I am traveling new spiritual paths and seeking fellow travelers. Let me share with you where I've been.
I'm a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and have been a pastor and church planter for 10 years. My paths have taken me from fundamentalist churches to the charismatic movement. Recently, I've been traveling down a most unusual yet beautiful path - Eastern Orthodoxy. Yep. From the Buckle of the Bible Belt to Constantinople. Long trip:) Indeed it has been. Yet it has been totally life transforming for me and my family. The purpose of this blog is to share my spiritual journey with all of it's ups and downs with fellow sojourners.
I call this first posting "Traveling New Paths". Traveling - because I have not "arrived". New -because although the paths are new to me they are as old as Christianity itself. Paths - because I believe the path and journey is just as important as the destination.
I'll be posting things to interact with from spiritual thoughts, insights as well as reflections on nature. Feel free to travel with me!
All Aboard,
Chris Mayeaux
This is a blog designed for Orthodox and Evangelical Christians to interact and share ideas. I've lived in both worlds and desire to build on the best of both traditions.
We are on this journey together
ReplyDeleteYes we are. What a ride!
ReplyDeleteWe are all on this journey to our permanent home to be with Our Lord in heaven. However while we are here we are to do God's work and strive to live for His purpose for our lives.
ReplyDeleteRemember, that at any moment during your journey, a companion may have a weak moment and need our help. We, too, may vacilate or even hesitate, even trip and fall. Hopefully, we can count on someone, who is on this journey, to be there to be supportive and understanding. His name is Jesus.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for all the great comments. I thought I had a blog and a face only a mother could love:)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you started this blog, Chris. I think it will be valuable.
ReplyDeleteToday I listened to a talk by Peter Kreeft, a former Calvinist pastor, teacher and author who converted to Catholocism, entitled "Seven Reasons to be Catholic". It was interesting to listen to, but I thought the same arguments could be made -- perhaps even more convincingly -- about the Orthodox church.
Yeah, it's amazing the different emphasis of theological development in east and west. While the western church focused on a more legal & rationalistic theology, the east focused on a more therapeutic relational theology. Though the language is the same, it has different meanings. Catholics & Protestants have the same questions, they just give a different answer on how the merits of Christ are appropriated. It's still about legal standing on both sides. Catholics transfer the merits of Christ through the saints & sacraments. Protestants transfer the merits of Christ in a moment of faith experience. It's still all about the heavenly accountant (God) transferring merits from one account to the other. To my knowledge, there is no concept of merit in Orthodoxy. God has always forgiven repentant sinners by his mercy. He encourages us to cooperate with him in a relationship in order to become like him. This cooperation involves dying to self, taking up your cross & following him.
ReplyDeleteSo, it sounds like the magic pill is dying to self and taking up your cross and following him.
DeleteWhat dose that mean?
Well what it is not is how I think I should feel!
Gods word gives us promises, and we are either going to trust them or not , and when you let your feelings tell you other wise, then you have failed to believe in the promises.
Abraham listened to God , and I am sure some days he did not feel that great about the plans, however we know from Gods word the Abraham not only trusted God but he obeyed God
Abraham did not follow God because God gave him command or rule, but he followed God out of the love he had for God
LOVE trumps all things, even our feelings
We know religion , one over the other, is not the answer, it is a Deep agape for God
Christ gave us just two commandments ;
Love God
Love others; that means even your enemies
My travels in life also have taken me down different paths, however, when I allowed God to love through me with a focus on others rather then myself, that is when Heaven 'is' the closest and my feelings the furthest!
Thanks for your response. I don't think there is a "magic pill". The modern mind searches for a "magic pill" & a microwave answer. However, I do know that Jesus said in order to follow him we MUST take up our cross & follow him. It's not an option. It's a command. Jesus said you are to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. It's not an option a command. He gave lots of seemingly ridiculous commands, the supreme one being the royal law of love which you've pointed out so wonderfully.
ReplyDeleteReligion is indeed not the answer but God's church is. Jesus said he would establish a church that the gates of hell would not prevail against. He also said this church would be the very pillar & foundation of truth. It seems that when we enter a relationship with God we simultaneously enter a relationship with his people - the church. We can't have one without the other. This totally goes against the spirit of the day of rugged individualism and it's just me and Jesus hanging out on the lake. If we don't love the brethren (the church) we don't love God. Period.
We cooperate with God in a relationship to grow closer to him, closer to his people, closer to his church. My ultimate model for spiritual growth is the cross. Jesus submitted perfectly & did not resist his enemies when he could have. The more I reflect on the cross the more humble I become. The more I realize I fall short. Yet more determined with God's grace to daily take up my cross & follow him & die to myself. Since God is eternal, this synergistic relationship is as well.