First the death of George Floyd. Then the tearing down of the statue of Robert E. Lee. What will come next? Will we forget all of our not so great history? Like my sister wisely said if we forget history we are doomed to make the same mistakes again.
All human beings are flawed, no matter what we may think. Does this mean we should forget about imperfect humans? Should we fail to remember amazing heroes in American history just because of a flaw?
The writers of our own constitution had many flaws, including owning slaves. Does this mean we should forget everything by focusing only on there bad sides? No, we have to recognize that they did a very important job for our country. This means not to tear down statues but instead we should learn from there mistakes (and remember them) and focus on making our world better!
Some people might tell you not to smoke, but is there any reason that they tell you that? Yes, there is, and the people who tell you this information might not even know these facts. Smoking can lead to a very bad habit that can lead to death. When you breath in your nose hairs trap large dust, but not all of the bad stuff that can get in your nose. Tiny hairs in your nose passages trap the rest of the dirt and lead it away from your lungs. Most people know that smoking can lead to lung cancer, but what they do not know is that when you smoke regularly for even 2 weeks the tiny hairs start to disappear. 
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever. What can a young child really do? What is a young boy or girl good for besides growing up into adulthood? Aren’t we adults the ones who run the church and isn’t their place merely to respect and obey instruction until the time comes when they are old enough to run things themselves? While I would agree with at least this assessment of the role of children in the church, I challenge us to see a deeper dimension of these to whom our Lord promised that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs. These same youths that the Apostle Paul enjoined in his letter to Timothy not to despise because of their youthfulness. 
It is super hard to move away from a home that you grew up in. If you lived in one place for over seven years, you would probably be very attached to the house. The first time I ever moved was when I was ten years old.
Lazarus Saturday, 2017
I have a friend and fellow graduate of a one-time missionary school held in an Orthodox Monastery in California. This friend reminded me of an old movie list that he has recently decided to resurrect for the salvation of his own soul and those of his immediate circle in memory of the former Abbot who authored the list, Fr. Herman Podmoshensky. I offer the list here in memory of the same Abbot, whose love and selfless devotion birthed in so many of us the need to feed our own souls along with our spirits.
Like Mendicant Monks... 