back to community? If not, how will that impact the role of the Orthodox church? We have already seen that the Anglicans are quite malleable due to societal influences. Will the continued trend away from community impact the Orthodox church? Do you foresee a time when the Orthodox Church is the one place where the Son of Man will find faith on the Earth, however small its ranks?
Also, what role, do you think, does the Protestant church play in this trending away from tradition and community? Is Protestantism a motive force behind the trend or is it simply a reflection of the trend?
Fr. Stephen,
I have seen your perspective to JS in my profession of criminal justice in which I have worked 17 years now. The counter-culture 60s & 70s in which every establishment, institution & authority was questioned & rebelled against is greatly reflected in our current society & its mindset. Being from the rural midwest this did not affect my growing up (despite having divorced parents) greatly as traditional family values were still stressed until the late 70s. Locally, I noticed great changes in the early 80s. Now, however it is rampant throughout even the once conservative midwest.
Sadly, I have been "in the system" long enough to see children grow up visiting their incarcerated relative(s) & then also become incarcerated as well. When I started corrections in the mid-90s, the emphasis was still on rehabilitation programs, but by the turn of the millenium things had become very punitive with longer sentences & harsher conditions. However, even programs designed by the academic & progressive elite seldom focused on restoring the family unit in the inner city environment. The father/husband in the feminist & social culture was deemed unnecessary to the health & welfare of the family. The father/husband, the traditional money earner & disciplinary figure, was replaced by a welfare check to the female/mother so that she was not to be dependent upon the male. Policing & the justice system focused on incarceration (mostly of men) to such an extreme that America–the land of the free–became the premier incarceration nation of the world. While many like to propose legalizing drugs (thus doing away with incarceration for drug crimes), research has shown that we would still lead the world in incarceration rates. Further even our tax laws, social security & welfare systems discourage marriage. If an unwed pregnant mother, usually quite poor, marries then the amounts of welfare are reduced to a mere fraction of what she would receive unmarried. Our current political administration dubs single people earning less than $200,000 as not having their taxes raised while for married couples the cut-off is $250,000. When my husband & I got married 16 years ago, our taxes went up thanks to the marriage penalty written in the standard deduction regulations. Married couples soon will receive reduced social security benefits far less than 2 unmarried people.
An interesting thing I noted as I did my final masters research project is that academia which once deemed those proposing strengthening of father/mother family units (usually the religious crowd) as uneducated & ignorant for their insistance that men/women are both important to the family are beginning to come around to the idea that adult males are necessary & important to not only the family, but also the community. While their focus had been almost solely on poverty alone as the primary cause of ciminality, they are finally realizing that most (not all) criminals come from dysfunctional poor communities with little/no male influence. Poor communities with families & thus male influence do not experience nearly the crime nor incarceration rates & are around statistical norms found elsewhere. Gee, I guess it's official now, you men are important & necessary–the academic intelligensia so declares
Policing, social programs & judicial systems are beginning to focus on reducing violent crime (i.e. lock up the really mean ones), education & employment skills, juvenile mentoring, parenting skills, rehabilitation & alternatives other than incarceration (transition centers, work-release, supervision, probation for the nonviolent & rehabilitable). Programs are beginning to be developed not only to help impoverished women/mothers, but also impoverished men/fathers.
I wonder though myself, is it too little too late? The failed policies & social ideals are now deeply & intricately ingrained into our culture. We have been 50 years getting ourselves into this mess. Will another 50 years get us out of it? Will 100?
"We read history and think we are like people during other times. We are not. In some cases, even the classical "diagnoses" found in the spiritual fathers for spiritual sickness do not fit us. Our alienation, loneliness, difficulties with all things relational, are much deeper than in earlier times. We are like children who were removed from human society and raised by wolves. Words like "brother," "sister," "mother," "father," etc. no longer mean what they once meant. To have a day in which a mother is going to come to your school for something should not provoke anxiety (for example). But it will for many. We are without tradition, nurtured in the passions by the most massively successful propaganda tools (advertising) ever known."
We live in a culture that slays around a million unborn children every year. We make the Romans look downright compassionate!
Father Stephen,
I am a young mother of four, and a convert to Orthodoxy. My husband, children, and I were received in 2004. We have remained in the church that we were received in, however this church has a long history of scandal. We were not aware of the history when we chose this parish as our home church, and still today we are not privy to all the details. This being said, we are often confused and disillusioned by the politics and dynamics of our church. For us, it feels as if it is one fight after another, and we are very sad. We are young in the faith, and it is difficult to get our bearings in an environment of turmoil. My husband and I disagree to some extent about when it is time to leave a parish. Are there cases where the suffering does more damage than good? I do not feel saintly in this kind of suffering, and I feel that the scandals cause me to sin by judgement and cynicism. I want to remain in God's will and be willing to obey, but sometimes I feel like I am becoming something very ugly as I remain in this kind of environment. At other times I desire to remain faithful and loyal, and I see how God works in all kinds of ways. I know you cannot give me an absolute answer on what we should do, but any insight or stories from the saints would be kind. We are truly laboring with this decision.
My heart goes out to you and I will pray for you! In some ways, it seems, I came into the Church in a similar situation in a parish with many wonderful people, but also some significant dysfunction. Different from you, I was the lone convert in my family. Ultimately, my non-Orthodox husband made the decision for us (though, it was mutual) in consultation with my godmother and her husband that for my own spiritual health's sake and for my family's sake, I needed to find a healthier Orthodox parish. Fortunately, we live in an area where there are many options, and I was able to find a wonderful parish where my whole family felt welcomed. The jurisdiction to which my parish belongs unfortunately, in many ways fits the description you have given of your parish, but my parish and its Priests do not, so it has not affected me in the same way as the dysfunction at my previous parish. May God grant you wisdom.
I do not feel saintly in this kind of suffering
You have just so many breaths and just so many heartbeats. Knowingly submitting to a opprobrious leadership is not healthy. If one starts dating an abusive person, it's always best to break it off ASAP. I tend to see abusive churches in the same light.
No church is going to be perfect, certainly, but when you cannot even get the details, you know the roots are deep and insipid. It is one thing to walk into a church with troubles that are in the open and where there is a mutual goal of reconciliation and something entirely different when you walk into a church where the leadership covers up its sins. Transparency in leadership is essential to good health. Without it, you will always be wondering "what else is going on?".
There will always be 'politics' which on one level is simply folks trying to organize and influence others. There will always be hidden sins. Three things I have found that are deadly spiritually: a spirit of scapegoating; tolerance for gross immorality; heretical preaching.
Scapegoating is the attitude that if we just get rid of so and so everything will be fine. It never is fine and as soon as so and so is gone another so and so takes the scapegoat position only to be driven into the wilderness for the purification of the community. Of the three deadly conditions, this one is almost always fatal becasue it is a complete and utter turning away from Christ and His Church. Once it takes hold in a community, without a miracle of humility, it kills its host(s).
Gross immorality: in our day and age this is almost always sexual in nature whether it is pedophilia, fornication, adultery or homosexuality. Hidden or not, these sins leave a mark on the entire community and cause many to suffer even if they are not participants.
Heretical preaching: the tolerance and promotion of ideas, beliefs and ways of living that are contrary to Holy Tradition. Mostly these days it is the 'acceptance' that homosexuality is just another acceptable sexual expression that is not inherently sinful. Ideally bishops should take care of this in their capacity to 'rightly divide the word of truth', but they don't always do so.
All of these are quite difficult for a single lay person or family to effectively counteract if they have a strong hold on one's parish or jusrisdiction. Unless it is quite clear that you have a specific role that will lead to healing and feel that you have the grace and strength to stand-up for the truth or simply persist without giving-in, it is probably better to depart.
To fight them,even by refusing to participate takes an enormous dedication to prayer, fasting, almsgiving and constant striving for a deep humility that is quite frowned upon in our modern culture.
In you decide to 'fight' the Biblical prescription should be followed: confrontation with the offender in person, in private and solely to bring help, healing and reconcilliation even if it means one's own repentance. If rebuffed-involve others with the same goal in mind (do not yourself fall into a scapegoating mentality) and finally to the Church as a whole.
Do not expect success because even doing as the Bible commands exposes one to possible revenge and abuse even if done properly with great gentleness, deep prayer and awareness and opneness about one's own sins.
All of these conditions are present in the Church at any given time locally or more pervasive. All of them are quite visible in our Church now (regardless of jurisdiction). If your local community and her leaders are not infected, Glory be to God, but realize that you will almost certainly be personally faced with one or more of them during your sojourn on this earth.
As Hamlet said: "If it is now, it is not to come, if it is not to come, it will be now, if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all."
Rarely, however, is the attitude that "This too will pass" sufficient. One has to be activly non-participatory or actively oppositional in a healthy spirit. One cannot serve two masters.
"You have just so many breaths and just so many heartbeats. Knowingly submitting to a opprobrious leadership is not healthy. If one starts dating an abusive person, it's always best to break it off ASAP. I tend to see abusive churches in the same light.
No church is going to be perfect, certainly, but when you cannot even get the details, you know the roots are deep and insipid. It is one thing to walk into a church with troubles that are in the open and where there is a mutual goal of reconciliation and something entirely different when you walk into a church where the leadership covers up its sins. Transparency in leadership is essential to good health. Without it, you will always be wondering "what else is going on?"."
Absolutely right, John.
The concept of the Orthodox church being the one place where faith can be found is interesting to me. I'll have to think more about that.
PJ – I cannot tell you how happy your comment makes me! I so rarely get anything right but for agreement to come from you, well, that's a huge compliment. Thanks so much!!
Leonard, if I may:
The concept of the Orthodox church being the one place where faith can be found is interesting to me.
That's not quite it. Faith is everywhere. Without it, the universe simply could not exist. What we can say is that the Orthodox church is a reliable witness. This is to say very much indeed.
Can anyone please explain to me how to get quotes to show up in a box like several of you are doing? Thanks
Ha! Thank you for asking that Rhonda, I've been wondering myself.
Rhonda – This is used by placing the text between tags called blockquote. The opening tag is <blockquote>. Enter the text you want quoted then close it with </blockquote>.
These tags always come in pairs with the closing tag containing a /. You can use tags for bold text <b>text</b>, italics <i>text</i>, underline <u>text</u> and strikethrough <strike>text</strike> (where the quotes are replaced by brackets)
. Enter the text you want quoted then close it with
Hey, it works! Thanks John
No Problem! You can also create links using <a href="www.someaddress.com">click here</a> but this will cause your post to have to be moderated before showing.
Andrew thanks, I find that there are indeed many reliable witnesses of faith in the Orthodox church. Much to be admired.
Concerning scandals and our reaction to them, I think that it is key to remember that "I am the worst of sinners" at all times. This mindset renders the possibility to be scandalized virtually impossible.
When keeping in mind that -according to the Christ- I am the one who owes the Lord "ten thousand talents", and my brother or sister only owes "ten hundred dinarii", (as in the parable of the unforgiving servant), I can only put myself in the position of magnanimous understanding of absolutely all human sin. I clearly see that it is me who is capable of the most scandalous sin in existence and not the other, all others are somehow excused. This is what cements my unity with the sin bearing crucified yet resurrected Lord …
His existence as Savior explains my existence as the most needy of saving.
dinoship – I think that adopting the attitude of "I am the worst" is extremely unhealthy.
While I agree that an attitude of understanding "he's only human" is all well and good on a personal level, it is not the attitude that one should adopt for someone in a position of leadership or power. After all, Paul did get up in Peter's grill about his hypocrisy.
I think the path of "I'm a wretch therefore…" is one that allows leaders to continue to abuse their people since the people have to then excuse the behavior in the name of Christian charity (at least that is the practical upshot for the weak who do not know how church discipline should run).
I have been made aware before here that the idea of considering oneself "the worst of men" comes across as scandalous in a very similar manner to "loving one's own enemies".
I do not think that I can convince someone that this is the path to true freedom, as I haven't first-hand experience, but have only (second hand) witnessed it.
Paradoxically, such humility provides the person who possesses it with an inner dignity which makes him utterly unbeatable -no matter what the abuse- as in the example of the heroic and truly unbeatable martyrs.
Embracing this "keeping one's mind in hell yet despairing not" (as was revealed to Saint Silouan by the Living Christ Himself) is in fact the only necessary and 'healthy' prerequisite in order to discerningly correct the abuser ("get up on the abuser's grill") and be actually heard…
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst. I think adopting the attitude of not being the worst is extremely unhealthy because it means that you know of people who are worse than. For example this publican here!
I agree with Leonard. Assuming any stance other an being the chiefest of sinners (St. Paul's words in 1 Tim 1:15) only indicates pride rather than humility we are exhorted to cultivate. I work security in a prison. I have seen staff explain how they are better than the inmates because they haven't hurt anyone, drug dealers declare how they are not as bad as murderers because they never killed anyone. The murderers are better than the pedophiles because they never mollested children. The rapists declare…you get the point.
I think the path of "I'm a wretch therefore…" is one that allows leaders to continue to abuse their people since the people have to then excuse the behavior in the name of Christian charity…
NO! This definitely is not a valid (nor even logical) extension of the attitudes of humility & nonjudgementalism of which we speak, nor can this in any way be classified as "Christian charity"–EGADS! Knowlingly allowing another to continue to sin is to condone that sin…this is considered to be a sin in & of itself, at least it is in Orthodoxy. We are not proposing an attitude of indulgence or passivity that allows abuse to continue. "Christian charity" extends to ALL–abused & abuser.
An axiomatic prerequisite in order to understand Orthodox Heychastic (as opposed to Western activistic) humble and discerning reaction to scandal and violence and persecution and abuse is belief that God is at the wheel – he somehow wins even when St. Igantius, for instance, is eaten by the lions.
Leonard's point concerning the non-adoption of the belief that "I am the chief of sinners" likening me to the publican is also particularly germane here…
True humility and love of enemies is the core of what attracts and retains God's grace to one's heart and soul and mind and body.
Without it we are in the dark, no matter how robust our arguments to the contrary appear.
The bedrock of the Gospel -the Cross- is what this notion (being discussed here) is all about!
Just as soon as you liken yourself to the publican you can be sure you're the pharasee! Perhaps one of the positive effects of fasting and giving alms is that it allows one to see what a monster he or she is! The idea that I can think real hard and convince myself that I am the greatest of sinners is doomed to failure. Perhaps the prayer, Lord Jesus Christ help me to know my sins and to repent of them, would be useful
A few weeks ago, my spiritual father told me that seeing myself as the worst sinner is truly a way to acquire humility, but one that is very advanced because it is so easy to slip into despair. He also gave this prescription, that I would give thanks for everything realizing that I do not deserve anything on my own merit. I have nothing without God. In cases of church scandal it is difficult to give thanks, to celebrate Eucharist in the midst of turmoil and strife. And the kind of turmoil I am talking about is the kind that is inside of me as well as the church. I am full of contradiction, but sometimes I think this is the only place where humility can exist, in a heart that is conflicted and uncertain of its own rightness. If I make a decision because I believe I am right, I know that I lose something very precious. However, in some cases the turmoil inside of me pushes me to make a decision to leave, to disconnect, to ultimately say, I do not agree. It is such a hard road out here, being a Christian. Thank you for this post and the comments that encourage and challenge.
Sorry! I was meant to say "Leonard's point concerning the non-adoption of the belief that "I am the chief of sinners" likening me to the Pharisee is also particularly germane"
Seeing oneself as the worst of sinners, the only one who pollutes God's creation, comes naturally after encountering one's weakness and wickednessin comparison to God's goodness and selflessness.
This comparison is key here. It is a state of no distraction from my relationship with God… It is not really sad, but rather deeply joyful.
Giving thanks for everything is tightly intertwined with this state of contrition which is sort of like a "sadness" which is mainly joyful and full of hope ("χαρμολύπη"). Despairing of oneself here is not the evil despair of the devil but rather a TOTAL hope in God. My hope and trust in Him has never reached this totality before reaching this "blessed and healthy despair" (not of God I repeat but of myself)
dinoship – Your description is how I see the saints….a saint does not compare himself/herself to others but to Christ alone. In this they find true humility, joy, and hope. A sadness that is mainly hopeful is an amazing other worldly gift, one that I think is the perfect description of humility. I have not reached the "blessed and healthy despair" that you describe, although I find glimpses of it in the saints.
Original Greek word used by the Fathers is "χαρμολύπη" – translates as "joyful-sorrow" (the key word being "joyous")
Paul specifically says to "Give thanks IN all circumstances…". But I often hear people talk about giving thanks 'for' all things. Is there is difference between giving thanks 'for' vs giving thanks 'in' all circumstances? I haven't really heard much yet in regards to Orthodoxy's understanding of God's sovereignty in the events of our lives. In broader Christendom I've heard all ranges of the spectrum from thanking God for the evil that happens in our lives, to refusal to just accept it all and rebuking the devil.
By the same token, I don't think it is necessarily humility that creates silence in the face of bad behavior.
"There is a grace being poured out on us daily for our salvation that would have raised earlier generations from the dead. It merely keeps us alive. But God's mercy endures forever."
Elder Paisios the Athonite used to say this many times in his typical quirky style…
"The Good God protects and blesses the world today, with both hands, previously only one. Where would the World be if He did not?"
"Today, man lives through many dangers, God safeguards him secretly like a mother a toddler, when it starts to walk. We do not understand any of it but, now our Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Saints,help all of us more than ever"
I know I'm coming late to the party, but I'd like to comment on a couple stories way back up at the top. Namely, the hermit sitting on the cistern in order to hide the one brother's mistress.
Someone else commented that this kind of averting one's eyes is what allowed the Catholic church to slip so deeply into scandal. Just keep thinking the best of your clergy and everyone else, with the idea that the one sinning will be so in awe of your example of mercy that they will repent and change their ways…..only, that doesn't always work.
Fr. Stephen then commented on how hard it was to correct someone – without sinning yourself. I think all this is a topic worth addressing. If nothing else I would like to do so briefly here. May God give me the right words…
In dealing with someone in sin, the key is to love them so much that you won't allow them to continue. So before you're aware of their sin, think no evil.
But when something comes to light, discernment is needed. Too often we look on the outside of a person: "How would I act if they had done that to me?" or "What would a just punishment be?" Even with all the talk about mercy, we seem unable to do anything but judge them, measure them & serve them up on the scales of justice – with our only idea of mercy being to politely ignore the evil they've done.
Only when the inside of the sinner is focused on can we begin to see how to treat them. If our brother or sister were sitting there picking holes into their skin, would we not run up and plead with them to stop, holding their hands and having tears running down our face because of the pain we feel for them?
And yet we often either cannot or will not see the children of God around us in this light (including ourselves) and thus find it very difficult to know how to deal with them.
This is sad, because they do need to be dealt with. Lord have mercy, they need to be dealt with before they harm themselves and others even further. May we come to see everyone through God's eyes.
Fr. Stephen,
I totally agree with you and the difference between saving a person and saving an institution. However I would add that covering a person for a sin or omission is different than making a lifelong habit of covering for an alcoholic or a perpetual thief. These perpetual sins speak of sickness and need exposure (in love) so that they can begin to be made well.
I know we are on the same page but I just wanted to be clear. I'm not about pointing out everyone's every fault, but with discernment one must decide when a) a sin has become more than just a one-time slip and b) bringing the sin to light (for the sake of healing) is more healthy for the brother's salvation than to let it go.
I also believe that the WAY the matter is brought to light is crucial and needs prayer and discernment, but I'm more used to being around people who would rather not rock the boat and therefore use "grace" as a convenient excuse for not doing so. Discernment in all things, I guess.


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I have to make an iOS app which plays a live video stream from a camera. I know that the iPhone only supports Live HTTP stream, but unfortunately it comes with a delay of about 6-10 seconds, which is far from my needs - I need a real time view. MJPEG stream is also not an option, because it generates a huge traffic. So what remains is an RTMP stream, but iOS cannot play it natively :(( I've heard of rtmpdump for iPhone, but I couldn't get it working. Has anyone succeeded in playing RTMP video on iOS? Any suggestions on how to do it are greatly appreciated!
I'm pretty sure mediastreamsegmenter can be set up for slightly lower latencies (perhaps as low as 3 seconds).
Any other solution would need an advanced-ish transport, demux and video codec, that can handle RTP-over-HTTP and something at least equal to MPEG-2 video in compression efficiency. Those things are hard to come by for free (I know of only GPL-encumbered ones).
And even those would have latencies of at least 1 second as far as I can tell.
The closest thing is iPhone RTMP Library at : http://www.aftek.com/afteklab/aftek-iphone-RTMP-library.shtml but it wont support video publishing yet.
Consider creating your iOS app using Adobe Air, which supports RTMP as regular web based flash does.
EDIT: But only if your videos are under 10mins and under 5MB (see 'Requirements for Apps' section):
You could try the cine.io iOS SDK? It's the fastest, easiest, and most cost-effective way to stream to an RTMP server from an iOS device, hands-down.
It's built on top of the excellent, open-source VideoCore library.
I've successfully used rtmpdump for streaming on iOS. You would have to implement the audio/video message decode as the code does not provide that. Also AMF3 is not fully implemented so you might have to deal with that too. For the most part it's just the rtmp.c file. The handleInvoke and handleCtrl methods is where the action is, along with the method that handles the packet (forgot which it is).
ffengine player sdk can help you to play flv videos from crtmpserver.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Comments on: NLRB suffers latest recess appointment-related setback Back to the article » By Sean Higgins | August 21, 2013 | 12:00 am Federal Judge Benjamin Settle ruled on Aug. 13, that National Labor Relations Board general counsel Lafe Solomon was unconstitutionally appointed to his position. It was the latest example of the judicial branch pushing back against President Obama's use of recess appointments to bypass the Senate confirmation process. Settle ruled that the NLRB lacked the standing to charge a Washington state... Web URL: http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2534541 Share this article on Facebook or Twitter Print this article


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Great Exuma Cottage Rentals with Outdoor Grill(14)
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Perfect in every way!
Just returned home from a short week in the Exumas at the cottage at Casa de Agua. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful beachfront home at February Point. Juan was extremely easy to communicate with and very accommodating. Evvy was awesome and took very good care of us. We rented a boat from Minn's for two days and were able to pull right up to the beach in front of the house, load up and head out. The A/C worked great and the cottage was extremely clean. We'll definitely be back with a larger group to stay at the main house. Best location and just awesome in every way. Thanks again Evvy and Juan!
Very nice and quiet place to stay.
From the start the place was beyond our expectations. The owners of this vacation home took us on a tour of the beautiful Exuma Island. Spouse and I had a great time, and when we go back my spouse and I will use the same vacation house again.
Casuarina House was a absolute jewel.
The home was very comfortable, clean and provided us with every thing we needed for a wonderful stay. The beach is incredible, pristine and clean and we had it totally to ourselves. We found the locals to be very friendly and helpful. Santana's is a must for the most heavenly lobster dinner and visit Mama's bakery next door for wonderful bakery goods. Rent a car and explore all the lovely beaches and a day on Stocking Island is a must. We will be returning to enjoy this Island paradise again. Marti & Jack Sturgis, Michigan


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There's more trouble for two DPS troopers who stopped and searched a woman and her niece on a Dallas-area highway last summer. They've been indicted.
When David Farrell thought he smelled marijuana in the car he had pulled over last July 31st, he called in fellow State Trooper Kelley Helleson to do a body cavity search of the two women inside. Dashcam video shows Helleson feeling the women's breasts and reaching down their pants. One of the women complained on the tape. Both troopers were suspended. Now trooper Helleson has been indicted on official oppression and sexual assault. Both are facing lawsuits filed by the two women.
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Transboundary wetlands in the Polesie region -- Belarus, Poland, Ukraine
On 22-24 May 2002, about 140 specialists from Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and other countries, including representatives of several international organisations and conservation NGOs, gathered in Minsk, the capital of the Republic of Belarus, for the second international conference on the ecology and conservation of floodplains and lowland mires in the Polesie region, exactly five years after the first conference on this topic in May 1997. The Polesie region is shared among Belarus, Poland, and Ukraine - the Pripyat river forms its central artery, flowing eastwards to enter the Dniepr soon after crossing the Ukrainian border near ill-starred Tchernobyl. While more than one million hectares of the Polesie area were drained between 1966 and 1990, large parts of the Pripyat floodplain are still exposed to the natural flooding regime. This created habitats such as alluvial oak forests, wet meadows and lowland fen mires. The land is used for hay making, pasture and fishing and is extremely rich in biodiversity. The floodplains of the Pripyat and its tributaries hold the largest part of the remaining population of the aquatic warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola), a small, globally threatened, wetland songbird. To illustrate the extent and importance of the Pripyat floodplain, it can be safely said that it comes second in Europe only to wetland areas such as the Danube Delta or the Waddensea.
In 1995, a first Belarus-German ornithological expedition explored the vast floodplain, most parts of which are only accessible by helicopter during flood events, and put the Pripyat on the conservation map. APB-BirdLife Belarus (created in 1998) joined up with specialists of the National Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus. They have since been supported by RSPB, the BirdLife partner in the UK, and the United Nations office in Belarus. The UK Darwin Initiative for the Survival of Species and the Michael Otto Foundation for Environmental Protection (Germany) provided financial support to prepare, amongst other activities, management plans for three fen mires that are now ready for implementation.
Belarus joined the Ramsar Convention in 1999 and has since declared three Ramsar Sites: the Sporovo fen mire in the Yaselda floodplain (a tributary to Pripyat), the Olmany mires, and the Mid-Pripyat landscape protected area, covering together over 200,000 ha. In his opening statement, First Deputy Minister Vasily Podolyako announced that another three wetland sites are ready for Ramsar designation in 2002. With the help of OMPO, the Paris-based NGO supporting conservation projects along the migratory bird flyways in the Western Palearctic and West Africa, the Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Sciences identified yet another 15 potential Ramsar Sites in Belarus. One of them is Kotra mire, adjacent to the Lithuanian Ramsar Site Cepkeliai mire. Together with other transboundary wetland areas in Belarus, Lithuania and Kaliningrad (Russian Federation), these sites are currently benefiting from a Ramsar Small Grants Fund project, managed by the OMPO office in Vilnius, to prepare for efficient transboundary management.
During the conference, several UNDP-GEF projects were presented as well. First, the project to conserve the globally significant biodiversity in the Pripyat floodplain through wetland management and protection of key sites, as a follow-up to the current Darwin Initiative project. Then, the project for the ecological rehabilitation of the Dnipro/Dniepr basin, linking conservation actions with hydrological rehabilitation and extending the local approach in the Pripyat floodplain to the wider Polesie region. UNESCO's Man and Biosphere programme is developing a transboundary eastern European model of a regional ecological network for the trilateral Polesie region, in view of its integration into the Pan-European Ecological Network. The GEF projet for the conservation, restoration and wise use of degraded peatlands in Belarus addresses yet another important issue, namely, Belarus's vast area of peatlands - exploited, degraded or still nearly pristine. Professor Michael Succow, of Greifswald University (Germany), made a thought-provoking reflection on the global importance of mire conservation. He presented ideas for sustainable use of mires that should replace current damaging drainage and exploitation schemes. Alder trees (Alnus), reed (Phragmites, Typha, Schoenoplectus) and grasses (Glyceria, Phalaris), growing on restored mires, can provide sustainable resources (3-25 t/ha) for furniture, fuel, insulation, and livestock grazing. Advanced peatbog restoration techniques allow now regular yields of white peat (Sphagnum mosses) that can be sustained. Experiments are being conducted to these ends in eastern Germany on an area of 150,000 ha.
A highlight of the conference was the launch of the book "Treasures of Belarusian Nature" presenting with clear text (in English and Belarusian) conservation data and numerous brilliant photographs of 24 areas of international significance for the conservation of biological diversity in Belarus (obtainable from APB-BirdLife Belarus, firstname.lastname@example.com). Another highlight was the first showing of the nature film "Pripyat - the Radiant River" by Professor Mathias Freude from Germany. After adopting a resolution and a seven point action programme for the conservation of the Polesie floodplains and fen mires and the closing banquet, on 25 May, the conference participants traveled south to visit the Mid-Pripyat Ramsar Site during a 5-hour boat trip on the meandering river between Turov and Mokrovo with a few stopovers in the extensive grazing meadows. Despite a looming thunderstorm, exciting the numerous mosquitos and midges under the heavy sky, the participants were happy to grasp at least a small glimpse of the impressive landscape. The partners in wetland conservation in the Polesie region, from Belarus and abroad, are to be congratulated for their impressive achievements in little time, their efficient cooperation, and the organization of this perfect meeting.
-- reported by Tobias Salathé, Ramsar Bureau
Minsk town: View of an old part along the shores of Svisloch river in the centre of Minsk, the 2-million capital of the Republic of Belarus.
Pripyat and flag: View over the river in the Mid-Pripyat Ramsar Site.
Pripyat anglers: Leisure angling along the Pripyat shore has become a popular passtime for Belarus citizen, locals and those coming from more distant cities.
Pripyat experts: Neil Buhne (UN resident coordinator in Belarus), German interpreter, Dr Norbert Schäffer (RSPB), Dr Martin Flade (Michael Otto Foundation) and Dr Alexander Kozulin (Academy of Sciences and APB) discuss wetland management in the Pripyat reserve (from left to right).
Dr Michael Otto (Michael Otto Foundation), Prof. Michael Succow (Greifswald University), Dr Johannes Merck (Michael Otto Foundation) and Dr Martin Flade (with binoculars) in the Pripyat floodplain meadows (from left to right).
Pripyat sandbank: Natural river shores with shallow areas, sand banks and willow shrubs, providing dynamic habitats for many species of fish and birds.
Pripyat floodplain with oak forests and wet meadows.
Pripyat floodplain


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Jan 4
on becoming my mother:
- re-using ziplock baggies
- keeping the crumbly parts of cereal and toting it around in my bag for two days. just so i could pour it on my yogurt.
- saving envelopes for their return address labels and then gluing them (yes, with a gluestick) into my daily planner's address book section. in alphabetical order.
- keeping a calendar (or several of them) with notations ranging from the sentimental to mundane.
- taking the mini toiletries home from hotels and stashing them in my drug cabinet. hey, now! don't pretend you haven't stayed at the palace flophouse and grill and not been handsomely rewarded with your own set of towels, mini shampoo and soap. if i really like you? a shower cap.
- organizing my bookshelf by color
- re-organizing bookshelf by alphabetical order
- changing said bookshelf back. the same day.
- insisting that you take a granola bar for the road. or a banana. no seriously! i insist. take the granola bar!
- repeating i love you and goodbye at the end of a telephone conversation for about 5 minutes until the conversation finally ends.
- firmly believing in the importance of handwritten notes. on scraps. on a paper towel. whatever. then stashing it inside your packed lunch or book.
- rambling voicemails


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Sunday Service 7/21/2013
Sunday Service 7/14/2013
Ice Cream Sunday 7/7/2013
Sunday Service 6/30/2013
Sunday Service 6/23/2013
Father's Day Service 6/16/2013
Sunday Service 6/9/2013
Rockin' out on Ice Cream Sunday 6/2/2013
Sunday 5/26/2013
Pentecost, Military Appreciation Day, Kite Flying and Flaming Boots Sunday 5/19/2013
Sunday Service 5/12/2013
Ice Cream Sunday Service 5/5/2013
Sunday Service 4/28/2013
Sunday Service 4/21/2013
St Nick's at Relay For Life 4/19/2013
Happy Easter! 3/31/2013
Sunday Service 3/17/2013
Let The River Flood Sunday 3/10/2013
Ice Cream Sunday Service 3/3/2013
Sunday Service 2/24/2013
Sunday Service 2/17/2013
Sunday Service 2/10/2013
Ice Cream Sunday & Blessing of St Nicholas' Icon 2/3/2013
Sunday Service & Annual Meeting 1/27/2013
Sunday Service 1/20/2013
Sunday Service 1/13/2013
Epiphany & Ice Cream Sunday Service 1/6/2013
our host
ervice &
otluck 5/10/2009
Potluck brunch after the 10:00 AM service.
Father Dan was our supply clergy today and delivered a dynamic sermon.
Father Dan gesturing as he preaches.
Father Dan during a quieter moment of his sermon.
Worship leader Peter leading the prayers during the service.
Malcom, Rose and a visitor listening to the sermon.
Mothers and others of all generations make St Nick's Episcopal Church what it is.
Daddy Kelly with daughters Ashley and Christine occupying his lap during the 10:00 AM service.
Ashley beginning some artwork on Kelly's neck.
Aileen and grandaughter.
members and sisters Makamae and Puulei during the service.
Juanita and
member Nicole.
Kaile and little girl.
member Mike, Kaile and little girl.
Members of the congregation during the prayers - Nena, Sandra, Madison, John, Kayla and her mother Liz.
Leadership team member Luella doing the announcements.
Mother Deidre, in her secret identity as In the Nick of Time singer and violinist.
A mother and daughter moment over a flower at the potluck table, while Puulei, Makamae, Kelly, Jeff and others smile.
Madison, flamenco dancer extraordinaire
Makamae and Puulei's mother Cheryl
Juanita and Luella in line for potluck.
Juanita scooping chow mein.
Grapes were popular at the potluck.
Nena in Nigerian finery.
Mothers Maile and Deidre laughing in the potluck line.
Maile laughing with her son.
Madison and Sandra experimenting with their food.
Ashley taking a quiet break at a table.
Church members enjoying each other's presence - Nicole, Jeff, Mike, Peter, Juanita and Deidre.
Nicole and Jeff checking out an iPhone photo.
People of all ages, genders and ancestries eating together on the courtyard.
Colin, Alice and Madison coming off the playground.
"While I'm not a mom, I AM the reason my mom is a mom. So there!"
A swing around the blue spiral is always a good thing.


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Home | Meetings & Events | PLAN Jeffco Events
PLAN Jeffco Events
PLAN Jeffco continues to provide an important citizen education function through its annual meetings and citizen workshops.
Hear Ian Billick speak on
"Science and Land Conservation: Building a Better Tomorrow"
at the
PLAN Jeffco Annual Dinner with the
Wild about Nature:
Celebrating 42 Years of
Open Space
Thursday, 5:30 pm to Midnight
May 8th, 2014
Price: $40
The Vista at Applewood Golf Course
14001 West 32nd Ave Golden, Colorado 80401
Ian Billick, PhD
Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Crested Butte and Gothic
�Science and Land Conservation: Building a Better Tomorrow�
Dr. Billick first started attending the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in 1988 as a student. He conducted his graduate work on ants in Virginia Basin, above Gothic, eventually receiving his PhD from the University of California, San Diego in 1997. He held positions at the University of Houston and Truman State University before becoming the Executive Director of the RMBL in 2000. He lives in Crested Butte South with his wife, Dr. Jennifer Reithel, and his two sons, Cormac and Giles. He mountain bikes and loves skiing with his sons. He is quite interested in the interface between science and policy.
The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory was founded in 1928, to provide a living laboratory for field and research scientists in the abandoned mining town of Gothic. Since that date, thousands of students and scientists have studied and documented the ecosystems around Gothic, in the process making RMBL an internationally renowned center for scientific research and education.
5:30 � 6:30 PM, One hour cocktail & hor d�oeuvres reception:
- Vegetable Spring Roll with White Soy Avocado Puree
- Slow Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta
Dinner Service:
- Salad of Mixed Greens, Macerated Strawberries, French Feta, Roasted Almonds, White Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Assorted Rolls and Butter
Buffet & Carving Station:
- Roasted Turkey Breast, Whole Grain Mustard, Mayonnaise & Cranberry Aioli
- Ancho Rubbed Skirt Steak, Salsa Verde & Cilantro Lime Aioli
- Cr�me Fraiche Whipped Potatoes
- French Beans with Slow Roasted Tomatoes
- Tiramisu
- Coffee and Tea Service
Date updated: March 8, 2014
Date posted: January 1, 2014
JOIN the PLAN Jeffco Email List to receive announcements about
PLAN Jeffco and Open Space News & Events:
Yes, add me to the PLAN Jeffco Email List
Privacy Policy »


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Living in Paris : Fall in love with Mojo Kitchenbar!
Last week I heard about a new canteen in the neighborhood of Paris Opera. It name : Mojo Kitchenbar. A luxury fast food where you can enjoy soups, salads and sandwiches (that does not mean that the leaf of salad is at 50 €, just that the products are hight quality and that the chairs are not in plastic) Before to go, I had a look on the Mojo Kitchenbar website, and this is where I fell in love! The place is just beautiful ! It was designated by Dorothy Méilichzon (founder of Chzon Design), and let me tell you that the decor is awesome. I want to make this place my home! I want to wrap myself in the wallpaper, put a mattress against the wall and end my days here between a piece of baguette and a slice of smoked haddock…
Mojo Kitchenbar, THE experience:
The concept : canteen at lunch and wine bar in the evening. Here we campaigning for the slow food. For lunch you have choice between differents menus : soup, sandwich & salad. In the evening you can eat various plates of meat, french cheese, smoked fish. Throughout the day you can drink wine, good one, coming directly from the cellars of growers owners. The place is charming, a bit trendy, and there is something for all tastes.
The decor : vintage and cozy, everything I like ! Bright and relaxing colors, comfortable chairs, tables with mirrors to check if you do not have piece of parsley stucks between your teeth … it's sublime! The atmosphere is pleasant and invites to conviviality. It is a bit chic, but it is in the Opera district and there is Deutz champagne on the menu !
Menu : original (even if it is basic) and quality. Suppliers have been carefully selected. The bread comes from Jean Noel Julien, the cheese from la Crémerie Parisienne, the dessert from Regis, and the rest from small local producers. We especially like the "Mojonades" homemade sauces prepared by the owner : Olivia Lafon. Among other delights, you can find : basil, truffle oil, rosemary, honey, shallot, lime, etc..
- The quality and freshness of the products. It's really good.
- The interior. It's really beautiful.
Prices : reasonables. Salad : 8.60.€ Sandwich from 5€. Menu small soup + sandwich + drink from 11€. Menu small soup + salad + drink 12.20€. Plates from the evening between 7€ and 16€. Glass of wine from 3,50€.
Mojo Kitchenbar
23 rue Louis le Grand – 75002 Paris
01 42 65 06 15
Monday &Tuesday : 12am -3pm. Wednesday to Friday : 12am-15pm / 7pm-12pm
Close on the weekend
Plus d'infos : http://www.mojokitchen.fr


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You must earn 10,000 points to post other members' whiteboard
Congratulations on Earning 2.5 MM points, enjoy your nice red 10 wheeler. Very Few buddies ever reach that mark,. that is dedication. Wishing you the best in all that you do. Lets be buddies. Shep
Welcome to the Elite club...ALL TIME POINTS LEADER BOARD... GREAT JOB!!!... CONGRATS, I am trying to get there... Your NEWEST GB...AL
What company @ USNA? I was 19th ('60).
Congratulations on reaching 2,000,000 points! Outstanding job!_____And THANK YOU for your service! US Navy 1967-1973.
Please come over and join many of the other GB vets at Military Daily Roll Call: http://www.floridastategasprices.com/Forum_MSG.aspx?master=&category=1235&topic=507138
and thank you for your service to our country! Thanks! Ron
A BIG CONGRATS on reaching that 2M mark and your nice new ride! Truly awesome! You're one of only 2,294 of more than 8,000,000 GBs that have accumulated at least 2,000,000 points! Keep going another million or more! Most GBs will never make it to 1M, but you have made it to 2M! Many of the GBs ahead of you have already retired, only 1,720 GBs have made it to 2.25M, and only 1193 have made it to 2.5M! Don't give up now, like so many of the GBs that reached 1M and 2M then retired! Keep going like a PRO Florida GasBuddy! Have a nice week! Thanks! Ron
Hi, congratulations on having the perseverance to post for 200 consecutive days. WOW!! Keep up the great work and Good Luck in the future! Happy New Year wishes for you and yours! Want to become buddies??? Warren :-)
Congratulations, you are #12 on the "30 Day Points Leaders" list. Merry Christmas!! Want to become buddies??? Warren. :-)
Not a problem! What company USNA? I was '60, 19th. Flew A-1's, A-7's.
On Friday 7/13/12, ImCheapinNJ reported on CobraLeader's Whiteboard, that CobraLeader passed away on 12/11/10! I know it's been a long time since anyone has heard from CobraLeader, many GBs have been wondering what had happened to CobraLeader! :( He heard CL had more than 5,000 buddies on his buddy list and many more GBs knew of his presence here in GasBuddyland! We'll miss our buddy CobraLeader, but he'll always have GasBuddies that will remember him for being here! May CL R.I.P. : )


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Update: It's a great time, I should say it's one of the best period of 2009, so many great songs have been released in past month, really am enjoying them a lot. When Love Aaj Kal released it rocked, and I truly did not expect that Kaminey is going to beat Twist, but hey Dhan Te Nan is phenomenal:). Hope the movies also rock and turn to be one of the greatest hits of 2009.
Right Click a song and choose 'Save Target As'. Enjoy!
- Dhan Te Nan - Sukhwinder Singh, Vishal Dadlani, Robert Bob Omulo
- Fatak - Sukhwinder Singh, Kailash Kher
- Kaminey - Vishal Bhardwaj
- Pehli Baar Mohabbat - Mohit Chauhan
- Dhan Te Nan (Remix) - Sukhwinder Singh,Vishal Dadlani,Robert Bob Omulo
- Raat Ke Dhai Baje - Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Rekha Bhardwaj, Suresh Wadkar, Earl
- Raat Ke Dhai Baje (Remix) - Suresh Wadkar, Rekha Bhardwaj, Sunidhi Chauhan, Kunal Ganjawala, Earl
- Go Charlie Go - Theme Music


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1 TWEETS Techmeme: Study: Apple iPad Accounts for 94.64% of all Tablet Web Traffic (Chitika Insights)
The web's technology news site of record, Techmeme spotlights the moment's hottest tech stories on a single page."> 2 years ago
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At this moment, the must-read stories in the popular links are scattered across millions of news sites and blogs. That's far too much for any reader to follow.
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2013 'Ocian In View'
The galvanizing discovery, during the last decade, that the famous Lewis & Clark Expedition had reached the end of their 4000-plus mile journey to the Pacific Ocean on Washington's Long Beach Peninsula took historians by storm.
In 2000, Pacific County Friends of Lewis & Clark began sponsoring an annual series of public lectures and tours to offer the local community and visitors an opportunity to interact with noted historians and speakers on topics related to the Corps of Discovery and its legacies. The Museum took over programming in 2007 and continues to present programs related to the rich history of the region.
2013 programs include:
Friday November 8th 2013 at 6pm - Free Lecture. Scott Tucker, Superintendent, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park will present a lecture entitled Lewis and Clark, Beyond the Bicentennial: Looking for the next generation of storytellers.
Tucker, 39, grew up visiting national parks with his parents and said in a recent interview with the Longview Daily News "a trip during his junior year in college to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado convinced him to change his major from teaching to social science. I decided I wanted to teach in the parks," he said.
"His first job was at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Skagway, Alaska, and Tucker said he knew then he wanted to work at smaller, community-based parks rather than the large tourist meccas like Yellowstone or Yosemite. He said he likes the connections smaller parks can make with the surrounding community. After Alaska he worked at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian and later at the White House."
Saturday November 9th 2013 at 9am - Bus Tour. Join Jim Sayce, Washington State Historical Society's manager for local projects and Scott Tucker, Superintendent of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park as we follow the footsteps of Lewis and Clark along the Washington coast. We'll visit the "real" Dismal Nitch, see the Pacific Northwest Living Historian Interpreters at the Knappton Cove Heritage Center, stop at the Dismal Nitch rest area to hear about its upcoming renovations and finish up at Middle Village/Station Camp the newest unit of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park. $20, advanced reservations are required.
Saturday November 9th 2013 from 4pm to 7pm - Chinook Tribe Salmon Dinner. The Chinook Tribe will host their Annual Salmon Dinner at the Museum. The dinner will include regional seafood, salad, Indian fry bread, dessert and beverages. Cost is $15 per person, seniors (55 and over) $13, children under 12 $5. No reservations are required.
On view in the Special Exhibition Gallery - "Charles Fitzpatrick: Pen & Photo". Featuring over 300 images of the region taken between 1927 and 1963 as well as Fitzpatrick's ink drawings depicting historic events and landscapes.


text: Your wedding is the one day you have to show your loved ones what is important to you: how you will start your marriage, what you value what you do and how you like to celebrate with your closest of your community. I encourage couples to break the mold of wedding traditions & norms by allowing your wedding to reflect who you are & what you love. Whether that be in the dress you are wearing, the centerpieces you use or the mountaintop you want photos upon, make sure your wedding is uniquely you. CarolineRo is ready to galavant and adventure near and far to create images that tell your story.


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4 Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume
Insulet ( PODD) is a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets an innovative, discreet and easy-to-use insulin infusion system for people with insulin-dependent diabetes. This stock closed up 6.6% at $37.69 in Wednesday's trading session.
Wednesday's Volume: 1.06 million
Three-Month Average Volume: 357,791
Volume % Change: 185%
From a technical perspective, PODD spiked sharply higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $35.02 with above-average volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last six months, with shares soaring higher from its low of $23.50 to its recent high of $38.27. During that uptrend, shares of PODD have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of PODD within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if PODD manages to take out Wednesday's high of $37.85 to its 52-week high at $38.27 with high volume.
Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PODD as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $35.02 or above more near-term support at $34.39 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 357,791 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then PODD will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $43 to $45.AngioDynamics AngioDynamics ( ANGO) provides medical devices used in minimally invasive, image-guided procedures to treat peripheral vascular disease, and local oncology therapy options for treating cancer. This stock closed up 3.4% at $14.96 in Wednesday's trading session. Wednesday's Volume: 429,000
Three-Month Average Volume: 118,626
Volume % Change: 232% From a technical perspective, ANGO trended higher here with above-average volume. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last month and change, with shares exploding higher from its low of $10.84 to its recent high of $15.15. During that uptrend, shares of ANGO have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of ANGO within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if ANGO manages to take out Wednesday's high of $15.02 and then its 52-week high at $15.15 with high volume.
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New VA Reform Bill Is a Stopgap, Not a SolutionTuesday, July 29, 2014
By Jesse Sloman
This commentary comes courtesy of Marine Corps veteran and CFR research associate Jesse Sloman. He argues that while the recently unveiled $15 billion dollar Millers-Sanders VA healthcare bill is a step in the right direction, it fails to address deep and systemic problems within the veteran care system. A lasting solution must also confront looming demographic challenges that threaten to upend the whole institution. This, in turn, will require both creativity and political bravery.


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Company Introduction
Arch Foods is a global company bringing quality dried fruit to food ingredient and snack market. Specializing in very good quality and clean raisins and puree, our Goldenvale raisins products are the choice of pastry bakery chef, bikers, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts everywhere.
Arch Foods has developed a global operations infrastructure with extensive marketing and distribution channel relationships. Arch Foods' products are sold to consumer users worldwide, primarily through leading distributors and retailers.
Our Belief
Food is an integral part of culture that brings joy to family and it promotes harmony, cultural understanding among people.
We commit to these values to guide our decisions and our behaviors:
To be the leading provider of quality food source by every measurement.
Distribute quality food that make business partners more profitable and maximize investors value.
Guiding Principle
Arch Foods will achieve results with the highest integrity, while enhancing the customer and vendor experience and associate success.
We listen to our customers and try our best to meet their needs as well as distribute products that meet their expectations in a timely manner.


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kaseycarroll asked:
kaseycarroll asked:
The XA2's a great camera - sort of a high-quality, much more affordable alternative to the Lomo LC-A. A few things I've learned from mine:
When you're taking photos, especially in low light and/or with slower film, keep your ears open for the sound of the shutter. It actually makes two sounds: a click when it opens, and a click when it closes. In bright light, this happens so fast it sounds like a single sound, but as it gets darker you can start to hear the individual clicks. Make sure to hold still and keep the camera stable until you hear the second click to keep blur to a minimum. Since the XA2 is all automatic, it'll hold the shutter open as long as it thinks it needs to (up to a point) in dark settings, so there might be several seconds between the two clicks if it's dark enough.
The XA2 uses zone focusing, the "guess the distance" sort of method. There are three focus settings, the middle of which is the default. It's good for most medium-distance shooting in normal light. Then there's a close-up setting and a distant setting. In daylight, you'll normally be using the middle setting, since the camera will be using a small aperture and your depth of focus will be large as a result. In fact, every time you close and reopen the clamshell cover, the XA2 resets to the middle focus setting.
The manual gives a range of focus for each of the three notches, which is sort of a guide (especially in daylight). Specifically, the three notches focus at 4 feet, 8.9 feet, and 42 feet. In bright light, there will be a fairly wide range both closer and farther than those distances where everything will be acceptably sharp, due to the use of small apertures. In lower light, the depth of focus will get smaller as the aperture gets larger, so it gets a little trickier in darker settings. You'll learn as you shoot with the XA2 how the focus range varies with the light.
Zone focusing isn't super-precise, but the trade-off is that you can guess the distance and point & shoot very quickly, especially in bright light when the depth of focus will be large.
Don't forget to set the ISO setting under the lens to match your film's ISO rating.
To test the XA2's battery, flip the little lever on the bottom to the first dot. If the battery's good, it'll sound a tone. Flip the lever all the way out to use the self-timer.
Those are some general tips. The XA2's a fairly simple camera in terms of controls and settings, so it's just a matter of learning the camera's nature and how it changes depending on the amount of light and film speed. It's a really fun shooter that's capable of great, sharp results despite its size and simplicity. Most important thing is to have fun! :)