I need a shepherd

[Wandering Soul]

I am a bit of a lost sheep and need some guidance.

About 20 years ago, I entered a Southern Baptist Seminary and began to work in the ministry. Someone there once quipped that you do not go to seminary to serve Christ, you go there to become an atheist. It was a bit of a prophetic statement in that I ended up deciding to leave the ministry and church altogether. One of the reasons is that in studying theology, I was unable to reconcile myself with the thought that the true meaning of the gospel has been lost. Depending on the perspective with which you approach a scripture, a reading from Aquinas, Calvin, Wesley, Luther, etc., are all persuasive in their own right and I could no longer decide what the truth is. I was a bit of a vehement anti-Catholic, but part of me, if I am being honest with myself, felt that the truth probably lay somewhere in the past with them.

Over the last few years, I have felt a yearning for a more spiritual life. To make a long story short, I am now older and more experienced in life and I think ready to see things in a different light. I am very interested in exploring the idea of living the final chapters of life as an Orthodox Christian. I have been reading a lot about the events leading to the break with Rome and am inclined to think Rome was probably on the wrong side of the split. There is an eastern rite church about 25 miles from me that is "a parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America." I figure my journey probably starts there.

I know that Roman Catholics have RCIA. I am hoping that someone here can help guide my path a bit. What should I be learning and doing at this point?

 

[ArmyMatt]

go to that Antiochian parish, experience the service, then talk to the priest afterwards.

 

[Chesterton]

I know that Roman Catholics have RCIA. I am hoping that someone here can help guide my path a bit. What should I be learning and doing at this point?

I think all of our churches have classes. I'd also recommend a good book called The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

I am a bit of a lost sheep and need some guidance.

About 20 years ago, I entered a Southern Baptist Seminary and began to work in the ministry. Someone there once quipped that you do not go to seminary to serve Christ, you go there to become an atheist. It was a bit of a prophetic statement in that I ended up deciding to leave the ministry and church altogether. One of the reasons is that in studying theology, I was unable to reconcile myself with the thought that the true meaning of the gospel has been lost. Depending on the perspective with which you approach a scripture, a reading from Aquinas, Calvin, Wesley, Luther, etc., are all persuasive in their own right and I could no longer decide what the truth is. I was a bit of a vehement anti-Catholic, but part of me, if I am being honest with myself, felt that the truth probably lay somewhere in the past with them.

Over the last few years, I have felt a yearning for a more spiritual life. To make a long story short, I am now older and more experienced in life and I think ready to see things in a different light. I am very interested in exploring the idea of living the final chapters of life as an Orthodox Christian. I have been reading a lot about the events leading to the break with Rome and am inclined to think Rome was probably on the wrong side of the split. There is an eastern rite church about 25 miles from me that is "a parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America." I figure my journey probably starts there.

I know that Roman Catholics have RCIA. I am hoping that someone here can help guide my path a bit. What should I be learning and doing at this point?

Jesus Christ of Nazareth is your Shepherd.
Turn to Him.
Blessings.

 

[prodromos]

Jesus Christ of Nazareth is your Shepherd.
Turn to Him.
Blessings.

You are a visitor to the Eastern Orthodox subforum, and as such you are required to abide by the rules of these congregational subforums.

 

[JesusFollowerForever]

I am a bit of a lost sheep and need some guidance.

About 20 years ago, I entered a Southern Baptist Seminary and began to work in the ministry. Someone there once quipped that you do not go to seminary to serve Christ, you go there to become an atheist. It was a bit of a prophetic statement in that I ended up deciding to leave the ministry and church altogether. One of the reasons is that in studying theology, I was unable to reconcile myself with the thought that the true meaning of the gospel has been lost. Depending on the perspective with which you approach a scripture, a reading from Aquinas, Calvin, Wesley, Luther, etc., are all persuasive in their own right and I could no longer decide what the truth is. I was a bit of a vehement anti-Catholic, but part of me, if I am being honest with myself, felt that the truth probably lay somewhere in the past with them.

Over the last few years, I have felt a yearning for a more spiritual life. To make a long story short, I am now older and more experienced in life and I think ready to see things in a different light. I am very interested in exploring the idea of living the final chapters of life as an Orthodox Christian. I have been reading a lot about the events leading to the break with Rome and am inclined to think Rome was probably on the wrong side of the split. There is an eastern rite church about 25 miles from me that is "a parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America." I figure my journey probably starts there.

I know that Roman Catholics have RCIA. I am hoping that someone here can help guide my path a bit. What should I be learning and doing at this point?

Hello Wandering soul, The nice people here will certainly guide you further.

You already have a shepherd, His name is Jesus.

I Am the Good Shepherd​

JOHN 10 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Jesus the Good Shepherd​

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came ]before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

John 14:16-18 (NKJV)​

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to be with believers, and that He Himself will continue to be with us in spirit.

Blessings.

 

[prodromos]

Hello Wandering soul, I am sorry you got lost along the way.

You already have a shepherd, His name is Jesus. Too many people got sidetracked listening to other voices but not the one that really counts;

I Am the Good Shepherd​

JOHN 10 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Jesus the Good Shepherd​

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came ]before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

John 14:16-18 (NKJV)​

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to be with believers, and that He Himself will continue to be with us in spirit.

Blessings.

Another who seems to have lost his way.
This thread was opened in The Ancient Way - Eastern Orthodox
The question was posed to Eastern Orthodox Christians, which you are not, and the fact that both you and another visitor have answered in the above manner demonstrates that you have no knowledge or appreciation of Orthodox teaching or praxis. There is nothing wrong with what either of you have posted, it just falls short of what is being requested.

As a visitor you are allowed to ask questions about Eastern Orthodoxy, but you are not permitted to offer advice or teach. The same rules apply to visitors to the Non-denominational sub-forum.

 

[Diamond72]

I could no longer decide what the truth is.

The Holy Spirit of God is to be our teacher and our guide. Man is not to teach us. It is interesting to hear their testimony and a report on what God is doing in their life and teaching them. We need to be careful though because sooner or later we will be sucked into their error. So we add their error to our own error.

Matthew 23:15 (NIV): "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are."

 

[prodromos]

The Holy Spirit of God is to be our teacher and our guide. Man is not to teach us. It is interesting to hear their testimony and a report on what God is doing in their life and teaching them. We need to be careful though because sooner or later we will be sucked into their error. So we add their error to our own error.

Matthew 23:15 (NIV): "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are."

Kindly take note that this thread was posted in the Eastern Orthodox sub-forum. You are the fourth non-Orthodox to offer advice to someone who has requested advice specifically from Eastern Orthodox Christians. Only one has seen fit to delete their post.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

I am a bit of a lost sheep and need some guidance.

About 20 years ago, I entered a Southern Baptist Seminary and began to work in the ministry. Someone there once quipped that you do not go to seminary to serve Christ, you go there to become an atheist. It was a bit of a prophetic statement in that I ended up deciding to leave the ministry and church altogether. One of the reasons is that in studying theology, I was unable to reconcile myself with the thought that the true meaning of the gospel has been lost. Depending on the perspective with which you approach a scripture, a reading from Aquinas, Calvin, Wesley, Luther, etc., are all persuasive in their own right and I could no longer decide what the truth is. I was a bit of a vehement anti-Catholic, but part of me, if I am being honest with myself, felt that the truth probably lay somewhere in the past with them.

Over the last few years, I have felt a yearning for a more spiritual life. To make a long story short, I am now older and more experienced in life and I think ready to see things in a different light. I am very interested in exploring the idea of living the final chapters of life as an Orthodox Christian. I have been reading a lot about the events leading to the break with Rome and am inclined to think Rome was probably on the wrong side of the split. There is an eastern rite church about 25 miles from me that is "a parish of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America." I figure my journey probably starts there.

I know that Roman Catholics have RCIA. I am hoping that someone here can help guide my path a bit. What should I be learning and doing at this point?

As someone who was raised Catholic, went to a conservative Anglican parish for years, and ultimately converted to Orthodoxy, I can safely say I’ve walked the three Christian paths. Orthodoxy is extremely worth it. It satisfies the need in all souls for liturgy. It satisfies the philosophical dimension of the Faith without over-philosophizing into crazy Thomism like the Catholics do or going down the lousy road of sola scriptura. The relationship with the Lord is deeper, the contemplative life is deeper, you get the wonderful blend of a monastic influence and the parish life experience along with iconography that is far more than “cool images.” It is ancient and True. The Confession odyssey is not only sacramental, it is didactic and therapeutic, the hagiography is incredible, the music is ancient and uplifting, it gives you more of an opportunity to die to yourself as St. John the Forerunner teaches us, and it feels like an onion that never ceases to unravel. Even Father Matt, as bright and wise and experienced in the Faith as he is, will keep learning about the Church till his end. Orthodoxy is not a spectator Faith. You’ll be involved. It will challenge you, bless you, make you smile, and you WILL meet the Living God at services….guaranteed. From the moment you smell that incense in the narthex, you’ll know you’re home….

 

[ArmyMatt]

what I wrote is in your orthodox bible and I said nothing wrong.

that’s not the point. this subforum has rules.

 

[ArmyMatt]

you posted this:

You already have a shepherd, His name is Jesus. Too many people got sidetracked listening to other voices but not the one that really counts;

there is an Orthodox understanding of this quote which other confessions do not have. if you are not Orthodox, you don’t have the understanding that we do since it’s lived within the Orthodox Church.

and since the poster asked us, he wanted our understanding on what to do.

I saw the rules, I did not give advice just encouragement, If I broke a rule please let me know which one.


Peace

telling someone that folks get sidetracked, when they asked us, is sidetracking them and not just giving encouragement.

 

[JesusFollowerForever]

that’s not the point. this subforum has rules.

I have edited my comment,

Blessings brothers in Christ.

 

[ArmyMatt]

it is not what i said, never mention anything about orthodoxy, if you most know I am interested in knowing more but if you are closed off in your faith then it's a no. Was jesus closed like you guys are

if you want to know, by all means ask us what we think. the point is that this isn’t the place for the non-Orthodox to answer when someone asks us a question. we’re not closed off, just trying to prevent chaos from happening.

you got it all wrong but ill leave you in peace because it is obviously what you want to be left alone with people of your church so fine no problem.

not at all, we have just seen way too many times stuff going off the rails.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I have edited my comment,

Blessings brothers in Christ.

many thanks

 

[Wandering Soul]

Thank you all for your replies.

I have 8 audible credits that I need to use, so I am going to look into that book, "The Orthodox Church" by Ware. If you have any others which you want to recommend, I would greatly appreciate it.

One of the things I am worried about, as I investigate this path, is whether or not I have the zeal, the passion, the excitement in me anymore.
As I contemplate things, I know that there is a spiritual need within me. Maybe, at 41 years old, I am just getting set into my ways. I like being at home and the thought of classes and attending services once again is a draining thought and seems like just one more chore in my life.


That said, I am not closed off the possibility that God may reinvigorate me down the road. Afterall, a muscle group that isn't exercised tends to atrophy. I sat on my porch late into the witching hour smoking an aptly named Davidoff "Late Hour" cigar and listening to a series of lectures from the Priest of the parish I mentioned above. At first, I was bored but slowly I became more interested and have spent more time today continuing on with it.

I reached out to the church and a Deacon responded to me. I'll be responding to him shortly.

What are some of the things you enjoy about Orthodoxy and what aspects of it do you kind of loathe or find difficult to practice? And please don't mistake this question as a negative one or think I am pursuing this for pure fun. I recognize there is work to be done and that the path is challenging.

 

[prodromos]

I have 8 audible credits that I need to use, so I am going to look into that book, "The Orthodox Church" by Ware. If you have any others which you want to recommend, I would greatly appreciate it.

It's free to read online at Orthodox Church - Table of Contents - IntraText CT
although I recommend once you start on the first page, you hit the link to hide the concordance links. Makes for much easier text to read. There are some other books online that have been collated at this Orthodox wiki site. They also have a link to ΜΥΡΙΟΒΙΒΛΟΣ : The Main page of the Etext Library of the Church of Greece which has a wealth of reading material on Orthodoxy.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Thank you all for your replies.

I have 8 audible credits that I need to use, so I am going to look into that book, "The Orthodox Church" by Ware. If you have any others which you want to recommend, I would greatly appreciate it.

One of the things I am worried about, as I investigate this path, is whether or not I have the zeal, the passion, the excitement in me anymore.
As I contemplate things, I know that there is a spiritual need within me. Maybe, at 41 years old, I am just getting set into my ways. I like being at home and the thought of classes and attending services once again is a draining thought and seems like just one more chore in my life.


That said, I am not closed off the possibility that God may reinvigorate me down the road. Afterall, a muscle group that isn't exercised tends to atrophy. I sat on my porch late into the witching hour smoking an aptly named Davidoff "Late Hour" cigar and listening to a series of lectures from the Priest of the parish I mentioned above. At first, I was bored but slowly I became more interested and have spent more time today continuing on with it.

I reached out to the church and a Deacon responded to me. I'll be responding to him shortly.

What are some of the things you enjoy about Orthodoxy and what aspects of it do you kind of loathe or find difficult to practice? And please don't mistake this question as a negative one or think I am pursuing this for pure fun. I recognize there is work to be done and that the path is challenging.

I’m not going to lie—-I absolutely DESPISE driving to Fresno. 50 miles, lousy traffic, ugly trip. And since I’m a Reader, I get up extra early on a Sundays to allow for traffic and to read at Matins. There are only 10-15 of us in there that early, but it’s beautiful, and my frustration with driving wanes fast. When I start to feel sorry for myself, I think of what monastics give up, the hardships and misery the saints suffered through, I contemplate my former life as a Catholic where my spiritual adrenal gland was completely drained, and the reward for driving up there on 5-6 hours sleep and realize I’m being a baby. Church/relationship with the Lord is not a stay at home affair or a do it yourself trip. We’re meant for corporate worship and prayer. We’re meant for Orthodoxy!

 

[ArmyMatt]

I’m not going to lie—-I absolutely DESPISE driving to Fresno. 50 miles, lousy traffic, ugly trip. And since I’m a Reader, I get up extra early on a Sundays to allow for traffic and to read at Matins. There are only 10-15 of us in there that early, but it’s beautiful, and my frustration with driving wanes fast. When I start to feel sorry for myself, I think of what monastics give up, the hardships and misery the saints suffered through, I contemplate my former life as a Catholic where my spiritual adrenal gland was completely drained, and the reward for driving up there on 5-6 hours sleep and realize I’m being a baby. Church/relationship with the Lord is not a stay at home affair or a do it yourself trip. We’re meant for corporate worship and prayer. We’re meant for Orthodoxy!

I always try to remember St Jacob of Sitka traveling alone all over Alaska by kayak or dogsled.

 

[peregrinus2017]

Thank you all for your replies.

What are some of the things you enjoy about Orthodoxy and what aspects of it do you kind of loathe or find difficult to practice? And please don't mistake this question as a negative one or think I am pursuing this for pure fun. I recognize there is work to be done and that the path is challenging.

Like many I have a long commute. About four hours round trip if the weather is good. The most difficult aspect for me is something not limited to Orthodoxy. I am very non social, and there is always a meal after liturgy. I genuinely like the people in my parish, but find the expected unfocused social interaction extremely draining. I love leaving straight from liturgy and letting it reverberate inside me on the way home. Also, my family has not embraced Orthodoxy. It is a painful separation between us that they don't really see.