Next Step #218 – August 9, 2012 Taking off from the London Olympics, competition gets tougher in life. Talents & blessings: how much is left to chance? St. Mary – Assumption feast makes for conversation on what to do with fish! Thoughts on the Mars landing. Song: Kilikia by The Beautified Project BBC/Hagopian on Syria […]
Next Step #217 – August 2, 2012 Olympic size problems are in the 100th of seconds. Winners and losers are defined by milliseconds. We’re not as tolerant when it comes to divorce – “hard-heartedness” prevents us from opting for faith, hope and love. Following up on the “Divorce Comma” from last week’s lectionary reading – […]
Next Step #216 – July 26, 2012 Who said, greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends? No really, who said it? Colorado shooting – a world where violence solves so much – why doesn’t the alternative make sense? Do you really want to be like Steve Jobs? Wired […]
Next Step 215 – July 19, 2012 Armodoxy in evolution – Celebrating the Priest as the Celebrant of Life. The wisdom of vartabed/kahana structure. Hovhaness Tomanian’s battle against backwardness. Transfigured trilogy – Faith, Hope and Love. Developing evangelists based on the Apple mystique. Passings: Andy Griffith, Ernest Borgnine and Fr. Peter Gilquist. Song: “Gadag Bar” […]
Next Step #214 – July 12, 2012 At the Transfiguration Peter loses sight of the celebration and asks the mundane. A look at Kazantzakis’ Last Temptation of Christ, and some other bothersome questions: why death? why cancer? why children die? Reconnecting with the past and finding relevance. A trip up to the Sugar Pine. More […]
In today’s Gospel passage we read the story of Jesus multiplying the fish and loaves. (Matthew 14). It is one of the miracles of Jesus which has all the trappings of the miracle genre. That is, its big and spectacular—Jesus feeds 10,000+ people with a few scraps of food! Scripture says 5,000 […]
Next Step #213 – July 5, 2012 Looking beyond the known universe and finding pre-Big Bang evidence. The discovery of the Higgs boson God particle – St. Gregory anticipated it. Additions to the Creed – Pontius Pilate is absent but St. Gregory’s Proclamation is in place in the Armenian tradition. Excerpts from the dinner conversation […]
Although the Fourth of July is neither a religious holiday, nor an Armenian one, I wish to share with you some thoughts on the occasion of Independence Day. In fact, the concept of freedom and independence are among the highest ideals and goals of all true religions. It is therefore important that as people […]
Next Step #212 – June 28, 2012 Returning from a trip to Wisconsin, Fr. Vazken explores some of the challenges of a Virtual Church. The Importance of touch, action and empathy in the Christian equation. Interview with Fr. Nareg Keutelian, pastor of St. John the Baptist Armenian Church, on technology, the church and the phenomenon […]
Next Step #211 – June 21, 2012 A 35 year old debt is paid back, across generations and across continents with the passing of two gracious ladies Alice & Freda. Song: Yerginkn Ambel E by Artur Sedrakian Compass: “Tit for Tat” Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for epostle.net Look for The Next Step on blubrry.com updated 050321 mm
