The empire was collapsing. Over several decades the followers of the new religion of Mohammed pushed their way out of Arabia conquering as they went. First fell the ancient See of Jerusalem, the Holy Land where the Lord was born, lived and conducted His earthly ministry, and then Antioch, whose first bishop was St. IgnatiusContinue reading “Icons: Not Just for Clicks”
Author Archives: frdavid11
It Revs My Engine
As any boy who grow up in the Midwest, I had friends and family who owned and worked on cars. My uncle Bob owned a garage on the same rural lot as his home, where I spent many of my childhood days in Ohio, and a cousin drove a racing striped Chevy Nova that announcedContinue reading “It Revs My Engine”
Enter Into Grief and Be Light
Whether it’s the way things used to be or the way things are now or some combination thereof, all of us have some vision of the way things ought to be. It’s a vision to which we attach much value, often investing significant emotional capital in it. And because of our investment we become farContinue reading “Enter Into Grief and Be Light”
Every Head a Billboard
Living overseas I tend to be out of the loop when it comes to U.S. professional sports news, sports opinion in particular, which may be why I haven’t heard about the latest MLB money grab: selling ad space on their players’ heads. Uniforms have already caused a lot of controversy this season, and it wasContinue reading “Every Head a Billboard”
Time to Shake Off the Cobwebs
It has been quite some time since I posted anything here on my blog, and though I feel a little built guilty about that, the principal reason mitigates that feeling significantly: We’ve had guests and travelled extensively over the Summer. Our preoccupation with hosting and with planning and executing our trips—including a long, significant tripContinue reading “Time to Shake Off the Cobwebs”
Offer Your Hammer to God
It is often said that if the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail. And, as anyone who has tried to drive a crosshead screw with a flathead screwdriver can attest, you may get the job done, but the result won’t be pretty – or easy. Though allContinue reading “Offer Your Hammer to God”
Eureka!
I took up a new hobby this year. Prompted by men I umpire baseball with, and seeing that there was a need for it here in Naples, I started officiating basketball games. The season took me to the US Navy Air Base on Sicily twice, once over the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend. SinceContinue reading “Eureka!”
Alpine Adventure
When we were stationed overseas for the first time, in Okinawa, Nora and I started a new family tradition. We used the money we might otherwise spend on gifts and used it to take the family on a nice vacation trip. The day after the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God, and SaviorContinue reading “Alpine Adventure”
Happy Fathers (of the Church) Day
In a remarkable and wonderful coincidence, we celebrate the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council on Father’s Day. This also happens to be the feast day St. Tychon of Amathus, whose relationship with his father was close, formative, and—in at least on case—miraculous.Young Tychon’s father was a baker in Cyprus, who charged his son withContinue reading “Happy Fathers (of the Church) Day”
How the Babe Broke Baseball
New York Yankee Aaron Judge now holds the American League record for home runs hit in a single season with 62. (Some might also say that he is the only legitimate holder of the MLB record, given the other records’ holders being tainted by steroids, but we’ll leave that for another time.) Without dispute heContinue reading “How the Babe Broke Baseball”
An Orthodox Priest Abroad 